Jul
16
2010
The Ultimate Reality – The Deadliest Catch Faces Phil Harris’ Death
More than any reality show I’ve seen, there is a sense that the captains and crews are living out their life stories in front of the camera, but they don’t seem to be doing it for the camera. Most of these fishermen are doing what they’ve done for years before camera crews set up on their boats. They do dangerous work in uncertain conditions. More than any other reality show, The Deadliest Catch feels like life rather than television.
Discovery Channel is currently running its tribute to Cornelia Marie’s captain Phil Harris, who died in February during filming. Most of the events leading to Phil’s stroke and subsequent death were documented on camera. The moments in the hospital between Phil and his sons may be some of the most personal, most universal moments I’ve seen on television. Death, like the massive ocean waves, makes us forget about cameras or entertainment. Death awes. Death is humbling, unpredictable, and unscripted.
