Impressions: The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch - Season 2, Episode 1

As soon it was announced, I knew History Channel's newest investigative TV show The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch would prove to be controversial. Until recently, the northern Utah ranch had been something of an enigma: there wasn't a whole lot of information about it beyond Colm Kelleher and George Knapp's 2005 book Hunt for the Skinwalker, already a controversial work itself. Claims of UFOs, Men in Black, Werewolf-like creatures, portals, and of course, the ranch's legendary namesake: the shapeshifting demons of Navajo folklore known as Skinwalkers surrounded the ranch, but there was little proof of any of these events beyond the word of Knapp, Kelleher, Robert Bigelow, and anonymous NIDS scientists. To this day I don't think we've gotten any sort of tangible findings from NIDS' activities on the ranch beyond Hunt for the Skinwalker. 

(https://flixable.b-cdn.net/hulu/large/the-secret-of-skinwalker-ranch.jpg)

I was quite surprised when the new owner of the ranch, Brandon Fugal, announced a History Channel series following a team of investigators at the ranch. Regardless of how it turned out, it would be the very first time the public would be allowed to see inside the ranch and, hopefully, what makes it so special. Of course, I was wary about certain aspects as well. Investigative paranormal TV shows are ripe for dramatization and embellishment, and History Channel in particular has been under fire by some for the promotion of pseudoscience and alternative history in shows like Ancient Aliens. But I have a soft spot for paranormal TV and think it can be fun when approached as entertainment and with a healthy amount of skepticism. Some shows (Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files) are better and more credible than others (Ghost Adventures) but all paranormal TV should always be used as springboards into more rigorous research from better sources.

I approached Season 1 of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch with a cautious but open mind. I left with very mixed feelings, as I think most did, but it was a bit of a guilty pleasure for me all the way through. There didn't really seem to be too much logic, reason or order in how investigations were done, but if the results presented were accurate, they were certainly interesting. A few UFO sightings, some physical effects, and an apparent cattle mutilation were stand-out events that shone through silly, dramatic arguments about digging. There was a lot of arguing about digging.

During the hiatus, Brandon Fugal was very active on social media and I grew to quite like him. I listened to a few of his podcast appearances and he seems to be a genuine guy who, in his words, is not interested in staging or embellishing events. He describes himself as just as interested in paranormal phenomena as we are and saw the ranch as an opportunity to look into it. Very admirable!

Unfortunately, I think the side effects of a slickly-produced History Channel show undermine his sentiment. To the show's credit as well as detriment, it seems to be struggling with remaining true to the mysterious and random nature of the phenomena while also staying entertaining. On top of that, there does seem to be some pretty deliberately staged conversations between the investigators in order to give some sort of structure to what appears to be a pretty aimless investigation. 

I found the first episode of season two to be a small improvement, a little step forward away from this feeling. The conversations and overall flow of the episode felt a bit more natural. They also immediately resolve the issue of digging in this episode, thank goodness: no need to drag it out any longer. Although that discussion in particular felt very staged, pointed at people who complained about the "no digging" issue last season.

The area they decide to excavate is admittedly interesting: an old hole filled with brush and leaves that apparently drains water very quickly despite not having anywhere for it to go. They attempt to track the water drainage using a green dye, but are unable to find where it might empty out, heavily implying there might be some sort of space under the ranch. An interesting thread to pull on.

Suddenly, a security guard's phone begins to act on it's own, making calls and taking screenshots. This would be interesting, but the lack of anyone even mentioning that it could be due to the MASSIVE CRACK on his phone screen is a bit suspect. It did happen in the previous season to the same security guard, however, I remain unconvinced until the crack in the screen is addressed.

The episode ends with Travis Taylor and a couple of other team members having a strange encounter with what he describes as a glowing rectangular object just off in the nearby brush. It quickly disappears. This encounter appears to have been genuine and those involved seemed quite shaken. It's a good way to end the episode.

All in all, it feels a bit stronger than last season, but I think it faces an uphill credibility battle with those without the tolerance for typical paranormal TV dramatization, but I remain interested because of Mr. Fugal's apparent dedication to the cause.