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!! Yellow
Changed line(s) 2,14 (click to see context) from:
[[caption-width-right:350:People say war is hell, but what is it to a complete coward?]]
->'''Crypt Keeper:''' ''(from offscreen; we see that his crypt has been decorated as a battlefield, including a signpost pointing the way to Verdun, Tipperary, Here, and Eternity)'' Firing squad! Present... ''(the camera turns to reveal him dressed in a World War I uniform and aiming a rifle at it)'' arms! Hello, creeps. I was just about to ''fire off'' tonight's ''dead''-time story. It's about a young soldier who doesn't want to be in the army anymore. I can't imagine why not. I mean, war's a great equal opportunity ''destroyer.'' ''(snickers)'' Now, where was I? Oh yes. ''(aims his weapon)'' Ready! ''Maim!'' And here's my favorite part. ''Fire!'' ''(fires a round at one of his books, knocking it off the shelf. it falls to the ground and opens up to the story.)'' I call tonight's tale: '''Yellow.'''
In France, 1918, as [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI the Great War]] lurches grimly onward, an American battalion suffers heavy casualties on their 49th day of continuous battle, where they are attempting to take a hill near their trenches. The fearlessness and courage of Sgt. Ripper (Creator/LanceHenriksen), who leads his men from the front, is offset by the cowardice of his immediate superior, Lt. Martin Calthrop (Eric Douglas), who hides in the trenches and drinks heavily from his hip flask. Convinced the charge is doomed to fail, the lieutenant orders the enraged Ripper to signal a retreat, which he very reluctantly carries out.
Meanwhile, the local commanding officer and Martin's father, General Calthrop (Creator/KirkDouglas), receives an intel report from Captain Milligan (Creator/DanAykroyd) regarding the movements of German commander General von Furstenburg. The taking of the hill has been designated a crucial part of the general's strategy to counter von Furstenburg, and when Ripper reports that the charge failed because Martin ordered a retreat, the general moves to a backup strategy involving another company. The other company cannot be reached as communication lines have been cut, and Calthrop orders the lieutenant to take Ripper and two wire men to repair the breach; Milligan advises against this idea because, as Ripper explains, the general's son is [[DirtyCoward "yellow"]]. The general summons his son to explain himself, prompting to Martin tell his father that he doesn't want to be in the Army anymore. General Calthrop says he cannot give Martin a discharge, nor can he show his son any preferential treatment, but he promises the lieutenant that if he goes out with Ripper and the wire men to repair the broken communication line, he will be transferred away from the front, which prompts Martin to agree to his father's terms.
That night, Martin leads Ripper and the wire men into no man's land, but panics when he sees the breach is dangerously close to the German front line. Ripper persuades him to stay back and gives him a whistle to signal if he sees any German troops, while he takes the wire men to fix the cable. Moments later, a German squad emerges from their trench. Martin freezes in mortal terror and drops the whistle, the clang it makes alerting the Germans who open fire on Ripper and the wire men. The wire men are killed in the initial ambush, and though Ripper holds the Germans off for a few seconds, he is blown across the field by an exploding grenade. He lands on top of Martin, whereupon he begins berating the cowardly lieutenant for not warning them about the approaching Germans. Martin pushes Ripper off of him and flees for his life back to the safety of the trench. He lies that he and the repair squad were ambushed and he shot as many Germans as he could before he was forced to escape. The general tells him he did all he could, and he will still get his transfer... until Milligan leads in Ripper, barely clinging to life (and his intestines), who exposes the lieutenant as a liar and calls him "yellow" one last time before dying. The general inspects Martin's revolver and discovers it has never been fired. He orders Martin arrested, to be court-martialed within the hour.
At his court-martial, Martin is found guilty of dereliction of duty, desertion under fire, and cowardice in the face of the enemy, and is sentenced to execution by firing squad at sunrise, before the soldiers under General Calthrop's command fall back. Later that night, the general visits his condemned son. Martin reminds his father that he had [[WellDoneSonGuy spent his whole life trying to please the man]], but he knows now that he can never do so because his father wanted him to be a soldier under his command instead of his son, and since Martin is openly afraid to die, [[CallingTheOldManOut he berates his father for caring more about the stain on his reputation caused by having a coward for a son than about Martin's welfare]]. However, General Calthrop confides that he'd never order his own son's execution, and he will be loading the firing squad's rifles with blanks and putting a full pack in the trench behind the execution site so that Martin can escape to a new life. His only condition for this act of mercy: have Martin face his death with dignity.
At sunrise, Martin shows up for his execution, noting the pack in the trench behind him, refusing the blindfold, and giving a dignified final speech in which he says he now knows what Shakespeare meant when he said, [[Theatre/JuliusCaesar "Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once."]] However, as Milligan gives the firing squad their orders, Martin notices his father [[ICantLookGesture look away]]... and realizes, seconds before Milligan gives the order to fire, that the general lied about loading the guns with blanks. Martin is blown right out of his boots and into the trench by the force of the bullets, and Milligan tells the general, "He died like a man." Calthrop proudly declares that everyone now knows his son is not "yellow". As the soldiers begin falling back, the camera closes in on the inscription on Martin's hip flask: "To Martin, Let courage be thy name. Love, Dad."
->'''Crypt Keeper:''' ''(from offscreen; we see that his crypt has been decorated as a battlefield, including a signpost pointing the way to Verdun, Tipperary, Here, and Eternity)'' Firing squad! Present... ''(the camera turns to reveal him dressed in a World War I uniform and aiming a rifle at it)'' arms! Hello, creeps. I was just about to ''fire off'' tonight's ''dead''-time story. It's about a young soldier who doesn't want to be in the army anymore. I can't imagine why not. I mean, war's a great equal opportunity ''destroyer.'' ''(snickers)'' Now, where was I? Oh yes. ''(aims his weapon)'' Ready! ''Maim!'' And here's my favorite part. ''Fire!'' ''(fires a round at one of his books, knocking it off the shelf. it falls to the ground and opens up to the story.)'' I call tonight's tale: '''Yellow.'''
In France, 1918, as [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI the Great War]] lurches grimly onward, an American battalion suffers heavy casualties on their 49th day of continuous battle, where they are attempting to take a hill near their trenches. The fearlessness and courage of Sgt. Ripper (Creator/LanceHenriksen), who leads his men from the front, is offset by the cowardice of his immediate superior, Lt. Martin Calthrop (Eric Douglas), who hides in the trenches and drinks heavily from his hip flask. Convinced the charge is doomed to fail, the lieutenant orders the enraged Ripper to signal a retreat, which he very reluctantly carries out.
Meanwhile, the local commanding officer and Martin's father, General Calthrop (Creator/KirkDouglas), receives an intel report from Captain Milligan (Creator/DanAykroyd) regarding the movements of German commander General von Furstenburg. The taking of the hill has been designated a crucial part of the general's strategy to counter von Furstenburg, and when Ripper reports that the charge failed because Martin ordered a retreat, the general moves to a backup strategy involving another company. The other company cannot be reached as communication lines have been cut, and Calthrop orders the lieutenant to take Ripper and two wire men to repair the breach; Milligan advises against this idea because, as Ripper explains, the general's son is [[DirtyCoward "yellow"]]. The general summons his son to explain himself, prompting to Martin tell his father that he doesn't want to be in the Army anymore. General Calthrop says he cannot give Martin a discharge, nor can he show his son any preferential treatment, but he promises the lieutenant that if he goes out with Ripper and the wire men to repair the broken communication line, he will be transferred away from the front, which prompts Martin to agree to his father's terms.
