The Apple TV+ limited series “Masters of the Air” is not exactly lacking in big-name star power. The World War II-era drama is executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, the powerhouse team behind two previous Emmy-winning series about America’s greatest generation: 2001’s “Band of Brothers” and 2010’s “The Pacific.” And headlining the cast is Austin Butler, fresh off his Oscar-nominated star turn in “Elvis.”
However it is British actor Callum Turner who emerges as the real star of this ensemble drama, which just concluded its nine-episode run. As the free-spirited, occasionally volatile Major John “Bucky” Egan, Turner gives a haunting performance that both anchors “Masters of the Air” and allows the series to take flight.
“Masters of the Air” centers on the famous 100th Bombardment Group, nicknamed the “Bloody Hundredth” for both the extreme danger of their raids and the large number of casualties they endured. When we first meet Bucky his outgoing, party-boy nature is a marked contrast with the more subdued, introverted demeanor of his best friend, Major Gale “Buck” Cleven (Butler).
As the series progresses it becomes clear that Bucky’s hard-drinking bravado is as much a coping mechanism as it is an innate part of his personality. Even as his character enjoys some well-earned leave, there is still a heaviness in Turner’s face. As Bucky indulges in alcohol and female companionship, he wonders about the destruction he has caused, and Turner’s performance lets us see how the horrors of war weigh heavily on Bucky.
Later, Bucky finds himself in danger as he is forced to eject from his plane over German territory. Bucky must fight to survive capture, even resorting to hiding among the corpses of his fellow prisoners. In all of these scenes, we see Bucky in pure survival mode and Turner’s performance makes us feel every bit of Bucky’s horror and determination.
In the show’s final episodes, both Turner’s and Butler’s characters are held in a German POW camp. Bucky finds himself alone after creating a diversion for some of his fellow prisoners to escape. But when the camp is finally liberated by the Allies, it is Bucky who climbs the prison flagpole to replace the Nazi banner with the American flag. As Bucky leans his head against the flagpole, we feel his relief and exhaustion. It’s one of the show’s most indelible moments.
The casts of both “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific” consisted of actors in the early stages of their careers who went on to Emmy and/or Oscar nominations and wins: Damian Lewis, Rami Malek, Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender, just to name a few. But perhaps because of their ensemble natures, no individual actors stood out enough from those casts to earn acting nominations at the Emmys, despite both programs winning Best Limited Series in their respective years. Hopefully Turner will be the actor to break that trend.
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