The last half of "Part 5" was all action and the first half of "Part 6" was all action, and going into the second half, there will be lots of fighting ahead. With exception of Sid visiting Sledge's parents at the beginning of the episode and Leckie leaving on the ship, the Marines are front and center in an inhospitable environment, fighting an unrelenting enemy which is well-positioned.
Once Leckie is out of the picture, Sledge takes center-stage, and while he was behind originally, having been in boot camp for most of the episodes, he really comes into his own. He takes the nickname Sledgehammer gladly and earns everyone's respect.
We've the Japanese charge forwards against innumerable odds before, but never the Americans. They finally did, and were bombarded and shot, trying to get across the airfield. The high budget is evident as we see scores and scores of men running amidst amazing special and visual effects. And once they get across, it's still not over. At night, under the cover of darkness, a Marine starts freaking out, and so he doesn't give away their position, someone strikes him in the head, killing him. It was the right thing to do as everyone says, and I suppose it was necessary to save their lives. Still, though, it's frightening to think of it.
The episode was held up by the intense action which may or may not suit everyone's tastes. The more human moments were there, but were often weaved inside the fighting rather than in separate scenes. With all the seemingly unrelated characters floating around, each part focuses on one person, ignoring the others, largely because many of them never knew each other. There is a forced isolation that is a major theme of the miniseries, but it's hard for the audience to connect on an emotional level because of it.
Score: 9.4/10
