Watching in (the strange and unprecedented circumstances of) October 2020 (and just a day before the launch-broadcast - where I am at least - of Season 2 of fellow History Channel programme "Unidentified"), it is amazing to see this Season-14 episode of "Ancient Aliens" referring to events in 2019 and not broadcast until the November of that year. This is REEEEECENT!!!
Now look carefully at what is going on here - alongside highly wacky (and at time rather evidence-free) Series 14 episodes of "AA" on tattoos, Stonehenge, Reptilians and so on, we find this episode slipped in, hot on the heels of one (also of pretty straight and serious tone) about "Storm Area 51".
And guess what? This one's presented like a serious, quite-searching documentary, entirely Childress-free, almost Tsoukalos- and Henry-free and fronted mainly by Nick Pope as "the serious and acceptable face of Ancient Aliens". There's almost nothing "ancient" about this one, but quite a bit that might be "alien". Sensible, important questions are posed seriously here, White House ex John Podesta appears, former Canadian Minister Paul Hellyer appears, several true scientists appear, Tucker Carlson of (the Trump-friendly) Fox News appears.
Reference in the programme is also made to the entirely serious Royal Society meeting of January 2010 on the detection of ET and the consequences for science and society, as well as the very high-profile Washington National Press Club meeting held in 2013 and otherwise known as the "CItizen Hearing on Disclosure"
In essence, this episode builds on the atcual "disclosure" of 2019 and earlier from the US Navy (no less) that UFOs are real; and it treats this in an entirely serious (if rightly speculative and also philosophical) manner, asking why now? what is different now? what is next? and other questions that we actually need answers to - pressingly.
And it's actually a must-watch, though most who dismiss the typical episodes of "Ancient Aliens" won't even notice it. And very probably that's THE WHOLE POINT...
Amongst other things, the epsiode wonders if Hollywood blockbusters for years may have been part of a concerted (state-sponsored?) effort to "soften us up" for the news that ET exists - hence the title of the episode - but is too modest to note that "Ancient Aliens" has also been offering cover for the same process, with content going off the scale in weirdness (increasingly) sitting side by side with certain doses of more-reasonable stuff, and also ENTIRELY realistic (and in fact normal investigative journalism) episodes like this one.
The transparent-ish process that the programme refers to is one it iself has been part of!
But - to return to the beginning of this review, we might also recall Episode 9 of this self-same Series 14, entitled "Alien Infection". Some of the quotes from that episode sit VERY uncomfortably indeed in the light of 2020 events. And just how - if in any way - might there be a link between the latter and the contents of the "Countdown to Disclosure" episode?
It is possible to imagine that the juxtapositon of the USN big reveal of autumn 2019 with the awful unfolding situation in 2020 is a total coincidence. But, my goodness, it is NOT EASY for anybody with an imaginative and open mind to do so!
Just what is going on?
Now look carefully at what is going on here - alongside highly wacky (and at time rather evidence-free) Series 14 episodes of "AA" on tattoos, Stonehenge, Reptilians and so on, we find this episode slipped in, hot on the heels of one (also of pretty straight and serious tone) about "Storm Area 51".
And guess what? This one's presented like a serious, quite-searching documentary, entirely Childress-free, almost Tsoukalos- and Henry-free and fronted mainly by Nick Pope as "the serious and acceptable face of Ancient Aliens". There's almost nothing "ancient" about this one, but quite a bit that might be "alien". Sensible, important questions are posed seriously here, White House ex John Podesta appears, former Canadian Minister Paul Hellyer appears, several true scientists appear, Tucker Carlson of (the Trump-friendly) Fox News appears.
Reference in the programme is also made to the entirely serious Royal Society meeting of January 2010 on the detection of ET and the consequences for science and society, as well as the very high-profile Washington National Press Club meeting held in 2013 and otherwise known as the "CItizen Hearing on Disclosure"
In essence, this episode builds on the atcual "disclosure" of 2019 and earlier from the US Navy (no less) that UFOs are real; and it treats this in an entirely serious (if rightly speculative and also philosophical) manner, asking why now? what is different now? what is next? and other questions that we actually need answers to - pressingly.
And it's actually a must-watch, though most who dismiss the typical episodes of "Ancient Aliens" won't even notice it. And very probably that's THE WHOLE POINT...
Amongst other things, the epsiode wonders if Hollywood blockbusters for years may have been part of a concerted (state-sponsored?) effort to "soften us up" for the news that ET exists - hence the title of the episode - but is too modest to note that "Ancient Aliens" has also been offering cover for the same process, with content going off the scale in weirdness (increasingly) sitting side by side with certain doses of more-reasonable stuff, and also ENTIRELY realistic (and in fact normal investigative journalism) episodes like this one.
The transparent-ish process that the programme refers to is one it iself has been part of!
But - to return to the beginning of this review, we might also recall Episode 9 of this self-same Series 14, entitled "Alien Infection". Some of the quotes from that episode sit VERY uncomfortably indeed in the light of 2020 events. And just how - if in any way - might there be a link between the latter and the contents of the "Countdown to Disclosure" episode?
It is possible to imagine that the juxtapositon of the USN big reveal of autumn 2019 with the awful unfolding situation in 2020 is a total coincidence. But, my goodness, it is NOT EASY for anybody with an imaginative and open mind to do so!
Just what is going on?