That night, Martin leads Ripper and the wire men into no man's land, but panics when he sees the breach is dangerously close to the German front line. Ripper persuades him to stay back and gives him a whistle to signal if he sees any German troops, while he takes the wire men to fix the cable. Moments later, a German squad emerges from their trench. Martin freezes in mortal terror and drops the whistle, the clang it makes alerting the Germans who open fire on Ripper and the wire men. The wire men are killed in the initial ambush, and though Ripper holds the Germans off for a few seconds, he is blown across the field by an exploding grenade. He lands on top of Martin, whereupon he begins berating the cowardly lieutenant for not warning them about the approaching Germans. Martin pushes Ripper off of him and flees for his life back to the safety of the trench. He lies that he and the repair squad were ambushed and he shot as many Germans as he could before he was forced to escape. The general tells him he did all he could, and he will still get his transfer... until Milligan leads in Ripper, barely clinging to life (and his intestines), who exposes the lieutenant as a liar and calls him "yellow" one last time before dying. The general inspects Martin's revolver and discovers it has never been fired. He orders Martin arrested, to be court-martialed within the hour.
At his court-martial, Martin is found guilty of dereliction of duty, desertion under fire, and cowardice in the face of the enemy, and is sentenced to execution by firing squad at sunrise, before the soldiers under General Calthrop's command fall back. Later that night, the general visits his condemned son. Martin reminds his father that he had [[WellDoneSonGuy spent his whole life trying to please the man]], but he knows now that he can never do so because his father wanted him to be a soldier under his command instead of his son, and since Martin is openly afraid to die, [[CallingTheOldManOut he berates his father for caring more about the stain on his reputation caused by having a coward for a son than about Martin's welfare]]. However, General Calthrop confides that he'd never order his own son's execution, and he will be loading the firing squad's rifles with blanks and putting a full pack in the trench behind the execution site so that Martin can escape to a new life. His only condition for this act of mercy: have Martin face his death with dignity.
At sunrise, Martin shows up for his execution, noting the pack in the trench behind him, refusing the blindfold, and giving a dignified final speech in which he says he now knows what Shakespeare meant when he said, [[Theatre/JuliusCaesar "Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once."]] However, as Milligan gives the firing squad their orders, Martin notices his father [[ICantLookGesture look away]]... and realizes, seconds before Milligan gives the order to fire, that the general lied about loading the guns with blanks. Martin is blown right out of his boots and into the trench by the force of the bullets, and Milligan tells the general, "He died like a man." Calthrop proudly declares that everyone now knows his son is not "yellow". As the soldiers begin falling back, the camera closes in on the inscription on Martin's hip flask: "To Martin, Let courage be thy name. Love, Dad."
to:
[[caption-width-right:350:People say that war is hell, but what is it to a complete coward?]]
->'''Crypt Keeper:''' ''(from offscreen; we -> (''we see that his crypt the Crypt has been decorated as a battlefield, including with the camera focusing on a signpost pointing the way to Verdun, Tipperary, Here, and Eternity)'' Eternity'')
->'''Crypt Keeper:''' (''offscreen'') Firing squad! Present...''(the (''the camera turns to reveal him dressed in a World War I soldier's uniform and aiming a rifle at it)'' rifle'') arms! Hello, creeps. I was just about to ''fire off'' tonight's ''dead''-time story. It's about a young soldier who doesn't want to be in the army anymore. I can't imagine why not. I mean, war's a great equal opportunity ''destroyer.'' ''(snickers)'' (''snickers'') Now, where was I? Oh yes. ''(aims (''aims his weapon)'' weapon'') Ready! ''Maim!'' And here's my favorite part. ''Fire!'' ''(fires '''''Fire!''''' (''fires a round at one of his books, knocking it off the shelf. shelf; it falls to the ground and opens up to the story.)'' story'') I call tonight's tale: '''Yellow.'''
In France, 1918,as [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI the Great War]] grimly lurches grimly onward, onward as an American battalion attempts to take a hill near their trenches. The battalion suffers heavy casualties on their 49th day of continuous battle, where they are attempting to take a hill near their trenches. The and the fearlessness and courage of Sgt. Ripper (Creator/LanceHenriksen), who leads his men from the front, is offset by the cowardice of his immediate superior, Lt. Martin Calthrop (Eric Douglas), who hides in the trenches and drinks heavily from his hip flask. Convinced that the charge is doomed to fail, the lieutenant orders the enraged Ripper to signal a retreat, which he the Sergeant very reluctantly carries out.
Meanwhile,the local commanding officer and Martin's father, father and commanding officer, General Calthrop (Creator/KirkDouglas), receives an intel report from Captain Milligan (Creator/DanAykroyd) regarding the movements of German commander General von Furstenburg. The taking of the hill has been designated is a crucial part of the general's strategy to counter von Furstenburg, and when Ripper reports that the charge failed because Martin ordered a retreat, the general moves to a backup strategy involving another company. The general learns that the other company cannot be reached as communication lines have been cut, and Calthrop so he orders the lieutenant Martin to take Ripper and two wire men to repair the breach; breach. Milligan advises against this idea because, as Ripper explains, the general's son is [[DirtyCoward "yellow"]]. The general summons his son to explain himself, prompting to reluctantly goading Martin to tell his father that he doesn't want to be in the Army anymore. General Calthrop says that he cannot can't give Martin a discharge, nor can he show his son any preferential treatment, but he promises the lieutenant that if he goes out with Ripper and the wire men to repair the broken communication line, he will be transferred away from the front, which prompts Martin to agree to his father's terms.
That night, Martin leads Ripper and the wire men into no man's land, but he panicswhen he sees on learning that the breach is dangerously close to the German front line. Ripper persuades him to stay back and gives behind, giving him a whistle to signal if he sees any German troops, while he takes the wire men to fix the broken cable. Moments later, a German squad emerges from their trench. trenches. Martin freezes in mortal terror and drops the whistle, the metallic clang it makes alerting the Germans Germans, who open fire on Ripper and the wire men. The wire men are killed in the initial ambush, and though Ripper holds the Germans off for a few seconds, he is blown across the field by an exploding grenade. He lands on top of Martin, whereupon he begins berating the cowardly lieutenant for not warning them about the approaching Germans. Martin pushes Ripper off of him and flees runs for his life back to the safety of the American trench. He lies to his father that he and the repair squad were ambushed ambushed, and he shot as many Germans as he could before he was forced to escape. The general tells him Martin that he did all he could, and he will still get his transfer... until Milligan leads in Ripper, barely clinging to life (and his intestines), into the bunker, who exposes the lieutenant Martin as a liar and calls him "yellow" one last time before dying. The general inspects Martin's revolver and discovers it has never hasn't been fired. He orders Martin arrested, to be arrested and court-martialed within the hour.
