Masters of the Air (TV Mini Series) Part Eight (2024) User Reviews

odd choices

[nerrdrage · 7/10 · 13 March 2024]

Masters of the Air started strong with some great air action, then entered mid-season doldrums and seems to be improving a little in the final stretch but with some very odd dramatic choices.

The Tuskegee Airmen can't avoid the achilles heel of this series, namely that the writing makes the characters dull and interchangeable. Introducing a bunch of new characters this late in the game is a bad idea.

The actors seem charming enough but I can't believe that a bunch of military guys have vocabularies that are clean enough for church (that goes for the white characters too).

The POW plotline still continues to be interesting but how could they simply gloss over D-Day like that? I believe that the air force was involved in some capacity, right? It's not going to be like the stellar D-Day episode that Band of Brothers did, but they could have done better.

Too many storylines

[kenstallings-65346 · 6/10 · 11 March 2024]

Given a single episode of this series lasts under one hour, the producers tried to splice together far too many stories in this eighth episode, and the result is a disjointed effort that suffers from too many sharp breaks in the narrative.

The result is an episode that fails to satisfactorily explore any of the new material, and with only one more episode remaining in the series, one must wonder, if this is the sole exploration of the Tuskegee Airmen, then it seems too rushed to have made it worth the veer from the core subject.

The actors in the Tuskegee scenes appear too wooden, such as trying to portray a pilot snapping to attention while at the bar in the O-Club, something that would not happen as it was decorum in the Army Air Force that salutes are not given while in the bar.

Again, the POW scenes are the best in the movie and are the only sufficiently explored theme. Yet, the negativity of two of the characters coming to a fight in the yard, followed by no post-fight discussion, was not only out of place, but was not a good fit.

Simply put, the handful of field grade officers in a POW camp would have been far too aware of their role in keeping unit morale up, especially in captivity. So far, none of my research show these two close friends ever engaged in a fist fight, but even if they did, I cannot imagine it happened in the manner this episode portrayed.

The other issue is that episodes seven and eight lacked any significant presentation of the bombing missions, and that's supposed to be the main theme of the series. Taking one episode of nine off might be tolerable, but taking two off back-to-back diminishes the quality of the series.

While episode eight featured two aerial sequences involving the Tuskegee Airmen, what seems strange is that neither of them chose the more appropriate and obvious choice, which was to show the 99th providing bomber escort, something they were particularly valued for doing.

Another historical truth that would have made this natural plotline effective and accurate, is that Benjamin Davis ordered his pilots to remain with the bombers, vice chase after Luftwaffe fighters and leave the bombers unprotected.

This would have set up a nice series of scenes where you could splice an air battle from the perspective of the bomber crews combined with the perspective of the fighter pilots. This potentially satisfying presentation was not tried, and one is left to ask why that was.

There are a number of plot lines left to tie up the package, and with the final episode lasting only about 75 minutes, there is a lot left to finish in little air time to do it in. One hopes the producers can make it happen.

If they do, then good enough. If they fail, then one is forced to look back at the way episodes seven and eight were produced and call the producers' efforts into question.

Reluctantly disappointed

[mikechapman-84571 · 7/10 · 8 March 2024]

The problem with ep8 isnt a lack of storyline, its too much storyline. Previous storylines have been shoehorned into ep8 and it makes for disappointing and confusing viewing.

I always wondered how they will be able to "get through the war" with only 9 episodes in total, and this question was getting louder and louder by episode 5 and 6.

It is a shame, as all stories presented deserve to have more told, especially the Tuskegee Airmen, which feels rather limited and/or rushed in telling, just so they can be included.

Linking of their story to Buck's in Stalag III is clearly fictional (although I dont know for sure) but all it does is undermine what is going on.

I wonder what they will have to cram into the last episode now, and will this equally feel as rushed as well?

The series started off so well, and while a previous review I gave said not to judge an episode by the lack of action, here at least it feels empty without any Rosie/B17 scenes- especially to tell how the allies gained control of the skies leading up to D-Day.

I still give this a solid 7/10, but with the expectations I had, along with how much I have enjoyed the series up to now, I reluctanty I say that I'm disappointed.

