Posted on 07/26/2005 9:20:49 AM PDT by Racehorse
. . . count on Steven Bochco's new series "Over There" to stir the already roiling pot of public opinion about the war in Iraq.
[. . .]
People who support the Bush administration's policies will probably see this series as anti-war. People opposed to the war -- or at least now ready for it to end -- might see it in another light.
[. . .]
The series chronicles the experiences of new Army recruits, "a squad of virgins" as the loudmouth sergeant calls them, who arrive in Iraq with equal doses of courage and terror. Besides witnessing their horrific exploits in battle, we also get to know the soldiers' families back home.
People who support the Bush administration's policies will probably see this series as anti-war. People opposed to the war -- or at least now ready for it to end -- might see it in another light.
"Quite honestly I don't see a lot of potential for political controversy," Bochco said in a phone interview last week. "I don't see it in our intentions or in the show. I think the extent to which any individual might read politics into this show says more about their political mind-set than ours."
The series chronicles the experiences of new Army recruits, "a squad of virgins" as the loudmouth sergeant calls them, who arrive in Iraq with equal doses of courage and terror. Besides witnessing their horrific exploits in battle, we also get to know the soldiers' families back home.
[. . .]
. . . none of those series displayed the raw realism of "Over There" -- or aired while the wars they portrayed were ongoing. It's hard to imagine families or friends of soldiers in the Iraq War tuning into this show for entertainment.
(Excerpt) Read more at statesman.com ...
From The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, today: These soldier's say 'Over There' is 'bogus'
A truck tire hits a flagged wire, a roadside bomb explodes, a handsome private with shredded leg screams in agony. In the bloody chaos of the moment, his soldier buddies panic. One pukes.
Stop the cameras! Sir!
"People don't act like that when an i.e.d. (improvised explosive device) goes off. They make us look like idiots. We're not idiots!" said a first lieutenant previewing "Over There," the new TV series from Steven Bochco ("NYPD Blue," "Hill Street Blues") that debuts tomorrow night on FX cable network. It's set in Iraq, hyped as "true to life" by producers and hailed by critics as "unflinching" and "gut-wrenching."
"Bogus" was the preferred adjective among the eight soldiers -- most of them Iraq vets -- viewing the series pilot last week at Camp Murray, headquarters of the Washington State National Guard in Tacoma.
"Thank God that's over," said a master sergeant as the credits rolled.
[. . .]
But some camo-clad critics at Camp Murray were left wondering just what the message was in "Over There." One said a young soldier who brags about slitting the throat of a child sentry "makes us look like murderers."
Master Sgt. Jeff Clayton complained that cameras deliberately dragged out the death scenes of Iraqi insurgents after a firefight, lingering unnecessarily on the carnage. "It made me sick."
The Hollyweird left always proclaims there is not bias, not political message.
And Jane Fonda starts her anti-war book tour this week.
===
Sounds like the Left is stuck in the 60's. Hey Teddy!!! We found the quagmire.
the NY Slimes raves about the show, which is all the proof you need that it is anti-American and traitorous to our brave Warriors. It is despicable that pantie wearing leftists create this garbage for the purpose of attacking Bush and knowingly putting our brave Warriors lives at risk. The left and their supporters will do anything to undermine this War.
Thank you, Sargeant. That's all I need to hear.
The series chronicles the experiences of ..."a squad of virgins"
Okay, now that sounds like Boccho.
TS
They are authorities on nothing, it is well-proven that they generally have some political agenda to promote, so all you're left with is the entertainment value. Sounds to me like this one doesn't even have much of that to offer, anyway.
Think I'll get some exercise and take my pooch for a walk instead. the conversations with my Iraq-veteran neighbors will be far more enlightening and stimulating.
My son is heading "over there" very soon. I have no intention of wasting one second of my time watching this program.
The left needed a government to their liking and now they have West Wing.
They needed a 'Nam remake so...
Continuous fantasy…
Mmmm Kool-Aide good...
Same here. I had wondered if the show might be ok, considering Bochco's work on NYPD Blue, which I've always enjoyed, but to heck with this crap.
My wife feels pretty much the same way.
Our son has completed one deployment to Afghanistan. He is overdue for a return trip or a new deployment to Iraq. His wife isn't much complaining about that. We're mostly reconciled to the fact his career will take him back into harm's way more than a few times.
I'll watch it, though. At least for one episode. I want to know how these guys and gals are being portrayed.
The reaction of the veteran Washington National Guard troops who previewed the show is probably typical of anyone who has served over there. Like someone once told me a long time ago, no matter what you think it will be like, it won't be. And once you know what it is like, it won't be exactly the same thing even the guy next to you experienced. Nobody, no novelist and no screenwriter, will ever get it right.
So, it comes down to an approximation. That's what interests me. (Well, the drama interests me, too.) How will this show portray our men and women? Will the producers, directors, actors do them honor and justice, or will they be proxy Jane Fonda shills. I won't know unless I take a look or two.
Please tell your son "Thank you" for his service and we're very grateful for it!
Well, I watched it--`Over There'--last night, sort of, while getting in some treadmill time. My favorite part had to be when all the nurses got up on stage and gyrated to Motown tunes! And they sure were purty, nothing like those olive drab-clad, broad-shouldered `angels of mercy' that stuck me way back when.
Wait a second . . . maybe that was American Rock & Roll Idol. Anywho, they sure `busted some moves'!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.