TV Review: Decoding the Past
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this documentary series delves
into a wide range of mature topics like cults, conspiracy
theories, religious mysteries, and unexplained disappearances.
The show's ever-changing subject matter makes predicting
content difficult, and the controversial and potentially
confusing nature of most of the stories ensures the series
isn't for kids. In addition, graphic descriptions of violence
(murder, torture, and cannibalism, for example) may be too much
for sensitive tweens and teens, so parents will want to screen
some episodes carefully before giving the go-ahead.
Families can talk about the media's role in education. Is the purpose of this series to educate, to entertain, or both? Does it succeed in its goal? Does it fall short in any way? Are there certain types of shows whose information is more credible than others? Which ones? Can viewers take everything they hear from those programs at face value? How is the credibility of facts and legends affected by sources, time, and debate?
Common Sense Media Review
DECODING THE PAST is a documentary series that investigates
some of history's most unusual events and long-standing
mysteries. Episodes have focused on everything from the Holy
Grail and the seven wonders of the world to the Bermuda
Triangle and the secrets behind the layout of the dollar
bill.
Each episode focuses on a series of topics that are linked by their relation to the show's overall theme. Experts lay the groundwork for each story, providing an overview of the events and placing them in the appropriate historical, geographical, and cultural context. Where details are open for interpretation (in the case of religious mysteries, for example), experts on all sides of the debate present their impressions and offer evidence to support their claims.
In a segment exploring taboos in human society, for example, historians discussed stories about religious cults, cannibalism, the use of LSD (both in CIA interrogation methods and recreationally), and body-snatching of corpses to be used in medical dissection. Investigating various examples of each topic, experts explored the question of why these practices have long been frowned upon in civilized society and why they nonetheless persist today.
The series' concise narrative means that a lot of information is shared in each hour-long episode -- but, true to the topics' mysterious nature, no hard-and-fast conclusions are drawn. In the end, viewers are left to examine the facts and make their own interpretations.
With its mature, often-controversial subject matter and frequent graphic details of violence, Decoding the Past certainly isn't for young kids and may be iffy for sensitive tweens and teens. But older viewers may enjoy pondering the legendary mysteries and debating their credibility.
Fans may also enjoy the book The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown (or the movie it inspired) or any of Steve Berry's literary works. Other excellent documentary series include Secrets of the Dead and History's Mysteries .
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
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