A disregard for accuracy

[pws1286 · 12 March 2024]

Colonel Benjamin O. Davis was 67 years old when these events took place. Apple chose to use a 34 year old actor to portray him. Why? Presumably because it looks better. Is it a small detail? Well, sort of. But it's the small details that made Band of Brothers so remarkable and timeless. This series, figuratively and literally, absolutely lost the plot weeks ago... and little things like this give us an insight into why.

Apple clearly had its priorities backwards when it made Masters of the Air, and it really is showing as the series progresses. The love and attention to detail is completely lacking, and, with only 1 episode to go, I just don't see any chance at recovery.

I watch Band of Brothers and The Pacific every year. I'll watch Masters of the Air once... and probably forget it exists. What a shame.

PART 8

[moviesfilmsreviewsinc · 9/10 · 28 April 2024]

Masters of the Air, a war drama, has released seven of its nine episodes on Apple TV+, focusing on the struggles faced by the 100th Bomb Group. The show has delved into the challenges faced by the group, including casualties, prisoners of war, and the pressure of flying into imminent danger. The cast, including Austin Butler, Callum Turner, and Barry Keoghan, is one of the biggest advantages of the project. Butler, who is known for his role as Elvis Presley in 2022's Elvis, is one of the lead characters. Callum Turner and Barry Keoghan have also had recent success, contributing to the show's success. However, a popular actor who has not yet appeared in the series is highly anticipated for his upcoming cameo. Doctor Who's Ncuti Gatwa is set to make a cameo appearance in Masters of the Air episode 8, which is set to offer a glimpse into a World War II Air Forces squadron, the Tuskegee Airmen. Gatwa is one of the last actors to make a cameo in the war drama. The episode's thumbnail features Gatwa, suggesting that the 100th and the Tuskegee Airmen may come together during D-Day. Gatwa will portray the real-life Tuskegee Airman, Second Lieutenant Robert Daniels, who served as a Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Army Air Forces and was part of the all-Black squadron, the Tuskegee Airmen. Daniels' fate during World War II was not uncommon, as he was shot down during a flight over Marseilles, France, and became a prisoner of war. He remained in German custody until May 1945, similar to Major John Egan of the 100th. Daniels earned a Prisoner of War medal for his actions during the war. After the war, he worked as an air traffic controller and died in 1987. Ncuti Gatwa, a renowned performer, is set to return in Masters of the Air episode 8. The role of Second Lieutenant Robert Daniels is a departure from his previous roles, which have been filled with light and magic. Despite this, Gatwa is expected to bring light and fun to the role while still doing justice to the real man. This episode will be an exciting and special installment of the series, introducing audiences to the Tuskegee Airmen and Ncuti Gatwa's character, akin to the fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who. The inclusion of Gatwa in the series is expected to be a highlight and a strong lead-up to the final episode.

"Part Eight"

[allmoviesfan · 8/10 · 23 April 2024]

Lots going on. The June 6 1944 D-Day raids over Normandy take place during the first third of the episode, and there are some stunning visuals of planes flying over the enormous Allied fleet, then over the invasion beaches. "Masters of the Air" is nothing if not visually spectacular.

For the first time, Tuskegee airmen feature - not before time, either. The African American pilots are going after French targets in support of the D-Day invasions, and face race-related roadblocks for promotion, not to mention taunting by Germans when they are shot down and captured. That these men continued to fight and die is quite a story of heroism. They deserve a miniseries of their own, really.

Meanwhile, the rest of the downed Allied airmen learn of D-Day and the Russian's breaching German borders and are left to ponder and prepare for what that might mean for them in the future.

Just Too Much - Episode 8 - "Part Eight"

[xNanoks · 6/10 · 7 May 2024]

When a show struggles to create any profound connections with its character and, to a greater extend, different story arcs, the worst possible turn of events would be to attempt to create even more. Sadly, that's what episode 8 tries to do. While it's admirable to see the show's effort at portraying the Tuskagee Airmen, it does so amidst the already numerable present arcs. The result is convolution in its narrative, a trait that turns out to be Masters of the Air's true achilles heel.

