‘The Pacific’ Recap: ‘Part Nine’

1/24/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Rami Malek and Joseph Mazzello as Corporal Merriell ‘Snafu’ Shelton and Corporal Eugene Sledge in ‘Part Nine’ of ‘The Pacific’. (Photo Courtesy of HBO.)

Whenever a country announces they are declaring war against another nation, there comes quite the set of promises. Such as how the country in question will be victorious and stand against the evil that threatens them, and also… that the war will be swift and decisive. All because those in charge of leading the march to war, do not want a prolonged conflict. They want to be victorious and move into what comes next post war. But there are other motivating factors beyond the ideology of war and the thrill of victory. For a swift win keeps resource use to a minimum, and it also keeps loss of life to a minimum. But there are also other solid reasons that nations want to keep war swift and intense, that we don’t discuss all that often.

Because in reality, a prolonged conflict can wear upon the citizens of that nation, and bring about a sense of hopelessness as their armed forces continue to use resources they too desperately need. Not to mention, there’s a real wear and tear that can impact the forces in question. Because being in a constant state of warfare can put a soldier in a very unique place mentally. One where killing is the norm for them, and so is the fury, and anger and apathy that is required to take a life. Which isn’t healthy and is also damaging from a mental health standpoint. To the point where it could a rob of solider of the person they once used to be. Because they will feel hopeless and trapped in a world of sanctioned murder and while that may seem extreme, well, there’s evidence to back that up.

The kind that came in the form of the next episode of ‘The Pacific’. For this series was indeed assembled through true testimony, including that of one Corporal Eugene Sledge. And he made it very clear what that impact would be in his book and much of that made its way into ‘Part Nine’ of this series. For this episode chronicled when Sledge’s unit made its way to Okinawa. The last stronghold between the United States Marine Corps and the Japanese mainland, and this was where strategists were pondering upon how best to execute a landing similar to Normandy via the scrapped Operation: Downfall. But what mattered more, was that Okinawa was a tough place for Sledge to deal with, for it was indeed the darkest battle he fought in. Which is saying something.

Joseph Mazzello as Corporal Eugene Sledge in ‘Part Nine’ of ‘The Pacific’. (Photo Courtesy of HBO.)

But here… he and his unit saw the ugliest parts of humanity. Since it was revealed that citizens were being used as human shields and explosive devices to garner the upper hand against the Marines. A reality that left everyone shell shocked over the desperate nature of the Empire and the horrors didn’t end there. Because so many Marines lost their minds and lost their lives in this place. In large part, because the pressure was too high and because… the fighting had indeed gone on for too long. For there were Marines pondering upon where they might be in the Pacific in 1946 and 1947 as the war raged on and all of this brought about some real dark and unsettling moments, some of which involved Eugene himself. For he too had seen enough and done enough, and he was deeply beginning to struggle.

To the point where he started to act recklessly in combat and pondered deeply upon just letting his moral code go and well, it was hard to see him and everyone else in his unit suffer in this manner. But it hammered home the reality, this is what years of war can do to a person, and the damage it can cause and for a time, it truly seemed as though we were going to see Eugene Sledge just let go. Embrace the horror of war and become its wanton tool of destruction. But thankfully, neither he nor the rest of his fellow soldiers had to cross that threshold. For this particular episode surprised us all, by transporting us a few days after the United States unleashed nuclear bombs upon humanity for the first time in history. Signaling that the end of the war was near and soon… the fighting and the bloodshed, and the pain would finally end.

But while that is indeed a reward for the audience, it was nothing more than another day for Sledge. Who was readying his frayed nerves and psyche for more combat, more blood, more darkness. And his journey here, really made it clear the ugliness of a prolonged conflict and once again tasked us with the question… is war really worth it? Because this is what it creates, and end of the war or not, that darkness he has been trying to keep at bay doesn’t leave overnight. For there’s PTSD in his soul, and actions he cannot just wash his hands of, and it will be interesting to see what the story explores regarding that in its series finale. For this is it, we are but one episode away from bringing this saga to a close, courtesy of the surrender from the Empire that awaits. Until next time.

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