At hiscourt-martial, hearing, Martin is found guilty of dereliction of duty, desertion under fire, and cowardice "cowardice in the face of the enemy, and is enemy", being sentenced to execution by firing squad at sunrise, before the soldiers under General Calthrop's command men fall back. Later that That night, the general visits his condemned son. son, where Martin reminds his father that he had he's [[WellDoneSonGuy spent his whole life trying to please the man]], but he now knows now that he can never do so because his father wanted wants him to be a soldier under his command instead of his son, and since Martin is openly afraid to die, [[CallingTheOldManOut he berates his father for caring more about the stain on his reputation caused by that having a coward for a son will leave on his reputation than about Martin's welfare]]. However, General Calthrop confides that he'd never order his own son's execution, and so he will be loading the firing squad's rifles with blanks and putting a full pack in the trench behind the execution site so that Martin can escape to a new life. His only condition for this act of mercy: have mercy is that Martin face his death with dignity.
At sunrise, Martin shows up for his execution,noting spotting the pack in the trench behind him, refusing the blindfold, and giving a dignified final speech in which he says apologizes for letting his fear of dying get in the way of his duties. He further states that he now knows what Shakespeare meant when he said, [[Theatre/JuliusCaesar "Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once."]] However, as As Milligan gives the firing squad their orders, Martin notices his father [[ICantLookGesture look away]]... looking away]] and realizes, seconds before Milligan gives the order to fire, that the general lied about loading the guns with blanks. Martin is blown right out of his boots and into the trench by the force of the bullets, and whereupon Milligan tells the general, "He died like a man." Calthrop proudly declares that everyone now knows his son is not isn't "yellow". As the soldiers begin falling back, the camera closes in on the inscription on Martin's hip flask: "To Martin, Let courage be thy name. Love, Dad."
->'''Crypt Keeper:''' (''offscreen'') Firing squad! Present...
In France, 1918,
Meanwhile,
That night, Martin leads Ripper and the wire men into no man's land, but he panics
At his
At sunrise, Martin shows up for his execution,
Changed line(s) 16,19 (click to see context) from:
!!This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
* ActorAllusion: General Calthrop mirrors one of Creator/KirkDouglas' most famous roles as Colonel Dax in ''Film/PathsOfGlory''. However, whereas Dax was a moral character who deeply cared for his men and tried to protect them from the capriciousness of the Generals, Calthrop IS one of those Generals with little to no concern for the lives of those under his command, even sentencing his own son to death for cowardice.
* AlmostDeadGuy: After Ripper is blown across no man's land by a German grenade, Martin leaves him for dead and flees back to the trenches, insisting he fought bravely against the Germans, but was overwhelmed by their superior numbers. However, Ripper is not quite dead, and he holds on for just long enough to return to the trench and tell General Calthrop the truth: his son froze with panic and left Ripper and the wire men to die.
* AnArmAndALeg: The soldier who is about to tell Ripper where Martin is gets his hand shot off by machine gun fire.
* ActorAllusion: General Calthrop mirrors one of Creator/KirkDouglas' most famous roles as Colonel Dax in ''Film/PathsOfGlory''. However, whereas Dax was a moral character who deeply cared for his men and tried to protect them from the capriciousness of the Generals, Calthrop IS one of those Generals with little to no concern for the lives of those under his command, even sentencing his own son to death for cowardice.
* AlmostDeadGuy: After Ripper is blown across no man's land by a German grenade, Martin leaves him for dead and flees back to the trenches, insisting he fought bravely against the Germans, but was overwhelmed by their superior numbers. However, Ripper is not quite dead, and he holds on for just long enough to return to the trench and tell General Calthrop the truth: his son froze with panic and left Ripper and the wire men to die.
* AnArmAndALeg: The soldier who is about to tell Ripper where Martin is gets his hand shot off by machine gun fire.
to:
* ActorAllusion: General Calthrop mirrors one of Creator/KirkDouglas' most famous roles as Colonel Dax in ''Film/PathsOfGlory''.
* AlmostDeadGuy:
* AnArmAndALeg: The soldier who
Changed line(s) 21 (click to see context) from:
* ArtisticLicenseHistory: No US Army soldier was ever sentenced to death for cowardice during World War I.
to:
* ArtisticLicenseHistory: No US Army soldier was ever sentenced to death for cowardice during World War I.cowardice.
Changed line(s) 23,32 (click to see context) from:
** Let's face it, being willing to trick his own son into getting killed for the sake of wiping away a smear on his precious military reputation makes General Calthrop a disgusting human being.
** General von Furstenburg also seems to have come out victorious regarding the platoon's battle, having succeeded in taking the hill that the Allies were tasked with seizing.
* BladeOfGrassCut: The opening credits for the episode play over a shot of a lone flower growing in the middle of a muddy field. Once the musical score fades out and the sounds of battle fade in, the body of a soldier with a massive, blood-drenched wound in his back falls on the flower and squashes it flat, firmly establishing the WarIsHell tone of the story.
* CallingTheOldManOut: When General Calthrop visits his condemned son before his execution, Martin lays into his father for never being there for him when he was growing up, and for seeing him more as a soldier under his command than as his son, even though he admitted he was never cut out for the military.
* CannotSpitItOut: Captain Milligan tries to tell the General that his son isn't the best choice for a battlefront position because of his... reputation. When he can't find the willpower to directly say it without making it sound bad to the General, Milligan allows Ripper to takes over and spit out "He's yellow!" for him.
* ChromosomeCasting: All characters in this story are male, given that it takes place in the trenches of World War I.
* CourtMartialed: Martin is arrested and court-martialed, where he is found guilty for his cowardice and sentenced to death.
* CowardiceCallout: Lt. Martin Calthrop is already looked down upon as being a coward ''before'' a German attack on his squad without warning causes him to run for his life and leave his men to die. He tries to convince his father, General Calthrop, that he did all he could to fight the Germans off, but the mortally-wounded Ripper comes in and reveals the truth of what happened, calling out the younger Calthrop over what he did. At his court-martial, he's sentenced to death by firing squad and deemed a disgrace to the uniform (which in his case he never wanted to wear).
* CutPhoneLines: General Calthrop is unable to reach B Company to coordinate his backup strategy to fight General von Furstenburg, as the Germans have been cutting the Allies' communication lines.
* DaddyIssues: Martin makes it clear that his father has only ever seen him as a soldier under his command, who has never done anything that his son wanted him to do, like discharging him from the army. And that's before he sentences Martin to execution.
** General von Furstenburg also seems to have come out victorious regarding the platoon's battle, having succeeded in taking the hill that the Allies were tasked with seizing.
* BladeOfGrassCut: The opening credits for the episode play over a shot of a lone flower growing in the middle of a muddy field. Once the musical score fades out and the sounds of battle fade in, the body of a soldier with a massive, blood-drenched wound in his back falls on the flower and squashes it flat, firmly establishing the WarIsHell tone of the story.
