Part Ten (The Pacific)

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"Part Ten"
The Pacific episode
Episode no.Episode 10
Directed by Jeremy Podeswa
Written by
Cinematography by Stephen F. Windon
Editing byAlan Cody
Original release dateMay 16, 2010 (2010-05-16)
Running time61 minutes
Episode chronology
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"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.

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 follows the return of the Marines to their home after the end of the War.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.96 million household viewers and gained a 0.7 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received critical acclaim, with critics praising the closure to the series and its exploration of the post-war effects.

Plot

In August 1945, Leckie is recovering at a military hospital, when the nurses start celebrating the announcement that Japan has surrendered, finally ending the War. In Okinawa, the Marines celebrate the announcement, while Sledge, Snafu and Burgin wonder about their future in America.

Lena visits Basilone's parents, giving them his Medal of Honor. The Marines board a train to return home; Burgin leaves in Jewett, Texas, while Snafu leaves in New Orleans, although they are unsure if they will see each other again. Sledge returns to Mobile, Alabama, where he is picked up by Phillips at the train station, and reunites with his parents but experiences recurring nightmares. Leckie moves back with his parents in New Jersey, and gets a new job as a reporter for the Bergen County Record . Seeing Vera across the street, Leckie wears his marine suit and visits her, convincing her in dining with him. While dining, Leckie explains his actions in the war, revealing that he wrote her letters, which he never sent as he was fearing he would die. Leckie's relationship with Vera deepens as time passes.

Sledge is resistant in using his military uniform, not wanting to relive the memories. During a society ball, Sledge and Phillips talk about their returns, with Phillips asking him to try to move on for the sake of their families. After struggling to enroll in college, Sledge is taken by his father to a hunting trip. However, he ends up breaking down, unable to shoot and kill. His father consoles him, telling him they will always support him through anything.

The series ends with a montage that reveals the fate of the real-life characters, alongside real photographs.

Production

Development

The episode was written by co-executive producer Bruce C. McKenna and co-producer Robert Schenkkan, and directed by Jeremy Podeswa. This was McKenna's seventh writing credit, Schenkkan's fourth writing credit, and Podeswa's third directing credit. [1]

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "Part Ten" was seen by an estimated 1.96 million household viewers with a 0.7 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 0.7 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. [2] This was a 8% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 1.81 million household viewers with a 0.7 in the 18-49 demographics. [3]

Critical reviews

"Part Ten" received critical acclaim. Ramsey Isler of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8 out of 10 and wrote, "Although there were many debatable choices in the earlier parts of the episode, the ending was everything it should have been, and serves as a very good conclusion to this remarkable series." [4]

Emily St. James of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A" grade and wrote, ""Part Ten" is slower moving than any other chapter, and it's deliberately contemplative. On its surface, it's a simple story of what these men sacrificed for the betterment of humanity, but there are other things going on as well. If the main character of The Pacific is the Pacific, then this is the first episode where the Pacific barely appears. In a way, it's about how the Pacific is now a part of these men, the way that it infects them, destroying some and sparing others." [5]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "after 65 years of Hollywood giving us variations on the war in Europe, McKenna, Yost, Hanks, Spielberg and company have given us 10 graphic, gripping, haunting hours of The Pacific to give us a sense of why so many were reluctant to show us this half of 'the good war.' Well done, gentlemen (both the Marines and the filmmakers). Well done, indeed." [6] Tim Basham of Paste wrote, "The war is over. And so ends HBO's spectacular miniseries The Pacific. Leaving the bloodshed to earlier episodes, a peaceful conclusion follow the show's main characters as they make their way to their respective homes." [7]

Paul MacInnes of The Guardian wrote, "One of the programme's main aims was surely to achieve a clearer understanding of the horrors of the war against Japan amongst its audience. I'd say, on these terms alone, The Pacific was a success." [8] Den of Geek wrote, "Never the most conventional of war shows, The Pacific finishes its mightily impressive run by eschewing traditional fist-pumping scenes of final martial victory, instead taking a long and thoughtful look at what happens afterwards, and how the peace can often be as hard as the war." [9]

Related Research Articles

<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.

Bruce C. McKenna is an American writer for television and film. He was the co-executive producer, creator, principal writer and researcher on the 2010 HBO 10 part mini-series, The Pacific, which was co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.

<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">Romus Burgin</span> United States Marine and author (1922–2019)

Romus Valton "R.V." Burgin was a United States Marine and American author. As a young man, he served in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

The 63rd Writers Guild of America Awards honored the best film, television, and videogame writers of 2010. Winners were announced on February 5, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merriell Shelton</span> United States Marine

Merriell Allesandro Shelton was a United States Marine who served in the Pacific theater during World War II. He is depicted in the 1981 memoir With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by Eugene Sledge which chronicled their combat experiences. He was also depicted in the HBO miniseries The Pacific (2010), in which he is portrayed by Rami Malek.

"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.

"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.

References

  1. ↑ "The Pacific - WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West . Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending May 16, 2010". Ratings Ryan. January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  3. ↑ Seidman, Robert (May 11, 2010). "Sunday Cable: NBA, "Army Wives" Tops With 18–49; "The Pacific" Dives Below 2 Million". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on June 20, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  4. ↑ Isler, Ramsey (May 17, 2010). "The Pacific: "Part Ten" Review". IGN . Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  5. ↑ St. James, Emily (May 16, 2010). "The Pacific: "Part Ten"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  6. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (May 16, 2010). "'The Pacific' – 'Part Ten': All tortured on the home front". HitFix . Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  7. ↑ Basham, Tim (May 17, 2010). "The Pacific: "Part 10" (1.10)". Paste . Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  8. ↑ MacInnes, Paul (June 1, 2010). "The Pacific: episode ten". The Guardian . Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  9. ↑ "The Pacific episode 10 series finale review". Den of Geek . June 2, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
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