The Long Road Home

Sir Slash · November 08, 2017, 11:14:03 PM

This show premiered last night on National Geographic Channel and I didn't expect much. Thought it would be a lot of politics and "Gung-Ho" shit but I was very wrong. It was excellent. Based on a book that was based on the war in Iraq in 2004 it was serious, exciting and very believable in it's depiction of combat and the soldiers who fought there. Not perfect, but very good. I'll be back next week. O0

Tuna · November 09, 2017, 06:13:30 AM

Quote from: Sir Slash on November 08, 2017, 11:14:03 PM
This show premiered last night on National Geographic Channel and I didn't expect much. Thought it would be a lot of politics and "Gung-Ho" shit but I was very wrong. It was excellent. Based on a book that was based on the war in Iraq in 2004 it was serious, exciting and very believable in it's depiction of combat and the soldiers who fought there. Not perfect, but very good. I'll be back next week. O0

I just watched the first 2 hour streaming episode (I think it was two episodes are they an hour each?). I enjoyed it as well, I didn't know that it had just started last night. There was another episode (I'm guessing two hours) available, I will try to get to that one tonight.

Sir Slash · November 09, 2017, 12:08:37 PM

Yes, the first night was two hour-long episodes. Next Tues. the show will be at 10pm EST here and 1 hour. I don't know how many episodes in total there are. I'm sure they will re-run the earlier episodes again. I'm going to run this one past my wife, I think it's done well enough she'll like it.

Tuna · November 10, 2017, 05:58:25 PM

I actually don't get the National Geographic Channel with my basic package.. But it's still available On Demand, so that is cool!

Sir Slash · November 18, 2017, 11:38:56 PM

OK. Episode 2 lost some of it's shine. The thing I really liked about episode 1 was the combat and action felt believable to me but the second seemed to be more Hollywood drive-fast and shoot-all-the-time-ish to me. I hope I'm wrong, but this show's trying hard to be the next. "Black Hawk Down". :-\

Sir Slash · November 22, 2017, 11:46:28 PM

OK. Now Episode 3 is back to Episode 1 levels of greatness. Please disregard the Episode 2 rant.

Sir Slash · November 29, 2017, 10:48:32 AM

Another excellent episode last night. Possibly the most compelling and dramatic episode of television I've ever seen. This show may give me PTSD.

Sir Slash · December 20, 2017, 10:16:38 AM

So the series finished-up last night, seven episodes. Despite it's oddities, like flash-backs, flash-forwards, and some plot holes, it was probably among the most dramatic and emotionally involving series I've ever seen on TV. I nearly rage-quit watching it twice because of the depiction of this most screwed-up of Ops and I was sure it couldn't be accurate.

But my anger was not because of the program, it was because it made me feel angry. I can't remember when a TV show caused me to become so emotionally involved. I realized I would either love or hate this show depending on how it ended, who 'made it' out alive. And the after-the-show show demonstrated that most of the series was accurate, with some possible exaggerations, with the men involved being used as technical advisors on the series.

A moving and truly great ending episode capped it all off superbly. Think "Saving Private Ryan" meets "Black Hawk Down" and you've got a good picture of whether or not you'll want to give it watch. I believe it was truly an epic series. Thank you Nat Geo. :clap:

Staggerwing · December 20, 2017, 08:53:30 PM

Damn. Top-of-the-list it goes.

Sir Slash · December 20, 2017, 11:33:54 PM

Check out the follow-up show with Martha Radditz to see the real soldiers today and how the story all began. Nat Geo built the whole set on the base at Ft. Hood where it was filmed using their tanks and APC's. It's worth it.