* CallingTheOldManOut: When General Calthrop visits his condemned son before his execution, Martin lays into his father for never being there for him when he was growing up, and for seeing him more as a soldier under his command than as his son, even though he admitted he was never cut out for the military.
* CannotSpitItOut: Captain Milligan tries to tell the General that his son isn't the best choice for a battlefront position because of his... reputation. When he can't find the willpower to directly say it without making it sound bad to the General, Milligan allows Ripper to takes over and spit out "He's yellow!" for him.
* ChromosomeCasting: All characters in this story are male, given that it takes place in the trenches of World War I.
* CourtMartialed: Martin is arrested and court-martialed, where he is found guilty for his cowardice and sentenced to death.
* CowardiceCallout: Lt. Martin Calthrop is already looked down upon as being a coward ''before'' a German attack on his squad without warning causes him to run for his life and leave his men to die. He tries to convince his father, General Calthrop, that he did all he could to fight the Germans off, but the mortally-wounded Ripper comes in and reveals the truth of what happened, calling out the younger Calthrop over what he did. At his court-martial, he's sentenced to death by firing squad and deemed a disgrace to the uniform (which in his case he never wanted to wear).
* CutPhoneLines: General Calthrop is unable to reach B Company to coordinate his backup strategy to fight General von Furstenburg, as the Germans have been cutting the Allies' communication lines.
* DaddyIssues: Martin makes it clear that his father has only ever seen him as a soldier under his command, who has never done anything that his son wanted him to do, like discharging him from the army. And that's before he sentences Martin to execution.
to:
** Let's face it, being Being willing to trick his own son into getting killed for the sake of wiping away a smear on his precious military reputation makes General Calthrop a disgusting human being.
** In the broader picture, General von Furstenburgalso seems to have come comes out victorious regarding the platoon's battle, having succeeded in taking the hill that the Allies were tasked with seizing.
* BladeOfGrassCut: The opening creditsfor the episode play over a shot of a lone flower growing in the middle of a muddy field. Once the musical score fades out and the sounds of battle fade in, the body of a soldier with a massive, blood-drenched wound in his back falls on the flower and squashes it flat, crushes it, firmly establishing the WarIsHell tone of the story.
* CallingTheOldManOut: When General Calthrop visits his condemned son before his execution, Martin lays into his father for never being there for him when he was growingup, and up; for seeing him more as a soldier under his command than as his son, even though he admitted point-blank that he was never cut out for the military.
* CannotSpitItOut: Captain Milligan tries to tellthe General Calthrop that his son isn't the best choice for a battlefront position because of his... reputation. When he can't find the willpower to directly say it without making it sound bad to the General, bad, Milligan allows Ripper to takes take over and spit blurt out "He's yellow!" for him.
* ChromosomeCasting: All characters in thisstory episode are male, given that it takes place in the trenches of World War I.
* CourtMartialed: Martin is arrested andcourt-martialed, where court-martialed after Ripper reveals what he is did when they were trying to fix the communication line. At the hearing, he's found guilty for his cowardice and sentenced to death.
* CowardiceCallout:Lt. Martin Calthrop is already looked down upon as for being a coward ''before'' a German attack on his squad without warning causes him to run for his life and leave his men to die. He tries to convince his father, General Calthrop, father that he did all he could to fight the Germans off, but the mortally-wounded Ripper comes in enters and reveals the truth of what happened, calling out the younger Calthrop over what he did. At his court-martial, he's sentenced to death by firing squad and deemed a disgrace to the uniform (which (which, in his case case, he never wanted to wear).
* CutPhoneLines: General Calthropis finds that he's unable to reach B Company to coordinate his backup strategy to fight in fighting General von Furstenburg, as the Germans have been cutting the Allies' communication lines.
* DaddyIssues: Martin makes it clear that his father has only ever seen him as a soldier under his command,who and has never done anything that his son he wanted him to do, like discharging him from the army.Army. And that's before he sentences Martin to execution.
** In the broader picture, General von Furstenburg
* BladeOfGrassCut: The opening credits
* CallingTheOldManOut: When General Calthrop visits his condemned son before his execution, Martin lays into his father for never being there for him when he was growing
* CannotSpitItOut: Captain Milligan tries to tell
* ChromosomeCasting: All characters in this
* CourtMartialed: Martin is arrested and
* CowardiceCallout:
* CutPhoneLines: General Calthrop
* DaddyIssues: Martin makes it clear that his father has only ever seen him as a soldier under his command,
Changed line(s) 34,55 (click to see context) from:
* DeerInTheHeadlights: Upon seeing German troops emerge from their trenches, Martin goes bug-eyed and freezes in pure terror. He tries to blow into the whistle Ripper gave him to warn him if they would approach, but his shaking hand makes him drop it.
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: As cowardly as Martin is, the mentality that he deserves death just to preserve his family's military reputation can be a hard one to grasp for anyone who isn't part of a similar heritage.
* DiesWideOpen: As Sgt. Ripper gasps his final words, "You... yellow...", his eyes remain open as he dies. Captain Milligan solemnly closes his eyes and asks the medics to attend to the Sergeant's "remains".
* DirtyCoward: Martin hides in the trenches while the men under his command die by the dozen in no man's land. When he was ordered to lead Ripper and the wire men to repair the breach in the communication lines and keep watch for the Germans, he freezes with panic when he spots a squad of German soldiers appearing, and he drops the whistle he was meant to use to warn Ripper and the wire men, which alerts the Germans and results in the death of his men. He lies to his father when he flees back to the trench, but the dying Ripper reveals his trickery before he expires. The lieutenant's cowardice ultimately gets him sentenced to death.
* DownerEnding: Martin's cowardice gets the best of him, and he lets Ripper and dozens of other loyal soldiers die under his watch. He is sentenced to execution by his own father, who shamelessly lies to him that he's going to let him escape to a new life, and his failures have caused the Allied forces to fall back from the area, and who knows what the Germans could do with their new territory.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: General Calthrop tells Martin he will have the firing squad's rifles loaded with blanks and put a full pack in the trench behind the execution site so Martin can escape to a new life, provided he faces death like a man on the morning of his execution. Certain he is going to live, Martin faces the firing squad with quiet dignity and gives a brave final speech. Only a few seconds elapse between his realization that the execution is not fake after all and the bullets hitting his body, so no-one notices the façade begin to crack, and after Martin is shot, Captain Milligan tells the general his son died like a man.
* FacingTheBulletsOneLiner: Martin gives a valiant one when he thinks he's going to survive his execution:
-->'''Martin:''' I tried. But I'm not the man my father is. I'm sorry, and I apologize. My fear of dying got in the way of my responsibility to my men, and the obligations of my commanding officers. I know now what Shakespeare meant: "Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once." ''(he salutes)''
* FakingTheDead: Martin is told that his father has a plan for him to fake his death and run off to a new life, provided that he takes it like a man. Once the illusion is complete, Martin realizes that his "fake" death is actually the real thing.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Martin sternly asks his father would be happy if he got sent to the bunker with a bullet in his back. This returns in the final scene, where Martin tears into his father for his stern and neglectful treatment of him, and the man orders his son's execution when his cowardice gets in the way of his duty.
