THE PACIFIC: Not just an ocean documentary anymore

First of all, let me apologize for my recent absence and general lack of attentiveness to my blog. There's no excuse for my lack of updates, except the fact that i've been assuming tons of content to critique for the blog. It's a viscous cycle, yet i will proudly and bravely accept that task.
Speaking of bravery, I'm two installments into HBO's "event" program, THE PACIFIC...
(Editor's Note: We do not endorse this shameless transition. Dave is not brave and the only thing he could kill is a plate of doughnuts. Dave is hardly stoic, as the only thing he'd stand up for is a fast food line. Basically he sucks, and this transition sucks. Here's to hoping the rest of this isn't mindless crap. Personally, I'd just skip to the end to see if it finishes well, because that's the only way to really know)
The PACIFIC is the baby of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who previously teamed up for Band of Brothers on HBO. Band focused on the journey of a single company from D-Day to VE-Day in the European theater. That ten-part series was broken down into traditional episodes with easily discernible conflicts and understandable resolutions, which created self-contained episodes. Granted, there was evolution of characters, but the episodes were pretty traditional.
The PACIFIC doesn't fit this mold as well. The second episode definitely represents something we've seen before, as the marine on Guadalcanal are given an impossible task and the episode ends with them completing that task. The first episode isn't as cut and dry, with it's overall feel seeming more representative of the ill-fated calm before the big storm that was episode two.
THE PACIFIC is a beautiful show, with the scenery taking front stage as a major player in the events. At night it lacks this pizazz, but during the day when soldiers are trekking through the woods or basking the sun you get to see the critical role of the island.
Part of the challenge for this "event" is the capturing the large scope of the engagement they're covering and the fact that it is a relatively unknown area of our history. People don't have a feel for the tiny series of islands the Japanese conquered and we hopped to one after another. I know I only had a cursory knowledge of this conflict, and I had a history minor.
Only in the beginning of THE PACIFIC did i grasp the large feel of the fight against Japan, but since then the purview has become extremely narrow as we follow a few marines trying to hold a runway. This results in no real understanding of the larger picture because we're denied context. We see our marines with one or two outside forces, and that's it.
I have no idea how many people are on this island or the ramifications of what's going on. This problem speaks to the failure of the openings, which are narrated by Tom Hanks and are supposed to provide context. Unfortunately, they only end up giving us a taste of what our characters were thinking. What i really would like, in addition to that, is a bit of a history lesson about what we saw and will see. THat's the only way to really appreciate this "event."
As for the show itself, it is simply exceptional. It doesn't approach the dynamic of BAND, but it doesn't need to. BAND was basically jocular in nature and a fun romp compared to the PACIFIC experience. Much of this stems from the bleakness of the Asian front, as it seemed like life and death was simply a game of chance. THis point is illustrated very clearly in the PACIFIC, and i imaging this randomness wore on people and made it hard to establish the kind of bonds that make BAND so much fun to watch.
While not embracing the banter of BAND, the actors on the PACIFIC do excel at their own style, which seems to focus on retaining their vanishing humanity. I'd like to single out great performances, but the problem is that some of the characters blend together and I've only learned the name of one guy (Eugene), who hasn't even joined the fighting yet.
My early standouts are the emotional writing guy, the John Wayne talking guy, the guy who played the catcher in The Rookie, the dumb wise guy and Old Faithful (a nickname earned when the marine can't stop pooping). These guys are all captivating and addicting.
Not sure what else to say, except that I look forward to the show each week. Although, I should add, that i never have any idea what happened 2 hours after an episode is done. The whole event blends together, which may or may not be a good thing. THat could speak to the pacing of the show, which is surprisingly quick.
Ok, that's all i got. Dive into the Pacific.