A few weeks ago, I talked about "The Pillbox", a Combat episode which shows to dazzling effect how great of a director Vic Morrow was. As Sergeant Saunders on the tv program, he is the most important member of his squad, but just because Morrow was directing didn't mean he couldn't put on a great performance as his character simultaneously. The Pillbox doesn't really highlight this, as Saunders only appears for a few seconds in that and the episode is focused solely on Hanley, but this episode has cemented itself as one of the best in the whole series. It's an episode that has multiple layers of irony to it, which is a big reason as to why it's so high quality. The episode starts with a squad member named Mason trying to instigate a fight with the other men over a card game bet they lost. The men accuse Mason of rigging the game, and they hate him for it. Mason is shown to be a deeply despicable and arrogant person, as he taunts the men into trying to shut him up. After Saunders breaks up the argument, the men move out on patrol. Not long into their walk, the squad strolls right into the line of fire of a German machine gun position. One squad member is killed instantly and Mason is injured. The rest of the squad pulls back to get behind something. Mason, too badly injured to crawl to safety, is stuck on a central island with a dead tree on it, located halfway between where Saunders is and the germans. The latter realize that if they keep the dying GI alive, he can be used to bait the others into coming to rescue him. Saunders and the others try to think of a plan in order to save Mason, but nobody can get anywhere near him without getting sprayed by automatic fire. Laslo, another member of the squad, is starting to get really anxious over whether or not Mason can be saved, and doesn't want to see him die. A rifleman named Hacker tries to talk sense into him and says Mason is nothing but a user who preys on and takes advantage of naive kids like Laslo, but the latter will have none of it. After Saunders radios Hanley on instructions on what to do next, Hanley tells Saunders that unfortunately, Mason is going to have to be abandoned. Hanley can't direct artillery onto the germans because they're too close to Mason. Saunders gives the order to leave, but they again come under german fire. Laslo tries a dumb move and attempts to run toward Mason's position by himself, which leads to him getting gunned down. Hacker (who despises Mason) attempts to help him by throwing a padded container of morphine onto his island, but the germans show their lack of humanity by shooting it before he can use it. With time running out quickly, Saunders decides to try and capture a german soldier in order to trade him in exchange for letting Mason live. Some squad members flank a pair of germans, kill one, and take the other hostage. Once he's secure, Hacker attempts to force him out onto the area between the squad and the germans, saying he wants to make a trade. The germans offer absolutely no forgiveness and not only gun down their fellow soldier, but the American standing behind him too. Hacker is dead, all because he wanted to save the life of someone he hated. With night falling, Saunders and the others decide to try and save Mason one last time. Saunders instructs a few of his men to flank the germans from the side, while a few hang back and shoot at the german position. Doc will stay put until Saunders is able to draw the germans' attention with his movement. As the shooting starts, the germans use a flare gun to illuminate the entire area and make Saunders a sitting duck. Barely avoiding gunfire, he manages to proceed by stopping dead in his tracks once the flares light up, confusing the germans. Once he gets close enough, he lobs two grenades into the position and kills them. Doc rushes up to Mason and attempts to save him. Upon regaining consciousness, Mason seems remarkably unappreciative and is still rude, making the others question each other as to why they tried so hard (and got two of their own killed) to save him. Still, they carry him off and the objective is accomplished. Once again, I am simply in awe of Morrow's talent as a director. This is one of very few Combat episodes where pretty much all the dialogue is riveting. There wasn't one moment where I lost interest, and the moral dilemma the squad faces here is all too real. In war, you have to stay by your allies, even if you dislike them as human beings. A powerful exchange occurs between Laslo and Saunders, in which the former questions why they're going to let Mason die out there. Saunders tells him that he doesn't want to leave him behind, but if they rescue him, that's exactly what the enemy wants. The gunfights are as good as they're ever going to get in this episode, and the german MG-42 is used to terrifying effect. The gun was called Hitler's Buzzsaw for a reason. As director, Morrow also made sure to use a lot of memorable and impressive camera angles, such as when he's being illuminated by the flares as he runs, or when the squad is talking behind a log and we see Mason trying to stay alive far in the distance. Because this episode has such great dialogue, riveting gunfights, great cinematography, and a valuable lesson, I believe it's worthy of a perfect score. Morrow really showed how he was actually a good director, and how his success with The Pillbox wasn't just a fluke.
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