The Unit — "Dark of the Moon" — 2/27/2007
02-27-07, 05:42 PM
#1
DVD Talk Godfather
Thread Starter
The Unit — "Dark of the Moon" — 2/27/2007
"Dark of the Moon" — CBS — 9PM ET
Spoiler:
I've never seen an episode like this one so I hope it delivers. It looked a little too A-Team in the previews. Hopefully the show doesn't lose focus of what makes it good.
02-28-07, 06:03 AM
#7
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
My wife and I commented how this show is sometimes like have a war movie every week. Great episode, and we really liked the one last week, too.
No Wives! 
02-28-07, 08:13 PM
#9
DVD Talk God
Great episode. The only thing I didn't get was what the hell that Army camp was doing out in the middle of nowhere.
02-28-07, 09:07 PM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 603
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You have got to be kidding me. Dramatic license aside, artistic freedom aside, budgetary constraints aside, if you are going to do a series even slightly based on CAG, aka SFOD-D, aka Delta Force to the laymen, and incorporate the current U.S. Army, they need to drop all the B.S. I saw in this episode and have better production values. Raise the bar!
Listen, the U.S. military owns the night. We have the best night optical devices, aka night vision goggles, in the world and though once issued primarily to combat arms and "above," have now been issued to every Joe and Jane going overseas. To not see even one, especially when many of the soldiers were wearing the specific mount for night vision on the front of their helmets, was lame. I know, it heightened the drama (for some) and it is expensive to outfit the actors with the airsoft replica PVS-series, but no explanation seemed to be given. It's like they wanted a WW2 look and feel. What happened to all the equipment left over from 'Over There?'
Second, the whole radio cutting out on them? Radio checks are done every 15-30-60 minutes 24-7. If no one's responding, SOMEONE comes to investigate (QRF). Especially today, local cellphones are even used for non-sensitive communication and could be utilized. "Delta" all the way down to the grunts have numerous types of radios on their persons and in near every vehicle. Some are satellite enabled. Maybe, just maybe, a mini-nuke or electromagnetic attack could have provided that plot point? Again, I was dissapointed in the lack of logic.
Good god, the actors sure tried, but given tired, cliched dialogue, I guess the writers watched 80's Vietnam movies and thought, hey, nothing's changed, right? Cripes, it may have been popular in WW2, but Sergeants are NOT NOT NOT called "Sarge!" It is a very tired cliche! The female Lieutenant in charge? Who pulls a Sigourney Weaver? Silver Star winning female sergeants aside, let's not kid ourselves. And the insubordination and individualism (not a bad thing, but not the way it's portrayed) is all straight out of an old movie. NOTHING new or ACCURATE. Hell, not even entertaining. Foreshadowing be damned, there was not a single surprise.
Tactics sucked. 'Over There' was bad, but bad because it was so textbook or outdated. I believe they chose a Desert Storm Marine Veteran as their technical advisor, hello, wrong era, wrong service. There was nary a single good tactical decision throughout the episode.
Those sniper rifles? No go. And yes, I realize the real Barrett is illegal in California. There are rentals/props/replicas. Help your Armorer. Same with Wardrobe. Stop purchasing or renting those awful MICH replicas. You distinctly see sizing problems. The chin straps scream fake fake FAKE. It's a good try, but you're trying to portray what you can see on the news every day, so try to get it right.
I could nitpick the whole thing apart for lack of detail and even bad casting, but at the end, it told a story, entertainingly so, and made you root for the cast. That said, I truly wonder just what the retired Command Sergent Major who's the technical consultant for this show is doing, because he doesn't appear to be reading the scripts nor on set for accuracy. No disrespect to him but he needs to take a better look.
Listen, the U.S. military owns the night. We have the best night optical devices, aka night vision goggles, in the world and though once issued primarily to combat arms and "above," have now been issued to every Joe and Jane going overseas. To not see even one, especially when many of the soldiers were wearing the specific mount for night vision on the front of their helmets, was lame. I know, it heightened the drama (for some) and it is expensive to outfit the actors with the airsoft replica PVS-series, but no explanation seemed to be given. It's like they wanted a WW2 look and feel. What happened to all the equipment left over from 'Over There?'
Second, the whole radio cutting out on them? Radio checks are done every 15-30-60 minutes 24-7. If no one's responding, SOMEONE comes to investigate (QRF). Especially today, local cellphones are even used for non-sensitive communication and could be utilized. "Delta" all the way down to the grunts have numerous types of radios on their persons and in near every vehicle. Some are satellite enabled. Maybe, just maybe, a mini-nuke or electromagnetic attack could have provided that plot point? Again, I was dissapointed in the lack of logic.
