Tesla...Some just know it as the groundbreaking all-electric car company. Of course everyone in the civilized world's life is extremely touched by Tesla's AC power and wireless patents everyday without ever thinking who pioneered it all. That's a serious omission in the population's collective consciousness. How could this be? All of us of a certain age intuitively knew that when the phone in our homes rang it was because of Alexander Graham Bell. History for whatever reasons largely marginalized, or even erased, Nikola Tesla who was a man whose life's work had so much more impact on the world than, probably, any other human being. This is a mystery that deserves delving into.
That's the set-up for History's "The Tesla Files" TV series. The show has three men of different persuations equally perplexed by the relative obsurity of the link between the man and his groundbreaking advancements which still have a huge impact in our everyday lives. Returning after a his former series "Rocket City Rednecks" got axed is astrophysicist Travis Taylor. Travis is a disarmingly whip-smart scientist who has worked for NASA and lives in Huntsville, Alabama. He certainly isn't your typical "egg-head" scientist and therein lies his charisma. It's as if you or me is sets out on a mission to find a hidden truth. He has two cohorts who bring to the table some welcome talents. Mark Seifert the author of what has become the best-selling Tesla biography to date and investigative journalist Jason Stapleton. Combined they believe they can prove some of Tesla's theoretical unfinished work and reveal even more that was scooped up after Tesla's death by the US government. It's a mixed bag as you might imagine. Some care by the crew does, more or less, actually prove some things while their paper trail researching often comes up short.
Here's the deal. Tesla is so important for the present, and possibly the future, that he deserves any attention that may be given. Uncovering the smoking gun of something as amazing as his AC induction motor is proving much more enigmatic. There are signs that, yes, Tesla was on to more amazing inventions and technologies. But, sussing these out 75-years or so later is more mystery than anything else. This is where the show, sadly, decends into similar History show pitfalls. Like Hitler escaping or real buried priceless artifacts on Oak Island much is speculated and little definitely proved. The show is entertaining enough without the discovery of anything sinister and groundbreaking. Tesla is so important that any attention at all is a good thing. That said I'm feeling it is, however, a show for those already with a keen interest in Tesla and science. The entertainment factor is just not enough for the average viewer while the true-life mystery is a great hook for the person who is already sold that Tesla was hampered after his initial great success by both his own eccentricness and, more so, by some extremely powerful persons. As such. I can enjoy this series quite a bit and hope it finds a decent enough audience to really go deep into the mhystery of why Nikola Tesla became almost unknown until recent times. I say give it try for yourself.
