Science, like math, is at the heart of everything. Science can be and is also cooler than most people realize. Just ask David Pogue, the host of PBS’ NOVA: Hunting the Elements and its recent follow-up, NOVA: Beyond The Elements. Released on DVD April 6 following its nationwide airing in February, NOVA: Beyond the Elements is a presentation that proves just how prevalent and fun science really is. That is proven through the episode’s main feature. This will be discussed shortly. The three-part episode’s presentation style ensures viewers’ engagement and entertainment in its own way. It will be discussed a little later. The episode’s packaging rounds out its most important elements and will also be discussed later. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the episode’s presentation in its new home release. All things considered, they make this episode of NOVA an unquestionably positive addition to this year’s field of new documentaries.
PBS and PBS Distribution’s recently released home presentation of NOVA: Beyond the Elements is a presentation that fans of the popular, long-running, science-based series will enjoy. That is proven in part through its main content. The content here refers to host David Pogue’s experiences showing how the elements play into our everyday lives. From partaking in a chili eating contest (no, not chili as in the stuff with beans and meat, but actually chilis), to watching stuff explode (who doesn’t love a good explosion?) to examining how glass can actually be unbreakable (truth is stranger than fiction), Pogue puts in layman’s terms how the elements work together play into our everyday lives in so many ways. In the case of the chili eating contest (which will have audiences laugh uproariously), it is used to show how molecules in chilis actually act as a “defense mechanism” for the vegetables. Pogue discovers in his discussion with a scientist that the molecules in question actually trick the human brain into thinking chilis are spicy when in fact they really are not. It makes for a really interesting exploration and discussion in itself. In regards to the explosions, the discussion turns to talks on how molecules in certain elements come together to make explosives, such as ammonium nitrate and C4. The discussions are presented in an effort to show how construction resources are obtained at their base from quarries. It is yet another clear, accessible discussion on how the elements play into our daily lives, and is certain to keep viewers engaged and entertained in its own right. The noted exploration of how glass can possibly be unbreakable is used to show how elements and their molecules play together to create glass, another item which we use daily. Audiences will be surprised here to watch as a super hot piece of molten glass is cooled quickly in water and made virtually unbreakable. Throughout the experiments noted here and so many others, Pogue maintains a certain humility. He never tries to be more than he is, making for even more enjoyment. His everyman presence makes him more relatable to audiences, sort of like fellow media personality Mo Rocca.
While the experiments featured throughout NOVA: Beyond The Elements go a long way towards making science so enjoyable and accessible, they are just a portion of what makes this episode’s primary feature so entertaining and engaging. The discussions about the ecological effects of products created by the elements make for their own interest. What’s more, the discussions on the efforts that are being made to counter the noted effects makes for even more interest. All things considered here, the primary feature of NOVA: Beyond the Elements makes for a strong starting point for the episode. Building on the foundation formed by the main feature is the episode’s presentation style.
NOVA: Beyond the Elements runs just shy of the three-hour mark (two hours, 50 minutes to be exact). Being that this episode is so long, it is divided into three separate segments in its DVD presentation, just as was done in the episode’s original broadcast early this year. The segmentation seems minimal on the surface, but taking into account all of the information delivered through each segment, it is necessary. It allows audiences to watch the episode at their pace. In watching at their own pace, audiences will find themselves that much more inclined to remain engaged. That increased engagement means that viewers will in turn more easily comprehend and remember the topics discussed in each segment. Keeping all of this in mind, the way in which this episode of NOVA was presented proves important in its own right.
Moving from the matter of the episode’s presentation, the packaging of the episode in its home release proves important in its own right. The packaging stands out primarily in that a brief but concise summary of each segment is provided on the back of the episode’s box. What’s more, it lets audiences know before they even put the DVD in their DVD/BD player, that it is separated into each segment. This is an aesthetic element, but is important in its own way. It allows viewers to decide for themselves which segment to watch before they even start watching. The decision might take a moment, but that moment will take less time than having to learn the topic of each episode one at a time by playing out the start of each episode. The positive mindset that will result from the use of the segment summaries will play greatly into the overall engagement and enjoyment in its own right. When that impact is considered along with the impact of the episode’s main feature and its presentation style, the whole of that content completely rounds out the episode and makes it completely enjoyable.
NOVA: Beyond the Elements is a welcome follow-up/companion presentation or NOVA: Hunting the Elements. As a matter of fact, one could argue that it is in fact an improvement from its predecessor. That is due in part to the episode’s main feature. The main feature is accessible because it presents so much heavy science content in a fashion that is accessible to the most average viewer. That in itself will hopefully help viewers see the fun in and importance of science. The fact that the episode is separated into its three segments here just as it was in the episode’s initial airing makes the episode even more appealing. That is because the separation will encourage viewers to remain engaged and appreciate the whole even more. The episode’s packaging in its new DVD presentation puts the finishing touch to the episode. It does so through the brief but concise segment descriptions on the box’s rear artwork. The summaries allow viewers to decide which segment to watch before they even place the disc into their DVD/BD players. This in itself will give viewers a positive mindset, too. When the positive mindset ensured by the packaging is considered along with the positive mindset generated by the episode’s content and its segmentation, that whole makes this episode of NOVA one more of this year’s top new documentaries. NOVA: Beyond the Elements is available now.
More information on this and other episodes of NOVA is available online now at:
Website: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NOVApbs
Twitter: https://twitter.com/novapbs
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