Combat! episode reviews by Jo
Davidsmeyer
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| SYNOPSIS: In
"The Long Wait," a German machine gun pins down Saunders and company, along with
four seriously wounded G.I.s, a truckful of desperately needed munitions, and a truck
driver more interested in saving lives than playing soldier. The driver, Archie Masters,
cannot bear the suffering of the wounded soldiers in his care. He wants to fight. But
Saunders insists on waiting until an American tank can move in and destroy the German
guns.
REVIEW:
This story by Edward J. Lakso lets the audience inside the psyche of
Saunders the soldier. His view of war — as bloody mathematics — is at odds with
the needs of the truck driver, and at odds with Saunders' own emotions.
In "The Long Wait," director John Peyser does his best to stretch out this story that really cannot fill the hour. He pads it with stock footage, with shots of the tank moving in and moving out, and with close-ups of tank treads. But the premise is established early in the episode — that nothing much is going to happen until the tank comes — and all the padding of pretty shots cannot hide the fact that nothing really does happen until the tank arrives. This episode is a long wait, not just for the soldiers, but also for the viewers. 
NOTES, ODDITIES, AND BLOOPERS:
Vic Morrow as Sgt. Saunders Guest Star Jack Hogan as Kirby William Wellman as Sgt. Brice
Pictures above courtesy of the official Terry Carter website. Fan comments about this episode - add your own comment!
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Combat! Episodes
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(089) The Long Wait 
