Tuesday, February 11, 2014

FOX's Enlisted: My Thoughts




          I thought I'd give FOX's Enlisted a look. Truthfully it was because I was bored and couldn't sleep so I went on FOX's website to have a look at this 30 minute sitcom. I didn't think I would laugh and cry so much. 

"We are brothers"

"Booty Calls"
        Geoff Stults you may remember from The Finder, another show that FOX had cancelled but I think it was also because Michael Clarke Duncan died and not just ratings. Geoff Stults, Chris Lowell, and Parker Young have great chemistry. They really do have that brothers vibe going with moments of hijinks then moments of brotherly love. Geoff plays Staff Sergeant Pete Hill who gets demoted to Rear D unit in Florida where his younger brothers are stationed but these guys do more to help and support the community of military families. At first, Pete chafes at his new post but he slowly but gradually settles in and realizes there's more to being a soldier than taking bullets.

"Is that what I think it is?"
      Chris Lowell plays the smart ass middle Hill brother, Corporal Derrick Hill. You may or may not remember Lowell from the film The Help where he played Skeeter's boyfriend Stuart. Derrick is sardonic and loves creating chaos. He views his place at the base kind of like Pete but he accepts that they're status as less than impressive. Yet probably the only thing that Derrick really cares about his bond with his brothers. Derrick wouldn't change his naive yet empathetic brother for anything and wants him to achieve his dream of being in the army, even though that lead to Derrick cheating for Randy on the sharp shooter test. 

"Upswing"
      Parker Young you may know from Suburgatory as a sweet yet simple jock. Well now he plays a sweet yet simple soldier named Randy Hill. He may seem dumb but Randy has the biggest heart that you will ever see. I mean who else do you know would cry every time they had to tell you the story of Toy Story 3? He has a huge amount of empathy and as the baby of the family he is the one both Derrick and Pete look out for. Randy has great admiration for his brother but sometimes that admiration can lead Randy to be blind to the fact that Pete is only human and isn't super man. Still, Randy's big heart will understand if his idol is hurting. All Pete has to do is explain his feelings and Randy goes out of his way to make Pete comfortable. 

"Do you challenge?"

       The supporting characters are just as funny. They're not just fillers. The Hills' unit may be a rag tag group of rejects but they can come together as a family at the end of the day. Staff Sergeant Jill Perez is a great love interest for Pete, being his match in every way and she loves being a soldier and believes she has to try harder to be seen as not a woman soldier but a soldier in the U.S. Army. Command Sergeant Major Donald Cody has to be one of the funniest characters on the show. He has that dedicated persona but he loves getting a 1-up on his soldiers and getting the last laugh. Yet he's also always there when you need to talk about a personal problem.

"Here, Bogey!"

        The show has a lot of laughs but also a lot of heart. The base may be fictional but the message is very clear. It takes more to be a soldier than people think. A soldier doesn't just go off to war, some stay to mind the home front and be emotional support for the families and soldiers who return home.

"Yes, we're soldiers!"



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