History Recap / TheTwilightZoneS3E80AQualityOfMercy

August 6, 1945. During the final days of World War II, a group of American marines on Corregidor are monitoring a cave in which Japanese soldiers are taking refuge. While spotting for a mortar company, their new commanding officer, Lieutenant Katell (Creator/DeanStockwell), joins them. Almost immediately he wants to assault the cave and flush the soldiers out, even though they could easily be contained and bypassed. After a conversation with his sergeant Causarano (Creator/AlbertSalmi), Katell reaches a compromise; bombardment will continue until dusk, and then the assault will begin. That evening tensions flare as the reluctant veterans point out that the Lieutenant does not care about anything other than killing Japanese in an effort to validate himself. After an argument with Sgt. Causarano, during which Katell states that all Japanese soldiers are to be killed, end of the war or not, he accidentally knocks over his binoculars, which he had been using to monitor the cave.

->'''Creator/RodSerling''': "The quality of mercy is not strained, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It blesseth him that gives and him that takes." [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare]], ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'', but applicable to any moment in time, to any group of soldiery, to any nation on the face of the Earth or, as in this case, to the Twilight Zone.

* BloodKnight: Lt. Katell. He is insistent on attacking and killing the weakened Japanese soldiers. Causarano is convinced that its just because he's desperate to prove himself for self-centered and selfish reasons. After his vision, Katell gets over his tendencies.

* HeelRealization: During his experience in the shoes of a Japanese commander, Lt. Katell is not only astounded to hear his earlier words repeated by the Japanese Captain (see IronicEcho), but also how cold-blooded and ruthless they sound coming from someone else.

* ARealManIsAKiller: {{Deconstructed|Trope}} when Causarano calls out Lt. Katell, telling him that he is afraid of being seen as a wuss rather than a true soldier, and points out that Katell only wants to kill the weakened Japanese in order to prove how much of a man he is. He warns Katell that War isn't all that it's cracked up to be, and no one is impressed with his blood thirst.

August 6, 1945. During the final days of World War II, a group of American marines on Corregidor are monitoring a cave in which Japanese soldiers are taking refuge. While spotting for a mortar company, their new commanding officer, Lieutenant Katell (Creator/DeanStockwell), joins them. Almost immediately he wants to assault the cave and flush the soldiers out, even though they could easily be contained and bypassed. After a conversation with his sergeant Causarano, Katell reaches a compromise; bombardment will continue until dusk, and then the assault will begin. That evening tensions flare as the reluctant veterans point out that the Lieutenant does not care about anything other than killing Japanese in an effort to validate himself. After an argument with Sgt. Causarano, during which Katell states that all Japanese soldiers are to be killed, end of the war or not, he accidentally knocks over his binoculars, which he had been using to monitor the cave.

The scene changes to day, and a Japanese soldier picks up the binoculars, handing them to his commander who dropped them. We then see the commander, who (obviously) is Katell. Not realizing his change, he runs for shelter in the cave. However, upon nearing the cave he is shot at by an American soldier in an outdated uniform. He retreats to his Japanese squad, and upon questioning learns he is on Corregidor on May 4, 1942. His squad, who believe him to be Lt. Yamuri, is unnerved by his confusion and ramblings, which brings him under suspicion from a captain. Katell wises up and plays along, and he learns that the Japanese plan to attack the cave in a frontal assault, even though most of the Americans inside are not fit for combat. Upon stating that they should bypass the cave or just take the Americans prisoner, he is slapped by the captain for cowardice. When he continues to ask why they must attack the cave, the Japanese captain states that the enemy must be killed, giving a speech similar to Katell's rant earlier. The Japanese squad moves out, leaving Katell behind.

* ARealManIsAKiller: Deconstructed when Causarano calls out Lt. Katell, telling him that he is afraid of being seen as a wuss rather than a true soldier, and points out that Katell only wants to kill the weakened Japanese in order to prove how much of a man he is. He warns Katell that War isn't all that it's cracked up to be, and no one is impressed with his blood thirst.

