In a previous review, I talked about how great Combat is due to its ability to seamlessly string together compelling storylines, wartime tension, and even a bit of comedy. One great example of this combination that makes the show so good is on full display in the episode "The Celebrity." In this installment, Sergeant Saunders (Vic Morrow) is awaiting further orders in a french town one day when a new recruit joins his squad. He is a well known baseball star named Del, but despite what he tells Saunders about his throwing arm, he remains less than impressed. He tells Del he's going to have to rely on himself on the battlefield because nobody is going to be holding his hand each step of the way. Sometime later, Saunders, Del and some other soldiers are riding in a GMC truck when they come under attack by a small german machine gun nest. Saunders jumps out of the truck and orders Del to stay right behind him while the other men shoot at the germans to force them to stay down. Saunders spots a german soldier trying to sneak up on the other men to gun them down, so he tells Del to kill him before he gets the chance to. However, Del is too afraid and hesitates, which allows the german to kill one of the men before he is himself killed. As expected, Saunders isn't too happy about having witnessed someone disobeying a direct order from him, and hostilities start to grow between him and Del. Later on, Lieutenant Hanley lets Del know that he has the option of being transferred to London if he wants (out of harm's way), or he can stay with his squad (where he is now). Del chooses London, Saunders glares at him, and walks away. Having noticed the dirty look on his face earlier, Del confronts Saunders in a tent, accusing him of saying he is cowardly. Del says he wasn't afraid the german flanking the two GI's was going to kill him. He's afraid his throwing arm will get hit and he won't be able to play ball ever again. After Del leaves, Saunders talks with Hanley about what Del did, and it is a truly iconic conversation. Both of them realize how tense and afraid people get when under attack, and how fear causes them to not think to the best of their ability. If you can't think right, plans go wrong and men die because of you. At the end of the episode, it's revealed that Del did not leave for London and is willing to prove himself by being part of Saunders' squad. They take on another machine gun nest, and Del proves to everyone how skilled of a warrior he is by landing a perfect grenade right inside the fortified position. His time playing baseball did pay off. Like every episode of Combat I've seen so far, The Celebrity is really good. Not just because of Morrow's or Hunter's acting, but also because it offers a lot of insight into what men fear. Even seasoned fighters like Saunders and his comrades are susceptible to mental breakdowns, especially under combat conditions. Some people can handle it, and others can't. When you're part of a war and you realize that you can die or get blown up at any moment, you finally start to accept that you can't change fate and you learn to live with it. Del is afraid of getting wounded because it could mean the end of a sports career, but ultimately, it's his devotion to his duty that brings him back to the frontlines. Overall, The Celebrity is a great episode and is a prime showcase of what kind of excellency this show is capable of.
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