I've watched every second of every episode up to this point. I gave this trainwreck every chance, because I wanted to be entertained by some good drama surrounding American soldiers kicking ass.
This thing is BORING. B-O-R-I-N-G. Most of this series has so far consisted of Marines standing around their Humveees, speaking cryptically and giving each other long, intense stares. I do not believe for a second that the reason I cannot understand what the fuck is supposed to be going on is that I'm a civilian.
I can follow a convoluted story line with the best of them. I'm watching this fucking thing with closed captioning on so that I get all the dialogue. This fucking thing is incomprehensible. I see that David Simon was involved with writing several episodes??? I'm going to assume that those episodes have not yet aired. This convoluted cluster fuck piece of shit has wasted enough of my fucking time.

I have never even heard of it?

What channel? I got the gimme all you got I have no life package....

HBO. Don't waste your time. I wish I hadn't. Pisses me off to invest time in a series, only to discover that it's pretentious, incomprehensible SHIT.

It is shit. I couldn't make it through the third episode.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
I'm going to assume that those episodes have not yet aired. This convoluted cluster fuck piece of shit has wasted enough of my fucking time.

I was in a hotel with HBO a week or so back and saw one little snippet where somebody is climbing out of a Hummer, dropping all their gear and getting out an E-tool to dig a hole and take a dump.

The driver of the Hummer just sits there.

I didn't watch any more than that, but I know a few things:

1. You don't take a dump like that in Iraq. You don't sit still for more than five minutes if you can possibly help it. Drop trou, rest your back against the vehicle, and let her rip.

2. If you DO have to stop in one place you set up 360 security. The driver would have been out of the vehicle with his rifle ready. In good units they dig hasty defensive positions.

I only saw two troops in the Hummer, and only one Hummer.

3. There MIGHT be only two troops in a Hummer, though it's unlikely, but there is never only one truck driving around by itself.

The series surrounds a reporter from Rolling Stone being embedded with a Marine unit.
I know these writers are seasoned professionals , but I'd like to just point out one thing, rank amateur that I am:

HEY, GUYS, THE REPORTER COULD HAVE BEEN USED AS THE SPRINGBOARD FOR THE >>>>EXTENSIVE EXPOSITION<<<< THAT IS REQUIRED DUE TO THE FUCKED UP WAY YOU'VE DECIDED TO TELL THIS STORY. GET IT???? HELLO, MCFLY??? THE REPORTER COULD PROFESS CONFUSION, BECAUSE HE'S OUT OF HIS ELEMENT, THEN WHATEVER THE FUCK IS GOING ON COULD BE EXPLAINED TO HIM. YOU KNOW, E-X-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N?? REMEMBER YOUR >>FIRST<< CLASS ON FUCKING WRITING?? JESUS!!

I'm entertained as anyone can enjoy a dramatization about war I guess. It wasn't necessarily written as it was reported by Evan Wright (and I believe a few things were changed or added as some of the real Marines got involved with the project). If the invasion for them was lots of driving around, hanging around being bored, spouting crap to each that most of us don't understand, punctuated by moment of terror and killing....... I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and believe that's close to the way it was. Everything's not spelled out and that's fine with me. I think they wanted it to be confusing like it was for them instead of putting it all into a neat traditional narrative form. Too bad this mini-series hasn't been entertaining for you.

RTFB

quote:

Originally posted by sendec:
RTFB

I don't have to read the book to have an opinion on something that I watch. IMO this show sucks.

quote:

Originally posted by sendec:
RTFB

KMFA, sendec.

quote:

Originally posted by sendec:
RTFB

Reading the book is pointless if you have no reference. Unless you've been there there's no way to know if the book is accurate or even a reasonable fictionalization.

Also, as a TV show, you shouldn't HAVE to read the book to understand the show.

I watched half an episode during a hotel stay a few weeks ago and agree that the show sucks.

The scene that ended it for me was when the guy was ranting about the chaplain. In all my years in the Army- I never saw anyone - no matter the rank, MOS or denomination- complain when the chaplain came around.

