You're right there with them as they storm into battle : The Pacific

"The Pacific" moves along in its episodic way - part 5 is really quite good in some ways though quite mediocre in others. The good, and this is the strength of the whole series: the ability to convey the feeling of the terrors of combat, how amazingly scary it is, especially for the guys heading in for the first time, making a shore into gunfire and air attacks. You're right there with them, it's terrifying - totally seen from the fighting Marine's point of view. If they know what's happening over at hq, we never see it or learn of it - on the ground it feels like chaos and the pure will to survive. It's a great tribute to the brave soldiers - not that this is the first film or series ever to take on this challenge, obviously (you immediately compare it with Saving Private Ryan among WWII films and and # of Vietnam films as well). The weakness: it really is an episodic series, with little or know attempt at character development or narrative arc. As noted before, it almost seems as if a different team of writers worked on each part and nobody oversaw the whole project. In episode 5, yes, Private Leckie is back on the scene, but just as we were maybe beginning to know something about him and care about him, he's off to the side and we focus now on a new recruit, whom we'd seen for a few bits in earlier parts. Meanwhile, we're halfway through the series and the hero of the first battle, John Baselone (sp?), is now stateside selling war bonds - a totally pointless subplot. Similarly, there was a long interlude on leave in Melbourne, but no attempt to weave that into the characters' lives going forward.