* FormulaBreakingEpisode: This is the first of three episodes that was originally filmed as part of a cancelled series based on "Two-Fisted Tales". It's also the only episode to run longer than 30 minutes.
* GreaterScopeVillain: General von Furstenburg, the German commander directly opposing Calthrop and his battalion. He's played up as a menacing and highly tactical man, but he's never seen in the episode itself.
* HatsOffToTheDead: After the shooting, Milligan takes his hat off while approaching Martin's body. General Calthrop noticeably does not do so.
* {{Homage}}: The episode is one to ''Film/PathsOfGlory'', since Kirk Douglas plays a general who sentences a man (his own son, mind you) to the firing squad for being a coward.
* HopeSpot: Martin is given the impression that the executioners will all be firing blanks at him, so that he'll survive his execution and leave to start a new life. He believes this until just before the executioners fire on him.
* ICantLookGesture: When Captain Milligan yells "Aim!", General Calthrop closes his eyes and looks away, since he knows the firing squad have been issued live ammunition, contrary to his promise to Martin, but he still can't bring himself to actually ''watch'' his own son get killed. Seeing his father avert his eyes is what gives away the ruse to Martin, but he only has a split second to process this before Milligan yells "FIRE!"
* IgnoredExpert: Ripper and Milligan try to inform General Calthrop (as polite and reasonably as they can) that his son is a coward who is in no condition to venture onto the battlefield, but the General ignores them to parade that his son is as brave as they come. This results in Martin letting Ripper and two more soldiers die, and Martin himself being sentenced to the firing squad.
* {{Irony}}: Martin's flask, gifted to him by his father, is revealed to have an engraving which reads, "Let courage be thy name". We only find this out in the last few seconds of the episode, after General Calthrop sentenced Martin to death for being "yellow".
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Ripper is hot-headed and quick to anger, but that's because his commanding officer is always hiding in the trenches while his men are shot and blown up. When in the company of the higher ranking officers, he cools down slightly and informs them about Martin's retreat with professionalism. That changes when he barely makes it back to the trenches in one piece.
* KarmaHoudini: In addition to sentencing his son to death, Calthrop also gets away with inadvertently sending Ripper and the wire men to their deaths as well, putting their lives into the hands of his cowardly son.
* MeaningfulName: Sgt. Ripper is a gung-ho and hot headed soldier who charges directly into the fray in the opening scene.
* NeverMyFault: General Calthrop sent his son out to the breach where he let Ripper and the wire men die. The dying Ripper doesn't point this fact out, nor does the General himself, which is why it's forgotten at the end of the episode.
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: As cowardly as Martin is, the mentality that he deserves death just to preserve his family's military reputation can be a hard one to grasp for anyone who isn't part of a similar heritage.
* DiesWideOpen: As Sgt. Ripper gasps his final words, "You... yellow...", his eyes remain open as he dies. Captain Milligan solemnly closes his eyes and asks the medics to attend to the Sergeant's "remains".
* DirtyCoward: Martin hides in the trenches while the men under his command die by the dozen in no man's land. When he was ordered to lead Ripper and the wire men to repair the breach in the communication lines and keep watch for the Germans, he freezes with panic when he spots a squad of German soldiers appearing, and he drops the whistle he was meant to use to warn Ripper and the wire men, which alerts the Germans and results in the death of his men. He lies to his father when he flees back to the trench, but the dying Ripper reveals his trickery before he expires. The lieutenant's cowardice ultimately gets him sentenced to death.
* DownerEnding: Martin's cowardice gets the best of him, and he lets Ripper and dozens of other loyal soldiers die under his watch. He is sentenced to execution by his own father, who shamelessly lies to him that he's going to let him escape to a new life, and his failures have caused the Allied forces to fall back from the area, and who knows what the Germans could do with their new territory.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: General Calthrop tells Martin he will have the firing squad's rifles loaded with blanks and put a full pack in the trench behind the execution site so Martin can escape to a new life, provided he faces death like a man on the morning of his execution. Certain he is going to live, Martin faces the firing squad with quiet dignity and gives a brave final speech. Only a few seconds elapse between his realization that the execution is not fake after all and the bullets hitting his body, so no-one notices the façade begin to crack, and after Martin is shot, Captain Milligan tells the general his son died like a man.
* FacingTheBulletsOneLiner: Martin gives a valiant one when he thinks he's going to survive his execution:
-->'''Martin:''' I tried. But I'm not the man my father is. I'm sorry, and I apologize. My fear of dying got in the way of my responsibility to my men, and the obligations of my commanding officers. I know now what Shakespeare meant: "Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once." ''(he salutes)''
* FakingTheDead: Martin is told that his father has a plan for him to fake his death and run off to a new life, provided that he takes it like a man. Once the illusion is complete, Martin realizes that his "fake" death is actually the real thing.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Martin sternly asks his father would be happy if he got sent to the bunker with a bullet in his back. This returns in the final scene, where Martin tears into his father for his stern and neglectful treatment of him, and the man orders his son's execution when his cowardice gets in the way of his duty.
* FormulaBreakingEpisode: This is the first of three episodes that was originally filmed as part of a cancelled series based on "Two-Fisted Tales". It's also the only episode to run longer than 30 minutes.
* GreaterScopeVillain: General von Furstenburg, the German commander directly opposing Calthrop and his battalion. He's played up as a menacing and highly tactical man, but he's never seen in the episode itself.
* HatsOffToTheDead: After the shooting, Milligan takes his hat off while approaching Martin's body. General Calthrop noticeably does not do so.
* {{Homage}}: The episode is one to ''Film/PathsOfGlory'', since Kirk Douglas plays a general who sentences a man (his own son, mind you) to the firing squad for being a coward.
* HopeSpot: Martin is given the impression that the executioners will all be firing blanks at him, so that he'll survive his execution and leave to start a new life. He believes this until just before the executioners fire on him.
* ICantLookGesture: When Captain Milligan yells "Aim!", General Calthrop closes his eyes and looks away, since he knows the firing squad have been issued live ammunition, contrary to his promise to Martin, but he still can't bring himself to actually ''watch'' his own son get killed. Seeing his father avert his eyes is what gives away the ruse to Martin, but he only has a split second to process this before Milligan yells "FIRE!"
* IgnoredExpert: Ripper and Milligan try to inform General Calthrop (as polite and reasonably as they can) that his son is a coward who is in no condition to venture onto the battlefield, but the General ignores them to parade that his son is as brave as they come. This results in Martin letting Ripper and two more soldiers die, and Martin himself being sentenced to the firing squad.
* {{Irony}}: Martin's flask, gifted to him by his father, is revealed to have an engraving which reads, "Let courage be thy name". We only find this out in the last few seconds of the episode, after General Calthrop sentenced Martin to death for being "yellow".
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Ripper is hot-headed and quick to anger, but that's because his commanding officer is always hiding in the trenches while his men are shot and blown up. When in the company of the higher ranking officers, he cools down slightly and informs them about Martin's retreat with professionalism. That changes when he barely makes it back to the trenches in one piece.