* IronicEcho: "How many must die until you are satisfied?" "Off-hand, I'd say all of them. No matter who they are or where they are, if they are the enemy, we destroy them. First day of the war, last day of the war, we destroy them."

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->'''Creator/RodSerling''': "The quality of mercy is not strained, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It blesseth him that gives and him that takes." [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare]], ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'', but applicable to any moment in time, to any group of soldiery, to any nation on the face of the Earth or, as in this case, to the Twilight Zone.

August 6, 1945. During the final days of World War II, a group of American marines on Corregidor are monitoring a cave in which Japanese soldiers are taking refuge. While spotting for a mortar company, their new commanding officer, Lieutenant Katell (Creator/DeanStockwell), joins them. Almost immediately he wants to assault the cave and flush the soldiers out, even though the could easily be contained and bypassed. After a conversation with his sergeant Causarano, Katell reaches a compromise; bombardment will continue until dusk, and then the assault will begin. That evening tensions flare as the reluctant veterans point out that the Lieutenant does not care about anything other than killing Japanese in an effort to validate himself. After an argument with Sgt. Causarano, during which Katell states that all Japanese soldiers are to be killed, end of the war or not, he accidentally knocks over his binoculars, which he had been using to monitor the cave.

The scene changes to day, and a Japanese soldier picks up the binoculars, handing them to his commander who dropped them. We then see the commander, who [[Series/QuantumLeap obviously]] is Katell. Not realizing his change, he runs for shelter in the cave. However, upon nearing the cave he is shot at by an American soldier in an outdated uniform. He retreats to his Japanese squad, and upon questioning learns he is on Corregidor on May 4, 1942. His squad, who believe him to be Lt. Yamuri, is unnerved by his confusion and ramblings, which brings him under suspicion from a captain. Katell wises up and plays along, and he learns that the Japanese plan to attack the cave in a frontal assault, even though most of the Americans inside are not fit for combat. Upon stating that they should bypass the cave or just take the Americans prisoner, he is slapped by the captain for cowardice. When he continues to ask why they must attack the cave, the Japanese captain states that the enemy must be killed, giving a speech similar to Katell's rant earlier. The Japanese squad moves out, leaving Katell behind.

The scene changes to day, and a Japanese soldier picks up the binoculars, handing them to his commander who dropped them. We then see the commander, who obviously is Katell. Not realizing his change, he runs for shelter in the cave. However, upon nearing the cave he is shot at by an American soldier in an outdated uniform. He retreats to his Japanese squad, and upon questioning learns he is on Corregidor on May 4, 1942. His squad, who believe him to be Lt. Yamuri, is unnerved by his confusion and ramblings, which brings him under suspicion from a captain. Katell wises up and plays along, and he learns that the Japanese plan to attack the cave in a frontal assault, even though most of the Americans inside are not fit for combat. Upon stating that they should bypass the cave or just take the Americans prisoner, he is slapped by the captain for cowardice. When he continues to ask why they must attack the cave, the Japanese captain states that the enemy must be killed, giving a speech similar to Katell's rant earlier. The Japanese squad moves out, leaving Katell behind.

* ReasonYouSuckSpeech: Causarano exchanges this with Katell. On one hand, Katell thinks his soldiers only want to bypass because they're tired. On the other hand, Causarano sees Katell as a green horn trying to prove himself, and has no idea how hellish war is because he hasn't even tasted it yet.

* BloodKnight: Lt. Katell. He is insistent on attacking and killing the weakened Japanese. Causarano is convinced that its just because he's desperate to prove himself for self-centered and selfish reasons. After his vision, Katell gets over his tendencies.

->'''Creator/RodSerling''': "The quality of mercy is not strained, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It blesseth him that gives and him that takes." [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare]], ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'', but applicable to any moment in time, to any group of soldiery, to any nation on the face of the Earth or, as in this case, to the Twilight Zone.

