The Pacific.....2-hour special debut on HBO...!!!


Just finished watching the 2-hour special on The Pacific over on HBO just now. I'm guessing the whole of South east Asia tuned in as well to catch the premier of the highly anticipated mini-series. One thing for sure, Singaporean viewers tuned in at exactly the same time as us Malaysians, thanks to Alex for confirming this. Well, they were actually 2 separate episodes shown back-to-back but hey, nobody's complaining! It was a perfect introduction to the new World War 2 mini-series by the Hanks/Spielberg team (who previously brought us the award-winning Band of Brothers mini-series in the early 2000s). Personally, I have been waiting for another WW2 mini-series worthy of sitting alongside the Band of Brothers series and I think my prayers have been answered! Watching the first 2 episodes alone tells me that there's more to come in the remaining 8 episodes.


The Pacific follows the exploits of the real-life stories of Corporal Eugene "Sledgehammer" Sledge, Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone and Private First Class Robert Leckie, as well as stories from their fellow Marines of the 1st Marine Division as they brave through the gruelling Pacific theater campaign during the early days of World War 2. The series feature well-known battles involving the 1st Marine Division, such as Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa, as well as Basilone's involvement in the Battle of Iwo Jima.


What got me all excited was that the first landing on the Guadalcanal shores took place mere 20 minutes into the first episode, a stark contrast if compared to the Band of Brothers mini-series (if I recall properly, we had to wait until the 3rd episode to finally see them 101st paratroopers make their jump into France on the early morning of D-Day). The other thing is, we were presented with the journey of Eugene Sledge as he fought his personal dilemma and health condition and decided to enlist himself in the Pacific towards the end of episode 2.  


Man, can't wait for episode 3 next week! It's been a thrilling ride so far...and I think more will be in store for us WW2 buffs in coming episodes! If you love Band of Brothers, you'll definitely get hooked to this one instantly.

For those who want to read/know more about the 1st Marine Division's story in the Pacific theater, head on to HBO's official webpage for the mini-series.

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