It is incredibly hard to retell amazing comeback stories. It is even harder to do so with so much accuracy and stay so true to a beloved fan base. “The Comeback” tells the story of how the 2004 Boston Red Sox “broke the curse” and won their first World Series in 86 years. As someone who wasn’t even alive during the original magical comeback season, watching this retelling made me feel like I was right there in the stadium watching Johnny Damon hit a series (and career-defining) grand slam in game seven of the American League Championship Series (ALCS).
The three-part series features interviews with nearly every member of the famed team including Pedro Martinez, Kevin Millar and assistant general manager Theo Epstein. We even hear interview footage from Tim Wakefield, which tugs at the heartstrings of fans of the late beloved pitcher. The series also includes many behind-the-scenes glimpses into the clubhouse and what the public never saw. “The Comeback” brings the viewers behind the scenes of some of the most pivotal moments of the 2003 and 2004 seasons, such as the controversial trade of Nomar Garciaparra, the pursuit of Alex Rodriguez, known as A-Rod, and the infamous Curt Schilling bloody sock situation.
Another huge factor seen in the series is the impact of the media on the players and their relationships with the game and each other. We see how media outlets were able to twist stories and reveal information they weren’t supposed to have access to.
Episode one details the archives of tragedies that led up to the 2004 MLB season. We see hopefulness and heartbreak in the Red Sox nation and, on the flip side, the elation and winning happening in New York with the Yankees. What is frequently referred to as the “biggest rivalry in baseball,” the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox faced off frequently and the Sox often fell short. The despair in Boston matched no other until the fall of 2004.
Episode two picks up at the beginning of the 2004 season. Trades were made, bargains were struck and players worked the hardest they ever had before. They are determined to finally win a championship this year. Even 20 years later in the interviews for this series, it is still incredibly obvious how passionate they were about the team and “breaking the curse.” Episode two concludes with one of the most famous fights in MLB history. No bar in Boston is complete without a framed picture of Jason Varitek’s glove in A-Rod’s face. This bench-clearing brawl is widely seen as the turning point in the season for the Sox.
The final episode is where the dream finally comes true. I would provide a spoiler warning, but we should all know how the season ends considering it was 20 years ago. The curse was finally broken. After 86 years of heartbreak, their hard work finally paid off in a 4-0 series sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.
In the end, there is nothing in “The Comeback” we didn’t already know. The series ends just how we know it did and there is no new information on players that changes anything major. I recommend giving it a watch if you’re a Sox fan or just a baseball fan in general. I bet even a Yankees fan could find something to like about this series, even if they have to watch their team lose.