Search - NOVA: Mystery of the Senses - Touch on DVD

A Thin Episode

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 02/24/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, I learned some stuff here. Monkeys that are touched by caretakers are better off than monkeys that aren't. Patrons at libraries rate their experience as better when librarians give them a friendly tap than those who have no physical contact. They even show a 3-year-old tribal African lift up his sibling's loincloth and playfully smack him on his baby booboo.



Still, this work was full of dead time. They spend too long showing consumers testing massaging equipment. They kill time showing a couple in a marriage counseling session. When I watched the series' episode on taste, I left hungry and so appreciative of good food. I like physical contact with sexy men, but I'm still indifferent to the taps of librarians. This installation in the series is just thin. I think many people would be horrified if they went deaf or blind, but plenty of people don't get massages and they feel just fine about life.



I once said to a person, "I could probably live without touch." She responded back, "No. Touch tells you when something is hot or sharp. It keeps you from doing things that could maim or kill you." That was an "Ahhh! I see!" moment. This documentary briefly shows a pottery maker being safe around a kiln, but that life-saving aspect of touch is not really brought up. This is too focused on massages and other unimportant stuff.



You may want to actively choose when you watch this installation of the series. If you like to wade through the bad to get to the good, then watch this first. If you believe that "It's never as good as the first time," then watch this last."