Snowflake Challenge #9: Generation Kill

[impala_chick]

An introductory post for the HBO mini-series Generation Kill
This seven part series originally aired in 2008. The series follows a group of US Marines during the 2003 American invasion of Iraq. It is based on the writing of Evan Wright, who embedded with the First Reconnaissance Battalion and Bravo company specifically. The whole series takes place "in country," following the Devil Dogs on their journey through "Mesopotamia" as they call it.

If you like detailed modern war epics, this series is for you. If you like snarky and buff military boys singing early 2000's jams, this series might also be for you. If you like the other HBO war series, I think there's a good chance you'll like it. It's grittier and more upfront than Band of Brothers, but less depressing/dark than The Pacific imo. The language used is very crude (and probably true to life) so there are some potentially triggering comments relating to homophobia, misogyny, racism, and xenophobia. However, the show does not sugarcoat any of that behavior, nor is it depicted as idealic. I think the language serves a purpose - mostly to highlight American Masculinity TM and how the military industrial complex works within that type of hyper-masculine culture.

The series was created by Burns and Simon, the creators of The Wire, and stars Alexander Skarsgard, James Ransone, Lee Tergesen, and a ton of supporting characters. The actors were actually trained by real life Devil Dogs Eric Kocher and Rudy Reyes. Reyes plays himself in the series!

In true HBO war fashion, it is sometimes hard to keep track of the characters and the command structure, so here's a list. The series won Emmys for outstanding visual effects, outstanding sound mixing, and outstanding sound editing. The cinematography is beautiful and the linear nature of the show is easy to follow - it feels like a seven hour movie. Four of the episodes are directed by Susanna White. The entire series is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.

The canon is composed of Wright's articles, which were eventually compiled into a book called Generation Kill, published in 2004. 1st LT Nate Fick, a prominent character in the show, wrote a book called One Bullet Away after he left the Marine Corps, which I highly recommend. The book covers his experiences and leadership in the modern US military as a whole, and Fick is a smart and thoughtful writer who isn't afraid to offer criticism.

And now the main reasons to love this show...

Nathaniel FickThis man is an intellectual who can kill with the baddest of them. He is constantly thinking about the big picture, even though he's not supposed to. He is an excellent leader and is constantly composed, even when it's nearly impossible to be. And his lips. Good God, his whole face is beautiful.





Brad Colbert
A "true warrior" in that he's huge, looks fantastic with a thigh holster on, and doesn't take any bullshit. Also, he's basically the team's Dad. He's the driving force behind Bravo, and everyone looks up to him. I should add that he takes his shirt off quite a bit.




(by skarsgardaddict on tumblr)

Ray Person
Ray's deterioration over the course of the invasion is pretty heart breaking, because in a lot of ways he's the light of Bravo. He's kind of like the mom of the group, because he checks in with everyone, sings a lot, and is constantly giving Brad shit.





So many slash shipping opportunities (and there are no canon relationships). If you're into emotionally repressed warriors who have a hard time confronting their sexuality, there are a lot of characters to like. Plus, there are a ton of canon homoerotic references.

My OTP is Brad/Nate. The longing! The meaningful talks! The completely forbidden love (because of Military rules)! The height difference! They eye-fucked their way across Mesopotamia and you can't convince me otherwise. I mean, Brad literally said "I could kiss you, sir." Gah.



I don't have time to list everyone, but someone made this amazing power point of all the characters that's accurate af.


•The Crack Van Post about GK
•An interview Skarsgard did for GK's 10th Anniversary
•3 RL Marines and their awards
•A great discussion about GK's portrayal of hyper-masculinity and the American perspective on modern war
•A discussion post about where women fit in to the American warrior culture

Comments

[muccamukk]

I could definitely identify those three after a couple episodes! Which was encouraging.

[impala_chick]

That's definitely a win!

[sylvanwitch]

Man, I fell so hard for this show when chemm80 got me into it, and I still adore it. It launched me into reading a dozen war memoirs and then getting involved in a local veterans' support group, which then led to me leading a student service organization at the school where I teach. I owe GK SO much.

And the eye-fucking. My gods, the eye-fucking. *sighs happily*

[impala_chick]

I love to hear that GK really impacted your life in such a positive way! I ended up diving headfirst into research too, and a later consequence of that was that I got more involved in the military as part of my career. GK made me think critically about so many modern American issues, and I'm thankful for it.

Brad & Nate practically invented eye-fucking. Gah. <333 This reminds me that I seriously should start a rewatch.

[thrillingdetectivetales]

Beautiful intro post~

Nate Fick's precious face, my heart. Well done!!

[impala_chick]

Thank you :D I feel like I could look at his face all day. Speaking of which, I need to bring back some of my old Fick icons.

[spikedluv]

What a great intro post. I'd heard of this series, but never really paid too much attention. Based on your comments I think I might enjoy it. (And not just because of the shirtlessness and eye-fucking. *g*)

[impala_chick]

Oh yay, thanks so much for taking a look. I hope you get to watch and enjoy! I still like the grittiness and honesty of the show, years later.