Over There

[Fly Navy]

I wonder how many combat vets they use for expert options?

Their advisor is a Marine, which is crap. The Army is not the Marines. They are different cultures. That'd be like having an Air Force advisor for a Naval Aviation movie. Still, they're either not listening to him (most likely), or he isn't doing his job.

Let's not forget the cliche incompetent Lieutenant. Gives them trash orders, etc. It's Platoon all over again, set in the current timeframe. Everything is cliche, from the characters to the action. And the leftist political slant is definitely there, which Bochco denies.

 

[zuggerat]

when the kid from the big green and the sandlot is casted as a medic in a military TV series, thats my cue to stop watching

YOU INJECT MORPHINE LIKE A GUUURRRRLLLL!!!!

 

[Fly Navy]

The Sandlot... such a great movie.

 

[AllAmerican75]

Too many errors. I also couldn't stand the whole "Vietnam in the desert" approach to the show. Frankly, I'm going to stick to watching South Park on Wednesday nights. But one of the best military shows I've ever watched has got to be M*A*S*H, for no other reason than it was funny.

 

[Fly Navy]

Too many errors. I also couldn't stand the whole "Vietnam in the desert" approach to the show. Frankly, I'm going to stick to watching South Park on Wednesday nights. But one of the best military shows I've ever watched has got to be M*A*S*H, for no other reason than it was funny.

MASH sucked as a military show. Don't associate the two words

 

[AllAmerican75]

Sorry, my bad. But you have to agree, M*A*S*H was funny. Oh, and Fly, one more thing, I like your signature. I never thought physics could be that funny.

 

[A4sForever]

Interesting to me that so many of you saw shades of "Vietnam" in the production......

Just an observation ... I think it's possible that one reason Hollywood cannot "get over" Vietnam is that present day Tinsle-Town --- you know; the movers and shakers, the money guys, the real power brokers, the producers, the "owners" --- is still heavy with Vietnam draft dodgers/evaders and anti-war "resistance" members from that era.

Even though they will never admit it, it's quite possible that they are wracked with guilt over their actions of long ago --- especially now that they are older --- and at the very least they are trying to justify their previous activites by repeating the well-known theme(s) that:

1. war is hell (what else is new?)
2. it's poorly managed from on high (a recurring theme thruout history?)
3. it's the poor, downtrodden, unwilling "grunt" -- in any form --- that always takes it in the neck. (by the way, I knew some blue-blood, rich, white officers who "took it in the neck")

Or maybe I'm just "thinking" this thing too much ..... ??? ... in any case, the show was below average.

 

[makana]

I thought it was mostly crap. I felt like I was watching a bad anti-Vietnam movie. The race card was played pretty badly. The militant ghetto black guy is determined to "fight against the man", the "man" being the white man. He talks like a thug and acts like a thug. You have the Cornell college educated guy who is horrified at the horrors of war and contemplates our monster behavior and such. Bo, the southern character, was the most likeable. There are two women, one of them seems to be a man-hater. The sargeant is the stereotypical screamer. The action was pretty bad. The assaults and combat action were not realistic. They all like to stay together like a happy grenade target, some of them shoot without aiming at all, and my favorite was the full frontal assault into heavy machine gun fire made at a position when they had adequete cover to kill the bad guys from. It got better near the end, the dialog tightened up a little, but they violated Land Mine 101... stay on the damn road.

I'll preface my post with, "it's better than watching some new reality show." However, it has some improvements to be made and I will probably continue to watch to see if they are made. But, for the most part, the show tried to hit every military cliche in the pilot episode. Fly, you mentioned all the characters but forgot one insignificant part but significant cliche portrayed: Maybe you haven't been in the Navy long enough to know who Jody is but Jody was laying the pipe in the dude's own bed while he comes through the computer with the video e-mail professing his dying love and inner thoughts. I'm sure the "Dear John" letter cliche will come in a later episode.

I also liked how the first time they show the "militant ghetto black guy" he is smoking a joint in uniform as if he's on a smoke break. Pretty realistic! [/sarcasm].

