Favorite episode of Band of Brothers?

[pokerfan]

My favorite just aired on the History Channel. "The Breaking Point." The seventh episode in the series. The scene in the Belgium church at the end where 1st Sgt Liption is trying to come up with a roster (after losing 30% of their company) is especially moving.

If you have never seen BoB, I can't recommend it enough.

[slj0101]

1. Either "Bastogne" or "Breaking Point."

The combat scenes in those episodes are just amazing.

[pokerfan]

2. Bastogne was the ep told through medic Roe's eyes

Right in the middle of the Battle of the Bulge. Completely surrounded with no air support or drops because of the weather.

The prayer he recited was from the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. The prayer has been known in USA since 1936 and copies of the prayer were widely distributed during WW II. Just one of many little details they got right.

Seigneur, faites de moi un instrument de votre paix.
Là où il y a de la haine, que je mette l’amour.
Là où il y a l’offense, que je mette le pardon.
Là où il y a la discorde, que je mette l’union.
Là où il y a l’erreur, que je mette la vérité.
Là où il y a le doute, que je mette la foi.
Là où il y a le désespoir, que je mette l’espérance.
Là où il y a les ténèbres, que je mette votre lumière.
Là où il y a la tristesse, que je mette la joie.
Ô Maître, que je ne cherche pas tant à être consolé qu’à consoler, à être compris qu’à comprendre, à être aimé qu’à aimer, car c’est en donnant qu’on reçoit, c’est en s’oubliant qu’on trouve, c’est en pardonnant qu’on est pardonné, c’est en mourant qu’on ressuscite à l’éternelle vie.


More than 100 different English versions of the text exist. The most popular is this following one :

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.


Right now they are in Germany ("Why We Fight") and have just discovered the first concentration camp. Pretty gruesome stuff.

[Bombero1956]

4. liberation of Eindhoven

The scene where the locals take revenge on the women who slept with Germans comes to mind.

[pokerfan]

6. Collaborators

Notice that immediately before her head shaving she was sitting on the lap of one of the E Company soldiers. Male collaborators were shot.

It was a damned shame that Market Garden failed. A bridge too far indeed.


I like the scene where they learn about Hitler's demise:

Cpt. Nixon: Hitler's dead.
Liebgott: Holy shit.
Cpt. Nixon: Shot himself in Berlin.
Sgt. Randleman: Is the war over, sir?
Cpt. Nixon: No. We have orders to Berchtesgaden. We move out in one hour.
Pvt. Webster: He should have killed himself three years ago. Saved us a lot of trouble.
Cpt. Nixon: Yeah, he should have. But he didn't.

[ellisonz]

3. "Carentan"

Even if Blithe didn't actually die from his wounds.

[Twillig]

5. When Dale Dye (every war movie since platoon) bungs Schwimmer

off to a remf training command.

Motherfucker couldn't read a map. Any private face down in a gutter could read a map!!

[pokerfan]

7. Schwimmer was fantastic, though

Winters: Captain Sobel.
Sobel: Major Winters. (continues walking without a salute)
Winters: Captain Sobel. We salute the rank not the man.

[Twillig]

8. Yes, without a doubt. Fine performance.

And you know I'd give credit to his character (Sobel) for cutting the wire fence(if he didn't think it was an order from Maj. Winters). (LOL!)

Initiative, goddamit!

[pokerfan]

9. Initiative is fine, but he was still lost

Sobel: "Why is there a fence here? There should be no fence here. Tipper!"

Tipper: "Yes, sir?"

Sobel: "Give me the map. There should be no... There should be no fence here."

Evans: "Uh, we could go over it, sir."

Sobel: "Really? That's not the point! Where the goddamn--- Where the goddamn hell are we?"

[Twillig]

10. Tipper and Evans were fuckups.

what the hell good were they? One should have the azimuth and the other the pace count. If you let the CO fuckup it's your ass too.

When confronted with the fence, it's like Harvey K. says to his cap'n in U571. Even if you don't know You Know. Drive on!