I am former military and was excited to check it out. It disappointed me greatly so I will not be checking it out on DVD either.

209

I have watched every episode with my brother. I've spent the vast majority of my time explaining things to him.

I also read the book. It was a decent read, but Evan Wright was obviously pretty flaberghasted by the experience.

I'm entertained by both media, but frequently reminded of my initial reaction when I read Wright's articles in Rolling Stone. He didn't understand what was going on around him, and it showed.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by sendec:
RTFB

KMFA, sendec.

Bwahahahaha! That made my day, para.

all hitman 2 victors...

this this hitman actual.

godfather wants us oscar mike.

out.

I also never heard of this show until I was up at Camp Pendleton at a brief and one of the Marines there informed me that "that guy over there is the Godfather." My blank look kind of gave him a clue, so he explained this show.

About the only thing they got right was his voice and I'll leave it at that.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
The series surrounds a reporter from Rolling Stone being embedded with a Marine unit.
I know these writers are seasoned professionals , but I'd like to just point out one thing, rank amateur that I am:

HEY, GUYS, THE REPORTER COULD HAVE BEEN USED AS THE SPRINGBOARD FOR THE >>>>EXTENSIVE EXPOSITION<<<< THAT IS REQUIRED DUE TO THE FUCKED UP WAY YOU'VE DECIDED TO TELL THIS STORY. GET IT???? HELLO, MCFLY??? THE REPORTER COULD PROFESS CONFUSION, BECAUSE HE'S OUT OF HIS ELEMENT, THEN WHATEVER THE FUCK IS GOING ON COULD BE EXPLAINED TO HIM. YOU KNOW, E-X-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N?? REMEMBER YOUR >>FIRST<< CLASS ON FUCKING WRITING?? JESUS!!

I kind of get the feeling that you didnt care for the show Para...

quote:

Originally posted by tanksoldier:

I didn't watch any more than that, but I know a few things:
2. If you DO have to stop in one place you set up 360 security. The driver would have been out of the vehicle with his rifle ready. In good units they dig hasty defensive positions..

Like the a-holes from a certain unit I will refrain from naming that sits in their humvees reading books and listening to iPods, then drive off without me leaving me to run down the freaking street in Baghdad chasing after them?

quote:

I only saw two troops in the Hummer, and only one Hummer.

3. There MIGHT be only two troops in a Hummer, though it's unlikely, but there is never only one truck driving around by itself.

Always a good policy, but people do get orders from idiots sometimes, one time these airmen got orders to drive across town, and they had two guys, two standard humvees, and one m16 and one m9 between the two of them. They asked us politely if they could convoy with us. We stuck them between the .50 humvee and the mk19 humvee and they were pretty happy.

have not seen this show myself. These days I honestly think if you want to see what reality is really like you should read catch-22.

I don't know what to make of this show.

The dialogue is confusing, and the story is hard to follow. For the first two or three episodes I was willing to think that I was just slow, and that they were trying to make a point about the average front line soldier having only fragmentary information and partial understanding about the bigger picture.

But whether that is the reason for the way the story is presented, or if they are simply not good writers, it does make it hard to watch.

I want to like this show. Either I will have an epiphany soon, or I won't be able to keep watching.

quote:

Originally posted by k:
Like the a-holes from a certain unit I will refrain from naming that sits in their humvees reading books and listening to iPods, then drive off without me leaving me to run down the freaking street in Baghdad chasing after them?

If true that unit has a _serious_ leadership problem. Were they AF as well? I've noticed that many airmen and AF units don't quite have the "anything could happen at any moment" mindset. Case in point: Balad. Army side: K-pot, armor and weapon 24/7. AF side: Civilian clothes unless actually "on duty". This in a place where mortar rounds and RPGs impact several times per week.

quote:

Always a good policy, but people do get orders from idiots sometimes, one time these airmen got orders to drive across town, and they had two guys, two standard humvees, and one m16 and one m9 between the two of them. They asked us politely if they could convoy with us.

...and thus didn't end up driving around by themselves. Convoying with other units is fairly common.