HBO Mini-Series

HBO had some terrific mini-series in 2008, and I am thinking of two programs in particular: John Adams and Generation Kill. And what a fascinating contrast it was.

We saw in one instance the birth of this great Nation in the name of democracy and in the next film we then witnessed this great Nation invading another country using these same words. In both cases someone from afar was more likely to see a large nation attempting to crush a smaller one for dubious reasons.

HBO did all of us a great service in showing us ourselves in each struggle, and it was not always a pretty picture. Even so, it was always great acting.

In terms of John Adams, I will forever remember Adam, Franklin and Jefferson arguing politics in the garden. And the scene where a Yankee President visited the slave-built and occupied White House was quite a statement about the foundations of this new country.

In the case of Generation Kill, the despondent look on the soldiers faces when an Iraqi village was unnecessarily laid to waste told us all we needed to know about the situation on the ground in the early days of Iraq (and many would say even today).

I look forward to future HBO mini-series, even though these two will be tough to top.