Tour of Duty had a dynamite first season back in '87. Every episode is excellent but also very unique. This is a series that usually had something important to say but never pandered or hit the audience over the head with it. Under Siege has always been a standout episode for me. I had to rent copies on VHS in the 90s because I was too young to catch it first run. But that added to the fun for me. Each tape had two episodes so I'd have to wait out the week in suspense until Friday after school. We piled into Mom's mini van and off we went to rent the next episodes. Now in my early 30s I have revisited the series and it still stands up admirably. All the stuff I loved as a kid endures, but having served several years as a combat medic in between adds an extra dimension to the series. It's not really graphic in violence or language (it was on prime time television) so if you're looking for Platoon-like experience you won't find it. But considering the constraints of network television, TOD is still quite an achievement.
Under Siege in particular does a remarkable job of tapping into the primal fear of complete isolation. A terror accentuated for Bravo Company as they find themselves cut off in an alien environment and that is hostile to their presence. The suspense and fear of impending doom is stretched like a rubber band throughout the episode. Some are quicker than others to realize their under strength Platoon and the fire base they are manning isn't going to stop the coming tidal wave of NVA soldiers.
The carefully crafted suspense and legitimate worry we feel about the survival of our heroes is first rate. I also like the little character arc a guest staring Captain goes through. When he first arrives at the Fire Base he typifies a military leadership that believed body counts, kill ratios, and superior firepower were all that was needed to win wars. But Circumstances change by the end of the episode. Sometimes a facial expression can provide more character development than pages of dialogue. I also greatly admired the way Zeke takes the initiative and ends a fatalistic pity party that he almost joins himself. A motivation that restores lost confidence and personal control over a situation that had been abandoned. It's pretty inspiring to watch as the platoon moves to prepare their last stand. They accept the the task of being their own salvation. Their death may be a certainty but whether they go out with a roar or a whimper is still their choice.
The episode culminates with some surprisingly poignant imagery and dialogue. Like the Vietnam War itself we are left with complicated emotions and uncompromising truths that are inescapable. We see hubris, grief, valor, and emotional resignation. But above all of this mess an American flag still stands almost defiantly snapping in the wind. Beaten to hell and shot up, it remains beautiful despite the abuse it has endured.
2 Reviews
The Battle for Firebase Ladybird
jr-565-2636631 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
In my opinion, "Under Siege" ranks as one of the top five episodes of this series if not the best. It is as good a depiction of close combat in Vietnam as any other movie can show. The platoon is assigned to Firebase Ladybird at the beginning of the 1968 Tet Offensive. As they come under attack by NVA regulars, the company is assigned a new commander, CPT Larry Heath (Kristoffer Tabori), to replace CPT "Rusty" Wallace (Kevin Conroy). Coming from a staff job at headquarters, the new commander is a mixed blessing. He initially shows his competence and connections with higher command. But he soon shows that he is driven by ambition to be the "best company commander" in Vietnam when it comes to body counts and combat effectiveness. Those ambitions soon develop into conflict with LT Goldman (Stephen Caffrey) and SFC "Zeke" Anderson (Terence Knox) whose only ambitions at this point of the war is to survive and to bring as many of their men home alive.
Some key points that I like about the episode includes a disagreement between CPT Heath and LT Goldman over the enemy's intentions. While CPT Heath believes the enemy will bypass the firebase as they drive on Da Nang, LT Goldman disagrees stating the enemy will not leave an active firebase in their rear. One of the most difficult things for combat leaders in wartime is to discern the enemy's intentions. I cannot tell you how many times we had this argument during my combat tour. Everyone has an opinion of what the enemy may do, and intel sometimes helps to discern this. But the enemy does not always do what you expect. In this case, to me the opinions of both characters in this scene could have been correct which makes this episode that more realistic.
