Masters of the Air Episode 5, focused on the mission to Munster that was carried out, and it was clear to see that the mindset of the squad was that of fatigue. They felt like they'd been going on missions back-to-back with barely any break and not thinking that was right. The orange glow of the light that would often appear was something that felt like a haunting reminder of what they had to do, while they were in their brief moments of downtime, knowing that their life could come to an end moments after that orange glow was emitted.
Once in the sky, we got some of the best moments that we've seen in the show from a visual perspective. There were 13 planes that were sent up into the sky from the 100th Squad, and only one of them returned, which was led by Rosenthal. The scenes where the German Fighters were coming towards them were utterly fear-inducing, and it's hard to even imagine what seeing a sight like that would have been like. The 100th looked outnumbered, and it's clear to see why it seemed so easy for them to get picked off one by one. The utter devastatio, where planes were just blowing up on the spot, meaning chutes weren't able to be launched, and people were just getting engulfed in flames from the inside, was just horrific to imagine.
There was a really haunting moment where around Rosenthal's plane there was just debris floating in the sky. The debris was once planes which held people that they knew inside, and now they were nothing, and the people were nowhere to be seen. It was after this moment where we saw that Rosenthal's plane was the only one that was left in the air, as all of the others had been shot down. This is something which was actually the case in reality; only Rosenthal's crew returned from that mission in real life.
With the German Fighters going towards them and trying to take out the last of the 100th, it felt like a moment that you often see in the wild, predator and prey. Rosenthal and his crew looked so vulnerable in the sky, out in the open on their own, and seeing the German opposition just chasing after them, trying to shoot them down, there was this animalistic feel to it. There was a moment where it went into slow motion, and we saw Rosenthal looking across at the German pilot and locking eyes as they flew past each other, something which I thought was a nice touch. Often when you're in the air and watching a scene like that, you don't think of the people behind the exterior, and it showed that there were humans on the other side too, showing that it was just a kill-or-be-killed environment. This was definitely an epic moment, and watching The Legend Rosenthal and his crew get back to the safety of the pits was an incredible moment to witness, but one that also had severe undertones of death, horror, and sadness.
The actual mission to Munster was something which actually made the 100th Bomb Squad be known as a "Jinxed Unit". It was known as the Bloody Hundredth due to the many casualties and deaths that would be present, but from there on it was also known as the Jinxed Unit, something you definitely wouldn't want associated with it. The mission that went ahead was actually the most violent Luftwaffe attacks that were seen at that point, and I feel the show definitely did get that across because it looked like a mission in itself to just try and survive what was going on on the ground.
Where Rosenthal got off of the plane, where he was looking at the effects of what occurred to everybody that was on board with him, it was one of just shock and horror and it ran through me whilst watching. Before this mission was carried out, we saw that Harry made it back from the Bremen mission, where he and everybody else that didn't return were perceived to be dead; however, they weren't. Once he returned, we saw that he was promoted to group Navigator, which meant that he didn't have to go up into the sky anymore. He basically took the place of Bubbles, someone who was his best friend and gave him the lucky snow globe whilst he was in the hospital in episode 2. Cros returned the snow globe to Bubbles due to the fact that it was a good omen and it was actually his; however, this time, Bubbles didn't make it back and was one of the casualties on the mission to Munster. This was a stark reminder of how Harry would have most likely been killed in the air if he went up in the sky that day and didn't get the promotion, showing how you can just die in an instant without ever truly seeing it coming.
There was another moment that was like when we saw that one of the members in the crew was just chatting and then out of the blue half of his face was blown off and he was dead instantly. It showed the true brutality of war and the devastation that it can bring, but what it also got across was the sacrifices that these men made and the bravery that they all had, something which should never be forgotten.
Bucky's mindset during this episode, a large focus on him; he was mourning his friend Buck as he didn't know whether he was dead. It was said that the squad thought that Buck was invincible and if it was possible that he couldn't make it back then what chance did the others have, so it changed the mindset of the group massively with regards to Bucky.
After what happened to Buck, he felt as though he wanted to avenge what happened to his friend, so this was something that he wasn't going to be backing down from. We spent more time with Bucky on the ground compared to in the air, and he was nothing like what he originally was compared to when we first met him. He lost that smile, all emotion, and was a cold chill of his former self, something you can only imagine war would do to you and the loss of your close friend in those circumstances would do to you as well. Even though he wasn't letting it on to others, he was hurting deeply inside.
Whilst in the air, his plane was hit, and he and the crew were forced to abandon the plane whilst in the air. The last we saw of Bucky was him opening his chute and landing in Germany. This was a moment that I thought was visually stunning, watching him just falling down in the sky and needing to open his parachute; it was shot beautifully. Now he's in enemy territory so not only is he on his own but he's going to have to navigate his way out and hope that he manages to survive. This is going to be an arc of the story which is going to be so interesting to follow for the remainder of the season. Bucky was a leader amongst the 100th so with him no longer there it does make me wonder how the group is going to be moving forward as all of the experience that was once there no longer seems present.
I thought Masters of the Air Episode 5, was just incredible. I felt so emotionally moved by what I watched, and while some of the episodes have made me come close to how I felt, this one really did hit home. The danger that was present and the fear yet bravery that all these men had stood out to me. Moments that particularly struck me were when the German Fighters were straight ahead, coming in thick and fast. Another was when the debris of the plane, in which their friends were, was just floating around them. Also, when Rosenthal locked eyes with the German pilot. I'd also say when Crosby read Bubble's letter that he wrote to his partner back home when he thought he was dead, that was an emotional moment for sure. We felt the pain that Harry was feeling.
We got to see a bit of conflict in the group in this episode and the mindset that can be present when new recruits come in to replace the members that were once there but are no longer around. This is something you imagine would be present after an episode where we weren't in the sky. Being back up there this week made it even more powerful to watch. This show is genuinely getting better week after week, and after looking at the trailer for next week's episode, it looks like we're going to see more of the brutalities of the Second World War with Bucky landing in Germany. It's going to be interesting to see him trying to navigate his way out of it and if he eventually finds his way back to safety.
- Series Title : Masters of the Air
- Season : 1
- Total Episodes : 9
- Release Date : February 16, E5
- Language : English
- Genre : Action, Thriller
- OTT Platform : Apple TV+
- Origin of Country : US
- Runtime:53 Minutes
- Rating : 9.0 IMDb
- Cast :
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