Monday, March 4, 2024

I watched episode seven of Masters of the Air on Apple TV+ last night. When I started watching the series I didn’t feel as though it was living up to its reviews, and after two episodes was unsure about watching any further. However, I decided to stick with it and am pleased that I did. I feel that it has got grittier. At least one plot line has been abbreviated in my opinion, but that may be in part due to run time?

My decision to stick with the series was informed by my having lost an uncle during the Second World War. He was a gunner in a RAF bomber. Of course I never knew him, though I am named after him through my middle name. I find myself wanting to understand in some way what he and the other men who he flew missions during the War went through. Like the men in the series, my uncle would not have been very old when he lost his life.

I end each episode reflecting on what war does to people, the hatred it fuels and multiplies, the sacrifice of so many and the loss. For these airmen, the courage they have to get back in one of those airplanes after what they see…for me is unimaginable.