Good god, the actors sure tried, but given tired, cliched dialogue, I guess the writers watched 80's Vietnam movies and thought, hey, nothing's changed, right? Cripes, it may have been popular in WW2, but Sergeants are NOT NOT NOT called "Sarge!" It is a very tired cliche! The female Lieutenant in charge? Who pulls a Sigourney Weaver? Silver Star winning female sergeants aside, let's not kid ourselves. And the insubordination and individualism (not a bad thing, but not the way it's portrayed) is all straight out of an old movie. NOTHING new or ACCURATE. Hell, not even entertaining. Foreshadowing be damned, there was not a single surprise.
Tactics sucked. 'Over There' was bad, but bad because it was so textbook or outdated. I believe they chose a Desert Storm Marine Veteran as their technical advisor, hello, wrong era, wrong service. There was nary a single good tactical decision throughout the episode.
Those sniper rifles? No go. And yes, I realize the real Barrett is illegal in California. There are rentals/props/replicas. Help your Armorer. Same with Wardrobe. Stop purchasing or renting those awful MICH replicas. You distinctly see sizing problems. The chin straps scream fake fake FAKE. It's a good try, but you're trying to portray what you can see on the news every day, so try to get it right.
I could nitpick the whole thing apart for lack of detail and even bad casting, but at the end, it told a story, entertainingly so, and made you root for the cast. That said, I truly wonder just what the retired Command Sergent Major who's the technical consultant for this show is doing, because he doesn't appear to be reading the scripts nor on set for accuracy. No disrespect to him but he needs to take a better look.
03-01-07, 07:30 AM
#11
DVD Talk Godfather
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by hitmanjules
Maybe, just maybe, a mini-nuke or electromagnetic attack could have provided that plot point? Again, I was dissapointed in the lack of logic.
03-01-07, 07:42 AM
#12
DVD Talk Legend
It was pretty silly how none of them had any type of equipment other than a rifle. More than once I wondered to myself why they didn't even have a frag grenade available to them. That aside, I think it was one of the best hours of TV in a long time.
03-01-07, 08:37 AM
#13
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Originally Posted by hitmanjules
Those sniper rifles? No go. And yes, I realize the real Barrett is illegal in California. There are rentals/props/replicas. Help your Armorer. Same with Wardrobe. Stop purchasing or renting those awful MICH replicas. You distinctly see sizing problems. The chin straps scream fake fake FAKE. It's a good try, but you're trying to portray what you can see on the news every day, so try to get it right.
I could nitpick the whole thing apart for lack of detail and even bad casting, but at the end, it told a story, entertainingly so, and made you root for the cast. That said, I truly wonder just what the retired Command Sergent Major who's the technical consultant for this show is doing, because he doesn't appear to be reading the scripts nor on set for accuracy. No disrespect to him but he needs to take a better look.
I could nitpick the whole thing apart for lack of detail and even bad casting, but at the end, it told a story, entertainingly so, and made you root for the cast. That said, I truly wonder just what the retired Command Sergent Major who's the technical consultant for this show is doing, because he doesn't appear to be reading the scripts nor on set for accuracy. No disrespect to him but he needs to take a better look.
Loved that there wasn't a wife to be found.
Did Mamet write this one?
03-01-07, 11:49 PM
#15
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Originally Posted by uteotw
This is one of my favorite shows, and I wish more people watched it.
Q: Would it be realistic to have a woman in charge of all those men out there??
Q: Would it be realistic to have a woman in charge of all those men out there??
Meg Ryan's character in Courage Under Fire outranked everyone she was stranded with after her chopper got shot down.
Hitman, you have an answer for us?
Last edited by TimeandTide; 03-01-07 at 11:51 PM.
03-02-07, 02:12 AM
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 603
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, they mentioned something about being an infantry platoon, perhaps as a size comparison. Yes, as the lone officer she was the ranking individual. Was it realistic to have her in charge of all those men out there? Yes, it's possible. Unlikely, but possible. Yes, female troops have led and done well, i.e. Silver Star awardee SGT Leigh Ann Hester. There's some awesome female aviators and good ones that work in non-combat arms positions. But as far as putting steel on targets, defending a FOB or patrol base, etc? All authority should reside in the most qualified ranking officer or NCO there, and that would be Haysbert's Sergeant Major.
03-02-07, 09:21 AM
#17
DVD Talk Godfather
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by hitmanjules
Well, they mentioned something about being an infantry platoon, perhaps as a size comparison. Yes, as the lone officer she was the ranking individual. Was it realistic to have her in charge of all those men out there? Yes, it's possible. Unlikely, but possible. Yes, female troops have led and done well, i.e. Silver Star awardee SGT Leigh Ann Hester. There's some awesome female aviators and good ones that work in non-combat arms positions. But as far as putting steel on targets, defending a FOB or patrol base, etc? All authority should reside in the most qualified ranking officer or NCO there, and that would be Haysbert's Sergeant Major.
