WhileThe Pacificwill always play second-fiddle toBand of Brothers, the series does have one episode that stands up with the best the European-set show has to offer. In just about anyranking of theBand of BrothersTV shows, which is a catch-all term for the World War II set series created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks,The Pacificalmost always falls second to 2001’sBand of Brothers, only beating out 2024’sMasters of the Air. Set in the Pacific theater during WWII,The Pacificfollows the efforts of the 1st Marine Division.
Band of Brothersis primarily dedicated to a small group of soldiers, the ones in “Easy” Company. This allows viewers to get to know each character and watch how they grow and suffer together. InThe Pacific, we follow three different regiments with characters who don’t even always meet one another. We see them at home, on leave, alone, and after the war. It’s sprawling, shocking, and gut-wrenching, but in terms of compelling storytelling,Band of Brothers' version is better. However,the best ofThe Pacificstill stands up with the best ofBand of Brothers.
“Okinawa” Is The Pacific’s Greatest Achievement
The Pacific War Has Never Felt So Visceral
Every episode ofThe Pacificis fantastic and better than the majority of TV shows, butBand of Brothersis better still. However, there is one episode ofThe Pacificthat can hold its own against the bestBand of Brothershas to offer: Part 9, “Okinawa”. The Battle of Okinawa is one of the most devastating battles of the war. Beyond the jungle fighting and entrenched enemies are the villagers of Okinawa, caught in the crossfire and treated like cattle by both sides of the line.
Different starting locations or not,every Marine on that beach is in hell from the moment their transport boat heads toward the island. It’s a massive battle scene that’s been replicated in only a handful of movies, and it’s hard to believe that anyone is going to get off Okinawa alive. It’s staggering, and the staging and production will leave you stunned. That isn’t even to mention the even more harrowing part of the episode. As the Marines stagger through Okinawa, they are confronted by the brutality of their fight and nearly lose any remaining humanity they have left.
The Pacific Was Even More Brutal Than Band Of Brothers
There Are Few Cinematic Heroic Moments In The Pacific
There are some exceptionally brutal moments inBand of Brothers, butThe Pacifichas that series beat when it comes to savagery. There is an element of heroism that runs throughBand of Brothers. It never feels overplayed or melodramatic, but it’s there, and it’s part of why so many people love the story. There is very little of that heroism inThe Pacific.This is a ferocious and harsh seriesthat shows the very worst of this conflict. American Marines steal gold from dead Japanese teeth, desecrate dead bodies, and do whatever they need to survive.
It’s dark, hot, and hellish in these jungles.
At the same time, the Japanese army gives them few other options, attacking them with a suicidal fury. It’s dark, hot, and hellish in these jungles. There’s a reason that, upon returning home, a cab driver who parachuted into Normandy during D-Day refuses fare from Leckie. Even he knows what the Marines have been through, something so terrible, it awes everyone. There are no celebrations inThe Pacific, no camp liberations, no raiding of Nazi wine pantries. The guns start firing from episode one, and they don’t stop until the Marines are back on American soil.
Band Of Brothers Franchise’s Best Episodes Do The Same Thing
Band Of Brothers Is Filled With Horrifying Moments
It would be easy to positBand of Brothersas the heroic side of war, andThe Pacificas the cost of war. Don’t let anyone fool you, though,Band of Brothersis at its best in the powerful momentsthat show what World War II did to the people who fought in it, and how their humanity was stripped away, maybe all at once, or maybe slowly. Winters (Damien Lewis) remembering the unarmed young boy he shot, Buck (Neal McDonough) having a psychological break in Bastogne, and Doc Roe (Shane Taylor) finding his field hospital bombed are emotionally charged.
The Holocaust, the treatment of women who were convicted of fraternizing with the enemy, and the callousness of the upper ranks of the military regarding their soldiers are on full display.There’s an argument that no war movie or TV show can ever be truly anti-war, butBand of Brothersdoes its best when it can. The men of Easy and the Marines inThe Pacificshow extraordinary courage, but they’re terrified while they do it, and for good reason. You can’t go wrong watching either show, but be prepared, they are not simply action-packed thrill rides.
