List of Band of Brothers episodes
HBO's Band of Brothers, a ten-part television World War II miniseries based on the book of the same title written by historian and biographer Stephen Ambrose, was executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks after their collaboration on the World War II film Saving Private Ryan (1998).[1] The episodes first aired in 2001 on HBO and are still run frequently on various TV networks around the world.[2]
The narrative centers on the experiences of E ("Easy") Company of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment assigned to the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army. The series covers Easy's basic training at Toccoa, Georgia, the American airborne landings in Normandy, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of Bastogne and on to the end of the war.[1]
The events portrayed are based on Ambrose's research and recorded interviews with Easy Company veterans. A large amount of literary license was taken with the episodes, and other reference books will highlight the differences between recorded history and the film version.[3] All of the characters portrayed are based on actual members of Easy Company; some of them can be seen in prerecorded interviews as a prelude to each episode (their identities, however, are not revealed until the final episode, although throughout the series, the men refer to each other by nicknames or their last names). Spielberg and Hanks produced a sequel miniseries called The Pacific that premiered in March 2010.[4]
Episode list
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Main character | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Currahee" | Phil Alden Robinson | Teleplay by: Erik Jendresen and Tom Hanks | Richard Winters & Herbert Sobel | September 9, 2001 | 9.90[5] |
| Easy Company is introduced during its training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, under First Lieutenant Herbert Sobel, a very strict disciplinarian who seems to train his company harder and longer than the commanders of other companies. Sobel also goes out of his way to find fault with the men and the platoon leaders. The company is shipped to England to prepare for D-Day. As training progresses, Sobel's inadequacies as a leader in the field become more apparent and cause most of the non-commissioned officers in the company to attempt to resign en masse. He also causes a dispute with his executive officer, Richard Winters, that escalates higher than Sobel expected. These events lead to Sobel being reassigned to command a jump school for essential non-combat personnel. | ||||||
| 2 | "Day of Days" | Richard Loncraine | John Orloff | Richard Winters | September 9, 2001 | 9.90[5] |
| Easy Company lands in Normandy, but is scattered all across the region and away from their designated drop zone. 1st Lieutenant Meehan, commander of Easy, is killed when his plane suffers a direct hit and 1st Lieutenant Winters must take command. With a small group of men, Winters takes out a set of German gun emplacements at Brécourt and thereby wins the respect of his fellow soldiers as a leader. Recently promoted 1st Lt. Speirs is introduced. | ||||||
| 3 | "Carentan" | Mikael Salomon | E. Max Frye | Albert Blithe | September 16, 2001 | 7.27[6] |
| Easy Company fights in the Battle of Carentan, in which they lose several men. Rumors start to circulate that Lieutenant Speirs killed a group of German prisoners of war. The episode focuses on Private Albert Blithe, who struggles with shell-shock following the battle. After he is finally spurred into action by Winters during the Battle of Bloody Gulch, Blithe overcomes his fears. Several days later, he is shot by a German sniper after volunteering to be lead scout in a patrol (the ending erroneously states Blithe died from his wounds in 1948; in fact, he recovered and continued to serve in the Army until his death in December 1967). | ||||||
| 4 | "Replacements" | David Nutter | Graham Yost and Bruce C. McKenna | Denver "Bull" Randleman | September 23, 2001 | 6.29[7] |
| Replacements join Easy Company, struggling to be accepted by the veterans who fought at Normandy. The Company parachutes into the Netherlands as part of Operation Market Garden, where they liberate Eindhoven. During combat in Nuenen, the replacements integrate themselves with the Company, but all are forced to retreat. The episode follows Sergeant Denver "Bull" Randleman, the replacements' immediate superior, as he evades German soldiers in Nuenen after being cut off from his unit and is forced to wait there until the enemy leaves in the morning. | ||||||
| 5 | "Crossroads" | Tom Hanks | Erik Jendresen | Richard Winters | September 30, 2001 | 6.13[8] |
