When the Impossible Beats Corny Hype

This week, the 2024 season finale of THE SECRET OF SKINWALKER RANCH aired. Why do I feel deflated at the prospect of months without the program? TV offers plenty of shows that try to create a sense of urgency in dealing with the unknown—often by making danger part of a competition. People deliberately defying death is a draw of sorts. Supposedly, we’re more intrigued when the contestants are naked, as if being unclothed forces people to be more vulnerable and, hence, daring—although we aren’t thrilled to witness the exploits of native peoples who manage without clothes as a way of life. But these are folks from industrialized countries where nudity is naughty. They’re competing—sometimes in mean ways. Or these are people removed from resources—no backups. Will they or won’t they die? But we can guess producers don’t want their stars to die. Bad press. However, if only one or two participants suffer horribly, won’t it increase ratings? Armchair explorers are intrigued while munching snacks safe at home.

Programs that probe apparently unsolvable problems are popular, too. Was it a real UFO? Where is the Ark of the Covenant? Is the Bermuda Triangle really cursed? There’s overlap and repetition, of course, because audiences aren’t interested in mysteries that are too esoteric so writers run out of fresh oddities. And so the programs ask the same questions over and over again. Ghost investigators want to know what that noise was and then recoil if they hear an unidentifiable sound. It’s all dramatized for our entertainment. We never know what percentage of the tension is hype. The mood music is a clue.

So, is THE SECRET OF SKINWALKER RANCH science? It looks like it to me as I truly want to know if there’s something unique about that ranch. More importantly, what if the phenomena witnessed there are actually widespread across the globe? What if examples flourish near me? The investigating team (a diverse group from vastly different backgrounds) have the advantage of probing unknowns that haven’t been serious questions for average people before, although tales of strange lights in the sky, weird beasts, and inexplicable phenomena extend back in time through cultures. The science team members work to discover repeatability in their experiments that depend on expensive cutting edge technology of ever increasing magnitude. Theoretically, no one knows what they’re going to discover. For example, when scans revealed the presence of a huge invisible energy cone surrounding the entire investigation area and the people in it, a cone in which the human beings were not in charge of ensuring their equipment functioned as designed, everyone was shocked. The conclusion that we as human beings don’t fully understand the realities of space and time and our environment is inevitable. Do we humans have intelligent neighbors we didn’t know were here? Do portals to other times or places exist in surprising places? The scientists are careful not to jump to conclusions. Viewers can speculate all they want.

So what is the draw for someone like me who’s not a scientist? First, I want to know as much as I can possibly comprehend about my world, because I’m curious. Like most children, I’ve always known the limited facts I was fed couldn’t be the totality—even when my parents insisted some of what I was learning in school (i.e. plate tectonics) was impossible. (It wasn’t.) I’m delighted to discover there’s more and more again—information that changes as investigative techniques improve. Second, I love to have my imagination legitimately stimulated by new ideas. Einstein spoke of his deep respect for imagination, and I think imagination has been grossly underestimated as a resource in our lives. Often, imagination leads to break-throughs in understanding in an array of fields. Finally, I’m refreshed by a program in which hard evidence and honesty are respected. In a time soiled by falsehoods and rash decisions of every ilk, a mature adventure with carefully introspective explorers is invigorating. When exactly will the next season commence? I’ll be reading books while I wait.