* WarIsHell: The battle-hardened marines have been fighting the Japanese for two years, which has made them war-weary. Andrew J. Watkins tells Katell that they have seen enough dead man to last the rest of their lives and that they aren't going to stand up and cheer at the opportunity to kill more. Causarano later says that the platoon consists of "dirty, tired men who have their craw full of this war."

!!Tropes:

August 6, 1945. During the final days of World War II, a group of American marines on Corregidor are monitoring a cave in which Japanese soldiers are taking refuge. While spotting for a mortar company, their new commanding officer, Lieutenant Katell, joins them. Almost immediately he wants to assault the cave and flush the soldiers out, even though the could easily be contained and bypassed. After a conversation with his sergeant Causarano, Katell reaches a compromise; bombardment will continue until dusk, and then the assault will begin. That evening tensions flare as the reluctant veterans point out that the Lieutenant does not care about anything other than killing Japanese in an effort to validate himself. After an argument with Sgt. Causarano, during which Katell states that all Japanese soldiers are to be killed, end of the war or not, he accidentally knocks over his binoculars, which he had been using to monitor the cave.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: While the date during the Japanese flashback is correct, by August of 1945 the American recapture of Corregidor was long over.

The scene shifts back to the American marines on August 6, 1945, with the lieutenant back to normal. Causarano picks up the broken binoculars, and over the radio command orders them to fall back, as the atomic bomb has just been dropped and they assume this will end the war. The marines celebrate, with Causarano telling Katell that there will be other wars for him to fight. The humbled Katell silently replies that he hopes that there arent't.

* WarIsHell: The battle-hardened marines have been fighting the Japanese for two years, which has made them war-weary. Andrew J. Watkins tells Katell that they have enough dead man to last the rest of their lives and that they aren't going to stand up and cheer at the opportunity to kill more. Causarano later says that the platoon consists of "dirty, tired men who have their craw full of this war."

August 6, 1945. During the final days of World War II, a group of American marines on Corregidor are monitoring a cave which Japanese soldiers are taking refuge in. While spotting for a mortar company, their new commanding officer, a Lieutenant, joins their group. Almost immediately he wants to assault the cave and flush the soldiers out, even though the could easily be contained and bypassed. After a conversation with his sergeant, the new Lieutenant reaches a compromise; bombardment will continue until dusk, and then the assault will begin. That evening tensions flare as the reluctant veterans point out that the Lieutenant does not care about anything other than killing Japanese in an effort to validate himself. After an argument with the sergeant, during which the lieutenant states that all Japanese soldiers are to be killed, end of the war or not, he accidentally knocks over his binoculars, which he had been using to monitor the cave.

The scene changes to day, and a Japanese soldier picks up the binoculars, handing them to his commander who dropped them. We then see the commander, who obviously is the inexperienced American lieutenant from before. Panicking and not realizing his change, he runs for shelter in the cave. However, upon nearing the cave he is shot at by an American soldier in an outdated uniform. He retreats to his Japanese squad, and upon questioning learns he is on Corregidor on May 4, 1942. His squad is unnerved by his confusion and ramblings, which brings him under suspicion from a captain. The lieutenant wises up and plays along, and he learns that the Japanese plan to attack the cave in a frontal assault, even though most of the Americans inside are not fit for combat. Upon stating that they should bypass the cave or just take the Americans prisoner, he is slapped by the captain for cowardice. When he continues to ask why they must attack the cave, the Japanese captain states that the enemy must be killed, giving a speech similar to the lieutenant's rant earlier. The Japanese squad moves out, leaving the lieutenant behind.