I can't believe DCLegal is the only one to mention the opening scene. What a way to get viewers for a pilot series! Especially when they open up "Junior's" bedroom door.

Other cliches: the incompetent women on the front line scenario, the almost-Jessica Lynch incident, the disgruntled enlisted, the scheming soldier putting together a run to go get alcohol, racism, and some more that I can't recall right now.

 

[Fly Navy]

Fly, you mentioned all the characters but forgot one insignificant part but significant cliche portrayed: Maybe you haven't been in the Navy long enough to know who Jody is but Jody was laying the pipe in the dude's own bed while he comes through the computer with the video e-mail professing his dying love and inner thoughts. I'm sure the "Dear John" letter cliche will come in a later episode.

No, I just forgot to add that one. Though, that DOES happen.

Are you prior, because if you're a new SNA going through the P-3 FRS, we should have similar time in service :icon_tong

Oh, as far as "better than watching a reality TV show"... not really. I'll give this show one more chance... after that I'll stick to my Adult Swim on Cartoon Network.

btw, do you post on AR15.com? Some guys said the SAME thing. They slammed the show pretty hard though on average.

 

[makana]

No, I just forgot to add that one. Though, that DOES happen.

Are you prior, because if you're a new SNA going through the P-3 FRS, we should have similar time in service

Yes, I am prior and I have known a few Sailors who have had to deal with Jody and their significant other while on deployments/workups/local ops...and the subsequent "Dear John" letter.

btw, do you post on AR15.com? Some guys said the SAME thing.

No, I guess it was just that obvious.

 

[Fly Navy]

Yes, I am prior and I have known a few Sailors who have had to deal with Jody and their significant other while on deployments/workups/local ops...and the subsequent "Dear John" letter.

That's what I figured. Just wanted to ask. Are you going to keep watching the show?

 

[DCLegal]

Fly, you mentioned all the characters but forgot one insignificant part but significant cliche portrayed: Maybe you haven't been in the Navy long enough to know who Jody is but Jody was laying the pipe in the dude's own bed while he comes through the computer with the video e-mail professing his dying love and inner thoughts. I'm sure the "Dear John" letter cliche will come in a later episode.

I definitely picked up on this stereotype/cliche. Just didn't mention it earlier in order not to ruin the storyline for anyone. First thought in my head: "You [all caps big bad C-word]!!" I have a few other choice phrases and words to describe her and what she is doing, but you get the point.

I can't believe DCLegal is the only one to mention the opening scene. What a way to get viewers for a pilot series! Especially when they open up "Junior's" bedroom door.

Exactly what I said last night while watching!

 

[beau]

btw, do you post on AR15.com? Some guys said the SAME thing. They slammed the show pretty hard though on average.

HAHAHA! yeah the same stuff was on 50cal.com and AK.com too! hahaha J/C. FLy you nut!!! :icon_smil

 

[makana]

OK, this is more of a technical post here...
Did anyone happen to see episode #2 - the one with the vehicle checkpoint? Well just wondering what everyone thought? Tactically how did it match up? Obviously I have my own opinion but I would like to hear what everyone else has to say.

It still had some cheesiness to the story line and some more cliches but overall, I thought it was better than the pilot. I can't speak for the tactical aspect of it since I have never been to Iraq, much less a soldier manning a roadblock. Speaking of soldier, them calling each other "Soldier" is getting way too played out. Marines are the only branch that really gets off on being called what they are. They just put too much emphasis on "Soldier." Just my observation and opinion.

Having said all that, I will continue to watch because, like I said before: I would rather watch this than another new reality show. I'll pull chocks when/if it gets too much and I can't take any more.

 

[Banjo33]

I agree. Second episode was more entertaining than the first....tactically, I have no idea, for the same reason. Got tired of the "soldier" bit too....frustratingly tired of it. I'm wondering if there was a method to all of the cliches. Maybe they were trying to give the viewer a better picture of the diversity of the military in one episode that in order to do it right, might have taken 3 or more? It just seems like they're trying a little too hard or trying to convey too many messages in each episode. I keep feeling the show start leaning toward a political message, then something will happen and it will lean the other way. I'll continue to watch, the second ep. was pretty entertaining.