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“Boots,” a TV series streaming on Netflix, created by Andy Parker, follows a young Cameron Cope in the ‘90s. Cope, alongside his best friend, Ray McAffey, enlists in the Marine Corps. Throughout “Boots,” you watch Cope and his comrades fight within themselves to achieve what they felt was the greatest honor: becoming a Marine.
In episode one, it is revealed that Cope is gay, and although he kept his sexual orientation a secret, he still endured bullying most of his life. The only person Cope entrusted with this information was his only friend, McAffey. Because of this bond, when McAffey requested that both of them ship themselves off to Parris Island and join the Marines, Cope, eager to make a change in his life, agreed.
One of the largest issues in this series is the law that made it illegal to be gay in the military. Viewers watch as one of the strongest Marines, Sgt. Sullivan is undermined just because of his sexual orientation.
The show showcases a variety of men, some with fire in their eyes and others meek and sheltered to the life they are being exposed to, who share a common goal of becoming Marines. While most originally had no interest in calling the men around them brothers, their mentality slowly changes as they realize they are all in this fight together.
These young men voluntarily go through a 13-week boot camp designed to bring out the Marine in them. They’re subject to physical and mental exercises, morphing them into what the U.S. Marine Corps sees as a dutiful man. However, not all of them make it out. Some wash out by failing specific tasks, and some push themselves so hard they never make it out of Parris Island.
Man after man gets ripped apart by what the Marine Corps calls training. The deepest insecurities of these men bubble up to the surface, and even the strongest of them crack. Each individual in Cope’s platoon, Platoon 2032, has a story of their own, yet they are all striving for the same outcome.
In the end, as the men of Platoon 2032 finish their training, they put their differences aside and join their brothers in a final “oorah,” solidifying their feat.
I can’t say I have ever watched a military show or movie quite as intriguing as “Boots.” Its underlying theme kept it interesting and had me wishing I knew more about what was going on inside the minds of all the recruits. Its historical background keeps it familiar, but the overall message is something a civilian couldn’t have quite understood unless they were there. The series left off on a cliffhanger, and I find myself hungry for the second season.
Edited by Mikalah Owens | [email protected]
Copy edited by Alana Sheba and Emma Harper | [email protected]
Edited by Chase Pray | [email protected]