I watched the ninth and final episode of Masters of The Air today. Very good!
I also watched The Bloody 100th, an hour long documentary on the subject of the series. Also very, very good.
At the very end, one of the original airmen says: ‘The freedoms we enjoy were bought and paid for… the generation of WWII deserves to be remembered.’ I heartily concur!
Not only ought we remember the massive blood sacrifices made. We must sedulously guard what little social gains that profligate expenditure of blood bought, such as the NHS.
But, getting back to the series and the supporting documentary…
This final episode draws all the threads together, ranging from guys still flying to those who, one way or another, had to bale out, and make it home (or not) via German captivity, or other various routes.
When ‘Rosie’ and crew are too badly shot to to get home, he makes sure they get to airspace where they can bale out over Russian – or ‘friendly’ – territory. But it’s still an adventure fraught with risk.
Buck, Bucky, and many others, meanwhile, are in Kraut captivity. The drama of their bids for freedom is also highly exciting.
And then there’s the eventual ending. Which we all know must eventually come. And I think they handle this very, very well. It makes for one of the most poignant moments in the whole series.
I think it’s shame they didn’t make the series as big as BoB, or Pacific. But this was still excellent. And whilst it’s divided critics, I’m very glad it was made. And I enjoyed watching it.