I can’t
wait to see the criticisms for this episode. Two cases, and the sum
total of “evidence” is a sketchy EVP that could really be
anything. There will be, no doubt, a ton of comments about how
boring it all was. And there will also be comments about how this
was a calculated effort to gain the trust of the audience, as they
once again claim to be skeptics (when they clearly are not).
I, for one,
was not bored. These are the episodes I like above all. I can see
why an episode that has no “evidence” and a lot of
standing/sitting around asking for signs and portents would be
tedious, but I love it when they are actively debunking and testing
the environment for alternative solutions. I don’t care if it’s
meant as psychological contrast. When they do things right, I think
they deserve credit for it.
It’s
really that simple. In my opinion, this is the kind of episode that
should be the norm, not the exception. I prefer the analytical
approach, even if it’s not as entertaining as the histrionics of
the “Ghost Adventures” crew. (That live event was exhausting,
and I’m just talking about the current barrage of Zak’s
over-enthusiasm.) I think a lot of the points brought up in the
debunking were instructive. Maybe the team was on their best
behavior because they had a serious, skeptical guest, but I really
don’t care. This was the first episode in a long time where I was
left satisfied.
Case #1:
Buffalo Bill Museum, CO
Quite a few
people came out after the promo for this episode with stories of
their experiences at this museum. Or rather, their lack of
paranormal experiences. The general consensus was that the site is
not haunted in the slightest. Had TAPS found a ton of “evidence”,
I think it would have raised some doubts, and not in a good way.
But as I
said, this is a good example of when TAPS gets it right. No FLIR
nonsense, no K-II nonsense, just tracking down sources of anomalies.
Of course, those big honking towers were pretty hard to miss. High
EMF may not explain everything that happens in the location, but it
does cover quite a bit.
I’ve read
some articles where it’s pointed out that Steve and Tango are
showing a bit more of the investigative skills than they have in the
past, now that their own show is coming on the air. I think that’s
a fair point, but again, I don’t care so much about the whys and
wherefores when they are trying harder in the right ways. Tracking
down the “footsteps”, instead of assuming the source, was
instructive.
That said, I
think Tango’s little speech about how he’s happy to pass on all
the great knowledge and training that TAPS has given him over the
years was a little over the top. First of all, I have my doubts
about the level of training in the TAPS organization, especially
these days. Second, this is a blatant shout-out to the fact that
Steve and Tango will be “training” new investigators on their own
show. And third, a lot of what Steve and Tango do falls well outside
the boundaries of “common sense”.
But even
that gave me more of a chuckle than anything else. Kudos to the team
for dismissing the “EVP”, which could have been almost anything,
and acknowledging that the EMF was going to affect their equipment
and perceptions and make any “evidence” pretty much invalid.
Case 2:
Oakland Hall, GA
In keeping
with the usual pattern, there was even less happening during this
case than the first, and the energy level of the team was in keeping
with the lack of activity. I thought they seemed pretty bored for
most of the investigation. Frankly, paranormal investigation is not
the most exciting hobby in the world, and it’s hard to drink enough
caffeine to simulate Zak’s energy level on a regular basis.
I like the
idea of bringing in an electrician. It would have been easy to claim
that the plug was pulled out of the wall by unseen forces, but a lot
of older buildings have very loose sockets. I’ve been in houses
where the plug simply won’t stay in the socket at all, because they
are too loose. It’s the sort of thing I would expect a homeowner
to realize after a little bit of time, but there we are.
The alleged
EVP was interesting, but it was also impossible to make out, and the
various suggestions given didn’t seem to match the sound very well.
They did the right thing by not forcing an interpretation and
leaving it as it was.
I’ve been
a fan since the beginning, and I remember a time when episodes like
this were the norm. While I think this season has been a lot more
sedate than the previous two, and that this is a direct response to
the criticisms of the 2008 Halloween debacle, they would still be
better served going back to the original feel of those first couple
seasons.