Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World

I watched these episodes on Discovery+, without commercials.

Each episode centers on a unique region or feature of Patagonia; coastline, mountains, glaciers, forests, etc. We are shown the wildlife, plants and trees, weather, and people of each region. We see the beauty, and the threats posed by global warming and human encroachment. We also see the measures being taken to save the wild places and inhabitants.

The series is beautifully filmed and edited. The narrator, Pedro Pascal, is a wonderful choice. We can savor his calm voice and perfect pronunciation of the names of places and animals. In fact, one of the best aspects of this series is that every scientist, naturalist, advocate, and citizen we meet is from or of that environment. No white saviors here.

I learned a great deal watching this documentary series, and enjoyed myself thoroughly.

This is becoming a pattern with CNN films. I wrote a review of the Abraham Lincoln piece that they did last year: volume level for the soundtrack was so loud you could barely hear the narration. On Patagonia one minute the volume is too loud and the next too soft. And it's not Pedro Pascal's voice. Through an hour-long episode, I must be adjusting the volume 20 times. And I'm not counting the ones when they go to commercial - it blasts the speakers! Of course after the ad, I have to turn it up again. CNN: fire your audio engineers responsible for this incompetence! Do they even listen to the final version that's to be broadcast?

Yes, it is largely about humans, but this is what makes this documentary wonderful. Our species makes a bigger part of the population of the planet and we affect the environment in the most significant and devastating ways. The role of humans in this type of documentary usually centers on how we fail at being a responsible species. While it is definitely true, it was refreshing seeing people who try to reduce the negative effects other individuals had had on the ecosystem of Patagonia. Many stories were quite inspirational, especially from people who "switched sides", like the guy who went from being a hunter to being a protector. Seeing that there are people who try very hard to help the wild nature of Patagonia stay wild gave me hope. This series was just as educational, only in a different way.

CNN and others have produced this nature show. Patagonia is a mostly dry area east of the Andes Mountains on the southern tip of South America. It has much of the same epic natural scenery with all the creatures as other nature shows. On top of that, it has human participants doing important research into issues threatening the natural world. In that way, it's different than the usual pretty nature documentary series. It is news adjacent which makes sense for CNN. There is some investigative journalism with these stories. It's informative and pretty looking. Pedro Pascal is the narrator. There are six episodes.

I watched this for what Patagonia is famous for - Fitzroy and Torres del Paine. Mountains, climbing, geology etc. I got none of that. It was mainly about animals and their interaction with people. Not one mountain was even mentioned by name. Also, if you don't PVR it you might have to go on suicide watch.