* KarmaHoudini: In addition to sentencing his son to death, Calthrop also gets away with inadvertently sending Ripper and the wire men to their deaths as well, putting their lives into the hands of his cowardly son.
* MeaningfulName: Sgt. Ripper is a gung-ho and hot headed soldier who charges directly into the fray in the opening scene.
* NeverMyFault: General Calthrop sent his son out to the breach where he let Ripper and the wire men die. The dying Ripper doesn't point this fact out, nor does the General himself, which is why it's forgotten at the end of the episode.
to:
* DeerInTheHeadlights: Upon seeing German troops emerge from their trenches, Martin goes bug-eyed and freezes in pure terror. He tries to blow into the whistle Ripper gave him to warn him if they would approach, but his shaking hand makes him drop it.
it, the loud clang it makes on hitting the ground alerting the Germans.
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: As cowardly as Martin is, the mentality that he deserves deathjust solely to preserve his family's father's military reputation can be a hard one to grasp for anyone who isn't part of a similar heritage.
* DiesWideOpen: As Sgt. Ripper gasps his final words, "You... yellow...", his eyes remainopen as he dies. open. Captain Milligan solemnly closes his eyes and asks tasks the medics to attend to with attending "to the Sergeant's "remains".
remains".
* DirtyCoward: Martin hides in the trencheswhile and drinks heavily as the men under his command die by the dozen in no man's land. When he was he's ordered to lead Ripper and the wire men to repair the breach in the communication lines and keep watch for the Germans, he freezes with panic when he spots a squad of German soldiers appearing, and he appearing. He drops the whistle he was meant to use to warn Ripper and the wire men, which alerts the Germans and results in Ripper being grievously injured and the death of his men. He wire men getting shot dead. Martin lies to his father when he flees back to the trench, but the dying Ripper reveals his trickery before he expires. The lieutenant's expires, Martin's cowardice ultimately gets getting him sentenced to death.
* DownerEnding: Martin's cowardice gets the best of him, and he lets Ripper and dozens of other loyal soldiers die under his watch. He is sentenced to execution by his own father, who shamelessly lies to him that he's going to let him escape to a new life, and his failures have caused the Allied forces to fall back from thearea, and who knows what the Germans could do with their new territory.
area.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: General Calthrop tells Martinhe will that he'll have the firing squad's rifles loaded with blanks and put a full pack in the trench behind the execution site so Martin can escape to a new life, provided he faces death like a man on the morning of his execution. Certain he is that he's going to live, Martin faces the firing squad with quiet dignity and gives a brave final speech. Only speech, but only a few seconds elapse between his the realization that the execution is not isn't fake after all and the bullets hitting hit his body, so no-one notices the façade begin to crack, and after crack. After Martin is shot, Captain Milligan tells the general General his son died like a man.
* FacingTheBulletsOneLiner: Martin gives a valiant one when he thinks that he's going to survive his execution:
-->'''Martin:''' I tried. But I'm not the man my father is. I'm sorry, and I apologize. My fear of dying got in the way of my responsibility to my men, and the obligations of my commanding officers. I know now what Shakespeare meant: "Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once."''(he salutes)''
(''salutes'')
* FakingTheDead:Martin is told that his Martin's father tells him that he has a plan for him to fake his death and run off to a new life, provided that he takes it like a man. Once the illusion is complete, Martin realizes that his "fake" death is actually the real thing.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Martin sternly asks his father if he would be happy if hegot sent returned to the bunker with a bullet in his back. This returns in the final scene, where Martin tears into his father for his stern and neglectful treatment of him, and treatment, after the man orders his son's execution when his cowardice gets in the way of his duty.
* FormulaBreakingEpisode: This is the first of three episodes that was originally filmed as part of acancelled canceled series based on "Two-Fisted Tales". It's also the only episode to run longer than 30 minutes.
* GreaterScopeVillain: General von Furstenburg, the German commander directly opposing General Calthrop and his battalion. He's played up as a menacing and highly tactical man, but he's never seen in the episode itself.
* HatsOffToTheDead: Afterthe shooting, Martin's execution, Milligan takes his hat off while approaching Martin's body. body, while General Calthrop noticeably does not do so.
* {{Homage}}: The episode is one to ''Film/PathsOfGlory'',since as Kirk Douglas plays a general who sentences a man (his own son, mind you) to the firing squad for being a coward.
* HopeSpot: Martin is given the impression that the executioners willall be firing blanks at him, so that he'll survive his execution and leave escape to start a new life. He believes this until just before the executioners they open fire on him.
* ICantLookGesture: When Captain Milligan yells "Aim!", General Calthrop closes his eyes and looks away, since he already knows the firing squad have been issued live ammunition,contrary to his promise to Martin, but he still can't bring himself to actually ''watch'' his own son get killed. die. Seeing his father avert his eyes is what gives away the ruse away to Martin, but he only has a split second to process this before Milligan yells "FIRE!"
* IgnoredExpert: Ripper and Milligan try to inform General Calthrop (aspolite politely and reasonably as they can) that his son is a coward who is in no condition to venture onto the battlefield, but the General ignores them to parade boast that his son is as brave as they come. This results in Martin letting Ripper and two more soldiers die, and Martin himself being sentenced to the firing squad.
* {{Irony}}: Martin's hip flask, gifted to him by his father,is revealed to have has an engraving which reads, "Let courage be thy name". We only find this out in the last few seconds of the episode, after General Calthrop sentenced Martin to death for being "yellow".
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Ripper is a hot-headed andquick to anger, quick-to-anger sergeant, but that's because his commanding officer is always hiding in the trenches while his men are shot and blown up. When in the company of the higher ranking officers, he cools down slightly and informs them about Martin's retreat with tact and professionalism. That all changes when he barely makes it back to the trenches in one piece.
* KarmaHoudini: In addition to sentencing his own son to death, General Calthrop also gets away with inadvertently sending Ripper and the wire men to their deaths as well,putting as he idiotically put their lives into the hands of his cowardly son.
* MeaningfulName: Sgt. Ripper is a gung-ho andhot headed hot-headed soldier who charges directly into the fray in the opening scene.
* NeverMyFault: General Calthropsent sends his son out to the breach breach, where he let lets Ripper and the wire men die. The dying Ripper doesn't point this fact out, nor does the General himself, which is why it's forgotten at by the end of the episode.
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: As cowardly as Martin is, the mentality that he deserves death
* DiesWideOpen: As Sgt. Ripper gasps his final words, "You... yellow...", his eyes remain
* DirtyCoward: Martin hides in the trenches
* DownerEnding: Martin's cowardice gets the best of him, and he lets Ripper and dozens of other loyal soldiers die under his watch. He is sentenced to execution by his own father, who shamelessly lies to him that he's going to let him escape to a new life, and his failures have caused the Allied forces to fall back from the
* FaceDeathWithDignity: General Calthrop tells Martin
* FacingTheBulletsOneLiner: Martin gives a valiant one when he thinks that he's going to survive his execution:
-->'''Martin:''' I tried. But I'm not the man my father is. I'm sorry, and I apologize. My fear of dying got in the way of my responsibility to my men, and the obligations of my commanding officers. I know now what Shakespeare meant: "Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once."
