Part Nine (The Pacific)

"Part Nine" is the ninth episode of the American war drama miniseries The Pacific. The episode was written by co-executive producer Bruce C. McKenna, and directed by supervising producer Tim Van Patten. It originally aired on HBO on May 9, 2010.

The series focuses on the United States Marine Corps's actions in the Pacific Theater of Operations within the wider Pacific War. It primarily centers on the experiences of three Marines (Robert Leckie, Eugene Sledge, and John Basilone) who were in different regiments (1st, 5th, and 7th, respectively) of the 1st Marine Division. The episode follows the Division's role in the Battle of Okinawa, also exploring the feelings of hatred among the soldiers.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.81 million household viewers and gained a 0.7 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received universal acclaim from critics, who praised the production values and performances.

In May 1945, the 1st Marine Division lands at Okinawa, one month after the start of the invasion. The soldiers are hostile towards a small group of Japanese prisoners, but they are warned to not interfere unless they want to face a court-martial. They struggle in defending themselves from the attacks due to the weather, and the heavy Japanese offense.

As the days pass, Sledge and Snafu become more exhausted and frustrated with the Japanese. As they make their way through the hills, the unit is attacked when the Japanese use civilians as human shields, with some carrying bombs in their clothing. This breaks Sledge and Snafu, especially as their orders led them to this predicament. Sledge starts showing more disdain towards the Japanese, executing them despite being told not to do it, and failing to lead new replacement Marines fresh out of boot camp. Later, Sledge and Snafu stumble upon a dying woman with a baby, asking Sledge to end her suffering as the baby is taken away. Sledge contemplates pulling the trigger, but cannot bring himself to do so and instead stays with her as she dies.

With his perspective changed, Sledge abandons his disdain for the Japanese. He spares a Japanese boy, but gets angry when one of his soldiers proudly executes the boy. A few days later, Sledge, Snafu and Burgin leave for their new orders. They are informed by their lieutenant that America used "a new bomb" against Japan, which "vaporized an entire city in the blink of an eye." They leave to eat, shaken after the revelation.

The episode was written by co-executive producer Bruce C. McKenna, and directed by supervising producer Tim Van Patten. This was McKenna's sixth writing credit, and Van Patten's third directing credit.^[1]

In its original American broadcast, "Part Nine" was seen by an estimated 1.81 million household viewers with a 0.7 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 0.7 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.^[2] This was a 23% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 2.34 million household viewers with a 0.8 in the 18-49 demographics.^[3]

"Part Nine" received universal acclaim. Ramsey Isler of IGN gave the episode a perfect "masterpiece" 10 out of 10 and wrote, "This is the last time we'll see combat in this series, and the producers definitely saved their best cinematic work for last. I don't think any other installment in this series sums up the war and its effects better than this one. It is a remarkable, unflinching story that leaves a lasting impression."^[4]

Emily St. James of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A–" grade and wrote, "War is a balancing act for even the most hardened military man, the trick of seeing that your targets aren't people but that your targets are also all people. It's one of the great themes of war fiction that soldiers who are out in the muck too long eventually end up nearly losing their souls, and tonight, The Pacific finally got around to dramatizing that sort of story with Sledge and Snafu as our guides."^[5]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "The episode's time on Okinawa ends not long after Eugene has his moment of clarity, so it's entirely possible he would have gone back to his amoral bloodlust. But the episode, and the island conflict, ends in time for Sledge to leave it a shattered man, but not a monstrous one."^[6] Tim Basham of Paste wrote, "I originally had my doubts about Joseph Mazello as Sledge at the beginning of the series. But now I love the guy — he and his commanding officer butt heads in this episode, contrasting his relationship with the late Capt. Haldane."^[7]

Paul MacInnes of The Guardian wrote, "Episode nine addresses directly an issue that has been hinted at throughout the series and in interviews – that there was a great depth of hatred for the Japanese among American soldiers and that it resulted in brutality on the battlefield."^[8] Den of Geek wrote, "Never afraid to show the brutality of war, The Pacific really went into overdrive this time, with an episode that was equally horrific, gripping and downright affecting."^[9]

• "Part Nine" at HBO
• "Part Nine" at IMDb