Lee Marvin didn't achieve superstardom for a long period of time, but he's still remembered as one of classic television's most iconic tough guys. Since Combat has such a wealth of gunfights and stressful situations, it should come as no surprise Marvin was featured on it. His time in the Marines must have helped him a lot, because this episode in particular is one of the best in the series. The Bridge at Chalons begins with Saunders and the squad being introduced to Sergeant Turk (Lee Marvin), a no-nonsense demolitions expert who is described as one of the best explosive handlers in the service. Problem is, he's very abrasive and treats everyone he comes across with disdain, acting like he's better than them in some way. Almost immediately, Turk and Saunders' men start butting heads, but Saunders defends them and says he's in charge of the squad. If Turk has any complaints, they'll be made to him alone. Not only is Turk confrontational and argumentative, he also seems to bring bad luck to everyone surrounding him. While on their way to blow up a certain bridge behind German lines, Saunders and the others hear an enemy patrol coming down the road. Everyone dives for cover, but one squad member leaves a demolition cable on the road. The germans notice it, identify it as American, and deduce that someone must be hiding nearby. Turk can't stand the tension and opens fire, killing the germans, but not before one of them shoots and wounds Little John. Saunders is irate because Turk shot at the enemy when he didn't have to, and if he just waited for them to pull away, nobody would have been hurt. Later on, Caje and Kirby are also wounded during a shootout with a german machine gun in a cemetery. Kirby lies and tells Saunders he isn't hurt, but when Saunders finds out he is, Kirby doesn't want to be sent to hospital because Turk would see him as a quitter. Soon, Turk and Saunders are the only men left who are uninjured. Saunders inquires as to why Turk seems to hate everyone he comes across, and he says he's spent a long time in the military and doesn't want to get killed now because some idiot couldn't do his job correctly. With the bridge in sight, it appears that Turk has made it to his objective, but he gets stabbed in the abdomen when trying to subdue a german silently. His vitality fading, Turk tells Saunders he's going to have to blow the bridge instead. After putting the line of explosives together and planting it, Saunders sends the barely alive Turk out on a raft before blowing the bridge to pieces. Turk didn't want to be rescued, but Saunders carries him to safety anyway. Even while recuperating, Turk is as disagreeable as ever, and tells Saunders to stop coddling him. Saunders then confronts the rest of the squad members (every single one of them hurt in some way) and starts berating them for their past mistakes. This is a strange episode. It's really well made, and the part at the end with Saunders angry was unexpected and humorous, because I don't think he's yelled at a squad member who's not Kirby until this point. The best part of this installment is definitely seeing Vic and Lee go face to face. In a previous Combat episode review, I wrote how it's not everyday where Saunders meets someone as stubborn as him, but this is definitely one occasion. Turk and Saunders go at each other constantly, and it's made even more engaging by the fact that they're both the same rank. If Saunders was a higher rank than Turk (or vice versa) he could just accuse him of being insubordinate and possibly court martial him, but because they're neck and neck, they have no choice but to clash. As with any good Combat episode, Bridge at Chalons features a large amount of gunfights, and are actually more realistic this time around considering the squad members aren't immune to being hit. In all, it's my belief that Bridge at Chalons is one of the best examples of a Combat episode, due to its great performances from Marvin and Morrow, intense gunfights, and of course, the particular scene where Morrow destroys the bridge and the footage repeats like 4 times. It blows up so dramatically.
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