I love cop shows. I love the cadence, the characters, the fact that they always get the bad guy in the end. I like the shows that have a set story arc. It’s comforting to know that I can turn on the TV anywhere in the world, find an "NCIS," "CSI," "Castle," and jump into the story midway through without too much confusion. That’s the long explanation. Maybe the short reasoning is that I watched way too much "Scooby Doo" as a child.
I also love the ocean. Anything Discovery Channel-esque, programs like "Blue Planet" and "Planet Earth," will catch my attention, but shows that can tell me more about the unexplored depths of our seas are a personal favorite. These shows lend a feeling of having traveled without leaving my couch, of having learned something without needing to go to class. They make me feel productive in a strange sort of way, and inspired to go out and discover more.
The minds over at Animal Planet have been kind enough to offer me a show that combines these two loves. A combination of mystery solving, learning, and adventure. I present to you: "River Monsters!!!"
The show is hosted by Jeremy Wade (which, wade--water--river...is that his real name? I think so! And it’s sort of perfect.)
Wade is “a biologist, extreme angler and writer specializing in travel and natural history.” He spent the formative years of his life in the UK, growing up in rural Suffolk and later studying zoology at Bristol University. He began his fishing career on the Suffolk Stour, continued to fish still waters for carp and catfish, and became the youngest member of the British Carp Study Group at age 16. He stopped fishing due to overcrowded lakes and went on to teach biology at a grammar school in Kent.
Wade returned to fishing by traveling to India, inspired by a magazine article about mahseer, a “tiger among fish.” Since then, Wade has faced many a formidable finned creature, including rays, fish, sharks, dolphins. In order to do so he makes expeditions around the world and is known for using fishing to get to know the people of the remote areas he visits, and uncover ways of human life as well as the fish of legends.
On the show, Wade “hunts down the most terrifying and vicious freshwater fish on earth.” He investigates stories told of men savaged by river-dwelling monsters, or disappearing on the water. He does his best to catch the culprit, although his method of fishing is catch-and-release. Besides coming face to face with literal river monsters, along the way, Wade has caught malaria, been arrested for spying, and survived a plane crash.
Despite all these wild adventures, Wade remains a fisherman and a scientist at heart. He shows when he’s nervous, but keeps his calm while floating beside Amazonian river dolphins. The show is honest; if he doesn’t make a catch, they don’t fake it, or cancel the episode. It’s educational. Wade explains his methods and describes the physiology of the different fish he faces, although he’s quite focused and in the moment when he has a “Fish on!” And as this article describes, he appreciates every catch.
Wade investigates based on stories and myths from rural villages around the world, and speaks to the people they affect in order to find the fish responsible. He’s even made an effort to locate the Loch Ness Monster! Now he's taken to exploring the ocean as well! In season 9, Wade has already gotten amazing footage of a fish rarely seen by man.
This show is endlessly entertaining, and never fails to provide adventure and mystery, alongside inspiration to find the patience and calm of a fisherman-detective. I would definitely recommend diving in and giving it a try! You’ll be hooked.
