A few weeks ago, I managed to find some time to watch episodes 3 & 4 of Band of Brothers.
Carentan
The men of Easy Company head to the French village of Carentan, where they they experience heavy fighting with the Germans defending that town, and lose a number of soldiers. Much of the episode follows a soldier named Blithe, who seems like a simple young man who struggles to deal with the fear and danger of battle, and rightfully so. Good episode, but again, I struggle to keep track of who is who in the fog of war with so much happening. I’m not saying that they could change anything, but it’s hard for a viewer to tell guys in matching brown uniforms and helmets apart in the midst of a battle. Ah well, what can you do?
Replacements
Since Easy Company has lost quite a few men since the Normandy invasion, new guys join the ranks, including one soldier played by James McAvoy! As part of Operation Market Garden, which I recall from the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far was an abject failure, the troop is dropped into the Netherlands. The troops suffer heavy fighting and must retreat, but the “replacements” prove themselves to be worthy of Easy company. What I also liked about this episode, besides James McAvoy showing up, was that this episode featured Michael Cudlitz as the commander of the new guys. Cudlitz, of course, stars in one of my favorite shows and police dramas, Southland.
Overall, good episodes again. The video and audio quality on these blu-ray discs were good. My only complaint is that there are only two episodes per disc, so it’s going to take me a long while to get through all ten episodes.