[amerikat]

11. I think it was breaking point

When someone says to Winters."we're surrounded"......Winters replays back "We're Paratroopers. We're supposed to be surrounded". I have to say "Band of Brothers" is one of the best things I have ever seen on TV. The courage and selflessness of those men gives me hope that this country can be taken back from the crazy people that run it mow

[pokerfan]

13. That was Crossroads

the episode just before Bastogne.

2nd Lt. George Rice: Looks like you guys are going to be surrounded.
Richard Winters: We're paratroopers, Lieutenant, we're supposed to be surrounded.

[lost-in-nj]

12. My son

watched the marathon they had a few months back. Not to mention he has the DVD.
For a 29 yr old he has an obsession with WW1 & WW2 especialluy the plans. I have model all over the house
:)

lost

[GoddessOfGuinness]

14. Great series...truly great.

I think my favorite episode was Crossroads

A couple of favorite moments:

Sgt. Denver 'Bull' Randleman: Well how come we're the only one marching every Friday night 12 miles full pack in the pitch dark.
Richard Winters: Why do you think, Private Randleman?
Sgt. Denver 'Bull' Randleman: Lieutenant Sobel hates us, sir.
Richard Winters: Lieutenant Sobel does not hate Easy Company, Private Randleman. He just hates you.
Sgt. Denver 'Bull' Randleman: Thank you, sir.


Winters: Joe? Drop your ammo.
Liebgott: What? What are you doing?
Winters: You have one shot. You drop a prisoner, the rest will jump you. I want all prisoners back at the company CP alive.


(and after listening to Guarnere worry about Winters' ability to lead because he must be a Quaker since he doesn't drink)
Winters: Oh, Sergeant?
Guarnere: Yes, Sir?
Winters: I'm not a Quaker.

[pokerfan]

16. Liked that quote and he takes a pull on the bottle

just to show the men he's not a complete stuck up.

Other fav quotes:

"We're not lost, Private. We're in Normandy."

Webster: (to a passing column of German prisoners) Hey! Hey, you! That's right! That's right! Say hello to Ford! And General Fucking Motors! Look at you! You have horses! What were you thinking?!
(Garcia pulls him down)
Webster: (mutters) Dragging our asses half-way around the world (then shouts) and for what?! You ignorant, servile scum! What the fuck are we doing here!?

Renee: No. I never want to treat another wounded man again. I'd rather work in a butcher shop.
Doc: But your touch calms people. That's a gift from God.
Renee: No, it's not a gift. God would never give such a painful thing.


Captain Nixon gets a letter from home:

Nixon: She's divorcing me.
Winters: I'm sorry
Nixon: She's taking everything. She's taking house, taking the kid, taking the dog. It's not even her dog. It's my dog! She's taking my dog!

And this naration by Webster:

"I’d wondered if people back home would ever know what it cost the soldiers to end this war. In America, things were already beginning to look like peacetime. The standard of living was on the rise, racetracks and nightclubs were booming. You couldn’t get a hotel in Miami Beach, it was so crowded. How could anyone ever know of the price paid by soldiers in terror, agony, and bloodshed, if they’d never been to places like Normandy, Bastogne, or Haguenau..."

And my favorite exchange from the series:

Alex Penkala: Joe got hit in the arm? New Year's Eve gift from the Luftwaffe.
Ken Webb: Have a lot of you guys been injured?
Sgt. Martin: It's called wounded, Peanut. Injured is when you fall out of a tree or something.
Warren Muck: Don't worry, there so much crap flying around, you're bound to get dinged sometime. Almost every one of these guys got hit at least once. Except for Ally, he's a two timer. He landed on broken glass in Normandy and got peppered by a potato masher. Now Bull? He got a piece of exploding tank in Holland. Now George Luz here... has never been hit. You're one lucky bastard.
George Luz: Takes one to know one, Skip.
Warren Muck: Huh, considered us blessed. Now Leibgott, the skinny little guy? He got pinged in the neck in Holland. And right next to him, the other skinny little guy, that's Popeye, he got shot in his scrawny little butt in Normandy. And, uh, Buck got shot in his rather large butt in Holland.
Alex Penkala: Yeah, kind of a Easy Company Tradition, getting shot in the ass.
Warren Muck: Hey, even 1st Sergeant Lipton there, he got a couple of pieces of a tank shell burst in Caretan. One chunk in the face, the other chunk nearly took out his nuts.
Bill Guarnere: How are those nuts, Sarge?
Carwood Lipton: They're doing fine, Bill, nice of you to ask.

