For an obvious reason, I rarely watch a television series twice. A series, unlike a movie or even a book, represents a serious investment in time. This month, however, I made an exception. When I saw that Band of Brothers, a ten-episode miniseries, was making a tour of duty on Netflix, I jumped on it. I am so glad I did.
When you watch something a second (or third or fourth) time, you notice things you did not notice originally. You spot nuances and themes that hid in plain sight the first time you watched.
So it was with Band of Brothers, which follows "Easy" Company, an elite American airborne unit, from its training in the U.S. and England to D-Day to the end of World War II. In watching the production a second time, I was able to truly appreciate its brilliance.
Among other things, I was able to appreciate the war's toll on Easy's members, especially those who served for the duration of the conflict. I was able to see the fatigue, the frayed nerves, the frailties, and even the pettiness of ordinary men pushed to their limits.
Though Damian Lewis, playing Major Richard Winters, shines in the series, he is not the only star. More than twenty others, including New Kids on the Block's Donnie Wahlberg and Friends' David Schwimmer, provide strong performances. All add something to a series that many consider to be the finest every aired.
In addition to the story and the performances, I enjoyed the added content, such as the comments from the actual soldiers at the beginning of each episode. I thought the brief narratives from men in their seventies, men in a position to reflect on the war and their lives, was a treat that lent even more authenticity to the series.
Band of Brothers, which originally aired on HBO in 2001, is more than compelling television. It is history at its best. Despite its violence and mature content, I would recommend it to anyone. Rating: 5/5.
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Sunday, October 8, 2023
A first draft for a last book
It took a while — three months, to be exact — but I finished ahead of schedule. With a final burst on Friday, I finished the first draft of Duties and Dreams, the last book in the Second Chance trilogy.
Spanning two world wars and much of the twentieth century, the series finale completes the story of the Carpenters, three siblings who began new lives as time travelers in early 1900s. It tests Bill, Paul, and Annie like they have never been tested before.
Though the novel focuses on Paul, World War I, and France, it also spotlights other family members, the Spanish flu, and Southern California, where the Carpenters and the Lees have made a home. In addition, it introduces a new character (WWII resistance fighter Emilie Perot) and brings back two others (Steve and Shannon Taylor) from Annie's Apple, the second book in the series.
Weighing in at 86 chapters and 116,000 words, Duties and Dreams is the tenth longest of my 23 novels. I play to revise and edit it in the next ten weeks and publish the finished product by Christmas.
Spanning two world wars and much of the twentieth century, the series finale completes the story of the Carpenters, three siblings who began new lives as time travelers in early 1900s. It tests Bill, Paul, and Annie like they have never been tested before.
Though the novel focuses on Paul, World War I, and France, it also spotlights other family members, the Spanish flu, and Southern California, where the Carpenters and the Lees have made a home. In addition, it introduces a new character (WWII resistance fighter Emilie Perot) and brings back two others (Steve and Shannon Taylor) from Annie's Apple, the second book in the series.
Weighing in at 86 chapters and 116,000 words, Duties and Dreams is the tenth longest of my 23 novels. I play to revise and edit it in the next ten weeks and publish the finished product by Christmas.
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