All episodes Season 1 S01E05 2008-08-10 60 min 2000s HBO

Generation Kill

A Burning Dog

TV Flash files “A Burning Dog” as hour 5 of 7 in the TV Flash guide — Generation Kill (2008) on HBO, season 1, episode 5, aired 2008-08-10, 60 min.

From the desk

How this hour is filed

This leaf is S01E05: listed hour 5 of 7 in the Generation Kill guide, hour 5 of 7 in season 1. It aired 2008-08-10 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Combat Jack” (S01E04). Next is “Stay Frosty” (S01E06).

Generation Kill — A Burning Dog (S01E05)

Catalog log

Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.

As they scope a tiny hamlet, the men of Bravo are frustrated by the capricious nature of the war, and Colbert struggles to defend the actions of the higher-ups. First Recon finally gets a chance to use its skills and exploit some intelligence from Iraqi locals about an ambush at a bridge ahead. For once, First Recon isn't tasked with heading straight into the ambush, but instead they rest and watch as better-armed LAVs assault the bridge. With the ambush believed to be quelled, Colbert's team is ordered to lead Bravo across the bridge. They quickly discover that the enemy combatants still have some fight in them, but led by Colbert, they manage to escape almost unscathed. After regrouping, Bravo is ordered to cross the bridge again - this time with Bravo 3 in the lead - and again hits a snag. The following morning, First Recon examines the bodies of the men they fought the night before and discover their enemy is not who they imagined. Bravo continues north to Al Muwaffaqiyah, where they are tasked with another mission: Set up another roadblock and destroy the Republican Guard outpost, which happens to be the town's only school. Despite Colbert's exhortations to the men to hold their fire unless it's absolutely necessary, Bravo has an incident at the roadblock. As they again head north, the inexactitude of the war weighs heavily on the men.

Viewer FAQ

Where does A Burning Dog sit in the Generation Kill guide?

S01E05 is listed hour 5 of 7 — hour 5 of 7 in season 1, season 1 episode 5.

When did Generation Kill S01E05 air?

A Burning Dog aired 2008-08-10 and is listed at 60 minutes.

How long is Generation Kill?

Seven episodes, 2008, one limited series. No open-ended war procedural — a recon unit into the 2003 invasion, then it stops.

In the series

Why this series still plays

The Wire's David Simon and Ed Burns follow a Marine recon unit into the 2003 Iraq invasion and skip the poster. Generation Kill is seven episodes of bad intel, black humor, and operational farce in the dust — banter as a survival skill, heroics refused on principle.

Generation Kill does not open like a war poster. It opens like a briefing that already failed. David Simon and Ed Burns — the team behind The Wire — follow a Marine recon unit into the 2003 Iraq invasion for seven critically acclaimed HBO hours in 2008, based on Evan Wright's embedded reporting. Alexander Skarsgård as Brad "Iceman" Colbert, James Ransone's Ray Person, Lee Tergesen as Wright, Stark Sands, Billy Lush, Jon Huertas. Bad intel. Black humor. Operational farce in the same dust cloud. Banter as a…

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Also in season 1

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