[leftofthedial]

15. they're all great

Dick Winters has a book out.

[pokerfan]

17. Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters

Looking forward to reading it.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

19. Fantastic!

Now I know what I want to read next!

[sarge43]

18. "Why We Fight"

The discovery of the concentration camp

[LostinVA]

20. Holocaust episode

[texas1928]

21. I like all of them.

I have read the book at least 10 times, I have read "Biggest Brother" twice. Another good book from that group is Webster's book. It is another side of Band of Brothers. It adds some stuff to what was shown in the series.

[Parche]

22. Band Of Borthers

The one that puts tears in my eyes, and I posted it

Episode 10, the end

Which was on the History Channel last night

And the Market Garden one, where they find that dad and his little son hiding
in a cellar, and 'Webster' gives the boy a chocolate bar.........tears always come down
my face........

But my all time favorite is 10, for a lot of reasons, where Capt Sobel walks past
'Major' Winters and doesnt salute at first, and Winters says "Capt Sobel, Capt Sobel, you salute
the rank not the man"

And at the very end where they tell the story in real life of what everyone and where they are at
and where he talks about what his grandson asks him

"Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?", and he replys, "No grandpa wasnt a hero, but he served in a Company of heroes"


I also love when Capt Nixon chuckles when he meets the new LT ( Tom Hanks real son) or the new
'Westpointer'

Amazing when Lt Spears takes the assault in and relives Lt (Yawn) Dyke, whatever happened to Dyke in real life? Did he get killed?

Sad when Muck and Pincalla get hit............

The best short series ever!!!

[pokerfan]

24. (Foxhole) Norman Dike

The miniseries can lead to the impression that he was killed. Perconte says "Did ya hear about Dike? Thank heaven for small mercies, huh?" In actuality he was referring to Dike having been permanently relieved. He got "promoted" to General Taylor's personal aid.


From Wikipedia:

First Lieutenant Norman Dike was an officer in World War II who was thought to be a favorite of a high-ranking official of the U.S. Army. While the 101st was still in Holland, Norman was transferred from Division HQ to Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, shortly before the Battle of the Bulge and became their commanding officer.

He gained the name "Foxhole Norman" after four weeks in Holland and was considered by almost the entire company to be an incompetent leader. Captain Ronald Speirs relieved Dike when Easy Company made an assault on the town of Foy, and Dike served the rest of his military career as a runner for General Maxwell Taylor. Richard Winters, the most famous commander of Easy Company, spoke in unflattering detail about Dike in his autobiography, Beyond Band of Brothers; The War Memoirs of Major Richard Winters.

[Parche]

25. Character

Who is your favorite character in the show?

I have to say I love of course 'Winters' 'Nixon' and "Buck Compton'

I cant stand 'Cobb'


CURAHEE!!!!

[pokerfan]

26. Winters and Nixon

Probably in part they had speaking rolls in every episode.

I would add George Luz, just for the comedy.

Luz: (Impersonating Captain Sobel) Corporal Toye, there will be no leaning in my company. Are those dusty jump wings? How do you expect to slay Huns with dust on your jump wings?

Luz: (Impersonating General Taylor) Remember boys - flies spread disease, so keep yours closed!

Luz: Hey look! It's 1st Battalion. Hey! HEY!
1st Battalion soldier: Whatta you want?
Luz: Yeah, thanks for crappin' in our foxholes, ya shitheads.

[Parche]

27. LUZ

He was a good one, and to the testament of his character over 1600 people were at his funeral...

We lost Carwood Lipton recently

I think the only ones left are John Martin, Dick Winters, Don Malarkey (Lives near here in Astoria Oregon) , Guarnere, Buck Compton?, anyone else?

[pokerfan]

28. We lost Spiers just two weeks ago

Frank Perconte is still around.

[Parche]

23. Episode

I have to say I didnt care too much for the actor 'Cobb' what an ass,

"What are you looking at Webster.." and when they were at the showers

And in the episode 'Replacements', where he slams 'Miller' for wearing the 'Unit citation'
medal, "You werent in Normandy"