What I’m Watching: The Pacific

The Pacific: Season 1, Episode 9 “Okinawa” (B+)

As we’re nearing the end of this mini-series, things certainly aren’t slowing down and, if anything, they’re getting even more intense. After deliberating on many moral dilemmas regarding treatment of the enemy, the marines now encounter the problem of families being on the battlefield and how to handle them, especially when some are wearing bombs wired to explode. Two scenes in sequence towards the end were particularly powerful, starting with the baby being picked up slowly and then Sledge holding the gun to the mother’s head before cradling her. Immediately following that, Sledge pointing his gun and then wavering when he saw the expression on the faced of the scared young Japanese soldier was powerful, and made even more serious by someone else shooting him and then cheering about it only seconds later. There were so many cries of “Cease fire!” in this episode, making clear just how senseless and confusing war can be in the midst of battle. This show has definitely done an excellent job of probing that, and it continues to dwell on it, episode after episode. The quote “We’re here to kill Japs – why does it matter how?” is particularly indicative of the attitude of the marines towards their orders and the prohibitions on what exactly they’re allowed to do. The confrontation with the captive Japanese soldiers made for a moving scene along those lines. To this point, I haven’t singled out many performers, but I would like to make special mention of Rami Malek, who does a terrific job of playing Corporal Merriell Shelton, also known as Snafu, and also often has the best lines.