Not having the Science channel anymore, you would not have seen them, but for the 12+ days while the network aired a holiday "merry-thon" of the "classic" series, they promoted the new series at every commercial break. I mean EVERY bloody break, sometimes more than once! "Science" wanted to make sure viewers knew about it!
Now, with a statement like that, having a bit of an "edge", you might think I did not like it. Actually, I did. It's just that the ads got repetitive during the first day of the marathon and there was 12 days to that marathon. Anyway, I liked it and was tickled silly to have Adam return. Of course, I've gotten my "Savage fix" via his YouTube segments, so it wasn't as though I was starved of his childlike enthusiasm.
Obviously, this is a different show, the chemistry is different. Whereas Adam was originally the "silly" partner of a comedy duo, Adam is a bit more of a "mentor" here. Not that he's lost his "sense of wonder" , oh no. He still can be goofy. But you can tell he's also thrilled to be inspiring the younger cast members. In a way, the dynamic is now one more akin to the vintage "Mr. Wizard", just more irreverent given Adam's laid back attitude.
Now, I assumed the kids would be "typical" teens, maybe a few of them seeing Adam as bit of a media idol. And, as such, I figured the myths would be scaled back with the children asking things like, "Gee, Mr. Savage, why does that happen? Can 'X' do this?" Nope! Far from it. This "next generation" are certified geniuses. Shoot, one of them, named Cannon, is just 12 years old and is a sophomore in college! And lest one think they are pushed to the "side lines", they took center stage. As an example, to test the concept of tires entirely (sorry) made of duct tape, Adam had Cannon put them to the test. I did mention he's only 12, right? On a closed course at the Alameda runway, they staged a schwawlum course and with Adam as the designated adult, Cannon first drove it to set the 'control" with normal tires, then again with nothing but the rims and finally with the rims each wrapped with roughly 70 pounds of duct tape. Whether or not it was really the case, the segment claimed it was Cannon's first time behind the wheel. He's a small kid, barely able to see over the dash, but he did rather well. Two other junior "busters" sat the back seat with a drum of water to measure his skill behind the wheel. Yeah, they got wet, but I think I lot of average drivers would have had the same results. Then, Adam finally took over to really put the tires through their paces...with the kids still in the car! Under Cannon's "gingerly" driving, the taped rims did pretty well. Adam destroyed them!
Now I will admit that segment could have involved some creative editing. I genuinely wonder if the kids were really in the car for the long shots with Adam driving "pedal to the medal". I mean, how do the labor laws and safety regulations concerning children, particularly in California, come into play? I honestly don't know. But I do believe the kids were really there when Cannon drove, given the car's more reasonable pace. But it made for an entertaining sequence.
I'll let someone else detail the duct tape parachute segment. I'll just say it seemed the kids handled the technical aspects of designing it and they took a very scientific approach. It was NOT a piecemeal effort.
True, it's not the "same" MystBusters. Rather than trying to duplicate the original formula, which the previous series seemed to have attempted, this show is it's own thing with maybe an "homage" to "Mr. Wizard". I hope it succeeds!
