"Masters of the Air" Episode 8 finally introduces us to the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African American airmen and pilots who fought in World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen were featured heavily in the promos leading up to the release of "Masters of the Air," so I was scratching my head when they still hadn't made an appearance after Episode 7. At long last, the latest episode shows them swooping onto the screen in roaring P-51 Mustangs, where they dive low and obliterate a German target.
The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is an incredible one. African Americans were forbidden from becoming fighter pilots before World War II, and once they were, they were looked down on by much of the brass, who didn't think Black people could make as good of airmen as white people. Despite the racism and discrimination of the era, the Tuskegee Airmen were eager to prove themselves — and that they did. Their red-winged fighter planes saved the skins of bomber planes countless times. The Tuskegee Airmen became known for their incredible combat record and were awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations.
The group hasn't been given a proper dramatization since HBO released the TV movie "The Tuskegee Airmen" in 1995 ("Red Tails," released in 2012, was well-intentioned but suffered from clichéd and corny dialogue). So I was eager to see how "Masters" would portray them. It took longer than I would have liked for the Tuskegee Airmen to make an appearance in "Masters." The portrayal here shines at times. But overall, like so much of the series, their appearance feels tacked on and rushed. Maybe we'll see more about them in the forthcoming documentary set to air after the Episode 9 finale.
Keep going for our full recap and analysis.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for 'Masters of the Air' Episode 8.
Feeling Like Americans for the First Time
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Lt. Alexander Jefferson (Branden Cook) is sullenly drinking a beer after their successful raid. The brass asks him why he isn't celebrating, and Jefferson reveals that he wants more important missions. We also learn that many of the men could have easily ranked up to Major by now — and they know why they haven't. The racism of the time has prevented the segregated group of airmen from receiving the recognition or respect that they deserve. A conversation between the brass reveals that the men are excited to be contributing nonetheless — many of them feel like Americans for the first time.
Then, the men get the call that they're flying a raid over the French coast. But their excitement at the prospect of flying a meatier mission quickly dissolves. Pilot Richard D. Macon (Josiah Cross) — a numbers whiz who boils everything down to mathematics — rapidly calculates that they won't have enough fuel to make it back. The Commanding Officer admits that it will be tight, but insists the mission is possible if they "use every drop of gas." He adds that they've been given fake IDs — if they crash land, they "might be able to blend in with the population." At this, the Black men look at each other and laugh. Nevertheless, they leave the briefing with a raucous chant and climb into their planes, determined to prove themselves despite being given a nearly impossible task.
The effects of segregation at the time can truly be felt here. The white men of the Hundredth — as suicidal as many of their missions were — at least had enough fuel to make it back to base. The Red Tails, tragically, aren't afforded the same privilege. As the battle starts, however, we quickly learn that they won't have the opportunity to fly home anyway.
A thrilling sequence shows four Red Tails — the first wave in a series of strafing runs on coastal German targets — diving in for the attack. While the Hundredth fought on high, surrounded by blue sky and clouds, the Tuskegee Airmen flew within spitting distance of the flak cannons. All of them were downed, and the three survivors — Macon, Jefferson, and Robert H. Daniels (Ncuti Gatwa) — found themselves captured by the Germans.
Like the Hundredth, the Tuskegee men are also interrogated by a creepily polite Nazi. And they also reply to every question with only their name and military ID number. But unlike the Hundredth, the Tuskegee men face questions that remind them of how poorly they are treated in America. Treatment they face only because of their race. Despite this, they refuse to cave. Cross's Macon delivers a powerful monologue here. Why would he fight for a country that treats him so poorly? Because America "is trying hard to be what it's supposed to be."
They are then shipped to Stalag Luft III where they join the Hundredth behind bars. Some white prisoners give them dirty looks. But many of them thank the Red Tails for saving their butts on numerous occasions. It's a sad reality that it took becoming POWs for the Black airmen to be treated as equals.
Mapping an Escape Plan
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Meanwhile, Harry Crosby (Anthony Boyle) has been working 72 hours without sleep to plan for D-Day — the massive Allied invasion of Europe that will usher in the final stages of the war. He pops a fistful of pills and chugs coffee as he charts out the bombing raid that will pave the way for the ground forces, stopping only when he collapses from exhaustion. He awakens three days later to discover he missed the mission, but his hard work has paid off — the Hundredth executed many German targets without sustaining any losses. D-Day was a success in large part because of his sleep-deprived marathon of careful and fastidious plotting.
We also learn why the woman he's been having an affair with, Sandra, has been so mysterious and secretive. She's working undercover as a French civilian, snapping photos and collecting reconnaissance for the French Resistance. Crosby plans to meet her for another roll in the sack before he's shipped to New York City for leave but finds only a note in the hotel room breaking things off.
Major Gale "Buck" Cleven (Austin Butler) and Major John "Bucky" Egan's (Callum Turner) relationship is tested at Stalag Luft III as Egan becomes increasingly unstable. Egan has essentially given up hope and wants to just play baseball all day — if the guards beat them for not working, so be it. Cleven refuses to give up, however, and the tension between them comes to blows.
Their hope is renewed, however, with the arrival of the Tuskegee Airmen. We learn Jefferson is a fantastic artist with a photographic memory. At first, he draws pornographic images for the other prisoners. But when Cleven discovers his talents — and that he's drawn a detailed map of the surrounding area — he brings him into the group of POWs actively working to escape. We'll find out how successful they are next week for the series finale.
The "Masters of the Air" Episode 9 finale airs on Friday, March 15.
