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Ghost Hunters 5.6: "Titanic Terror" |
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Friday, 17 April 2009 |
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By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.
| A lot of people mentioned that this was one of the best episodes of the season thus far, and I must agree. I may not agree with all the their conclusions this week, or even all of their methods, but I do think they were a bit more invested than they've appeared in quite some time.
An interesting topic of discussion came up regarding the possibility of "haunted items". Is it really possible for specific items to be haunted? To some, it sounds unreasonable and even silly. I'm not sure there's much of a difference between a haunted house and a haunted pair of socks. Considering there's no strict definition for what a haunting is, other than a collection of reports and "evidence" of unusual activity, there's no way to know what the phenomena might be connected to or associated with. It could be anything or nothing.
The one thing that makes paranormal investigation so difficult is that we're hard-wired to invent "theories" when things don't quite add up. We try to close the gaps by taking what we know and building scenarios around it. We seek patterns, but we often lack the patience to delve deeply enough to get the fine details. This is why we regularly hear news reports linking anything and everything to some disease or anti-social behavior, and people believe it, no matter how illogical it might be. In the face of the disturbing unknown, we seek the comforts of patterns.
Some will say that's the explanation for claims of the paranormal in general, but I believe it's more complicated than that. I believe something is happening. I just don't think the usual metaphysical explanations are particularly satisfying. Proving that something is actually happening, like a cold spot or even an EVP, is not proof of a "ghost". It's evidence that something measurable is happening, but that's about it; it measures effect, rather than proving cause. Even when compelling "evidence" is found, we're really no closer to proving the existence of ghosts.
Case #1: Georgia Aquarium, GA
The cold spot was interesting, even if it didn't tell us very much. That spot in the room may always be a little colder. (Something similar to that was noted on a GHI episode, if I recall correctly.) With the iceberg exhibit in the general vicinity, there must be some interesting temperature effects anyway. And Jason gets it wrong, yet again, by claiming that the thermal could have detected it. Will they ever bother to learn how the FLIR system actually works?
I'm also not particularly impressed with Jason's "jacket tug", especially since he proposed leaving the room right after it happened. This is just like the situation with the K-II meter in the previous episode. Why, as an investigator, would you leave a room where you think you just experienced activity?
The EVP was once again buried in the background noise (this is becoming a familiar phrase of late), and frankly, I anticipate some claims of fraud. Not because I think there was any fraud, but because some will claim that the voice sounded a lot like Jason. In fact, at first, I thought it was Jason!
Case #2: Gaither Plantation, GA
The footsteps and footprint were interesting, but they raise obvious questions. The geophone detected vibration, but did they try to determine if the attic floor is susceptible to vibration when people are in other areas of the house? And why would a ghost have a discernible shoe tread? I'm not particularly convinced, even if I was rather intrigued.
As an aside: did Jason actually say that they regularly use the "flour on the floor" method when footsteps are reported? Because I don't remember them doing that on the show in any other circumstance, and certainly not on any recent investigation. That was a bit disingenuous, if that's what he said.
The opening cabinet door would have gotten my attention as well, but I would have been very skeptical. For one thing, we can't see the bottom of the door, so it's not the best possible scenario. And in my house, due to settling and air currents, my cabinet doors open by themselves all the time. It's not unusual for the doors to be wide open.
I usually don't talk about the investigations to come, but they're already rubbing me the wrong way. The next episode highlights the Spalding Inn, an establishment that is owned by Jason and Grant. That alone is a bit sketchy, in my book. The episode after that, the spring season finale, is apparently taking place at a location I've investigated in the past. While it is a very daunting location, and some might find it "scary", there was little "evidence" to be had. That's not to say that they wouldn't or couldn't find anything on their investigation, but it does mean that I'm wary of what they will find. |
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