Part One (The Pacific)

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"Part One"
The Pacific episode
Episode no.Episode 1
Directed by Tim Van Patten
Written by Bruce C. McKenna
Cinematography by Remi Adefarasin
Editing byEdward A. Warschilka
Original release dateMarch 14, 2010 (2010-03-14)
Running time52 minutes
Episode chronology
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"Part Two"

"Part One" is the series premiere of the American war drama miniseries The Pacific . The episode was written by series developer Bruce C. McKenna, and directed by supervising producer Tim Van Patten. It originally aired on HBO on March 14, 2010.

Contents

The series focuses on the United States Marine Corps's actions in the Pacific Theater of Operations within the wider Pacific War. It primarily centers on the experiences of three Marines (Robert Leckie, Eugene Sledge, and John Basilone) who were in different regiments (1st, 5th, and 7th, respectively) of the 1st Marine Division. The episode introduces the characters, with a major focus on Leckie as the Guadalcanal campaign begins.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 3.08 million household viewers and gained a 1.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received extremely positive reviews from critics, who deemed it as a promising start for the series.

Plot

In December 1941, a few weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Robert Leckie attends church. As he is leaving, he runs into his neighbor, Vera Keller. As they catch up, Leckie reveals that he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and says he will write to her.

After attending a military meeting with Lieutenant General Chesty Puller, Sergeants John Basilone, J.P. Morgan, and Manny Rodriguez dine at Basilone's family's house for Christmas, promising to meet again within one year. Leckie departs for boot camp in Newark, New Jersey, with his father showing more concern for his car than saying goodbye. The following day at Mobile, Alabama, Eugene Sledge visits his childhood friend, Sidney Phillips, who will be leaving soon for the Marines. Sledge also tried to join, but his heart murmur and his father’s disapproval prevents him from enlisting.

In August 1942, the Guadalcanal campaign begins. Leckie is assigned along with his colleagues — Phillips, Wilbur "Runner" Conley, Lew "Chuckler" Juergens, Bill "Hoosier" Smith, and Ronnie Gibson — to a company commanded by Captain Jameson. Connecting with the 5th Marine Regiment, the company is ordered to protect the island’s airfield from an incoming Japanese attack, especially as U.S. naval ships leave after a major defeat at the Battle of Savo Island. That night, the company is attacked by Japanese troops in Tenaru, but hold them off and kill most of them. A shell-shocked Jameson is relieved from his position.

Leckie is disturbed by the carnage he witnesses and other indignities committed by his company, including shooting a helpless Japanese soldier for sport, prompting Leckie to kill him to end his suffering. He starts writing letters to Vera. On September 18, the 7th Marine Regiment led by Puller arrives at Guadalcanal, with Basilone, Rodriguez, and Morgan passing Leckie’s tattered company as they march. The company reads some letters, including one Sledge wrote to Phillips about life in Alabama. Learning that Philips turned 18 a few weeks ago, the company sings a morbid version of "Happy Birthday to You" as they enter the jungle.

Production

Development

The episode was written by series developer Bruce C. McKenna, and directed by supervising producer Tim Van Patten. [1]

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "Part One" was seen by an estimated 3.08 million household viewers with a 1.1 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 1.1 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. [2]

Critical reviews

"Part One" received extremely positive reviews from critics. Ramsey Isler of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8 out of 10 and wrote, "The human story is certainly the angle this series will go for. Grand battles and heroics will take a backseat to personal stories and tragedies. Will that be enough to differentiate this series from tales that have covered similar material before? Perhaps, but it's not there yet." [3]

Emily St. James of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B+" grade and wrote, ""Part 1" is one of the lesser episodes of The Pacific, which is generally an excellent production all around but often seems to traffic in war movie cliche just to get things rolling. "Part 1" definitely has its share of those moments, as the world-weary intellectual comes up against the inhumanity of man and the general engages in spewing agitprop about how we're going to WIN this war, dammit, and the kid who can't go to war weeps to realize he can't. It's not to say that these scenes are bad, exactly, or that they're historically inaccurate. But you've seen them before. And you've often seen them done better." [4]

Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger wrote, "I'm hoping the picture issue was the more important one, and that therefore those of you who just watched it for the first time tonight were absorbed by this world from the jump. And if not, I strongly recommend giving Part One a second viewing if you have the time, as it'll greatly improve your appreciation going forward." [5] Adam Bryant of TV Guide wrote, "Back before every other TV show featured a tropical locale or James Cameron created a 3-D universe called Pandora, the jungle probably did feel like another world. So it's fitting that the production team went to such great lengths in some of the opening scenes to make the overgrown jungle — the stage for much of this bloody tale — as intimidating as the encroaching Japanese enemy." [6]

Paul MacInnes of The Guardian wrote, "Their commander, Lieutenant Colonel "Chesty" Puller, describes their task as being the following: "Marines will do battle with Japs on tiny specks of land we've never heard of." Puller's words come at an induction for his men at the end of 1941. By the following autumn the tone is less jocular." [7] Nick Horton of Den of Geek wrote, "Much has been made of the production budget of $200+ million, and with the promotional material firmly concentrating on the scope of it, it seems apt to start with the visual aspect of things. Make no mistake, this production is huge. They've thrown most of that money up on screen, and it tells. I was lucky enough to watch it on the big screen, and it honestly looked better than some recent big-budget blockbusters I've seen." [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesty Puller</span> United States Marine Corps general (1898–1971)

Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller was a United States Marine Corps officer. Beginning his career fighting guerillas in Haiti and Nicaragua as part of the Banana Wars, he later served with distinction in World War II and the Korean War as a senior officer. By the time of his retirement in 1955, he had reached the rank of lieutenant general.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Leckie (author)</span> United States Marine and writer

Robert Hugh Leckie was a United States Marine and an author of books about the military history of the United States, Catholic history and culture, sports books, fiction books, autobiographies, and children's books. As a young man, he served with the 1st Marine Division during World War II; his service as a machine gunner and a scout during the war greatly influenced his work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Seda</span> American actor

Jon Seda is an American actor. Seda was an amateur boxer who auditioned for and was given a role in the 1992 boxing film Gladiator. He played the role of Chris Pérez alongside Jennifer Lopez in the movie Selena, and portrayed U.S. Marine John Basilone, recipient of the Medal of Honor, in Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's The Pacific. On television, he had roles as Detective Antonio Dawson in NBC's Chicago P.D., and as Paul Falsone in NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Basilone</span> US Marine Corps sergeant and Medal of Honor recipient (1916–1945)

John Basilone was a United States Marine Corps gunnery sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Battle for Henderson Field in the Guadalcanal campaign, and the Navy Cross posthumously for extraordinary heroism during the Battle of Iwo Jima. He was the only enlisted Marine to receive both of these decorations in World War II.

<i>With the Old Breed</i> Book by Eugene Sledge

With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa is a World War II memoir by United States Marine Eugene Sledge, first published in 1981. The memoir is based on notes Sledge kept tucked away in a pocket-sized Bible he carried with him during battles he fought at Peleliu and Okinawa. The book formed part of the basis of the material covered by Ken Burns' PBS documentary The War (2007), as well as the HBO miniseries The Pacific (2010), in which Sledge was portrayed by Joseph Mazzello.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Battalion, 7th Marines</span> Military unit

The 1st Battalion, 7th Marines (1/7) is an infantry battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment of the United States Marine Corps. It is currently based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms. Consisting of approximately 1,000 Marines, it is part of the 1st Marine Division.

<i>The Pacific</i> (miniseries) 2010 American war drama television series

The Pacific is a 2010 American war drama miniseries produced by HBO, Playtone, and DreamWorks that premiered in the United States on March 14, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugene Sledge</span> United States Marine

Eugene Bondurant Sledge was a United States Marine, university professor, and author. His 1981 memoir With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa chronicled his combat experiences during World War II and was used as source material for the Ken Burns PBS documentary The War (2007), as well as the HBO miniseries The Pacific (2010), in which he is portrayed by Joseph Mazzello.

