Before reading this, you might want to read the 10/19/2014 article about this series in the "Alaska Dispatch News". (Google "reality TV cameras set McCarthy on edge".) This article pretty much confirms that producers have a significant influence on the tone of and events in "reality" series.
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About a year ago, "Discovery" aired a few episodes of "Clash of the Ozarks". It involved a long-term feud between two families, the Evans and the Russells. Kerry Wayne Evans has gotten rich, and is determined to drag the community out of its backwards ways, even if it means he gets even wealthier doing it. (Yes, you read that right.) The Russells and most other people would prefer the community remain living at a close-to-poverty level. ("Discovery" repeated the first two episodes last night. You can read my review for more info.)
"Edge of Alaska" is thematically identical. McCarthy is the impoverished town that remained after Kennicott Copper stopped mining. (The Kennicott plant is the world's largest human-created abandoned structure.) Most of McCarthy's residents live there precisely because it's primitive and "off the grid".
The principal antagonists are Neil Darish and Jeremy Keller. Darish owns a general store and saloon, and wants to turn McCarthy into a year-round tourist trap -- which, of course, will richly feather his nest. To that end, he's electrifying the town to support an infrastructure that can handle the tourist trade. * It's his legal right to do this, but he doesn't give a damn how anyone else feels.
Keller -- a handsome, educated, articulate man -- lives with his wife and children in a place where he can avoid "civilization". Darish is a threat, and Keller has already taken action by undoing Darish's work (filling the ditches he dug, then destroying the traffic light Darish put up). Unfortunately, the rest of McCarthy isn't quite as upset as Keller is.
The potential for physical conflict is great (as it is in "Ozarks"), and one wonders how "Discovery" might attempt to manipulate the situation. I keep watching because I want to see Darish ridden out of town on a rail -- tarred and feathered, if possible. If that's not possible, I'll settle for an act of arson directed at his generator.
There's a "Gunsmoke" episode, "The Ditch" (8.07), that parallels this situation. Though the landowner has the legal right to do as she pleases, she eventually decides that she has a broader responsibility than merely gratifying her own desires.
ADDENDUM: The end of the second season saw Darish winning (as those with money usually do). One wonders whether, had Discovery not been present, Keller (et al.) would have dragged Darish off to a secluded spot and beaten him to within an inch of his life.
The question of how much Discovery has influenced the situation remains.
* McCarthy already has tourists, but only during warm weather.
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About a year ago, "Discovery" aired a few episodes of "Clash of the Ozarks". It involved a long-term feud between two families, the Evans and the Russells. Kerry Wayne Evans has gotten rich, and is determined to drag the community out of its backwards ways, even if it means he gets even wealthier doing it. (Yes, you read that right.) The Russells and most other people would prefer the community remain living at a close-to-poverty level. ("Discovery" repeated the first two episodes last night. You can read my review for more info.)
"Edge of Alaska" is thematically identical. McCarthy is the impoverished town that remained after Kennicott Copper stopped mining. (The Kennicott plant is the world's largest human-created abandoned structure.) Most of McCarthy's residents live there precisely because it's primitive and "off the grid".
The principal antagonists are Neil Darish and Jeremy Keller. Darish owns a general store and saloon, and wants to turn McCarthy into a year-round tourist trap -- which, of course, will richly feather his nest. To that end, he's electrifying the town to support an infrastructure that can handle the tourist trade. * It's his legal right to do this, but he doesn't give a damn how anyone else feels.
Keller -- a handsome, educated, articulate man -- lives with his wife and children in a place where he can avoid "civilization". Darish is a threat, and Keller has already taken action by undoing Darish's work (filling the ditches he dug, then destroying the traffic light Darish put up). Unfortunately, the rest of McCarthy isn't quite as upset as Keller is.
The potential for physical conflict is great (as it is in "Ozarks"), and one wonders how "Discovery" might attempt to manipulate the situation. I keep watching because I want to see Darish ridden out of town on a rail -- tarred and feathered, if possible. If that's not possible, I'll settle for an act of arson directed at his generator.
There's a "Gunsmoke" episode, "The Ditch" (8.07), that parallels this situation. Though the landowner has the legal right to do as she pleases, she eventually decides that she has a broader responsibility than merely gratifying her own desires.
ADDENDUM: The end of the second season saw Darish winning (as those with money usually do). One wonders whether, had Discovery not been present, Keller (et al.) would have dragged Darish off to a secluded spot and beaten him to within an inch of his life.
The question of how much Discovery has influenced the situation remains.
* McCarthy already has tourists, but only during warm weather.