The scene again shifts back to the American marines during 1945, with the lieutenant back to normal. The sergeant picks up the broken binoculars, and over the radio command orders them to fall back, as the atomic bomb has just been dropped and they assume this will end the war. The marines celebrate, with the sergeant telling the lieutenant there will be other wars for him to fight. The humbled lieutenant silently replies that will not happen.
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* ChromosomeCasting: Given its military theme, episode has an all-male cast.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: A less cruel example. After his experience, it seems the American lieutenant looked more than willing to call off the attack and opt for a bypass instead, only for the war end anyway.
* HeelRealization: During his experience in the shoes of a Japanese commander, the lieutenant is not only astounded to hear his earlier words repeated by the Japanese Captain (see IronicEcho), but also how cold-blooded and ruthless they sound coming from someone else.

* ReasonYouSuckSpeech: One of the soldiers exchanges this with the lieutenant. On one hand, the lieutenant thinks his soldiers only want to bypass because they're tired. On the other hand, the soldier sees the lieutenant as a green horn trying to prove himself, and has no idea how hellish war is because he hasn't even tasted it yet.
* TookALevelInKindness: The lieutenant.
* WarIsHell: Strongly implied. One of the soldiers makes a comment that the reason the lieutenant is so eager to engage is because he hasn't even tasted why it's such an awful experience.

The scene changes to day, and a Japanese soldier picks up the binoculars, handing them to his commander who dropped them. We then see the commander, who obviously is the inexperienced American lieutenant from before. Panicking and not realizing his change, he runs for shelter in the cave. However, upon nearing the cave he is shot at by an American soldier in an outdated uniform. He retreats to his Japanese squad, and upon questioning learns he is on Corregidor during May 1942. His squad is unnerved by his confusion and ramblings, which brings him under suspicion from a captain. The lieutenant wises up and plays along, and he learns that the Japanese plan to attack the cave in a frontal assault, even though most of the Americans inside are not fit for combat. Upon stating that they should bypass the cave or just take the Americans prisoner, he is slapped by the captain for cowardice. When he continues to ask why they must attack the cave, the Japanese captain states that the enemy must be killed, giving a speech similar to the lieutenant's rant earlier. The Japanese squad moves out, leaving the lieutenant behind.

* TheNeidermeyer: The American lieutenant, who is completely willing to sacrifice his troops so he can have some glory, at least until his experience.

* IronicEcho: "How many must die until you are satisfied?" "Off-hand, I'd say all of them. No matter who they are or where they are, if they're the enemy, they get it. First day of the war or last day of the war, they get it."

* HeelRealization: During his experience in the shoes of a Japanese commander, the lieutenant is not only astounded to hear his earlier

* AnAesop: Even though war may change people for the worse, human compassion should never be forgone.

* TheNeidermeyer: The American lieutenant, who is completely willing to sacrifice his troops so he can have some glory, at least until his experience.

ArtisticLicenseHistory: While the date during the Japanese flashback is correct, by August of 1945 the American recapture of Corregidor was long over.

TheNeidermeyer: The American lieutenant, who is completely willing to sacrifice his troops so he can have some glory, at least until his experience.

GeneralRipper: The Japanese captain and the American lieutenant, at least before his experience.

During the final days of World War II, a group of American marines on Corregidor are monitoring a cave which Japanese soldiers are taking refuge in. While spotting for a mortar company, their new commanding officer, a Lieutenant, joins their group. Almost immediately he wants to assault the cave and flush the soldiers out, even though the could easily be contained and bypassed. After a conversation with his sergeant, the new Lieutenant reaches a compromise; bombardment will continue until dusk, and then the assault will begin. That evening tensions flare as the reluctant veterans point out that the Lieutenant does not care about anything other than killing Japanese in an effort to validate himself. After an argument with the sergeant, during which the lieutenant states that all Japanese soldiers are to be killed, end of the war or not, he accidentally knocks over his binoculars, which he had been using to monitor the cave.

ArtisitcLicense-History: While the time of the Japanese offense is accurate, by August 6, 1945, the American offense on Corregidor was long over.

GeneralRipper: The Japanese captain and the American Lieutenant, at least before his experience.