* FakingTheDead:
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Martin sternly asks his father if he would be happy if he
* FormulaBreakingEpisode: This is the first of three episodes that was originally filmed as part of a
* GreaterScopeVillain: General von Furstenburg, the German commander directly opposing General Calthrop and his battalion. He's played up as a menacing and highly tactical man, but he's never seen in the episode itself.
* HatsOffToTheDead: After
* {{Homage}}: The episode is one to ''Film/PathsOfGlory'',
* HopeSpot: Martin is given the impression that the executioners will
* ICantLookGesture: When Captain Milligan yells "Aim!", General Calthrop closes his eyes and looks away, since he already knows the firing squad have been issued live ammunition,
* IgnoredExpert: Ripper and Milligan try to inform General Calthrop (as
* {{Irony}}: Martin's hip flask, gifted to him by his father,
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Ripper is a hot-headed and
* KarmaHoudini: In addition to sentencing his own son to death, General Calthrop also gets away with inadvertently sending Ripper and the wire men to their deaths as well,
* MeaningfulName: Sgt. Ripper is a gung-ho and
* NeverMyFault: General Calthrop
Changed line(s) 57,66 (click to see context) from:
* OffingTheOffspring: General Calthrop may not pull the trigger, but he does condemn his own son to death and then goes back on his promise to load the guns with blanks, personally loading them with live bullets before the execution. All so he can prove to everyone watching that his son is not a coward.
* OhCrap: After Milligan gives the "Aim!" command to his firing squad, Martin notices his father look away, and his brave expression vanishes immediately as he realizes there can be only one reason why his father cannot look at him: the guns are loaded with live rounds.
* ParentalTitleCharacterization: Martin is expected to call his father "General," or "sir," due to serving under him in the armor, further emphasizing how aloof the general is from his son.
* ProfaneLastWords: Ripper uses his last breath to call Martin "you... yellow..."
* PublicExecution: Martin's platoon and fellow officers all gather to witness his death.
* RealLifeRelative: Kirk Douglas and his real-life son Eric play General Calthrop and his son Martin.
* RuleOfThree: In the opening battle scene, Sgt. Ripper asks three soldiers if they have seen Lt. Calthrop. The first two cannot answer as they are already dead, prompting Ripper to growl, "Damn!". The third points out where he last saw the lieutenant... and gets his hand shot off by machine-gun fire for his trouble, whereupon Ripper expands his exclamation to "Goddamn!"
* ShotAtDawn: Martin is sentenced to death by firing squad in the early morning for abandoning Ripper and the wire men to die after allowing the Germans to ambush them.
* SmolderingShoes: Martin is blown out of his boots when he is shot, which smolder from the resulting cloud of rifle fire from the blast. His laces had been taken the night before, to prevent him from hanging himself with them.
* StagedShooting: To get Martin to FaceDeathWithDignity, his father tells him the firing squad's rifles will be loaded with blanks so that it only appears that he's been shot, and he can leave to start a new life. Unbeknownst to the lieutenant, the staged shooting turns out to be the real thing.
* OhCrap: After Milligan gives the "Aim!" command to his firing squad, Martin notices his father look away, and his brave expression vanishes immediately as he realizes there can be only one reason why his father cannot look at him: the guns are loaded with live rounds.
* ParentalTitleCharacterization: Martin is expected to call his father "General," or "sir," due to serving under him in the armor, further emphasizing how aloof the general is from his son.
* ProfaneLastWords: Ripper uses his last breath to call Martin "you... yellow..."
* PublicExecution: Martin's platoon and fellow officers all gather to witness his death.
* RealLifeRelative: Kirk Douglas and his real-life son Eric play General Calthrop and his son Martin.
* RuleOfThree: In the opening battle scene, Sgt. Ripper asks three soldiers if they have seen Lt. Calthrop. The first two cannot answer as they are already dead, prompting Ripper to growl, "Damn!". The third points out where he last saw the lieutenant... and gets his hand shot off by machine-gun fire for his trouble, whereupon Ripper expands his exclamation to "Goddamn!"
* ShotAtDawn: Martin is sentenced to death by firing squad in the early morning for abandoning Ripper and the wire men to die after allowing the Germans to ambush them.
* SmolderingShoes: Martin is blown out of his boots when he is shot, which smolder from the resulting cloud of rifle fire from the blast. His laces had been taken the night before, to prevent him from hanging himself with them.
* StagedShooting: To get Martin to FaceDeathWithDignity, his father tells him the firing squad's rifles will be loaded with blanks so that it only appears that he's been shot, and he can leave to start a new life. Unbeknownst to the lieutenant, the staged shooting turns out to be the real thing.
to:
* OffingTheOffspring: General Calthrop may not pull the trigger, but he does ''does'' condemn his own son to death and then goes back on his promise to load the guns with blanks, personally loading them with live bullets rounds before the execution. All so he can prove to everyone watching that his son is not a coward.
* OhCrap: After Milligangives the yells "Aim!" command to his the firing squad, Martin notices his father look away, and his looking away. His brave expression vanishes immediately as he realizes there can be only one reason why his father cannot look at him: is doing this: the guns are loaded with live rounds.
ammo.
* ParentalTitleCharacterization: Martin is expected to call his father"General," "General" or "sir," "Sir", due to serving under him in the armor, him, further emphasizing how aloof the general General is from his son.
* ProfaneLastWords: Ripper uses his lastbreath breaths to call Martin "you... yellow...Yellow..."
* PublicExecution: Martin's platoon and fellow officersall gather to witness his death.
* RealLifeRelative: Kirk Douglas and his real-life son Eric play General Calthrop and his son Martin.
* RuleOfThree: In the opening battle scene, Sgt. Ripper asks three soldiers if they have they've seen Lt. Calthrop. Martin. The first two cannot answer as they are already dead, prompting Ripper to growl, "Damn!". The third points out where he last saw the lieutenant... Martin... and gets his hand shot off by machine-gun fire for his trouble, fire, whereupon Ripper expands his exclamation to "Goddamn!"
* ShotAtDawn: Martin is sentenced to death by firing squad in the earlymorning morning, as punishment for abandoning Ripper and the wire men to die after and allowing the Germans to ambush them.
* SmolderingShoes: Martin is blown out of his boots when he is shot, which smolder from theresulting resultant cloud of rifle fire from the blast. fire. His laces had been taken the night before, to prevent him from hanging himself with them.
himself.
* StagedShooting: Toget have Martin to FaceDeathWithDignity, his father tells him that the firing squad's rifles will be loaded with blanks so that it only appears ''appears'' that he's been shot, and he can leave to start a new life. Unbeknownst to the lieutenant, Martin, the staged shooting turns out to be the real thing.
