Part Five
- Episode aired Feb 16, 2024
- TV-MA
- 53m
IMDb RATING
8.6/10
2.5K
YOUR RATING
The next mission signals a significant shift in the 100th's bombing strategy. Crosby receives a promotion, but it comes with a high price.The next mission signals a significant shift in the 100th's bombing strategy. Crosby receives a promotion, but it comes with a high price.The next mission signals a significant shift in the 100th's bombing strategy. Crosby receives a promotion, but it comes with a high price.
Rafferty Law
- Sgt. Ken Lemmons
- (as Raff Law)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaRobert Rosenthal, whose character was central in episode five, for commanding the only surviving B-17 the 100th Bomb Group put in the air and attacked, later was appointed the Assistant to the US Prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials. He interrogated then former Chief of the Luftwaffe Herman Goring.
- GoofsThe runway shows displaced threshold markings, which did not exist during this time period.
- Quotes
Lt. Robert 'Rosie' Rosenthal: It was really bad up there, sir. We didn't have much time for logs.
Featured review
PART 5, Best episode so Far
Masters of the Air episode 5 marks the halfway mark of the limited series, with just four remaining episodes. The episode brings shattering loss, large-scale spectacle, and more lingering grief. Despite the bleakness, Crosby makes it back to base alive and well after last week's misadventure. Crosby and his crewmates find replacements in their beds, and Crosby's fellow navigator, Bubbles, admits he penned a letter to Cros's wife about his death. However, Cleven has not returned, and the episode is defined by absence. Egan mourns his friend alone, while Cros cuts a lonely figure as he eats solo, waiting for his friends to return. Anthony Boyle's portrayal of Cros, the narrator and audience surrogate, is a highlight of the show. Boyle's physical expressiveness and fear for his friends are evident throughout the episode. The focus is on aerial combat as the men embark on a death-defying mission. The score's rhythm is a ticking clock, and the VFX is consistently excellent. The first half of the battle is focused on Egan's aircraft, narrowing the scope of the action sequence. The emotional beats are even harder as flak rips through the squadron. Blake Neely's score lurches to the nightmarish as German planes fill the sky, turning the situation from bleak to hopeless. The battle that follows is on a blockbuster scale, with immaculate sound design sharpening every bullet, droning engine, and anguished cry. Egan and his crew have to abandon their plane, resulting in a vertigo-inducing free fall to dangerous ground. Lt. Rosenthal emerges as a key character, holding his nerve to drop bombs at the precise moment, manoeuvring around enemy planes on the attack, and even humming a rousing tune to encourage his crew. For much of this sequence, Rosenthal is wearing a mask, relying on Nate Mann's eyes to convey the stress, intensity, and determination of flying a plane in such extreme circumstances. The episode of "The Bloody Hundredth" is a haunting tale of the aftermath of the Battle of Stalingrad. Rosenthal's plane is the only intact Allied aircraft in the sky, and debris floats down slowly, illustrating the devastation of the battle. In just one episode, almost the entire Bloody Hundredth has been lost. The episode ends with Cros, alone in the frame, reading the eulogy and crying silently, contrasting with Egan's suppression of his grief. The camera lingers on the empty bed and the empty beds beside it, emphasizing the scale of the episode's losses and the inevitable change for the Bloody Hundredth. The episode highlights the enduring impact of the war and the loss of the lives of those who lost their lives.
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- moviesfilmsreviewsinc
- Apr 27, 2024
Details
- Runtime53 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
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