What about other behaviors: altruism, reproduction, courtship, communication, cleaning/grooming, nesting, etc.? What I want to see is steamy hot barnacle sex! If we need to stick with the predator/prey relationship I want to see a velvet worm squirting sticky slime from their oral tubes! For “diversity” there is always the obligatory shark feeding frenzy or a hawk eating an innocent chick. Of course its the ‘weakest’ or youngest of the ‘herd’. Most often these scene plays out with either a canine or feline chasing after an Artiodactyl. So far the Planet Earth series appears to be 75% predator/prey interactions. To eat and to be eaten…Most nature documentary segments consist of animal A eating animal B.The old formulas were used and unfortunately you already know the formulas. The problem is that the series was essentially more of the same. Why did the BBC series fail to captivate me? In honesty, this is not a BBC specific problem and transcends all nature programs whether National Geographic, Discovery, or Mutual of Omaha (do they still make these?). This morning, I caught PZ’s post and realized that I am not the only disappointed person with Planet Earth. Have I merely become desensitized to the awe of nature? By having a front row seat to extraordinary deep-sea animals and habitats, have I forever ruined myself on nature programs that inspired me in my youth? Is it time to hang up my stocking hat? This morning, I hesitated to write something. At least the cocktail(s) were respectable. Three hours later, I added this to my ongoing list of anticlimactic experiences. Less than a year ago, at the Deep-Sea Biology Symposium, BBC representatives revealed a few of the excerpts from the series-a shark engulfing a sea lion, ispods swarming a food fall, and birds of paradise in stunning displays of mating ritual. The flash website, the advertisement at the top of this very webpage, and Peter Etnoyer managed to bolster my fervor for Planet Earth. Sunday night, cocktail in hand, I prepared myself for an anticipated 3 hours of glorious nature footage.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |