GENERATION KILL: Episode 2
UPDATE (07.26.08): Our quick summary review of Episode 2 has been added. Scroll down beyond the preview for more…
Before we preview the second episode of HBO’s Generation Kill, it’s worth pointing out a telling scene in Episode 1, “Get Some.” It’s just before the First Recon troops rollout to depart (only to wait four hours for the pissed-off translator to join the convoy.)
Sgt. Major Sixta (Neal Jones, right) bellows at his men, “There are Marines around the world who would give their left nut to be in this position!” Then, on the count of three, he commands them to yell “Kill!” And every man there sounds up to that challenge.
That’s when I realized the modern Marine is a different breed of human — they can, and have been trained to, do things we civilians can’t. That’s one thing I’m hoping Generation Kill continues to show us. (By the way, is Jones playing intense leader or comic relief? You decide.)
Episode 2 Summary: “The Cradle of Civilization”
Bravo company moves north, and their partners in Alpha mix it up with Iraqi forces for the first time, just outside of Nasiriyah. Bravo, acting under orders of an anxious Major General Mattis (Robert John Burke, left) works to cross the all-important Euphrates River by the next night. But with a slight change of plans, the troops head north to Mespotamia (thus, the episode’s title).
Along the way, a wrong turn keeps Bravo behind the other companies — and the real action — until a violent skirmish erupts in Al Gharraf. During the firefight, one major character (no spoiler here) records his first kill, and the platoon is elated.
But let’s not forget Sgt. Major Sixta’s distaste for the guys’ facial hair. Regardless of the soldiers’ early success, the wee one demands a new level of clean comfort and issues a revised moustache edict…
Episode 2 Review
Director Susanna White has us feeling like the Marines of First Recon: Tense, bored, a little confused and ready for something to happen. Frankly, I don’t understand a good deal of the detailed, maneuver-focused conversation, but that’s a strong point of the first two episodes. Dicing in dialogue for us layfolks would remove practically all accuracy and authenticity.
Instead, we pick up the pieces in the more social conversations. One of the more revealing talks comes during the (near endless) convoy, when the guys discuss why they joined the Marines. For the girls in Thailand. Because of the infamous “slaying the dragon” recruiting commercial. And, of course, there’s Scribe sitting in the back of the Humvee, completely out of his element.
By the time combat occurs on the city streets, claustrophobia has set in for both the soldiers and the viewers — and that “sitting duck” feeling is palpable. There’s a real sense of relief (especially if you’re watching in 5.1 surround sound!) when First Recon barrels through, emerging relatively unscathed.
Look for future episode previews (we’ll try to get them posted early)
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Other Posts of Interest
- Preview, Trailer: GENERATION KILL Miniseries
- GENERATION KILL: Episode 6
- GENERATION KILL: Episode 3
- GENERATION KILL: Episode 1
- GENERATION KILL: Episode 5
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I think the quote from the sgt was “left nuts”. he is quite a character
- seth foster -
“nuts,” right… it is wackier than “left nut.”
Thanks.
-Norm S. (Meet In the Lobby)
I had a 1st Sgt Sixta who wasn’t to far off from this character and had come from Recon. Anyone know the real life man’s former units/history? I was in 3/4.
- A Guess -
That could very well be him. The information I have is that they’re using his real name, so next question: To your memory, did he talk the way Neal Jones is playing him in the miniseries? According to the show’s technical advisors, the real Sixta sounded like that. According to an interview on nj.com, the advisors said Marines of rank “somehow decide they need to use that accent.”
If you find out more, keep us posted.
-Norm S. (Meet In the Lobby)