Despite some predictable nitpicking from the would-be experts, "Over There" succeeds in conveying an accurate impression of what life is like for soldiers in a hostile environment.
The strongest aspect of "Over There" is the way the various characters are developed. Their lives are fleshed out to the point that you feel like you know them and care about what happens to them. Of course, being a TV show, there's an excess of drama in everyone's life. But, that said, the characters, their situations and the troubles they face are all believable and realistically presented.
The ensemble cast is exceptional and the acting is consistently excellent. Even with such a large cast every character remains distinct and memorable and the show avoids relegating any of them to second-tier status. The two female soldiers, Lizette Carrion (Doublewide) and Nicki Lynn Aycox (Mrs. B), do a great job of illustrating how deployment affects women, and remind us that even supposedly non-combat jobs like driver or mechanic are just as hazardous in Iraq as foot patrols. Erik Palladino is excellent as soldier's soldier Sgt. Scream, who highlights the fact that experienced noncoms like him are the backbone of the army as well as the difficulty the services have in retaining them.
Some shows manage to alienate their audience with characters that are so annoying or unlikeable it's impossible to care about them, but "Over There" accomplishes something rare: even when one of the characters does something unforgivably stupid, cruel or selfish, they remain sympathetic and keep you invested in what happens to them.
There have been complaints about the way the soldiers are depicted, but I think the show does a good job of being realistic while highlighting these soldiers' professionalism, self-sacrifice and constant struggle to do the best job they can in what are often difficult and dangerous no-win situations.
The producers also deserve a lot of credit for not sugarcoating the war or the soldiers' attitudes about the Iraqis. If anything they could do more to make clear what the US media has mostly overlooked: the horrific toll of war on the civilian population. Many people opposed this war on humanitarian grounds. Just as in Vietnam, just as in every war of the modern era, there are 10 innocent civilian casualties- mostly women, old people and children- for every armed insurgent or "terrorist" killed. War should always be a last resort, never an affirmative policy objective.
The war in Iraq took a bad situation and made it worse, compounding the error through ignorance, arrogance and incompetence. At a time when major news organizations have grown so timid they are only willing to show a sanitized, non-controversial version of the war for fear of offending those in power, we need more shows like "Over There", shows that are willing to tell the whole, unvarnished truth, uncolored by any agenda.
The strongest aspect of "Over There" is the way the various characters are developed. Their lives are fleshed out to the point that you feel like you know them and care about what happens to them. Of course, being a TV show, there's an excess of drama in everyone's life. But, that said, the characters, their situations and the troubles they face are all believable and realistically presented.
The ensemble cast is exceptional and the acting is consistently excellent. Even with such a large cast every character remains distinct and memorable and the show avoids relegating any of them to second-tier status. The two female soldiers, Lizette Carrion (Doublewide) and Nicki Lynn Aycox (Mrs. B), do a great job of illustrating how deployment affects women, and remind us that even supposedly non-combat jobs like driver or mechanic are just as hazardous in Iraq as foot patrols. Erik Palladino is excellent as soldier's soldier Sgt. Scream, who highlights the fact that experienced noncoms like him are the backbone of the army as well as the difficulty the services have in retaining them.
Some shows manage to alienate their audience with characters that are so annoying or unlikeable it's impossible to care about them, but "Over There" accomplishes something rare: even when one of the characters does something unforgivably stupid, cruel or selfish, they remain sympathetic and keep you invested in what happens to them.
There have been complaints about the way the soldiers are depicted, but I think the show does a good job of being realistic while highlighting these soldiers' professionalism, self-sacrifice and constant struggle to do the best job they can in what are often difficult and dangerous no-win situations.
The producers also deserve a lot of credit for not sugarcoating the war or the soldiers' attitudes about the Iraqis. If anything they could do more to make clear what the US media has mostly overlooked: the horrific toll of war on the civilian population. Many people opposed this war on humanitarian grounds. Just as in Vietnam, just as in every war of the modern era, there are 10 innocent civilian casualties- mostly women, old people and children- for every armed insurgent or "terrorist" killed. War should always be a last resort, never an affirmative policy objective.
The war in Iraq took a bad situation and made it worse, compounding the error through ignorance, arrogance and incompetence. At a time when major news organizations have grown so timid they are only willing to show a sanitized, non-controversial version of the war for fear of offending those in power, we need more shows like "Over There", shows that are willing to tell the whole, unvarnished truth, uncolored by any agenda.