The Sympathizer
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The first time on the battlefield, the second time in memory.
Hes left with orders to write about his days as a Communist spy.
A half-Vietnamese, half-French Communist, the Captain is cursed to see every issue from both sides.
Park directed the first three episodes, and the series premiere is marked by his stylish meticulousness.
Death Wish opens with a shot of a guard blowing cigarette smoke into a wooden cell.
The two were to watchDeath Wish, starring Charles Bronson.
The captive is repeatedly questioned about her contact.
Theres a grotesqueness to the interrogation scene that is both horrifying and darkly humorous.
Its a classic Park move to have Claude up close to the camera, saying, This is counterintelligence.
It gets wet down there, and You have to want to taste the interrogation!
while the captive is defecating out the evidence in the background.
The conversation shifts over to the plane; the General yells, THE PLANE!
before claiming that his evacuation will be a temporary retreat.
Days before Saigon falls, Bon, Man, and the Captain get day-drunk over canned Budweisers.
Theres a boyish wistfulness to their interactions.
They can sense that things wont ever be the same.
However, Man insists that his friend would be of better service abroad.
Then, Mans tone darkens.
He sounds Machiavellian, even accusatory: You want to go.
When you were at college, your letters back were like fan letters.
You dream in English.
I was fascinated and repulsed, the Captain says.
Thats what it means to love America, Man responds.
Its not an unfounded accusation: The Captain, at the very least, enjoys American music.
The episode reaches its conclusive climax with the overnight evacuation on the Generals plane.
yells the American GI who oversaw their bus boarding.
A few bombs narrowly miss the bus before its struck and flips over.
The Captain runs back to Bon, urging him to make a run for the plane.
He hears a song and presses his ear to the walls to hear it.
Its Runaway, by Del Shannon.
