The flexibility to recall considerably higher episodes of “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific” is one other of the present’s obvious points. “Masters of the Air” principally follows the identical blueprint of these earlier Spielberg-Hanks choices, making its personal model of episodes like “Replacements” (the place, on this collection, a personality like Robert Rosenthal performed by Nate Mann emerges), “Why We Battle,” and “Okinawa.” These makes an attempt to recapture a beforehand profitable components fall quick as a result of this collection lacks any psychological dimension. In “Band of Brothers” an episode like “Crossroads” witnessed Winters confronting his casualties. The whole lot of “The Pacific” issues Eugene Sledge parsing his borderline struggle crimes. However no such introspection exists in “Masters of the Air.” It’s only a present involved with the sort of blind patriotism that solely sees struggle by the lens of American loss.
That sort of human complexity solely takes place late, when the Tuskegee Airmen seem in an episode directed by Dee Rees. How can these Black males struggle for a rustic that refuses to grant them rights? It’s a fundamental query, requested repeatedly. However on this collection, the place no white individual interrogates themselves, even this type of low-hanging fruit can provide a hearty meal. There’s one scene, as an illustration, the place they’re speaking about their sweethearts. As an alternative of displaying an image of a girl, one airman has a photograph of his residence—a nod to the delight he feels being a house owner. These Black airmen, performed by Ncuti Gatwa and Branden Prepare dinner, are so charismatic, in truth, you come to want your complete collection was about them.
And but, it’d be tough to label “Masters of the Air” as unhealthy. It’s merely a median struggle drama, with a number of sequences that may thrill, providing a bit bit extra perception than you had earlier than with some sturdy interval element and costuming. It’s simply that when sights are set excessive, a humdrum development could be a deadly blow.
Entire collection screened for evaluation. Premieres on Apple TV+ on January twenty sixth.