The other good point about this episode is that it showed the unrelenting determination of the NVA soldier. The relentless attack by the NVA on the firebase is realistic and shows that nothing seems to be able to stop their determination to take the firebase at all costs. This episode more than any other shows what a relentless and determined foe we faced during that war. Even our heroes barricading themselves in the command bunker does not stop the NVA. The NVA start digging into the bunker pulling out sandbags to get at them. It is only when "Zeke" pulls a surprise on them that they finally withdraw.
The soldier behavior and interaction is what always got me to watch this series. When I see the characters in this series, I see the soldiers that served under me with all the camaraderie, the rivalries, the unlikely friendships, the schemes and scams to get out of duty or to get their way, the fear and worries.
Some great scenes include when African-American Taylor (Miguel A. Nunez Jr.) gives Nisei American "Doc" Matsuda (Steve Akahoshi) his mama's religious good luck charms because if he wanted anyone to get out this alive, it would be the doc. Doc, who aspires to be a real doctor, gives a good scene when he explains why his father valued education after they lost everything when they were interned during WWII. He tells Taylor, "One thing they can't take away from you is your education." The naive FNG Caldwell (Ched Parrott) with the GI issue glasses from a previous episode, is seriously wounded in this episode. The NVA taunting the soldiers with loudspeakers and the ARVN interpreter insulting the enemy in back is great.
The end of the episode is unforgettable. With the firebase devastated with heavy loses (to include Doc), the relief force commander, LTC Dalby (played with chilling realism by Bruce Gray), congratulates the survivors for their "terrific victory". "The kill ratio must be 11 to 1," he exclaims and hopes there are more days like this. In the closing scene, as helicopters evacuate the dead and wounded, a torn, tattered and burnt American flag continues to wave in the wind.
Some key points that I like about the episode includes a disagreement between CPT Heath and LT Goldman over the enemy's intentions. While CPT Heath believes the enemy will bypass the firebase as they drive on Da Nang, LT Goldman disagrees stating the enemy will not leave an active firebase in their rear. One of the most difficult things for combat leaders in wartime is to discern the enemy's intentions. I cannot tell you how many times we had this argument during my combat tour. Everyone has an opinion of what the enemy may do, and intel sometimes helps to discern this. But the enemy does not always do what you expect. In this case, to me the opinions of both characters in this scene could have been correct which makes this episode that more realistic.
The other good point about this episode is that it showed the unrelenting determination of the NVA soldier. The relentless attack by the NVA on the firebase is realistic and shows that nothing seems to be able to stop their determination to take the firebase at all costs. This episode more than any other shows what a relentless and determined foe we faced during that war. Even our heroes barricading themselves in the command bunker does not stop the NVA. The NVA start digging into the bunker pulling out sandbags to get at them. It is only when "Zeke" pulls a surprise on them that they finally withdraw.
The soldier behavior and interaction is what always got me to watch this series. When I see the characters in this series, I see the soldiers that served under me with all the camaraderie, the rivalries, the unlikely friendships, the schemes and scams to get out of duty or to get their way, the fear and worries.
Some great scenes include when African-American Taylor (Miguel A. Nunez Jr.) gives Nisei American "Doc" Matsuda (Steve Akahoshi) his mama's religious good luck charms because if he wanted anyone to get out this alive, it would be the doc. Doc, who aspires to be a real doctor, gives a good scene when he explains why his father valued education after they lost everything when they were interned during WWII. He tells Taylor, "One thing they can't take away from you is your education." The naive FNG Caldwell (Ched Parrott) with the GI issue glasses from a previous episode, is seriously wounded in this episode. The NVA taunting the soldiers with loudspeakers and the ARVN interpreter insulting the enemy in back is great.
The end of the episode is unforgettable. With the firebase devastated with heavy loses (to include Doc), the relief force commander, LTC Dalby (played with chilling realism by Bruce Gray), congratulates the survivors for their "terrific victory". "The kill ratio must be 11 to 1," he exclaims and hopes there are more days like this. In the closing scene, as helicopters evacuate the dead and wounded, a torn, tattered and burnt American flag continues to wave in the wind.
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