In a similar fashion to its predecessors, Masters of the Air weaves together multiple storylines, combining conflict and violence during bombing raids over German-occupied Europe with the personal struggles and experiences of numerous key characters, including best-friend pilots Major Gale “Buck” Cleven and Major John “Bucky” Egan (played by Austin Butler and Callum Turner), navigator Lieutenant Harry Crosby (portrayed by Anthony Boyle), and Major Marvin “Red” Bowman, played by Stephen Campbell Moore.
But the meat of Masters of the Air is the visually stunning and yet horrifying re-creations of multiple air-based attacks on German positions, with our modern concept of calm and reliable flight shattered into a field of smoke, fire, and red-hot metal as American B-17s navigate seemingly impenetrable fields of flak, bullets, rockets, and what feels like a never-ending supply of Luftwaffe fighters.
These scenes are so well produced that they would suffice as standalone insights into the reality of war. Audiences can’t help but share in the combined stress, fear, and mourning throughout each and every mission. This is especially jarring when we consider the sheer number of dangers each crew must escape to survive (let alone succeed in their mission), including what have now become mundane matters of maintenance and navigation.
And there are multiple other fascinating threads within the miniseries, including the efforts made by European allies to help downed pilots evade German capture, the internal politics of heavy bomber units regarding a minimum number of missions flown, and the constant work performed by on-the-ground teams to keep what can only be described as a group of glorified tin cans airborne.
In the context of conflict alone, this miniseries hammers home not only the human cost of these missions, but the somehow unbelievable fact that anyone managed to survive to tell the tale.
But when Masters of the Air attempts to go beyond military re-creation, it unfortunately falls short. Perhaps its biggest weakness is the fact that its predecessor—Band of Brothers—is one of the most iconic television series of all time, providing a truly ground-breaking insight into the history of “Easy” Company and the 101st Airborne Division. Across 10 episodes, through character development and production mastery, audiences couldn’t help but forge relationships with every member of the cast. Band of Brothers set the bar so high, even a B-17 couldn’t surpass it.
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