| Winters writes a report on the challenge of an unexpected resistance to a German attack, and is haunted by his conscience after shooting a teenage German SS soldier. This flashback occurs several times in later episodes. Operation Pegasus is depicted. Easy Company is called to Bastogne at the start of the Battle of the Bulge. At the end of the episode, Captain Winters now effectively commands the whole battalion. | ||||||
| 6 | "Bastogne" | David Leland | Bruce C. McKenna | Eugene "Doc" Roe | October 7, 2001 | 6.42[9] |
| Easy Company experiences the Battle of the Bulge and have to hold ground near Bastogne, while running low on ammunition and other supplies. The episode focuses on medic Eugene "Doc" Roe as he helps out his fellow soldiers where he can, while also scrounging for medical supplies, of which the Company is dangerously low. He also befriends a Belgian nurse in Bastogne, who is later killed during a German bombing raid. | ||||||
| 7 | "The Breaking Point" | David Frankel | Graham Yost | Carwood Lipton | October 14, 2001 | 6.43[10] |
| Easy Company battles near Foy, Belgium, losing numerous men. The episode examines and questions the actions of 1st Lieutenant Norman Dike, the Company's commander. He is eventually relieved by 1st Lieutenant Ronald Speirs, who becomes the Company's new leader. Serving as narrator is First Sergeant Carwood Lipton, who attempts to keep the morale of the men up as they endure their trials in the forest near Foy, earning him a battlefield promotion to 2nd Lieutenant for his leadership ability. | ||||||
| 8 | "The Last Patrol" | Tony To | Erik Bork and Bruce C. McKenna | David Webster | October 21, 2001 | 5.95[11] |
| Easy Company carries out a dangerous mission in Haguenau as David Webster (who narrates) returns from a hospital. Together with new replacement 2nd Lieutenant Jones, he eventually (re)integrates with the other soldiers, whose experiences at Bastogne have made them weary and closed-off from Webster due to the fact he didn't try to leave hospital early, unlike other soldiers in the company. At the end of the episode, Captain Winters is promoted to Major, Lipton receives his battlefield commission to 2nd Lieutenant, and Jones is promoted to 1st Lieutenant. | ||||||
| 9 | "Why We Fight" | David Frankel | John Orloff | Lewis Nixon | October 28, 2001 | 6.08[12] |
| As Nixon scrounges for his favored whiskey, Vat 69, Easy Company enters Germany. Some of the men on patrol stumble across a concentration camp near Landsberg and free the prisoners after realizing that the guards had abandoned the camp. The sight of the victims leaves many shocked and disgusted. | ||||||
| 10 | "Points" | Mikael Salomon | Erik Jendresen and Erik Bork | Richard Winters | November 4, 2001 | 5.05[13] |
| The company captures the Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden, and also discover Hermann Göring's house. The battalion heads out to Austria where the end of the war in Europe is announced. While those with enough points go home, the remainder of Easy Company stays behind until the end of the Pacific War is declared. | ||||||
References
- 1 2 "BBC – Drama – Band of Brothers". BBC. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
- ↑ Snead, Elizabeth (June 22, 2001). "Tom Hanks Jumps on Bandwagon". TV Guide. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
- ↑ In particular, the books Biggest Brother: The Life of Dick Winters and Parachute Infantry, an autobiography by David Kenyon Webster. Also, the website Trigger Time by 101st historian Mark Bando has a detailed discussion of the miniseries' historical accuracy.
- ↑ "Exclusive: Tom Hanks On Toy Story 3". Empire. April 23, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
- 1 2 "Band of Brothers slips after attacks". Broadcasting & Cable. October 2, 2001. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (September 27, 2001). "In days of tumult, a spirit of unity". Media Life Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (October 3, 2001). "UPN's 'Enterprise,' most likely to succeed". Media Life Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (October 10, 2001). "Viewers pick season's winners and losers". Media Life Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (October 17, 2001). "'Friends' shows 'Survivor' its stuff". Media Life Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (October 24, 2001). "'Survivor' sputtering against NBC's 'Friends'". Media Life Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (October 31, 2001). "The two hit shows TV buyers dissed". Media Life Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (November 7, 2001). "World Series scores big for Fox". Media Life Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (November 14, 2001). "NBC gets that sinking feeling". Media Life Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
External links
- List of Band of Brothers episodes at HBO
- List of Band of Brothers episodes at TV.com
- List of Band of Brothers episodes at the Internet Movie Database
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