MovieChat Forums > Black Gold (2008) Discussion > That didn't take long...

That didn't take long...

posted 15 years ago by rookgaroo
7 replies | jump to latest

I really liked the first season and was looking forward to this one. If the first episode is any indication, this could be one of the quickest shark-jumps in history. WTF happenened? Drilling for oil was an interesting concept. It's dangerous and makes for great television. There was just the right mix of work-related content and the personal drama that goes with any difficult job.
Now it's not even about drilling. The rig is just a stage for a soap opera populated by what is obviously supposed to be a "hot" cast of muscle shirt-clad, emotionally retarded kids competing to see who can act like a bigger bad-ass. Workers who behave like that would be fired on the spot by any company that wasn't interested in TV ratings.
The first sign of trouble was when they showed each guy's name. Instead of calling them "driller" or "worm" or "rig boss", they have labels like "Young Gun" and "Ladie's Man". Is this an indication that half the season will be devoted to these clowns pounding down beers and trying to get laid? And my happiness at seeing Gerald return was short-lived when he turned into a total brown-noser. After all his tough talk to the camera, in this episode he's a total suck-up to the bosses, but a complete dick to the friend he got a job for. Either be a dick or a cool guy. Don't switch masks as the situation changes.
This season looks like it's going to be contest of show-offs struggling to be the next big thing in reality TV. A pissing match instead of a great show about a dangerous and interesting field of work.
Oh well. At least Deadliest Catch still knows what it's about.

[–] Celtic_Guy 15 years ago

Amen.

I really liked the first season. Thought they balanced everything very well, of course there was going to be temper's flaring at any job that's hard like this.

What happened for this season???? It seams like all they want to concentrate on is these hot heads idiots. Especially the first kid that Gerald got the job for. His first day...no check that first hour on the job he threatens to kick another guys @ss????????????? WTF, I would fire him right on the spot. But because the cameras are there and they want the drama, everything is fine.

[–] rookgaroo 15 years ago

I really think they're being coached. The authenticity is gone. Granted, it was the first show of the season so it may be too soon to judge, but it's not a good start. The first season was mainly about the competition between drilling teams, with some focus on personal problems between the workers. But what I really liked was learning how the rigs work. They spent a lot of time on the technical aspect of it. It was very interesting. Now it's a bunch of young turks playing to the camera.
What I'm curious to see is how the owners will be handling this nonsense. This is their livelihood. There's millions of dollars at stake, not to mention their personal and professional reputations and futures. Plus, these guys are obviously distracted by the cameras and their own egos. Someone is going to get killed. I don't know if anyone is compensated by TruTv for their participation, but it can't be enough to cover what's at stake here.

[–] wulff76 15 years ago

Yea this season is total BS. They haven't shown ONE thing of actual usefulness in learning about an OIL Rig. Other than how not to behave..

Simply bizarre what they turned this show into.

If I want your OPINION - I'll give it to YA!! LOL

[–] rookgaroo 15 years ago

I waited for another episode to give them the benefit of the doubt. But this show has officially become a joke. I wouldn't care, except there is so little worth watching on commercial TV, and this showed a lot of promise. I'm kind of pissed because I was looking forward to the new season and now I'm almost embarrassed to admit I enjoyed the show once.

[–] dwya 15 years ago

I agree with all that has been posted, this show has totally now "jumped the shark"!

And - why are they only profiling one rig this season, and trying to make it into such a big pi$$ing contest between the shifts?

Maybe the other rigs decided after the first season that it wasn't worth it!

[–] rookgaroo 15 years ago

"Maybe the other rigs decided after the first season that it wasn't worth it!"

I think you hit the nail on the head. The rig owners have millions of dollars on the line. They were probably talked into a first season, then realized that their workers were going prima dona on them and said "forget this, we have a business to run."
I still tune in, thinking that maybe it's a momentary lapse of reason. But this week I tuned in late and the first thing I saw was one of these "bad boys" in a hot tub with a girl he apparently picked up at the bar that is inexplicably featured each week as much as the oil rig is. WTF is that?
This is a completely different show than it was last season, and I hope it tanks. I see guys every day who hate to work for a living, think they're badass, and spend every spare second drinking and trying to get a girl into bed, even though they're well beyond junior high school age. I'll be damned if I'll watch that pathetic behavior on TV in my spare time. This show turned into a joke in one season.

[–] Gandalf_is_cool 15 years ago

I watch it every time it comes on.