Over There

To quote the critically acclaimed Vietnam vetern turned author Tim O'Brien, "A true story that never happened." Or at least that's what Over There looks to be attempting to be. Sure it won't be 100% factually or technically accurate (c'mon like a test season of a TV show can afford to get a UH Blackhawk rather than a UH-1 Huey etc etc) The pilot episode is enough to catch interest. While the dialogue treads familiar "war movie cliché" group, the visual presentation is excellent. The show does an excellent job in depicting the dirt, grundge, heat, and freezing nights of the desert. The most effective scenes are the ones with the barest dialogue and everything is shown.

Whatever your feelings on the war, the show is worth checking out if only for the fact has rengaged the public to think about the war again (which seems to have been relagated to the back of the collective consciousness). Hopefully it'll live up to the hype. Hopefully it will become the TV analog to the documentary Gunner Palace.

I watched the series from the beginning, and I have to say this was very well done. When I saw the trailers for the series last summer I was afraid it would be another flag waving, mindless exercise in patriotism, but that was not the case. To me, the story seemed unbiased and realistic. The characters were well thought out and diverse enough to demonstrate that conflict draws people in from every part of the world, not just from the scene of the event.

There was just enough mix between the members of the unit in Iraq and their families back home to give everyone a three dimensional view of the story from our own living rooms. The soldiers were not just mindless killing machines, they were human beings doing a job and worrying about the people they left behind all at the same time. Throughout the series, each person battles with their inner selves for various reasons, and these battles clearly demonstrate that the characters are thinkers, not just drones. The story and the characters provide the perfect mechanism to animate the true ugliness and destruction war brings without going overboard. The symbolism used in the series was well thought out and precisely executed right to the end of the series when the GI's douse their fire after finishing a hard day dealing with attacks and incompetent commanders.

This series was a true work of art on Mr. Bochco's part. I was sorry to see it end, but at the same time understood that it could not be continuous because then it would become irrelevant as we viewers became more and more complacent as the time wore on. I hope we see more quality work like this in the future, and I hope other producers who may be tempted to create yet another boring "reality" show should view this series in it's entirety and use it as a model to create more interesting and thought provoking television like this series.

Anyone who hasn't seen this should seriously consider a screening some time in their lives. . .........

OK so for credibility let me give you my background. I was a Sergeant in the Marines from 1997-2001. While I was not grunt as I am sure most of you weren't either although you like to talk like you all are. I was a riflemen before my MOS though. OK, so you all complain that they make soldiers look stupid, get over it. In "Full Metal Jacket" they made Marines look like robots, but hey that's what your called to do which is follow orders. It's a TV show. Then some captain wanted to say that NCO's don't yell at their troops. Well I don't know how it's done in the Army, but if there is one thing I learned in the Marines it's that cussing and yelling causes people to get things done. I think the staff sergeant that they casted was an awesome fit. He reminds me a mini Vin Diesel. Now I am not saying that all the drama is not needed and that they portray all the soldiers as coming from broken homes. I agree that all of that crap is not needed, but look past it and enjoy the show for what it is. I mean you all want to show what life is really like over there. Sure let's show them standing at their post all night without an incident that would be entertaining. Then someone wanted to complain about a Huey being there and not a blackhawk are you serious. I mean the Marines have Hueys so is the Army the only force over in Iraq. I think you guys are taking this way to seriously. As for portraying you in a bad light. I say to hell with em all. Quit worrying about what everyone thinks and just win the war. Deal with the politics later. I love the show as you can probably tell. Some complain about the stereotypes in the show. Well the black guy ratted out the other black guy about not opening the trunk so let me guess that shows integrity and courage for starters. So I don't see how they are portraying them to be only bad people. I guess I just see it from a different view.

If anyone wants to see a 2nd Season of "Over There" you should petition the FX NETWORK at (user@fxnetworks.com) or check out the website at (www.fxnetwork.com) and bombard those execs with e-mails people to renew this show & get it back on air NOW!!! Let's be HEARD!!! This show was under exposed and needs to be HEARD for the serving men & woman serving proudly in Iraq and making the ultimate sacrifice. It is sad to see that a show the pays homage to all serving is canceled due to poor viewership. There are no shows like it on TV. Today there are too many "O.C." type shows about a bunch spoiled brats and their life problems on TV and not enough Real Life Modern Day War shows. Come on FX get with the program!!! BRING IT BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fifty years from now, when television historians look back on this era, they will shake their heads in disbelief that a program as masterfully crafted as OVER THERE could not survive more than 13 episodes.

A product of the FX network, OVER THERE followed the lives of a diverse group of American soldiers on their first tour in Iraq. Chronological storytelling was used to perfection as viewers are with them from the moment they board the plane en route to their frightening new reality. We share their horror and shock when innocent civilians are mistakenly struck, when roadside bombs obliterate limbs, and when the best of intentions produce the most dreadful of results. On a more personal level, we see them contend not only with bullets and bombs overseas, but with adultery and family tragedy back home. We see Iraq not through a political lens, but through the eyes of those fighting for survival every single day.

None of the effectiveness of OVER THERE could have been achieved without the right cast. Producers deserve a lot of credit for this ensemble, led by Luke MacFarlane (Pte. Frank "Dim" Dumphy), Erik Palladino (Sgt. Chris "Sgt. Scream" Silas), Keith Robinson (Pte. Avery "Angel" King) and a surprisingly good Kirk "Sticky" Jones (Maurice "Smoke" Williams). Adding a female perspective are Lizette Carrion (Pfc. Esmerelda "Double Wide" Del Rio) and Nicki Aycox (Brenda "Mrs. B" Mitchell). These soldiers are all too complex and human. Dim is a college man shell-shocked by the carnage before him. Angel is a man of strong faith who signed up out of anger. Sgt. Scream drops hints he wants out of the army but has nothing to go back to. The interaction between such distinct personalities is one of the series' strongest assets.

For a show that was with us for so short of a period, OVER THERE certainly did not lack memorable moments. There are ethical dilemmas, such as when the soldiers find a stash of money that one of their own could desperately use back home. There are inspirational times, like when a soldier who lost his leg in an explosion valiantly continues with his life. Cultural barriers, media manipulation, and challenges in training Iraqi soldiers were among the many other topics covered.

One of the biggest criticisms of OVER THERE was that it never took a stance on such a contentious conflict. Few seemed to understand that this was part of its genius. Rather than get locked into a political debate, the show sought merely to present the war as it is. Whether the numbing violence we see is worth it or not is up to us. Indeed both sides of the war could study this program and use it to back up their point of view. You will be entertained regardless of your position.

In the end, OVER THERE was canceled because not enough people appreciated it. It's been said that the public may not have been ready for such a faithful adaptation of an ongoing conflict, with men and women still dying each and every day. That is understandable, but it doesn't necessarily make the loss of such a brilliant piece of work any easier to take.