Holymotherofpearl.This episode left me utterly speechless. Even now as I write this, I am still deep in thought, thinking of the most appropriate interjections I can insert within this entry’s paragraphs. Oh gawd. That was only the first of the many combats. And to think that the mêlée lasted for two months! It also was so close to the Philippines - probably the closest call the Marines could get from having the country raided even more by the Japs. It scares me that even to this day RV Burgin himself still sees the battle at Peleliu Landing as a “nightmare”.In the beginning of this installment, we were taken to the rich(?)-and-famous life of one John Basilone. He still hasn’t dressed up for battle, by the way. Nevertheless, he had it going good! It was amusing seeing him next to Virgina Grey: he’s a lost boy who didn’t seem to know whether he wanted to quit this war bond trade and go back with the NCO’s, or continue the fate Chesty sealed for him. And speaking of Chesty, I also had not seen him since Melbourne. Also… wth? Was it only Jon Seda or did Basilone really have those massive tats? That’s some revelation, I’m telling you! We also got to see John’s kid brother, who I first thought was JP Morgan. It was an intense conversation, with John Basilone ending it with a sole advice (“don’t feel like you’ve got to prove nothing”). It led me to wonder if whether we’d catch a glimpse of George in the next Pacific episodes as well.
We also get a substantial view into the first war struggles of Eugene Sledge. Joseph Mazzello has grown up, that’s for sure. He’s very diverse from the Star Kid pubescent, but in some such way still gave me shades of Radio Flyer. It was short-lived but I was happy when Sledge and Phillips met again after such a long time. If only it wasn’t interrupted by Captain Ack-Ack (putting Eugene in hot water on the first day, Sid?). I was also impressed with Ashton Holmes in this installment. A poignant part was when Sidney explicated how bad the war was. It’s as though he never wanted to talk about Guadalcanal or Gloucester at all, and that one word about the war will spoil the reunion. I felt as though I was Eugene myself and that I have again convened with the best friend I ever knew. But he has become a gloomy, traumatized stranger, who even got in close proximity to burning a beach crab. And it’s sad because I was never really there to see how this change had come to pass. What’s even worse was Phillips shipping out of Peleliu without bidding Sledge goodbye. Well, at least he received the privilege of going back home.
And ho-ho-ho, Leckie got back to his buddies. Not a word about Banika, but he did play the role of Santa Claus (“In the south, Christmas starts in June”). It was a nice gathering that also made me smile. I can never actually imagine an episode without the four of them! The surprising thing was Leckie and Sledge’s meeting at a tent. I knew it was going to happen, but never thought it possible with Phillips out of the picture. It was also very quick, I was flat-out surprised. Leckie then plays a short naivety towards the “other” war across Europe. And seeing that Sidney Phillips was his biggest customer, Leckie’s book collection would also serve as the very element to connect himself with Sledge. Leckie’s brooding about God was also very scary. I remember seeing him climb down the church steps in the first episode. But now as he talks about “the old geezer” to Eugene, there was absolute disbelief and loss of faith from the guy. James Badge Dale, of course still plays Robert Leckie beautifully.
I thought I was going to watch this time and again like I did the last four episodes. But I sort of slacked off for some personal reasons. If I had not, I think I would have recognized everyone even more. I admit that I was a little irritated with so many characters suddenly popping up. So far, I remember Snafu Shelton (played by Rami Malek). Monotonous; deranged; ominous; and somehow finds eerie amusement seeing “new guys sweat”, he is closely becoming one of my favorite personas. The first time I saw him in the cabin (what was he doing with his foot then anyway?), I knew he wasn’t exactly going to be very cordial – not towards newcomers like Sledge, Oswalt and Leyden, most especially. But I definitely – definitely - I received a spasm of tingle at the back of my spine when he abruptly removed a gold tooth from a dead Jap’s mouth. I also enjoyed Gary Sweet's appearance as Gunny Haney. It struck me amusing that I even laughed the first time he got himself in cameo (“Take. That. Jap!”). He must have appeared at least thrice in this episode, and I hadn’t recognized him until I got the chance to watch Part Five for the second time. It was so rigid to get past the guy that even Ack-Ack was bamboozling other Marines, siding with Gunny. Jay De L'Eau also came off funny, for he had this ridiculous knack of spelling his name (capital D, small E, captial L, apostrophe…) amongst introductory conversations.
At the beginning of the episode, it was also revealed that after Gloucester and Pavuvu, the last thing at the back of every Marine’s mind was to get involved in another combat. They really thought, and wished, and prayed that they could all go back home, or at least rest again at Melbourne. But oh boy, the Japs thought otherwise. The place wasn’t exactly pleasant itself: it reeked, everyone tended to be more captivated with their game of cards, and rats and crabs got along together well. But trust me, the war in Peleliu landing has got to be the most brutal one I have ever gotten to watch! And if you thought John Basilone was badass on Guadalcanal, wait until you see the Japs’ artilleries and the damages they have done to the Marines. I never knew that the war would be even more daunting in the morning than it already is at night. I was inclined to react to Sledge’s sudden apoplexy the first time he landed on shore; I honestly thought that it was his heart murmur acting up. Also, I was immensely shocked when I saw Hoosier pass out from getting hit. The sad part actually was Leckie seeing it happen with his own eyes. And while Hoosier may wind up in either a hospital back home or at a morgue, Chuckler has somehow gone missing. The series has indeed left us hanging with regards to both their fates. It still is horrifying to remember. Just think about all those many, many corpses lying out by the beach. As I said, it only was day one – yet, there already was carnage everywhere. I don’t think there are enough words to express how brutal that combat really was. It really left me silenced and thinking even as the credits rolled.
The most amusing scenes were Snafu disgorging his guts just as their amtrack landed on the beach, Leckie referring to Hoosier as Sleeping Beauty, Sledge easily reddened by his packed "babyfood", and the Marines watching a movie off a projector. It’s a great episode not only because of the extremely awe-striking war, but also because it gave me so very diminutive ripples seeing the exposure of a religious, terribly good-natured and inexperienced boy scout to the dangers of artillery. Faith is also questioned, acquaintanceships are left unclear, and change has come even sooner when we least expected it. For the next two episodes, the Marines will still be posted in Peleliu. How I wish this miniseries would extend to a 20-part!
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