The Silent Service

"The Silent Service" (2023) emerges as a bold critique of global power dynamics, cleverly subverting audience expectations by transforming its narrative from a straightforward military drama into a powerful commentary on international relations and justice.

The series' most daring move is its gradual revelation that the United States takes on the role of Ahab - not in pursuit of justice, but consumed by the need to maintain dominance. Unlike Melville's tale, here the hunter becomes the true monster, with the pursuit of the Kaieda serving as a mirror reflecting the darker aspects of superpower politics.

What sets "The Silent Service" apart is its unflinching examination of how military might shapes international justice. The series bravely portrays how a superpower can act as a global bully, where:

• Military superiority is confused with moral authority
• International law becomes flexible for the powerful
• Smaller nations must navigate carefully around superpower interests
• "Justice" often means whatever serves the strongest party

The submarine warfare elements serve a deeper purpose than mere military thrills. Each tactical maneuver and strategic decision becomes a metaphor for how nations must navigate the treacherous waters of international politics, where the strong make the rules and the rest must show extraordinary skill and courage to maintain their autonomy.

The series explores several provocative ideas:

• How military supremacy can corrupt notions of justice
• The thin line between maintaining order and enforcing hegemony
• The courage required to stand against overwhelming force
• The moral complexity of defying superpower authority

The underwater setting becomes particularly poignant - in the depths, where sunlight barely reaches, traditional notions of right and wrong become as murky as the waters themselves. The pressure of depth mirrors the pressure of standing against a global superpower.

"The Silent Service" demonstrates remarkable courage in challenging prevalent narratives about global power dynamics. While other military dramas might glorify superpower dominance, this series dares to question the relationship between might and right, making it not just entertainment but a vital commentary on contemporary international relations.

Wrong USN/JMSDF uniforms, wrong shirts, wrong insignia, wrong hair length, wrong rank structure, far too many women in positions of power, disrespectful JMSDF enlisted personnel, wrong submarine, wrong plot, wrong writing, wrong physics, wrong drydock, wrong, wrong.

There are fine Japanese and American actors - fine producers - fine set builders and costume professionals - why were none of them hired for this disaster? Where was the technical advisor - wait - there is no way there was a technical advisor.

How is this production of wrong even possible.

Never allow any of these people to work in entertainment - ever again!

Those who have criticised this drama clearly missed the point.

This is an intelligent and thoughtful drama which addresses the current balance of power in the world. That the American projection of influence is not necessarily in the interest of its allies, especially Japan, and including perhaps South Korea and Taiwan.

I found it refreshing to have an alternative view, and would encourage those fans of American military might to consider how others view this.

I was totally involved in the arguments and the standard of acting, especially from the Japanese characters was excellent. It does suffer a little in that the American characters are a little two dimensional.

It is a slow burn, but well worth the watch!

It is interesting as it pits the US against Japan. Japanese Captain Kaieda is brilliant in navigation and tactics and has managed to steal a top secret US-Japanese nuclear submarine, the Sea Bat, and has declared he is the leader of the independent nation of Yamato. That raises concerns for Japan, and also irritates the Americans. The 7th Fleet is mobilized to track down the submarine. A Japanese Captain, Kukamachi is sent to intercept the Sea Bat in a diesel powered submarine. It becomes an interesting game of cat and mouse, and Kaieda uses some very interesting tactics. Episode 5 is perhaps the most important and also shows the flaws in the series. The US considers Kaieda a terrorist, and naturally America never negotiates with a terrorist. So the Sea Bat is to be hunted down and destroyed, which is not what Japan wants to happen, and this results in a rift, and also Presidential testosterone is on display, and the US comes across as a bully. As part of the effort to track down and destroy the Sea Bat, the 3rd fleet also joins forces and the Sea Bat easily sinks one of the US nuclear carriers. The CGI isn't terrible, but they have both US carriers identical, down to the arrangement of aircraft on the decks. That seems sloppy. Also, as they follow ships and submarines by sonar, the sonar scope shows identifications of the ships like would be seen on air control radar at an airport. That seems unlikely. It seems to be set up for another season.

While a lot of reviews mention accuracy of props and cgi showing ships looking the same, you need to remember that this is a drama and a great 'what-if' scenario.

What's gripping is how a single submariner is attempting to make an upset in global power.

You will wonder if this is a mad attempt or an objective to meet a particular outcome.

The strategy is always one step ahead played with some great finesse.

It's a drama, so it's going to be slow but not boring.

Unlike most of the other so called good junk out there where they dive into each persons character and history just to drag out the 40 mins, this just touches lightly and is relevant to the situation.

There was no overacting and extra melodrama, or overtalked gender issues or communal suppression etc which was a relief!

Many serials I've used the forward button to skip this and finally it's 10 mins.

However this didn't let hit the forward button, which speaks for itself.

If you read novels or books then watch this.

Great plot not predictable you will keep wondering what's the next move and how will he succeed in his final objective.