In my adult years, I gravitated away from TV. As a kid, I watched tons of it, but other things took precedent later in life, I guess. But, ever since we got rid of cable TV, my wife and I have been delving back, on streaming channels, into the critically acclaimed stuff. We started with
Lost, which we really enjoyed, despite the many objections people had to the later seasons. We watched and liked
Deadwood and
Rome.
Deadwood got old for me at the end -- I found the over-the-top foul language started to make me feel numb after awhile. Still, it was good writing. I liked
Rome better; I thought the characters and their portrayals were excellent. Most recently, we completed
Band of Brothers.
My favorite interaction with art is when it stirs my emotions. While watching Band of Brothers, I was brought to tears at least once, every episode.
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| Richard Winters |
Having been based on Stephen Ambrose's book, the miniseries was sort of a different animal than the other shows we watched. Sure,
Rome was based on history, but it was ancient history. That feels different, from the start. But
Band of Brothers is about a war that family members of mine were in. My great uncle, Vince, may well have actually been saved by the central characters, members of "Easy Company" who, in a heroic effort pitting twelve men against fifty German soldiers, took out the guns at Brecourt Manor, overlooking the beach on D-Day. It's
close. My great uncle, Bobby, was not as lucky in Europe.
Most affecting, though, for me, were the interviews with the men, several of whom were still alive in 2001 when the show was made. Humble (and I do not throw this word around lightly) heroes, each and every one of them.
