The final episode of "The Pacific" is difficult not in subject matter - narratively it's formulaic to a fault - but in contrast to the prior episode, on Okinawa. We have (arguably) the darkest and ugliest episode, follow by the most sentimental and rosy. Sledgehammer suffers the earliest reactions to PTSD, postwar, while Leckie sweet-talks his way into his old job and into the arms of his sweetheart across the street. Incidentally, I found the Leckie and Vera scenes to be an appropriate conclusion. And dare I say, endearing? Cliché they may be, but wasn't this the era that invented such cinematic clichés to begin with? Also, the Vera-Leckie angle is satisfying, considering that Leckie was probably the only really engaging character in the whole series.
Many rightly consider "Band of Brothers" the best television miniseries, ever; it's a tough act to follow, and "The Pacific" doesn't really try. Instead it endeavors to show a side of of the Second World War not often portrayed in mainstream entertainment, and not just in a geographic sense. Although wildly uneven in tone, taken as a whole "The Pacific" effectively captures the brutality of the Pacific Theater, particularly the psychological pain of its combatants.
Many rightly consider "Band of Brothers" the best television miniseries, ever; it's a tough act to follow, and "The Pacific" doesn't really try. Instead it endeavors to show a side of of the Second World War not often portrayed in mainstream entertainment, and not just in a geographic sense. Although wildly uneven in tone, taken as a whole "The Pacific" effectively captures the brutality of the Pacific Theater, particularly the psychological pain of its combatants.
