Maybe not, but they’re real.
I like the way the other men reacted, or rather the way they didn’t react. Any thoughts on that? In any other show, there would have been a big fight. These guys acted like they’d heard it all before from those two and it didn’t bother them. Is that an example of military discipline – not punching somebody out when they get in your face?
I thought it was fantastic, and the point it was making, to the extent that it was making a point, was not pro- or anti- anything politically, although it was certainly doing an excellent job of lambasting the organization of the war at a logistics level.
As for the racism and homophobia, well, is there any reason to think that is not a reasonably accurate account of what happened? And to a certain extent, if the most interesting conversation that took place during a particular hour was 5 minutes of racial or homophobic ranting, well, that’s what the reporter (who wrote the book/articles on which the show is based) is going to write. There was enough other stuff covered that I didn’t get the impression that racism/homophobia was the be-all end-all of what marine’s talked about.
And note that despite their repeated ragging on “Fruity” Rudy, they do seem to genuinely like him.
I thought it was excellent. I was hooked 10 minutes in when they were ripping on the letters from the 4th graders, and passing around one of the girls pictures. Hilarious.
Colorful characters. Really mining that military absurdity that made movies like Full Metal Jacket and Buffalo Soldiers so enjoyable.
I’ll consider the characters racist when a black guy gets shot next to a white guy and they decide to help the white guy first. Until then, they’re 18 year old idiots running their mouths.
Also, a great bit on the war being about not getting enough pussy.
“it’s not about saddam?”
“well, sort of, in that he didn’t work on the pussy infrastructure of the country.”
More, please.
I watched it and wasn’t terribly impressed. The racism/homophobia didn’t bother me as I’m sure it’s an accurate portrayal. Unlikable characters can still be interesting to watch, but these ones weren’t. I’ll give it another week. Maybe once they get into combat the characters will show more complexity.
Showing a group of Marines mocking letters from children was almost more shocking than anything else. HBO sure has balls.
Well, since my ploy didn’t work, I’ll cheerfully admit that the racism/homophobia didn’t bother me, except that it a was a bit thick and relentless, crowding out other opportunities for character development, and the slang was so rapid fire that at times the dialog was hard to follow.
I liked it generally, and will watch again, though I find it isn’t as good as an earlier Iraq-based series, Over There, maybe just because Over There had fewer characters and was generally easier to understand.
I just watched it and I enjoyed it. My only gripe is that some of the marines are too eloquent . While I enjoyed the writing of the show, I can hear the writers through the actors’ voices.
Nonetheless, I am completely hooked and loving it. I didn’t expect less from the people involved in the amazing “The Wire”.
With all due respect, you are insane. Next you’re going to say you like CSI better than The Wire or that you really like “Lost”. And this comes from someone who enjoyed “Over There”. There is simply no comparison. Over there was a big mac, Generation Kill is a 4-star meal.
I think some people just have problems enjoying shows that reflect life’s complexity and want a more thorough dramatization/simplification instead.
Dio: Glad to hear you’re giving it another shot. I was going to recommend you for a sense of humor transfusion.
And with all due respect, chill the fuck out. We’ve seen exactly one episode of Generation Kill so far and if you’ve already formed the opinion that it’s the bestest thing ever, more power to you. I look forward to the weekly episode threads and watching you come up with increasingly tortured reasons to explain away flaws and ranting about the rest of us “just don’t get it, man!”
And I never actually watched Wire or Lost, though I immediately recognized “Beecher” from Oz.
Yeah, that’s why I never watched Rome, either. I’m anti-slavery. :rolleyes:
Anyway, I liked it a lot. I think they did a good job of portraying the gung-ho spirit you have to have to stay in the military while offering enough alternative views to show the writers weren’t just jingoistic pro-war types (as if that would be possible on HBO). I suspect that they are over playing the former aspect now to show how it will deteriorate over time. It was nice to see so many fresh faces, at least for me. The only guy I recognized was Beecher from Oz. He’ll be one of the guys, and they’ll be loving him soon, I’m sure.
If “The Wire” is any indication of David Simon and Ed Burns’ writing style, then this will take another episode or two to open up.
“The Wire” wasn’t anything amazing until the fourth episode. Considering how good “The Wire” was, I’m willing to be patient with this one.
Just caught it today. From all the tough talk, I got the idea that this scene was just more tough talk. These guys don’t seem the type to say they were touched or moved by letters from little kids even if they were.
I had a hard time keeping the characters apart - everyone has a nametag on (mostly) - I wish the nametags had been a little more visible!
I definitely enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to the next episode.
Bothered how? It’s like that documentary “Carrier”. The military, like any large organization, does not necessarily consist of the best and brightest looking to take advantage of the GI Bill so they can go to Harvard. There are plenty of knuckleheads from backward upbringings who I wouldn’t trust with a potato gun much less a multi million dollar weapon system.