‘Band of Brothers’ Recap – ‘Part Ten: Points’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Ross McCall, and Matthew Settle as Major Richard ‘Dick Winters’, Captain Lewis Nixon, Technician Fifth Grade Joseph Liebgott, and Captain Ronald Spiers in Episode 110 of ‘Band of Brothers’ – ‘Part Ten: Points’. (Photo Courtesy of HBO.)

If there has been one recurring theme that has popped up often in our discussions of the HBO series, Band of Brothers, it would have to be that this show was in many ways… solid at tossing cliché and tropes regarding World War II stories aside. A feat that it accomplished by sticking to the facts as best it could and by presenting the war effort in Europe in an honest and raw light. Which allowed for us to learn that Operation: Overload was not as glamorous as some stories have implied, and that many of the battles that the men of Easy Company and the United States Armed Services fought, were not as epic and inspiring as we were taught to believe. For this was war, and it was awful and it well… to close out our journey through Europe with Easy Company, the show decided to return to that well one last time.
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For ‘Part Ten: Points’ picked up a little while after ‘Part Nine: Why We Fight’, wherein the good news was revealed. That the tiny and insignificant piece of shit that was Adolf Hitler, ended his own life and well… the best way to summarize that act would be to quote Stephen King’s The Stand: ‘No great loss’. For he was a stain upon the world and not missed in the slightest. But what mattered more, was that the death of lil’ Adolf and the fall of Berlin… meant the end of the war had come at last, and Victory in Europe Day, or V-E Day as it is commonly known could be declared. Which should have brought about a classic ending to this story. One filled with ticker tape parades for Easy Company and their work, and fireworks shows and re-creations of the iconic moments of celebration around the globe that took place following the welcome end of the Reich. 
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But that… would be more movie magic, for in reality… war doesn’t end with fireworks and deep immediate musings about what the soldiers learned during their time in combat and how it made them better men. No instead, there is… as in all things big in our lives… an end. A transition and life goes on, as expressed by way of several key moments in this somber tale. Such as how… the war simply wrapped up, and all that remained was occupation and clean up duty and surrender. Which Easy Company handled by taking control of the Eagle’s Nest in Austria and pouring over its spoils and intelligence before moving on to occupy Germany as a stabilizing force and during that time… is when the transition from war time to peace got underway and this episode showcased… how that can be tough for soldiers.

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Members of the German Army Surrender to Allied Forces in Episode 110 of ‘Band of Brothers’ – ‘Part Ten: Points’. (Photo Courtesy of HBO.)

For all of the men in Germany spent months and years training to fight and fighting. It was in their blood now, and they were used to being on high alert and ready for combat and doing so, left them in an elevated state. The kind where some were quick to make rash and dark decisions to fight the enemy that no longer existed or fight one another. For that is a dark side effect that war produces, the reality that it takes time for a soldier to turn off the kill switch and learn to adjust to life away from bloodshed and fear and that brought about… some sorrowful moments. The kind where you felt for these men in a whole new light. But slowly and surely, they adjusted, they found peace in their mind and began to look ahead to tomorrow and life going on. 
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Which in this case involved… moving onto new assignments for some. The kind free from killing others and were instead grounded in teaching. Since Easy Company were now the experts and could help others learn about how to handle combat situations in other parts of the world, such as the Pacific Theater where the battle against the Empire of Japan continued along. And for some… it just meant more waiting. Waiting for the end, waiting for tomorrow and eventually it came. Wherein, there were no ticker tape parades and exploding fireworks made up of the colors of red, white, and blue. Just the news… that the Japanese surrendered and that the war was over, and it was time to go home. Wherein we learned where Easy Company ended up in life after taking on the Nazi War Machine and saving so many from tyranny. All of which seems to be a somber ending. One devoid of inspiration and hope as we expect these stories to provide us with. Which is why, it was revealed at the end of this journey that the men we’ve been hearing from in vignettes along the way, weren’t just random soldiers from back in the day, but the men of Easy Company.

Who spoke a little deeper upon their experiences and that helped us to understand how exactly… we find inspiration from their actions. For here, they spoke to their fears on a whole level, of the pain they experienced and the horrors they saw in a summarized fashion. Giving rise to the realization for us, that they went through all those emotions… and still pressed ahead. They could have run, they could have hidden, but they stood tall and that… is how we find inspiration from these stories. For we come to understand that heroes are fearless and strong, and suffer, but sacrifice their needs for others and that… is why this finale is so powerful and overwhelming and truly fulfilling. For it informed us that these men, these band of brothers, did all of that, of their own accord and they never saw themselves as heroes. That was for us to decide, and we decided correctly. For it takes something special to take on that kind of evil, and we are forever in their debt for fighting off very real monsters… to let freedom ring. Until next time.

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