Band of Brothers is arguably one of the best war drama shows ever made and continues to enjoy reverence among viewers even after almost 25 years since its debut. The series was co-created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks and details the experiences of the real-life Easy Company, soldiers who fought on the frontlines during World War II.
In an interview, head writer Erik Jendresen opened up about the writing process for the series, especially staying true to the real experiences of the soldiers. As a result, the writers faced a stern test when trying to execute a nearly impossible storyline for an episode. Here is what Jendresen had to say about the inexecutable story Band of Brothers pulled off with conviction.
Writer Erik Jendresen Reveals How Band of Brothers Featured a Nearly Inexecutable Story
Erik Jendresen served as the head writer and producer on the war drama series Band of Brothers, the brainchild of actor Tom Hanks and filmmaker Steven Spielberg. The miniseries explores the experiences of the Easy Company during World War II and features an ensemble cast with numerous characters.
As a result of its expansive cast of characters, Jendresen and his team faced issues while crafting one particular episode. During an interview with the Television Academy website, Jendresen spoke about the challenges of writing the show’s sixth episode, which sees the Easy Company in a battle at Bastogne in Belgium.
How the hell are we going to write this, let alone shoot it, when the reality is, all these guys are, like, two men in foxholes, spread all over the woods.
Jendresen made the above statement, explaining the narrative and structural issues the writing team faced while crafting the episode which has multiple characters and perspectives. However, Jendresen noted that he came up with the clever solution of using Eugene “Doc” Roe as the POV character for the episode.
The head writer explained that the real Roe had lost his scissors and since the crew was low on supplies, he had to go from foxhole to foxhole searching for a replacement. Thus, the sixth episode pulled off an expansive story about the true horrors of war from the POV of Roe, which initially seemed impossible to execute.
Erik Jendresen Revealed the Quintessential Episode of Band of Brothers
During the same interview, Jendresen was also asked about the episode he considers the most stand out from the series. In response, Jendresen picked the seventh episode, titled The Breaking Point, which details the deaths of several characters during the war. Jendresen said:
It was elegantly written, beautifully directed and shot. That’s the zenith of the show for me.
Jendresen praised writer Graham Yost’s screenplay for the episode which features the journey of many soldiers through the eyes of Lieutenant Carwood Lipton played by Blue Bloods star Donnie Wahlberg.
The head writer called the episode one of the most gratifying experiences of his life as it allowed real-life veterans to create a frame of reference for their experience, allowing them to open up about the atrocities they faced during the Second World War.
Band of Brothers is streaming on Max.
