thomas mitchell

Incredibly convincing cast and dialogue. In particular, what the writers leave out -- but is obvious -- is how clueless the soldiers and their families are, about what is happening around them. The attempt to almost-superstitiously maintain a home away from home lifestyle and relationships creates quietly effective, building suspense in every episode. What will happen if things go wrong is never beaten to death in dialogue -- it either happens, and we see directly the impact, or it remains a potential happening, and we are on the edge of our seats. The writers also use very cleverly what we, the audience know as a powerful contrast with what the characters do not know or cannot even imagine. Terrific sustained suspense titched from scenes of everyday life in a that place and time.