Generation Kill: we pimpin'
Generation Kill
Generation Kill is a British-American television miniseries produced for HBO, based on the book of the same name by Evan Wright about his experience as an embedded reporter with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the United States Marine Corps during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It was adapted for television by David Simon and Ed Burns. The series premiered on July 13, 2008 and spanned seven episodes. It was produced by Andrea Calderwood.
The cable channel HBO gave the go-ahead to a seven-part miniseries, based on Evan Wright's book about his experiences as an embedded reporter with the United States Marine Corps' 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the Iraq War's first phase. The series is set during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, from late March 2003, to early April 2003. The mini-series was shot over a six-month shoot from mid-to-late 2007 in South Africa, Mozambique and Namibia. The primary production value aspired to was authenticity. ( wiki )
Reasons To Watch
the characters / cast
They're all incredible. I'm going to be talking about characters even though they're based on real people because I consider them fictionalised, but however you want to handle that in particular, know this: THEY ARE ALL INCREDIBLE. This show manages, in seven episodes, to give them all distinct personalities. They're incredibly quotable. They're crude and politically incorrect and they're wonderful and they'll break your heart and make you laugh and more than anything, make you love them.
the singing
Click to viewAuthenticity
GK is a semi-documentary. I can't speak for how accurate it really is, but it portrays war and it portrays it in a way that showcasts its dark and terrible side, but also its beauty. It also shows how people cope with the strain of being in combat situations, with incompetent commanding officers, it uses modern military lingo that might take a while to get used to but makes it all the more perfect. It's a show about 22 (well, 28) men who go to war.
The Eyecandy
The Eyefucking Homoeroticism
Lube is important in this show. Brad's response to Nate bringing him lube is to say "Not to get homoerotic about this, but I could kiss you."
... Walt is very happy about the lube, too. I am not even kidding.
The Visuals
By which I don't mean the eyecandy that is 28 marines (I can't resist a man in uniform, so sue me), but the way this show is shot. It's beautiful.
It'll make you laugh & break your heart
Colbert appears, climbing over the berm. He sees the mother, the kid, the brother with the bloody leg, other members of the family who have now gathered nearby. He seems to reel back for an instant, then rights himself and approaches. “This is what Trombley did,” Doc Bryan says. “This kid was shot with five-five-six rounds from Trombley’s SAW.” Doc Bryan has concluded that Trombley was the only one to fire a weapon using this type of bullet. “Twenty other Marines drove past those kids and didn’t shoot. Bring Trombley up here and show him what he did.”
“Don’t say that,” Colbert says. “Don’t put this on Trombley. I’m responsible for this. It was my orders.” Colbert kneels down over the kid, right next to his mother, and starts crying. He struggles to compose himself. “What can I do here?” he asks. “Apparently fucking nothing,” Doc Bryan says.
[…]
I catch up to Colbert walking alone through the center of the encampment. “I’m going to have to bring this home with me and live with it,” he says. “A pilot doesn’t go down and look at the civilians his bombs have hit. Artillerymen don’t see the effects of what they do. But guys on the ground do. This is killing me inside.” He walks off, privately inconsolable.
Evan Wright - Generation Kill
The Characters
Sgt. Brad Colbert, nicknamed 'The Iceman'. He's really good at what he does, he keeps himself apart from his men to some extent but cares incredibly much, he got dumped by his ex-fiancé who then married his best friend, he likes the speed and solitude of a motorcycle and takes shitting very seriously, he's a bit of a geek and he hates country music.
Cpl. Ray Person never shuts up. He's hilarious and politically incorrect and miles away from good Thai pussy and did I mention that he never shuts up?
I'd give you another picture, but that one actually summarises him quite well, I find.
Lt. Nate Fick is the immediate CO of the 22 men that Generation Kill largely focuses on. He studied classics at Dartmouth before becoming an officer, he looks like a choir boy (and actually was one), he's competent and the men have absolute confidence in his leadership and he struggles with the disillusionment that comes from incompetent command.
Sgt. Antonio 'Poke' Espera is always ranting about the white man. It would be entertaining if not for how spot-on his rants are, really.
Rudy 'Fruity Rudy' Reyes (who, incidentally, plays himself in the show!) is potentially the hottest of them all. He wears clothes that are body-conscious. Everyone agrees that it doesn't make you gay if you think he's hot.
Evan Wright, the reporter embedded in the unit.
There's a lot more characters (28 starring, 22 men in 2nd Bravo alone) and they're all amazing. For me, Brad, Nate and Ray are the heart and soul of this show, but it wouldn't be the same without Hasser, Fruity Rudy, Poke, Garza, Captain America, Sixta and his grooming standard, Godfather...
Resources
After Action provides a good overview of the characters, as well as a timeline, screencaps, transcripts, maps... Basically, the resource everyone needs.
A glossary which will be immensely useful if you get lost wondering what the hell whiskey-tango or november-juliet or RTO means, or who Hitman Actual is.
In summary, I love this show, I'm terrible at pimping posts and everyone should watch Generation Kill. The end.