<i>Helmet for My Pillow</i> 1957 book by Robert Leckie

Helmet for My Pillow is the personal narrative written by World War II United States Marine Corps veteran, author, and military historian Robert Leckie. First published in 1957, the story begins with Leckie's enlisting in the United States Marines shortly after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidney Phillips</span> American physician

Sidney Clarke Phillips, Jr. was a United States Marine, family practice physician, and author from Mobile, Alabama. He provided source material and interviews for the making of Ken Burns' PBS documentary film The War and the HBO miniseries The Pacific. His recollections revolve around his time as a young man fighting in the Pacific War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmo M. Haney</span> US Marine sergeant (1898–1979)

St. Elmo Murray Haney was a master gunnery sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. As a veteran of many early campaigns in the Marine Corps, he was considered the epitome of the "old breed" Marine and a source of inspiration during the tough battles of the Pacific Campaign in World War II. Author and fellow Marine Eugene Sledge described Haney as "not a man born of woman, but that God had issued him to the Marine Corps."

"Part Two" is the second episode of the American war drama miniseries The Pacific. The episode was written by series developer Bruce C. McKenna, and directed by David Nutter. It originally aired on HBO on March 21, 2010.

"Part Three" is the third episode of the American war drama miniseries The Pacific. The episode was written by co-producer George Pelecanos and Michelle Ashford, and directed by Jeremy Podeswa. It originally aired on HBO on March 28, 2010.

"Part Four" is the fourth episode of the American war drama miniseries The Pacific. The episode was written by co-producer Robert Schenkkan and co-executive producer Graham Yost, and directed by Yost. It originally aired on HBO on April 4, 2010.

"Part Five" is the fifth episode of the American war drama miniseries The Pacific. The episode was written by Laurence Andries and co-executive producer Bruce C. McKenna, and directed by Carl Franklin. It originally aired on HBO on April 11, 2010.

"Part Six" is the sixth episode of the American war drama miniseries The Pacific. The episode was written by co-executive producer Bruce C. McKenna, Laurence Andries, and co-producer Robert Schenkkan, and directed by Tony To. It originally aired on HBO on April 18, 2010.

"Part Seven" is the seventh episode of the American war drama miniseries The Pacific. The episode was written by co-executive producer Bruce C. McKenna, and directed by supervising producer Tim Van Patten. It originally aired on HBO on April 25, 2010.

"Part Eight" is the eighth episode of the American war drama miniseries The Pacific. The episode was written by co-producers Robert Schenkkan and Michelle Ashford, and directed by David Nutter and Jeremy Podeswa. It originally aired on HBO on May 2, 2010.

"Part Nine" is the ninth episode of the American war drama miniseries The Pacific. The episode was written by co-executive producer Bruce C. McKenna, and directed by supervising producer Tim Van Patten. It originally aired on HBO on May 9, 2010.

"Part Ten" is the tenth and final episode of the American war drama miniseries The Pacific. The episode was written by co-executive producer Bruce C. McKenna and co-producer Robert Schenkkan, and directed by Jeremy Podeswa. It originally aired on HBO on May 16, 2010.

References

  1. ↑ "The Pacific - WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West . Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  2. ↑ Seidman, Robert (March 16, 2010). "Kamikaze! HBO's Big Budget The Pacific Premiere Ratings Disappoint". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  3. ↑ Isler, Ramsey (March 12, 2010). "The Pacific: "Part One" Review". IGN . Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  4. ↑ St. James, Emily (March 14, 2010). "The Pacific: "Part One"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  5. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (March 15, 2010). "The Pacific: Reviewing Part One". The Star-Ledger . Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  6. ↑ Bryant, Adam (March 14, 2010). "The Pacific Episode Discussion: "Part 1"". TV Guide . Archived from the original on March 22, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  7. ↑ MacInnes, Paul (April 5, 2010). "The Pacific: episodes one and two". The Guardian . Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  8. ↑ Horton, Nick (February 24, 2010). "The Pacific episodes 1 & 2 review". Den of Geek . Retrieved January 4, 2024.
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