* OhCrap: After Milligan
* ParentalTitleCharacterization: Martin is expected to call his father
* ProfaneLastWords: Ripper uses his last
* PublicExecution: Martin's platoon and fellow officers
* ShotAtDawn: Martin is sentenced to death by firing squad in the early
* SmolderingShoes: Martin is blown out of his boots when he is shot, which smolder from the
* StagedShooting: To
Changed line(s) 68,73 (click to see context) from:
* SuddenlyShouting: Martin does this.
-->'''Martin''': That is what I'm really guilty of, isn't it, Father? Huh? That the WHOLE WORLD KNOWS THAT THE SON OF THE GREAT GENERAL CALTHROP IS AFRAID TO DIE?! '''WELL, I AM AFRAID TO DIE!!!''' ''(sobs)''
* TemptingFate: As General Calthrop expresses pride in his son after he hears his lie, claiming that he'll never be called a coward again, the barely living Ripper shambles in and calls Martin a coward.
* VillainHasAPoint: For all of Martin's cowardice, he does have a legitimate point that he was forced into his military role against his will, and he should never have been placed in any battlefront-relevant position. In fact, the deaths of Sergeant Ripper and his wire men is really as much ''General'' Calthrop's fault as it is the Lieutenant's, because the Lieutenant was forced to undertake the mission despite knowing and ''admitting'' that he was the worst possible choice for such a mission.
* WarIsHell: It's UsefulNotes/WorldWarI in the trenches of northern France, a campaign that, in real life, gave hitherto unseen depths to the notion that war is indeed Hell. The battlefields are soaked with the blood of the dead on both sides, and we see numerous characters ranging from nameless extras to major characters either dying messy and undignified deaths from enemy fire (Sgt. Ripper's death is especially gruesome, as half his intestines are on the ''outside'' of his body) or covered in blood-soaked bandages and lying on makeshift stretchers in the trenches.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Martin has spent his entire life trying to please his father by going to military school, West Point, and then heeding his country's call to the trenches of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, just for a pat on the back from the General. Unfortunately, because he is too afraid to die to be an effective soldier, he has never been able to live up to his father's expectations.
-->'''Martin''': That is what I'm really guilty of, isn't it, Father? Huh? That the WHOLE WORLD KNOWS THAT THE SON OF THE GREAT GENERAL CALTHROP IS AFRAID TO DIE?! '''WELL, I AM AFRAID TO DIE!!!''' ''(sobs)''
* TemptingFate: As General Calthrop expresses pride in his son after he hears his lie, claiming that he'll never be called a coward again, the barely living Ripper shambles in and calls Martin a coward.
* VillainHasAPoint: For all of Martin's cowardice, he does have a legitimate point that he was forced into his military role against his will, and he should never have been placed in any battlefront-relevant position. In fact, the deaths of Sergeant Ripper and his wire men is really as much ''General'' Calthrop's fault as it is the Lieutenant's, because the Lieutenant was forced to undertake the mission despite knowing and ''admitting'' that he was the worst possible choice for such a mission.
* WarIsHell: It's UsefulNotes/WorldWarI in the trenches of northern France, a campaign that, in real life, gave hitherto unseen depths to the notion that war is indeed Hell. The battlefields are soaked with the blood of the dead on both sides, and we see numerous characters ranging from nameless extras to major characters either dying messy and undignified deaths from enemy fire (Sgt. Ripper's death is especially gruesome, as half his intestines are on the ''outside'' of his body) or covered in blood-soaked bandages and lying on makeshift stretchers in the trenches.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Martin has spent his entire life trying to please his father by going to military school, West Point, and then heeding his country's call to the trenches of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, just for a pat on the back from the General. Unfortunately, because he is too afraid to die to be an effective soldier, he has never been able to live up to his father's expectations.
to:
* SuddenlyShouting: Martin does this.
this during his rebuttal to his father.
-->'''Martin''': That is what I'm really guilty of, isn't it,Father? father? Huh? That the WHOLE WORLD KNOWS KNOWS... THAT THE SON OF THE GREAT ''GREAT GENERAL CALTHROP CALTHROP'' IS AFRAID TO DIE?! '''WELL, I AM AFRAID I''' '''''AM''''' '''AFRAID TO DIE!!!''' ''(sobs)''
(''sobs'')
* TemptingFate: As General Calthrop expresses pride in his son after he hears hislie, about what happened at the trenches, agreeing to transfer him and claiming that he'll never be called a coward again, the barely living Ripper shambles in and calls Martin a coward.coward, before exposing him as a fraud.
* VillainHasAPoint: For all of Martin's cowardice, he does have a legitimate point that he wasforced ''forced'' into his military role against his will, and he should never have been placed in any battlefront-relevant position. In fact, the deaths of Sergeant Ripper and his wire men is are really as much ''General'' Calthrop's more of ''General Calthrop's'' fault as it is the Lieutenant's, Martin's, because the Lieutenant Martin was forced to undertake the mission despite knowing and ''admitting'' ''blatantly admitting'' that he was the worst possible choice for such a mission.
* WarIsHell: It'sUsefulNotes/WorldWarI UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, in the trenches of northern France, a campaign that, in real life, gave hitherto unseen depths to the notion that war is indeed Hell. The battlefields are soaked with the blood of the dead on from both sides, and we see numerous characters ranging from nameless extras to major characters players either dying messy and undignified deaths from enemy fire (Sgt. Ripper's (Ripper's death is especially gruesome, as half his intestines are on the ''outside'' of his body) or covered in blood-soaked bandages and lying on makeshift stretchers in the trenches.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Martin has spent his entire life trying to please his father by going to military school, West Point, and then heeding his country's call to the trenches of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, just for a pat on the back from the General. Unfortunately, becausehe is he's too afraid to die to be an effective soldier, he has never been able to live up to his father's expectations.
-->'''Martin''': That is what I'm really guilty of, isn't it,
* TemptingFate: As General Calthrop expresses pride in his son after he hears his
* VillainHasAPoint: For all of Martin's cowardice, he does have a legitimate point that he was
* WarIsHell: It's
* WellDoneSonGuy: Martin has spent his entire life trying to please his father by going to military school, West Point, and then heeding his country's call to the trenches of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, just for a pat on the back from the General. Unfortunately, because
Changed line(s) 75 (click to see context) from:
->'''Crypt Keeper:''' ''(tied to a post)'' I guess Martin finally learned his lesson: No guts, no ''gory!'' ''(cackles)'' Well, got to go, kiddies. It's time for my ''shots.'' ''(pulls a switch to point a load of rifles at himself)'' Fire! ''(the rifles go off and fill him with lead, he cackles excitedly)'' Yes, yes, oh yes! Boy, I get a ''bang'' out of that! ''(cackles some more)''
to:
->'''Crypt Keeper:''' ''(tied (''tied to a post)'' post'') I guess Martin finally learned his lesson: No guts, no ''gory!'' ''(cackles)'' (''cackles'') Well, got to go, kiddies. It's time for my ''shots.'' ''(pulls (''pulls a switch to point a load of rifles at himself)'' himself'') Fire! ''(the (''the rifles go off and fill him with lead, lead; he cackles excitedly)'' excitedly'') Yes, yes, oh yes! Boy, I get a ''bang'' out of that! ''(cackles (''cackles some more)''more'')