There's light in this episode too, however, coming mostly from an apt performance from the Airmen and the band of prisoners of war. It's where Part Eight truly shines, but its shadow cast by numerous parallel storylines is too dark to truly come to fruition. Both Nate Mann and Anthony are criminally underused, put on the back bench with some lesser dialogue than what they deserve. Episode 9 simply tries to do too much, too little.

There's no denying that the arc of the Tuskagee Airmen deserves its own space. But no matter how hard it tries, the showrunners seem bend on pushing it among the other storylines. Room for detailed backgrounds fade, as even the most important event of World War II gets sidelined with a mediocre to simply bad reason. Few will find it cleverly done, many will leave Part Eight with a sense of "I wish I would've seen more from thát!".

For all the storylines it tries to tell, it tells them poorly, rushed and nigh incomprehensible, netting Episode 8 a meer 6 out of 10.

Shoehorning vignettes of lip service to history

[vandykeu · 3/10 · 8 March 2024]

Episode 8 of Masters of the Air deviates significantly off of our storyline to this point. Here, we are introduced to the 99th Pursuit Squadron, one of the units of the Tuskegee Airmen- the African-American fighter pilots.

Essentially, we see them fly two missions, but neither have anything to do with the prior storyline except serving to unite several of them with Buck and Bucky in Stalag Luft 3. A highlight here is a brief portrayal of Col. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr, a legend who is worth his own movie (also portrayed by Andre Braugher in HBO's prior excellent miniseries "The Tuskegee Airmen").

This episode suffers from jumping across far too many subplots. We have the new 99th pilots, Crosby, Rosie (who's story is now a big diverged from Croz), Sandra, and the POW camp. That's 5 separate storylines to keep track of in an episode less than 60 minutes long.

It's hard to really keep track of what is going on. We start in June, and by the end of the episode the Russians are in East Prussia (according to the POW storyline), so we have now reached at least August. We don't see many of the major events of the war due to Crosby's narrative (which is accurate), but the reference to Operation Dragoon was nice.

This episode does not keep track of its story. Buck and Bucky fight, but we don't know why, and they are fine immediately afterward. Last episode, Rosie was told at the end that the bombers were bait and that the Luftwaffe had to be destoryed. Now, we see that has happened, but we don't get to SEE it happen. Nate Mann is criminally underused here, and we don't see any more true B17 combat. Sandra is shown as a spy, but then disappears. There are tons of narrative inconsistencies both within episodes 7-8 and between them and the prior story.

It is quite jarring. It feels like production by committee at this point. The Tuskegee Airmen inclusion is extremely tokenistic. If we wanted that story, perhaps it should be the focus, since they had little or nothing to do with the 100th Bomb Group. Their inclusion is so brief that we have very little idea of the struggle they went through, and what little racial tension we see here is directly siphoned off by Buck being a good guy and bringing Jefferson into the plan. Did this happen? I don't know. Despite reading a lot of the source material, I don't know if Buck was good on race relations. How would he be portrayed if he was a racist? The show is glossing over these details in its effort to give lip service to all of the good sacrifices made, and I think it is just too much now.

Likewise, Westgate's brief spy story is bizarrely stuck in here, when we had a perfectly good story of that type set up back in episode 4 with Quinn et al's escape, and the role of the resistance. It just feels unfocused and rushed at this point, which is sad for how strongly the story started.

The content in episodes 7-8 (and to a lesser extent, 3-4) would make good bases for at least 4 different 10-episode series. Indeed, it has, with series/movies that already exist that focus on the Tuskegee Airmen, or the French Resistence, or espionage during WW2, and even the 8th Air Force. Unfortunately, this kind of lumping does not make for good storytelling.

Crash and Burn

[garrett-73870 · 3/10 · 19 March 2024]

The show started strong but as it's progressed it's gotten increasingly more slow. What really ruined it for me was them skipping over D-Day and the excuse was a main character sleeping through it... that's just plain lazy. They switched to focusing on the prison side of things instead of the actual air combat and most of the show now is just people talking. In this episode we finally get to see the Tuskegee Airmen and pretty much all you get to see is them getting shot down and joining the prison storyline. I don't understand how they could take a show with a lot of potential and just run it into the ground so bad that I'm mad that I paid $10 to Apple to watch it.