Episode #1.4

Back-To-Back brilliance. The fourth episode opts to tell the story in a somewhat different fashion than the last, with the action taking a slight backseat. It's a sobering reminder of the cost of war. Even though this was touched on in earlier episodes, seeing it happen to a character you care about amplifies the emotional impact. The ending leaves you wondering where this team is headed and how things will function from here on out. The humour in "SAS Rogue Heroes" is unique in that it never comes across as frivolous or unserious, and the serious moments are never juxtaposed with humour in a way that feels out of place.

Rating: 8.2/10 (Great)

Stirling is keen to carry on with the mission, in spite of the knowledge that German and Italian forces are now waiting for their attack, he also rules up Paddy Mayne, brining out his competitive side.

Once again, I found myself absolutely captivated, and really surprised at just how good this show is, another truly excellent episode, which will of course be remembered for one big scene in particular.

That big moment, when it comes is quite shocking, it serves as a reminder of just how terrible this war was, the cost of human life was huge. Truly excellent storytelling, those fight sequences looked terrific.

Alfie Allen was awesome, I loved Jock's story, especially the romance.

The choice of music throughout, thru absolutely nailed it, such random choices.

9/10.

On my "SAS: Rogue Heroes" rewatch & upon second viewing, I think my biggest issue is its tone; the raw potential is there for it to be truly great but this continual insistence on keeping the mood light & "laddy" kind of prevents the scenes from playing out as they arguably should, within episodes.

For instance, even the way in which it's shot is disconnected, lacking intimacy; typically you'd go for handheld, close up shots of the actor's faces when capturing a really emotional story beat - to ground the audience firmly in that moment & their performance, with no external distractions surrounding their character's expression - but here, the camera remains noticeably distanced, even in what are meant to be intense sequences capturing what are genuine flashes of inconsolable grief.

Of course, I get that's to maintain thematic consistency & the juvenility of the atmosphere it's attempting to create (reflecting how these men are unable to convey / deal with emotions in a healthy manner) so logically, the creative decision makes sense (because they are also distant & lacking in emotional intelligence - to be able to effectively communicate their thoughts etc. In a meaningful manner) but the resultant inability to connect's damaging because it hinders the audience's ability to invest themselves in the development of these stilted individuals, since they're unwilling to open up.

That may be intentional - to reinforce the purpose of the narrative & the message it's intending to send - but it has consequential disadvantages, as evidenced in installments like this one.