Masters of the Air – Season 1 Episode 4 “Part Four” Recap & Review

Part Four

Episode 4 of Masters of the Air begins in Teleghma, Algeria, where the remaining crew of the 100th bomb squad rest. It is not exactly a time for reflection, even as the missions prove to be the Air Force’s costliest battle yet. But it is time to go back to England. Meanwhile, we learn Quinn’s decision. He chooses to risk his life and escape back to England. Along with Bailey, a familiar face from the 100th, Quinn is tested by two Belgian men about their knowledge of American culture. There is a third man as well but he ends up being shot by the two men, who point out that he was a German spy. 

The calendar turns to September of 1943. Crossby, our narrator, remarks that 25 is the “magic number” around the base. Those many missions successfully completed mean that the crew can go home. Captain Glenn Dye and his crew are close to achieving that feat. Everyone awaits the crew’s return to base. Lo and behold, Dye’s men make it back and the base has a little party in the wake of their heroics.

The reaction is mixed. While generally, everyone is happy that at least one crew isn’t going back home in a box, undertones of speculation also exist. Why celebrate this feat in the middle of the Great War? Now that a crew is going back, another is replacing them. Remember, there are only 12 crews left out of 35 who flew to Greenland a few months ago. The 100th needs more pilots.

Majors Cleven and Egan greet them, welcoming them to the squad. Rosenthal, Nash, Speas, and Lewis express their gratefulness at being afforded the chance to contribute in combat. Nash strikes up an intense chemistry with Helen, one of the female volunteers part of the canteen unit. CO Harding and Major Cleven are in the midst of the merrymaking as the soldiers rejoice some time off from the horribleness of the war. Egan takes a leave of absence, just for a weekend over in London. He meets a Polish woman at a bar and they share the night. Among other things, they foremostly discuss the cost of war and how it is distinguished from “senseless murder.”

But while Egan certainly benefits from the night off, he misses out on another go at the Bremen U-boat pens. The 100th once again rises to bomb the facility and land a heavy blow on German ambitions in the sea. With some last-minute adjustments by Chief Lemmons, Cleven and his crew join the rest of the units in the air. Meanwhile, Quinn and Bailey are given a guide, Michau, to help them navigate the hustling German checkpoints in Paris. She is a woman of a few words but damn great at her job. 

The boys are instructed to follow blindly everything she asks them to do. As they are approaching the station, Michau leaves to relieve herself. Quinn and Bailey discuss the fate of the former’s crew. Both knew Baby Face, whom Quin desperately tried to save in the previous episode. Bailey’s vote of confidence for Quinn’s decision to leave Baby Face certainly helps his confidence. However, they run into trouble when the French ticket checker enters the cabin and asks them for their identification papers.

Michau arrives just in time but Quinn panics. Michau explains that both men are deaf and Quinn got scared with the checker’s haranguing. Manon, an associate of Michau who has been standing outside the cabin all this while, intervenes. She grabs Quinn by the collar and tells him what to do. Bailey and Quinn will be taken to Spain from France and then finally back to England. Although we do not see the visuals from the Bremen mission, we learn next that around eight planes were lost. Those include Cleven and Nash’s planes.

Rosenthal, who made it back, informs Helen about the tragedy. Despite the unfortunate losses, the next day’s papers confirm that the Bremen mission was a success. The Americans have successfully destroyed the U-boat pens. Egan reads the news after taking the Polish woman’s leave, who makes it clear that she cannot have her heart broken again by a “dead pilot” (since her erstwhile husband was also one).

He immediately calls Bowman via telephone, who informs him about Cleven’s demise. Egan looks away in heartbreak. He asks if there will be another mission the following day, and Bowman confirms there will. Egan emphatically tells him that he will come back for that mission, leading the formation in the lineup. 

The Episode Review

To be honest, I do not think Cleven is dead. In one of his background narrations, Crossby remarked that many crewmen were captured and/or landed up safe in another territory. Given Butler’s portrayal, expect him to turn up in a similar situation. But it will be interesting to chart Callum Turner’s “revenge turn” after learning about him. Given his feisty personality, Episode 5 promises a lot more bombs than its predecessor.

Without the technical wizardry in the air, Episode 4 struggles to gather momentum. This is the first instance where no fighting is included in the visualization. It still has some decent dramatic beats that will surely resonate with the viewers. But the high bar set by previous instalments doesn’t favour the episode. 

The thematic core is scattered, lacking the coherence that endeared us before. Commentary about the war did not feel impactful, and the chosen method to demonstrate that with the Polish woman didn’t work out. Episode 4 perhaps showcases that the show’s true strengths lie in the technical craft and barring the exceptions of Turner and Butler, Masters of the Air finds itself lacking the knockout punch.