Combat! (TV Series) Lost Sheep, Lost Shepherd (1962) User Reviews

A Man Fighting Two Wars

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 7 June 2017]

While fleeing from German panzers, Lt. Hanley, Sgt. Saunders and their squad are ambushed by Germans with a machine-gun. Out of the blue, an allied tank commanded by Sgt. Dane saves them all and is forced by Lt. Hanley to give a for the squad. When they arrive at a French village, they are attacked by Germans with a machine-gun and Dane saves them again. Out of the blue, he blows off the local church without any explanation. While a few man protect the tank that needs fuel, Saunders finds a wounded priest and a boy, but no inhabitant. Meanwhile Sgt. Dane remains aloof and violent. What has happened to the missing French dwellers and to Sgt. Dane?

"Lost Sheep, Lost Shepherd" is a dramatic episode of an aloof soldier, performed by the unforgettable Jeffrey "Captain Christopher Pike" Hunter, with a traumatic secret. The sad conclusion is symbolic, with Dane with a gun in one hand and a rosary in the other hand showing a man divided by the war and his faith. Despite Sgt. Dane's personal drama, there are also many action scenes. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Ovelha Perdida, Pastor Perdido" ("Lost Sheep, Lost Shepherd")

A holy war

[nickenchuggets · 9/10 · 11 March 2022]

Episodes like this are why Combat stands out from all the other countless ww2 shows that have been made over the years. While the show does feature plenty of action and gunfights, it sometimes tries to get the viewer's attention in more subtle ways. Lost Sheep, Lost Shepherd starts with Sergeant Saunders and his men getting ambushed by a german machine gun, which is promptly taken out by a nearby tank driven by Sergeant Dane (Jeffrey Hunter). Saunders expresses his thanks for saving his life a few moments ago, and Dane allows him and the other soldiers to accompany the tank to a nearby village. While there, more machine guns ambush the vehicle, and once Dane disposes of them, he inexplicably turns the tank's gun at a church steeple and fires. Later on, Dane exits the vehicle and physically abuses the priest who works in the church, trying to convince Saunders he is guilty of sheltering nazis. Dane's actions toward religious authority get him a bad reputation from the squad, and Saunders tries to find out why he acts the way he does. It's then revealed that Dane used to be a priest himself but wasn't very good at it, so he joined the military instead. Now he faces an intense moral dilemma because he knows killing people to achieve peace just doesn't make sense. After a talk with Saunders, Dane apologizes to the priest he attacked earlier and confesses to him in latin. After a gun battle in the church, Dane is wounded by the germans and, holding a rosary, finally dies with Saunders witnessing his final moments. This is one of many truly riveting Combat episodes that manages to hold your attention because of the nature of its cast. Jeffrey Hunter as Dane convincingly portrays someone who is forced to fight in a war he's against, which was surely a common sentiment during ww2 (and especially vietnam a few years after this episode). The episode is full of the suspenseful moments and atmosphere we've come to associate this show with, and because of the episode's religious undertone, I have to give it to the producers for being so courageous. It's usually a topic that is ignored in tv for obvious reasons. In my view, this episode has one of the best moments of the entire series: when Saunders and Lieutenant Hanley break into the church and start firing at the germans, you might notice that Saunders is the only one that's shooting. Hanley still aims his carbine as if he is, but he does not fire. It's little details like this that make the viewer think about how religion plays a big role in the lives of other servicemen, and not just Sergeant Dane.

Lost Sheep Lost Shepard

[theboss-01477 · 7 July 2015]

Haven't seen an episode in 30 years but loved them all. This one was no exception. Jeff Hunter's character, Sgt Dane, is clearly hiding an internal war. He vents it at a priest in the village and even more violently at the church itself by blowing the cross off the steeple. The conflict is only too clear to Sgt Saunders when he comments that Dane killed 10 men today. Then yesterday. And the days before... " That internal conflict causes Dane to go to confession to the very same priest he roughed up. The conflict is accurately portrayed and although there was no one who could speak French to the priest, Dane confesses to him in Latin. While performing penance in the church, the Nazi's who were hiding in the basement shielding themselves with the "missing" townspeople come up to attack the squad. Dane was expecting it, and sacrifices his life to save Saunders' patrol by taking on the German's singlehandedly. As he collapses, mortally wounded at the foot of the alter, he drops what was clutched in each hand, a pistol in one, a broken rosary in the other. Nice touch.

The "Priest with a Problem" didn't work for me

[bensonmum2 · 5/10 · 28 June 2006]

I haven't seen many episodes of Combat! yet, but of the handful I have seen, this is my least favorite. After a prolonged sequence of stock war footage, the episode gets off to a good start. The guys walking down the road and running into a squad of Nazis was quite exciting. But things go downhill from there, especially when Jeff Hunter shows up. I never bought his "Priest with a Problem". It just didn't seem real. And once the guys reach the village, things grind to a halt. Nothing happens. And how convenient was it that Caje, the only French speaker in the bunch, wasn't with them when they needed someone to speak to the French priest?

Overall, I've enjoyed my experiences thus far with Combat. I just hope I don't run into any more episodes like this one.

Needlessly cryptic scripting

[lor_ · 28 July 2023]

Voiceover narration intones the importance of what's going on, with Rick and Vic going up against German tanks. But first the men are marching straight into an ambush and pinned down by machine gun fire, just before a tank arrives. Fortunately it's American but piloted by ornery Jeffrey Hunter, who only begrudgingly lets them ride with him.

They arrive in the French town of Gavray, only to face German machine guns once again. And their tank comes in handy. After blasting the Germans, Hunter seems to have forgotten that he starred in the title role of "King of Kings" , and blasts the cross off the church's steeple.

It turns out the Germans are holding the townsfolk hostage inside the church.

The story's pace drags as the Germans go undetected while Hunter wanders around and our heroes sit tight. Hunter proves to be a man who was to be ordained to the priesthood and is now aimless, with Vic reading him the riot act. Suddenly he feels compelled to confess to the priest, even though neither of them understands the other's language, and they converse in Latin.

Episode comes to its climax abruptly and unconvincingly, with much of the central message and Hunter's behaviour remaining cryptic as the script's handling of religion and faith is murky.