Armchair adventurers are bound to get a kick out of Expedition: Unpacked, but anyone looking for more than the usual, rote jocks-in-the-rocks home video hosted by a manly man with an excitable British accent is liable to be disappointed. “One year of expeditions!” Expedition expeditioner Steve Backshall crows in Unpacked’s opening moments. “Hundreds of adventures! Many unforgettable moments! Moments that nearly stopped us in our tracks! Adventures that made us question whether we should really be out there!”
Well, yes. “Out there” can be wondrous, inspiring, life-changing — full of those moments of calm introspection that come from communion with nature.
Well … Expedition: Unpacked ain’t that.
“Points where we knew if we took one step further,” Backshall cries, “there was no turning back!”
As if to underscore the moment, Backshall screams.
Perhaps it’s the editing. Jocks-in-the-rocks docs are edited to mimic extreme-sports programs these days, with peppy music and fast, frenzied jump cuts. They’re made for the generation with nanosecond attention spans, taking the TikTok route to the summit of Mt. Everest.
“These are the stories of those extreme adventures!” Backshall says.
Ah, yes, there’s that word ‘extreme’ again. Kids, pay attention!
“Of epic world firsts!”
Ah, yes. ‘Epic.’ Another box ticked.
“I’m Steve Backshall! And this is Expedition: Unpacked!”
By this point, you know just you’re not going to be pulling up a chair to David Attenborough, or viewing The Blue Planet on your smartphone. This is an infomercial for outdoor adrenaline junkies, though God help you if you try these stunts at home. I’ve had personal experience with jocks in the rocks who are so into their own private Bear Grylls vibe that they can get themselves — and everyone around them — into serious trouble. Never mind Don’t try this at home! Don’t try this outdoors, either, unless you’re a professional . . . or a TV presenter.
Expedition: Unpacked, four hour-long programs that air Wednesday nights on PBS over the next month, follows Backshall in a story of “four extreme moments, when I took on ferocious Himalayan white water, treacherous Arctic mountains, Arabia’s deepest canyon . . . but my experiences in Bhutan were not just life-changing, they were almost life-ending!”
Well, yes, that’s what the safety crew is there for. The best episode of Expedition: Unpacked by far is the final hour, which airs April 6. That’s the one at the very end, where cameras go behind the scenes and focus on the camera team and support crews that make the expeditions possible. Backshall still can’t resist hogging the spotlight, even in a behind-the-scenes episode, but on balance, this hour is the most revealing of the four, and the one most likely to make the viewer feel they’re part of the action.
For a more affecting, emotionally gripping reality series about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, you’re better off turning to The World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji, which first streamed on Amazon Prime Video two years ago, in 2020. In that one, 60 teams of four paddled, cycled and hiked non-stop for 10 days through hundreds of miles of rugged, mountainous terrain on a South Pacific island. Eco-Challenge was about self-appraisal, challenging oneself to one’s outer limits for the sake of adventure, and for the occasional epiphany along the way. Expedition: Unpacked, in its first hour anyway, seems to be more about one person showing off for the camera. The Fast and Furious generation will love it!
The opener follows Backshall on a river run in a whitewater kayak, and in case that sound exciting enough for you, the entire hour is backtracked with one of those relentless, computer-generated synth soundtracks that never lets up for a moment, the kind of music that screams, This is exciting! Are you not excited?
Not for me. And if you like Attenborough documentaries as much as I do, or you enjoy embarking on actual expeditions into the unknown as I do, Expedition: Unpacked likely won’t be for you, either.
There’s an inner peace that comes with being alone in the wilderness, far from human contact. You won’t find any calm or moments of reflection in Expedition: Unpacked. Instead, expect a jock shouting at you for a full hour.
“I was full of confidence!” Backshall cries, early in Wednesday’s opener. That’s the problem.
Expedition: Unpacked premieres Wednesday on PBS at 10/9C and on the PBS app, and continues Wednesdays through April 6.
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