Post by CougarBob on Aug 9, 2008 12:21:25 GMT -11
Now would appear to be a good time to discuss the cast changes, since the cases in this episode are fairly standard and don’t require a great deal of in-depth discussion. As most fans of the franchise now know, Brian and Donna have left GHI. Donna’s reasons were covered on the show: her struggle with Crohn’s Disease forced her stateside, and she has elected not to tempt fate by returning (at least, as far as we know). She still remains an active advocate for the series and team, however, based on her appearances at the San Diego Comic-Con and TAPS-Con in July.
Brian’s situation is less straightforward. According to most accounts, Brian chose to leave the show to spend more time with his family. If that is the case, then it’s understandable. Still, it’s hard to imagine why the producers and the team would fail to mention Brian’s decision. Brian was (for better or worse) one of the early selling points for the series, so it seems odd that his departure would take place off-screen. The unfortunate truth is that this tactic has only fed the rumors of another personal meltdown for Brian, suggested by the public dustup between Brian and Grant a couple months ago.
Thus far, GHI has adjusted by bringing in Brandy Green as case manager. In another odd move, the show has never bothered to present Brandy’s qualifications. This has led to some highly unnecessary rumors, but some information is available. Brandy hails from Minnesota (fairly evident from the accent) and works with various groups in that area. It’s hard to know how long she’s been in the field or how much experience she might have, but she seems to be doing well enough so far. I intend to give her the benefit of the doubt.
In Brian’s absence, Barry has been given the tech manager responsibilities. You can practically see him salivate at the opportunity to play with the equipment to his heart’s desire. Whatever issues I might have with his preconceptions (and they were rampant in this episode), he seems to understand the notion of running several instruments in an active area in the hopes of gaining better “evidence”.
That said, I still quibble with the methodology. I have absolutely no issue with the practice of logging positive ion counts or EM field strength or anything else during an investigation, especially one that appears to be active. But the data should come before the “theory”, especially one that has no basis in science. It would have been a lot more palatable, at least in my book, if the positive ion readings came first and the correlation with activity came after the fact.
Case #1: Nottingham Road Hotel
It’s great that they had the entire hotel to themselves. It’s not so great that they could hear the party next door. That would effectively introduce doubt into any background-level voices that were recorded. Thankfully, at least two of the recorded EVPs were above the background noise, which makes it easier to hear and interpret.
The team does drop the ball in one respect, however. At the reveal, Andy and Rob mention that Barry set up the equipment in the storage area before the EVP and apparent activity was recorded. That’s not what the actual footage depicts, however: in that case, the EVP would have come during the initial conversations between Barry and Brandy, after which the equipment was brought in. So it’s hard to be sure where the disconnect originates. Was the footage edited out of order, did Barry or Brandy describe the circumstances incorrectly, or did Andy and Rob get the facts backwards?
Beyond that, while I understand that they took the “evidence” at face value, I still don’t know that it was enough to call the location “haunted”. Just as I wonder how a whisper can be definitely given a gender.
Case #2: Cape Town Castle
I thought this investigation was a bit less impressive than the first. There was very little to work with, and beyond the moment when Barry’s recorder was tapped, I didn’t see or hear anything unexpected (and even that was a stretch). The whining noise sounded exactly like feedback, which could have been attributed partly to the room’s acoustics. I think the team got a bit too excited by what little they found, but at least they didn’t try to claim the site was haunted.
John Keegan
Reprinted with permission
Original source: c. Critical Myth, 2008
All rights reserved
Link: www.criticalmyth.com
Brian’s situation is less straightforward. According to most accounts, Brian chose to leave the show to spend more time with his family. If that is the case, then it’s understandable. Still, it’s hard to imagine why the producers and the team would fail to mention Brian’s decision. Brian was (for better or worse) one of the early selling points for the series, so it seems odd that his departure would take place off-screen. The unfortunate truth is that this tactic has only fed the rumors of another personal meltdown for Brian, suggested by the public dustup between Brian and Grant a couple months ago.
Thus far, GHI has adjusted by bringing in Brandy Green as case manager. In another odd move, the show has never bothered to present Brandy’s qualifications. This has led to some highly unnecessary rumors, but some information is available. Brandy hails from Minnesota (fairly evident from the accent) and works with various groups in that area. It’s hard to know how long she’s been in the field or how much experience she might have, but she seems to be doing well enough so far. I intend to give her the benefit of the doubt.
In Brian’s absence, Barry has been given the tech manager responsibilities. You can practically see him salivate at the opportunity to play with the equipment to his heart’s desire. Whatever issues I might have with his preconceptions (and they were rampant in this episode), he seems to understand the notion of running several instruments in an active area in the hopes of gaining better “evidence”.
That said, I still quibble with the methodology. I have absolutely no issue with the practice of logging positive ion counts or EM field strength or anything else during an investigation, especially one that appears to be active. But the data should come before the “theory”, especially one that has no basis in science. It would have been a lot more palatable, at least in my book, if the positive ion readings came first and the correlation with activity came after the fact.
Case #1: Nottingham Road Hotel
It’s great that they had the entire hotel to themselves. It’s not so great that they could hear the party next door. That would effectively introduce doubt into any background-level voices that were recorded. Thankfully, at least two of the recorded EVPs were above the background noise, which makes it easier to hear and interpret.
The team does drop the ball in one respect, however. At the reveal, Andy and Rob mention that Barry set up the equipment in the storage area before the EVP and apparent activity was recorded. That’s not what the actual footage depicts, however: in that case, the EVP would have come during the initial conversations between Barry and Brandy, after which the equipment was brought in. So it’s hard to be sure where the disconnect originates. Was the footage edited out of order, did Barry or Brandy describe the circumstances incorrectly, or did Andy and Rob get the facts backwards?
Beyond that, while I understand that they took the “evidence” at face value, I still don’t know that it was enough to call the location “haunted”. Just as I wonder how a whisper can be definitely given a gender.
Case #2: Cape Town Castle
I thought this investigation was a bit less impressive than the first. There was very little to work with, and beyond the moment when Barry’s recorder was tapped, I didn’t see or hear anything unexpected (and even that was a stretch). The whining noise sounded exactly like feedback, which could have been attributed partly to the room’s acoustics. I think the team got a bit too excited by what little they found, but at least they didn’t try to claim the site was haunted.
John Keegan
Reprinted with permission
Original source: c. Critical Myth, 2008
All rights reserved
Link: www.criticalmyth.com