I finally got my nerve up to watch the three episodes of Combat Hospital that are on Hulu.
I dreaded even trying to watch them, knowing that there was no way that either the US military or our presence in Afghanistan could possibly be subject to a television show without the producers making sure they didn't come across as uncritical of either of them.
Joy of joys... the show is Canadian.
The main characters/doctors are Canadian. One is a civilian Brit. One is American. The head nurse is American and a number of other characters are American but probably the same number are Canadian or British. The "gone native" special ops guy is American. The shadowy unidentified (CIA, undoubtedly) is in the back-ground (I don't care about that as the special ops guy is obviously a hero).
What being Canadian does is allow them, in one of the very first episodes, to have a situation where a soldier is shot in a friendly fire incident and the good guys *cover it up*. I didn't catch if the squad involved were Brits or Aussies. In any case, because this isn't US, the show seems able to explore some of the realities and ambiguities of what is right and wrong (the new doctor didn't think there was any question that if someone was shot by one of ours that someone had to pay - and the show portrayed her as idealistic but naive.)
There is no way a US show could do this. And there is no way that this show, with it's "coalition" of various nationalities, can be seen as not speaking to the American presence in Afghanistan and the character of the *good* people in OUR military.
MASH was a Korean commentary on the Vietnam war.
The is a Canadian commentary on America... and from three episodes it seems to me that the commentary is positive.
It would be great if this show got an audience.
I dreaded even trying to watch them, knowing that there was no way that either the US military or our presence in Afghanistan could possibly be subject to a television show without the producers making sure they didn't come across as uncritical of either of them.
Joy of joys... the show is Canadian.
The main characters/doctors are Canadian. One is a civilian Brit. One is American. The head nurse is American and a number of other characters are American but probably the same number are Canadian or British. The "gone native" special ops guy is American. The shadowy unidentified (CIA, undoubtedly) is in the back-ground (I don't care about that as the special ops guy is obviously a hero).
What being Canadian does is allow them, in one of the very first episodes, to have a situation where a soldier is shot in a friendly fire incident and the good guys *cover it up*. I didn't catch if the squad involved were Brits or Aussies. In any case, because this isn't US, the show seems able to explore some of the realities and ambiguities of what is right and wrong (the new doctor didn't think there was any question that if someone was shot by one of ours that someone had to pay - and the show portrayed her as idealistic but naive.)
There is no way a US show could do this. And there is no way that this show, with it's "coalition" of various nationalities, can be seen as not speaking to the American presence in Afghanistan and the character of the *good* people in OUR military.
MASH was a Korean commentary on the Vietnam war.
The is a Canadian commentary on America... and from three episodes it seems to me that the commentary is positive.
It would be great if this show got an audience.
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