'Masters of the Air' Episode 7 Pays Homage to 'The Great Escape'
When we last left our Masters of the Air heroes–John "Bucky" Egan (Callum Turner) and Gale "Buck" Cleven (Austin Butler)–they were reunited at a prisoner of war camp deep in the heart of enemy territory. Egan entered the camp at Stalag Luft III thinking his buddy perished a week earlier, only to find that he was alive and well. "What the hell took you so long?" he asked. Finally, the real-life Masters of the Air bromance between the two Buckys continues in episode 7.
Before we get to that—here's an interesting historical tidbit. Stalag Luft III may have been the friendliest toward pilots out of all the P.O.W. camps in Germany. Since the German Luftwaffe ran Stalag Luft III, there was an understanding between the prisoners and the guards that they were all fellow airmen. In a rare showing of respect—despite which side of the war they were on—the prisoners were allowed Red Cross aid packages, clothes, and even recreational gear for playing baseball. The camp served as inspiration for WWII films such as The Great Escape, Stalag 17, and King Rat.
Of the 35,000 United States Army Air Force personnel captured at Stalag Luft III, a staggering 28,000 were members of the Eighth—the division that included the Bucky's Bloody 100th. According to Smithsonian Magazine, Robert Wolff—who was a real-life internee at Stalag Luft III—once wrote, "[I] met more people from our group in that prison camp than I did when I was on active duty."
But there were still guidelines to follow, no matter how blurry the lines between friend and foe were at the camp. The Air Force pilots were still prisoners—and one false move could lead to death. In episode 7, a man is shot simply for stepping outside of his designated zone. "These goddamn goons are gonna take us out one at a time, Buck," Egan tells him. So, after declaring that they'll be each others' best man at their weddings when they return home, the group starts to think about escaping the camp. If tunnels is the first thought that jumps into your head, well that's exactly what The Great Escape is based on. Episode 7 even makes light reference to the event, calling it a “great escape attempt.”
But if there's any hope in this episode outside of the camps, it comes from our new hero Robert "Rosie" Rosenthal (Nate Mann). He's training the fresh, young replacements, whom he takes out on another successful mission. This may be a spoiler for some readers—turn back now if you'd like to learn about the 100th as the series continues—but Rosenthal completed a lot of successful missions during his time in the 100th. He took part in 52 missions, to be exact—and found a way back to the base in England every time, despite enemies shooting him down twice. But in episode 7, we catch up with Rosie as he's given the chance to go home following 25 successful flights. After mulling it over, he realizes that it wouldn't be right to leave when everyone else is still fighting. "I can’t go home," he says. "Not until the job is done."
Next week, we'll take a bit of a detour in episode 8 to visit the Tuskegee Airmen. We'll finally see Sex Education's Ncuti Gatwa join the show, as well as explore how the segregated air force group was treated both in the U.S. and at Stalag Luft III. Strap in, folks—it's almost time for some real action.
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