Night number two was tons of fun. I’d have to say that the episodes from Monday night were better than the episodes from Sunday. And this was especially apparent because I found that there were a number of comparisons between the episodes of the first two nights. Each night had an episode with Chris Fallows, an episode looking at the effects of lockdown on shark populations, and an episode featuring a celebrity. I was entertained, I had some laughs, I learned new things, and I got so emotional seeing those beautiful sharks that I teared up a little. All in all, a perfect night.
Abandoned Waters: It’s official: a tagged shark has been named Covid. This is another episode that looks at the impact of the pandemic lockdown on great white sharks. The expedition is to Neptune Island and the research team consists of Rodney and Andrew Fox, Charlie Huveneers and Lauren Meyer. Although the sharks in this area have been predominantly male, the team is interested in studying the females who have moved in during the lockdown. So… Not too different from Shark Lockdown. Obviously, the effects of the pandemic on sharks are certainly worth studying, but there were just a few too many similarities between the two shows. Luckily, by the end of the episode, the conclusions drawn and some of the goals of the mission were different than those of Shark Lockdown.
Shaqattack: Shaq is back! And this time, he’s teamed up with YouTube celebrities Mark Rober and Dude Perfect. While Shaq works to both one-up his 2018 special and get over his fear of sharks, the YouTubers team up with researchers to study shark attacks and predations. Shaq gave me what I didn’t get from Mike Tyson this year. He has a willingness to learn about sharks and he mentions at the start of the episode that he wants to learn to love them, despite his fears. That really made me happy because that is what is important about having celebrities on Shark Week; if they love sharks, then so will their fans. And that heartwarming ending really drove this point home. Plus, this episode was entertaining and educational. I certainly won’t mind if Shaq keeps coming back to Shark Week.
Jaws Awakens: The Legend Of Phred: The intro to this episode sounded serious at first, but I couldn’t help but giggle as the narrator told the tale of Phred the shark. He could just be the largest male great white ever recorded. Chris Fallows, Jeff Kurr, and Dickie Chivell team up to look for this big boy who hasn’t been spotted in almost five years. The way this show was filmed felt really in tense, but it also got quite silly (in a good way). Not only was this a fun watch, but it was an interesting show in terms of shark conservation. For Phred to be able to grow so large that he breaks records, it means that shark conservation efforts are working and that great white sharks are living long enough to grow to be that size. Phred was beautiful, by the way.
Expedition Unknown: Josh Gates Tonight: The episode started off with some bad shark puns – this is my kind of show. And William Shatner was a guest! Although he’s not my favourite Star Trek captain, it still made me happy that there was a little bit of Trek on Shark Week. Shaq and Dickie were also guests on the talk show and that just made for a perfect episode. I really enjoyed Shaq’s special this year, and Dickie is a Shark Week staple; their interviews were delightful. So far, I’m really glad that Josh Gates Tonight has been closing off the night. It’s definitely an improvement compared to last year’s Shark After Dark.
