Generation Kill (II)

Nancy Franklin's assessment of the whole thing, sadly, matches up with my assessment of part one:

... it’s a little surprising that Simon went for this material at all. If you watched TV during the first two weeks of the war, you’ll remember that it was covered exhaustively and enthusiastically, as if it were a hot, sandy pep rally. Troop movements, weather conditions, equipment, terminology, and geography—reporters practically got drunk on it all, egged on, presumably, by the networks, some of which sported American-flag graphics during their war coverage. However you judge the response of American news organizations during the early days of the war, they certainly made those days vivid to viewers, and they helped us understand the terrible significance of the resistance the Marines faced in southern Iraq as they made their way from Kuwait to Baghdad. Wright’s pieces, coming out so soon after the invasion, brought the same kind of reality home—even more so, since he had greater control over his narrative than the TV reporters did: they were literally blown about by the wind while they were on camera and sometimes were made almost invisible by all-encompassing sandstorms. But that unforgettable time was more than five years ago, and I don’t see anything to be gained by retracing the path from Kuwait to Baghdad. Tell us, as they say, something we don’t know.

Comments

Are all reviewers this moronic? (Actually, according to metacritic, no - last I checked it scored 81) The first episode of the wire wasn't that great either. Give it at least a few more episodes.

Posted by James | July 14, 2008 1:30 PM

Nancy Franklin, I cannot seem to put my finger on that thing that irks you about the series. You keep comparing the series to "The Wire," and various magazine articles that preceded the current series. I think that if you looked at the show as a sovereign entity, then perhaps your prior inclinations would cease to sour your appetite.

Posted by Sam | July 14, 2008 5:20 PM

"But that unforgettable time was more than five years ago, and I don’t see anything to be gained by retracing the path from Kuwait to Baghdad. Tell us, as they say, something we don’t know"

And here will is the crux of Ross and Nancy's dislike of Generation Kill. Why spend time delving into the complex emotions in a "retracing" of the initial days of the Iraq War. I mean all that death, destruction, and mayhem is sooo last week. Nancy's "tell us something we don't know" is a clever way of saying "Why don't they show all the progress and victories we have won?" As if showing positive developments in war doesn't come with questionable behavior that is morally questionable as well. And Ross' objection to the portrayal of the soldiers is based on the premise that the show doesn't perfectly illustrate the mythological heroism of the US soldier. See for Ross US soldiers are not real people with internal conflicts about the job that they do. No, the US soldier is nothing more than a symbol to Ross, a slate where we are supposed to project all our fantasies of American Exceptionalism. At the end of the day this is another one of Ross' boring critiques that Pop Culture isn't conservative enough. It almost makes me long for the idiotic posts about Juno. Almost.

Posted by MLP | July 14, 2008 6:53 PM

The Baltimore Museum of Industry presents an exhibit of original artifacts, objects and behind-the-scenes footage from HBO's The Wire and other television and movie productions filmed in Baltimore. The exhibit Local Scenes on the Silver Screen: "Featuring the Wire," will run from April 30, 2008 through December 30, 2008. Check out David Simon talking about the wire at http://www.visitmybaltimore.com/video/449/.

Posted by Anna | July 17, 2008 2:45 PM