TVSquad

(Part 7 of 7) "Dude, check it out. I wrote U.S.A. with my piss." - Person

All that for nothing. Not much was gained and so much was lost. Over the span of Generation Kill we've all marveled at the ineptitude and idiocy of the people running the show over in First Recon, but not until this episode did it become clear that it wouldn't have made a difference who was in charge - dumb or stupid. This was a losing battle before it even began. Operation Iraqi Freedom? US military PR at it's finest.

Gallery: Generation Kill

(Part 6 of 7) "You know, Iraqis don't really seem good at fighting, but they never really completely surrender either." - Person

And therein lies the difference between the Iraqi Republican Guard forces and the Fist Recon Marines: heart. Guess which side is lacking it?

The point is furthered even more when most of First Recon finds solace and happiness as they realize that their mission is over. M.R.E. milkshakes, Colbert's stash of Chef Boyardee, and an unopened issue of Juggs are the things that make people smile now.

So while everyone is celebrating the end, leave it to Brad to run around with his shirt off, giddy that Godfather is giving First Recon one more mission - one more chance to maybe, just maybe, do something remotely close to what they were trained for.

Gallery: Generation Kill

(Part 5 of 7) "You think givin' them some rice and a chocolate bar is gonna fix things?" - Espera

This was by far the best installment Of Generation Kill we've seen yet. Burns and Simon stayed 100% true to Wright's account. I remember reading about the battle on the bridge at Muwafaqiyah and wondering what all that insanity must have looked like. To be so scared that, as Trombley put it, the adrenaline rush is so intense that it messes up your blood flow and some Marines achieve happenstance erections.

It wasn't just the bridge battle that made this one such a memorable episode though. Along with the continuing escalation of stupidity by all those with higher rank, there were some great scenes where we saw Colbert, Fick, Hasser, and even Encino Man evolve. Clichéd as it may sound, war changes people and we're bearing witness to some pretty screwed up transformations.

Gallery: Generation Kill

(Part 4 of 7) "Well sir, it's just that you're incompetent, sir." - Doc Bryan

I've asked before, and I'll ask again: why aren't more of the good guys dying? When CIA-trained Iraqi friendlies get waxed by Saddam's Republican Guard because they don't have a clue? When leadership like Encino Man are floored to hear that they're stupid? When men like Captain America don't understand how using enemy weapons could cause harm? Why aren't more of the good guys dying?

It's because of the bottom on the totem pole players. The Colberts. The Persons. The Ficks. The Esperas. It's because of them that we're getting to see their story as a humorous account on HBO and not as some sappy, tears in your eyes Ken Burns PBS documentary.

Gallery: Generation Kill

Jericho was canceled once, only to be saved by a massive nut-sending campaign (and that's probably the first time I've ever typed the words "nut-sending campaign"), and the show will return in a few months for it's second season, which at the moment is slated to last seven episodes (when we last left the town, they were starting a battle with New Bern and military people were on the way). But what if the episodes are low-rated? What will happen in the story if the CBS show is canceled again?

National Geographic has eight new series (and some returning series) on tap, set to roll out over the next several months.

Inside the Green Berets airs June 3 at 9:00 p.m.

Inside the Taliban airs June 4 at 9:00 p.m.

Critical Situation, a new series that explores how people responded when faced with some of the most dramatic moments in history kicks off June 12 at 9:00 p.m. I'll be posting a preview of this new series soon.

AMC hasn't produced a miniseries since Broken Trail back in June of 2006, but now the network hopes to develop several new ones from producers and screenwriters most known for their work in film.

The first miniseries, Against the Guns of Quantrill, tells the story of Confederate prisoners who defend a Union town. It's being written by Michael Blake (Dances with Wolves). Other miniseries include Berlin Mesa from Spy Game writer Michael Frost Beckner and producer John Baldecchi (Simon Birch, The Mexican), about FBI and Nazi prisoners in the southwest United States; Skylark, about a Jewish woman helping American soldiers in France during World War II from writer and producer Michael Nankin, whose television credits include helming episodes of Battlestar Galactica; writer and producer John Leekley's White Rose, about an investigation into a Nazi youth movement in Germany; and L-19, about German pilots stranded at sea in a crashed blimp.

AMC hopes to draw viewers in with original material that still maintains a theatrical quality. Also, it apparently has a proclivity for anything with Nazis. Most likely, only one miniseries will be aired each year.

(S06E13) *Warning, spoilers ahead from the new episode*

What do you get when you mix together the following ingredients:

A blended shirt that doesn't wrinkle, a mysterious Denver connection, raspberries and kiwi from Mel's, a bungalow, a mental institution, Russian carnage, getting "stirred up" and Ricky Schroder?

A heck of a good 24 episode . . . though I must admit to laughing at scenes where the show's creators likely weren't going for guffaws. But when you bring back three old characters and put them in an awkward (Man was it awkward!) love triangle and sprinkle in some potential world destruction via nuclear bombs, you gotta chuckle, at least a little bit.

War, what is it good for?

It's good for Ken Burns, we know that much. The documentary filmmaker behind the hugely popular Civil War documentary series is preparing to delve into war yet again with a new PBS documentary about World War II. Burns originaly didn't want to do another war documentary, but decided the story needed to be told while there were still people alive who fought in the war.

The War will air starting on September 17 and will be the first new series created by Burns after he inked a deal to have his work shown exclusively on PBS until 2022. The 14-hour documentary does include some swearing from soldiers who describe their time serving during the war, which means two versions of the series might be offered to stations who want to avoid any FCC problems. I would hope stations opt to show the uncensored version, since a few curse words seems perfectly appropriate when describing one's personal war experiences.