It's 1967 Vietnam. Sgt. Zeke Anderson (Terence Knox) is a veteran on his third tour. After an attack on Firebase Ladybird, he replaces the casualties with new troops. The Bravo company's second platoon gets new leader Lt. Goldman (Stephen Caffrey). After the success of Platoon, a new wave of Vietnam war dramas washed over the TV and big screen landscape. The first season has the platoon operating out of a forward base. It has plenty of explosions while tackling some tough issues. It's never quite cinematic enough although they blow up a lot of stuff in episode 14 Under Siege. It could have gone darker but it's plenty hard-hitting for a network show back in the day. I still remember the tunnel second episode. It misses a good opportunity connecting to the show's title. The show should use a 365 days countdown clock for one of the green new kids.
The second season starts with the impending Tet offensive. The platoon is relocated near Saigon and the cast is joined by hot-shot helicopter pilot Lt. John McKay. Psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Seymour and crusading reporter Alex Devlin would come and go. The production moves from the Hawaiian tropics to California. The addition of female main characters seems to be an attempt to attract a more diverse network audience with some romancing. The attempt at going mainstream would extend into a cliffhanger season ending. The effect is to water down the main appeal of the show which is a gritty no-holds-barred vision of war on network TV. The sprinkling of romantic melodrama muddies the brand. Other shows do that aspect better. The base and jungle settings remain relatively good. The back-lot sets representing Saigon fall far short and detract from the show. The second season is a step down into mediocrity. The third season attempts to cleanse the show of romantic entanglements by killing off Alex. It never fully recovers in its third and year but it is overall a compelling network attempt.
The second season starts with the impending Tet offensive. The platoon is relocated near Saigon and the cast is joined by hot-shot helicopter pilot Lt. John McKay. Psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Seymour and crusading reporter Alex Devlin would come and go. The production moves from the Hawaiian tropics to California. The addition of female main characters seems to be an attempt to attract a more diverse network audience with some romancing. The attempt at going mainstream would extend into a cliffhanger season ending. The effect is to water down the main appeal of the show which is a gritty no-holds-barred vision of war on network TV. The sprinkling of romantic melodrama muddies the brand. Other shows do that aspect better. The base and jungle settings remain relatively good. The back-lot sets representing Saigon fall far short and detract from the show. The second season is a step down into mediocrity. The third season attempts to cleanse the show of romantic entanglements by killing off Alex. It never fully recovers in its third and year but it is overall a compelling network attempt.