HBO Does It Again

TV has become the 'vast wasteland', as my dad calls it. But every once in a while, there's something worth watching. I wasn't in favor of subscribing to HBO. I'm too cheap. But Lloyd wanted to give it a try. The series on John Adams was fantastic. It felt pretty good to have something you'd PLAN to watch again. This Sunday, I accidentally surfed to the new HBO miniseries, Generation Kill, the first of seven episodes. This Iraq war saga is based on Evan Wright's book about his experiences during the 2003 invasion, while embedded with the Marine's First Reconnaisance Battalion as a journalist for the Rolling Stone. This is Must See TV! If you don't get HBO, rent this video when it eventually comes out.

Generation Kill was followed by a replay of last fall's Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq. Executive Producer James Gandolfini interviews ten returning veterans, each of whom suffered physical and mental injuries when their vehicles were blown up by IED's. It's powerful stuff. I went to bed with a heavy heart, thinking about how few Americans are watching and learning from these kinds of programs. It's hard to watch. But then, so is the fluff that passes for entertainment today...I usually take a pass.

So thank you, HBO. This was a very PBS kind of step. I'll keep the subscription.