Back to catching up on my Band of Brothers this month. I recently watched the remaining episodes in this miniseries (7-10.) Yup, I wrapped up the entire series, eleven years later.
Episode 7 – “The Breaking Point”
[summary from Wikipedia – Band of Brothers: List of Episodes]
Easy Company battles near Foy, Belgium, losing numerous men. The episode examines and questions the actions of 1st Lt. Norman Dike, the Company’s commander. He is eventually relieved by 1st Lt. Ronald Speirs, who becomes the Company’s new leader. Serving as narrator is First Sergeant Carwood Lipton, who attempts to keep the morale of the men up as they endure their trials in the forest near Foy, earning him a battlefield promotion to 2nd Lt. for his leadership ability.
Episode 8 – “The Last Patrol”
[summary from Wikipedia – Band of Brothers: List of Episodes]
Easy Company carries out a dangerous mission in Haguenau as David Webster (who narrates this episode) returns from a hospital. Together with new replacement 2nd Lt. Jones, he eventually (re)integrates with the other soldiers, whose experiences at Bastogne have made them weary and closed off from Webster due to the fact he didn’t try to leave hospital early unlike other soldiers in the company. At the end of the episode, Captain Winters is promoted to Major, and Lipton is officially promoted to 2nd Lt.
Episode 9 – “Why We Fight”
[summary from Wikipedia – Band of Brothers: List of Episodes]
As Nixon battles alcoholism, Easy Company enters Germany. A concentration camp near Landsberg is discovered by a patrol. This site leaves many soldiers both shocked and disgusted at what they’re witnessing at the hands of the Nazis. The episode was based on the liberation of Kaufering IV in the area of Hurlach.
Episode 10 – “Points”
[summary from Wikipedia – Band of Brothers: List of Episodes]
The company captures Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden, and also discover Herman Goering’s house. The battalion heads out to Austria where the end of the war in Europe is announced. While those with enough points go home, the remainder of Easy Company stays behind until the end of the Pacific War is declared.
Now that I’ve watched the entire series, what did I think? Heck, I thought it was pretty good. Being these were rented from Netflix, I didn’t get to check out any of the extra features. Still, an interesting HBO miniseries, excellent video presentation, and outstanding lossless audio that gets you in the thick of the story. I didn’t necessarily like each character over the course of the 11-hour miniseries, but I don’t believe we’re supposed to. It was interesting to get to know aspects of these characters, their perspectives and how they individually and collectively handled adversity.