Megan Basham is not optimistic about Steven Bochco's new TV series "Over There".
Betsy's Page
<<<
Instead, Bochco characterizes the soldiers in typical postmodern fashion, as in this clip from the first episode where a young soldier reflects on his role in the war: "Someone said tragedy was the inevitable working out of things. And the tragedy here is we're savages. We're thrilled to kill each other. We're monsters. And war is what unmasks us. But there's a kind of honor in it too. I guess if I'm a monster, it's my privilege to be one."
It seems hard to believe that "honorable monster" is how most of those deployed in Iraq would prefer to describe themselves. I certainly can't recall any interview in which an American soldier espoused similar amoral feelings. If Bochco's Iraqi conflict is populated with young recruits that "are not fighting for an ideal," as he told the New York Times, then his is indeed a fictional war.
BUT IF ANYTHING BETRAYS the potential spirit of the series, it is the fact that the mainstream media is already rallying to uphold Bochco's claims of objectivity. After praising the series for "the potent way it destroys and debunks the myths that glorify war," the Hollywood Reporter predicted, "It is possible, maybe even inevitable, that supporters of President Bush and the war will misinterpret this series as a statement against a U.S. presence there. Clearer minds, however, will recognize this for its nonpartisan and successful effort..."
Before that, the Los Angeles Times reported that "none of the soldiers in 'Over There' is particularly gung-ho," as though depicting soldiers who have little enthusiasm for their jobs is evidence that show is balanced. And the Rocky Mountain News touted the program's authenticity by observing that, in it, "heroism is secondary to survival." In fact, the paper reported that each soldier is "frantic" to merely be "a survivor." Not a fighter. Not a liberator. Not even a conqueror. Just something as ambiguous as a survivor.
>>>
It will be so disappointing if the show continues to depict the soldiers there as people who just care about survival there and see no purpose for their service there. I wonder if the soldiers who are serving there now would recognize that portrayal of them and their buddies. I'm not saying that they need mindless boosterism, but almost every time I hear someone talking about service there, he or she sounds very pumped about what is being accomplished and what we are attempting to do there. If that spirit is not shown at all in this series, it is a real disservice to our men and women serving in Iraq.
betsyspage.blogspot.com
spectator.org |
