The third installment of HBO's acclaimed fact-based WWII miniseries,
Band of Brothers, is entitled "Carentan," and details Easy Company's involvement with wresting control of the eponymous French town from the Germans. The town is critical strategically, because it is where the forces from Utah Beach and Omaha Beach will link up before moving further inland. The gritty, gore-splattered episode was directed by
Mikael Salomon (
Hard Rain) and written by E. Max Frye (
Something Wild). It begins as a few soldiers from Easy, still lost after the chaotic night jump into Normandy, come across Private Albert Blithe (Marc Warren), standing alone in a field, staring into space. As the soldiers start discussing the skirmishes they've been in, and displaying the grim souvenirs they've obtained, Blithe is nervously evasive. He later hears some soldiers discussing rumors about Lieutenant Speirs (
Matthew Settle), who has joined Easy Company. Some have heard that he cold-bloodedly murdered some German POWs (an incident shown in the previous episode). There is also a rumor that Speirs shot one of his own men for drinking. When the troops reach Carentan, they find the Germans waiting. There is a bloody fight for the town, and Blithe panics and collapses. The Germans, outnumbered, begin to retreat. Blithe is examined by a medic, who finds nothing wrong with him, despite his claim that he can't see. Lieutenant Winters (
Damian Lewis) has a few compassionate words with him, and Blithe recovers. Winters knows the Germans will try to retake the town, so Easy Company waits in the trenches, to attack the similarly entrenched Germans at first light. That night, one soldier mistakenly bayonets another from the company, and the panicky Blithe, perhaps unwisely, tells Speirs of his inability to fight. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide