August 1, 2019
Welcome back from my unintentional summer break! Despite the absence, or maybe because of it, this is a bit shorter of an issue. But still a good one, I hope!
SOMETHING NEW
SOMETHING NEW
Extremities is a new show that recently completed its first season, which highlighted the tiny nation of the Pitcairn Islands. This is a travel documentary series with a niche - studying remote places on this planet where human life persists. The opening of the first episode careens through the unbelievably long itinerary required to travel from the United Kingdom to the tiny British territory in the South Pacific. The intro is somewhat inexplicably riveting (or maybe it’s just me?), and it perfectly sets the stage for the journey ahead.
The narration deserves a lot of credit for the show’s hypnotic appeal. Somehow host Sam Denby has approached that line of dry recitation and nestled into a comfortable hum that perfectly accompanies the already intriguing fertile storytelling ground provided by the island’s history. Denby is apparently best known for his YouTube channel Wendover Productions, which trafficks in educational content about various aspects of transit, economics and politics that inform the modern world. I was not familiar with him previously, and was shocked to learn that he is only 22! The voice doesn’t sound super old, but it has the resonate equilibrium of a wise person who’s seen (or at least read) his fair share.
The show marches ably along with it’s first few entries, covering the original settlers, the miniscule tourism sector, and the general ins and outs of how the island operates. My favorite episode is “How Pitcairn Works”, as I’m a sucker for seeing how the mundane manifests in novel locales. Given the wheelhouse of Wendover Productions, I guess that makes sense. The natural romantic charm of envisioning a functioning society amidst solitude slowly began capturing my imagination, and then BOOM. Out of nowhere episode 5 takes a dark turn that I definitely didn't see coming. I debated whether to spoil anything here and ultimately opted not to do so; there is rich fodder for discussion in episodes 5 and 6, but do yourself a favor and allow the first two thirds of the series to build a foundation before it all comes crumbling down.
Throughout the series, Extremities does a great job of relegating the PR aspects inherent to such a show. It is devoid of agenda when it comes to promoting Pitcairn tourism. That isn’t to say the show lacks potential to inspire new visitors - it is simply careful to reiterate that Pitcairn is NOT an easy trip to make even for experienced travelers. With that stipulated, another compelling bit of the podcast is an overview of a tourist’s experience coming to the island. The thrill of adventurous travel conveys, alongside the pedestrian worries that surround any trip reliant upon connecting between disparate time tables from a third party.
This sort of explainer podcast would be incredibly interesting and also impossible for larger communities. Can you imagine a similar treatment given to New York City? The 13 colonies? Some midwestern metropolis from its Frontier origins to the present day? It would be hard to know where to start, and to keep the episodes zoomed out far enough while also getting in enough detail to make it compelling. The size of the locality in season one empowers the host to go deep on the events that shaped a community within the bounds of a six episode arc, and those kinds of confines can be comforting to an audience. The parting thought that rounds out the series is that places are constantly changing and hard to pin down with any degree of precision. With that bit of humbling insight, Extremities puts a translucent button on a well-crafted series. We don’t know what will happen to this series of small volcanic islands, but I’d be more than willing to tune in if Denby et al are jonesing to provide an update.
The narration deserves a lot of credit for the show’s hypnotic appeal. Somehow host Sam Denby has approached that line of dry recitation and nestled into a comfortable hum that perfectly accompanies the already intriguing fertile storytelling ground provided by the island’s history. Denby is apparently best known for his YouTube channel Wendover Productions, which trafficks in educational content about various aspects of transit, economics and politics that inform the modern world. I was not familiar with him previously, and was shocked to learn that he is only 22! The voice doesn’t sound super old, but it has the resonate equilibrium of a wise person who’s seen (or at least read) his fair share.
The show marches ably along with it’s first few entries, covering the original settlers, the miniscule tourism sector, and the general ins and outs of how the island operates. My favorite episode is “How Pitcairn Works”, as I’m a sucker for seeing how the mundane manifests in novel locales. Given the wheelhouse of Wendover Productions, I guess that makes sense. The natural romantic charm of envisioning a functioning society amidst solitude slowly began capturing my imagination, and then BOOM. Out of nowhere episode 5 takes a dark turn that I definitely didn't see coming. I debated whether to spoil anything here and ultimately opted not to do so; there is rich fodder for discussion in episodes 5 and 6, but do yourself a favor and allow the first two thirds of the series to build a foundation before it all comes crumbling down.
Throughout the series, Extremities does a great job of relegating the PR aspects inherent to such a show. It is devoid of agenda when it comes to promoting Pitcairn tourism. That isn’t to say the show lacks potential to inspire new visitors - it is simply careful to reiterate that Pitcairn is NOT an easy trip to make even for experienced travelers. With that stipulated, another compelling bit of the podcast is an overview of a tourist’s experience coming to the island. The thrill of adventurous travel conveys, alongside the pedestrian worries that surround any trip reliant upon connecting between disparate time tables from a third party.
This sort of explainer podcast would be incredibly interesting and also impossible for larger communities. Can you imagine a similar treatment given to New York City? The 13 colonies? Some midwestern metropolis from its Frontier origins to the present day? It would be hard to know where to start, and to keep the episodes zoomed out far enough while also getting in enough detail to make it compelling. The size of the locality in season one empowers the host to go deep on the events that shaped a community within the bounds of a six episode arc, and those kinds of confines can be comforting to an audience. The parting thought that rounds out the series is that places are constantly changing and hard to pin down with any degree of precision. With that bit of humbling insight, Extremities puts a translucent button on a well-crafted series. We don’t know what will happen to this series of small volcanic islands, but I’d be more than willing to tune in if Denby et al are jonesing to provide an update.
From: Wendover Productions
Recommended for: The voyeuristic traveler and/or exotic anglophile
Drop Schedule: Seasonal:Weekly (All episodes now available)
Average episode length: 25 minutes
Rating: Gotta Have It
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