Hmmm...where's the commentary and support for an unsung hero? I just finished the episode yesterday and I think wwkirk has it right. It's a tragic tale and I suppose not too many people can get into that space or celebrate that work. I found it both sad and kind of a morality tale for those who would venture off the couch and ramble out into the world to look at strange mutilated cow carcasses, and deal with the aftermath of such personal choices that may include paranoia and personal deterioration.
If you ever dared to challenge power in a way where it's you against the system, you know that the system has way more resources that you, small, lone individual and you best be prepared. It can't be much fun to be stalked, have your mail opened, your phone tapped etc. but when you start to surface and become visible because of the questions you're asking well that's how it goes. Meeting with gov't agents that cross your path all of a sudden, ain't encouraging. Even talking with them for legtimate reasons i have to be quite the head trip. You get a real sense of what it means to be known by the PTB. You need to have a stomach for certain things.
I remember once in the bar I was working in I used to spend spare time researching a bit of the underbelly of the town. The bar was the pre-eminent dive of the city, often violent, and I thought talking to some of the more relaxed Saturday afternoon regulars might be a good place to start. My innocent questions with a guy I thought was pretty decent, compared to the more wild clientele and dock workers, took an interesting turn. My asks about biker gangs vs. mafia - who held more sway in town, was met with a surprisingly quick, direct response,"Listen, let me give you some advice. You start asking questions like that then very soon someone's going to come in here and sit you down nicely once and say, 'You need to stop asking questions like that or bad things could happen to you.' " and then he stared at me like i was in some 70's drama and says, "You know, I could be that person." I quickly decided to change and redirect my writing interests. Getting threatened by someone not drunk was not my cup of tea. Chris's tale of home invasions - no joy there, harrowing, actually. Do we appreciate the challenges and risks these investigators take?
And once real paranoia takes root - well that's just soul destroying. I found this episode to be heavy with the weight of decades of dead cow bodies, in a pile over the grave of Tom Adams. This was not a good story. I was thankful for Chris and Dave's ability to keep things lighter by churning up good memories and good times despite the outcomes and self imposed isolation of this man. The accomplishments were of a specific time and obviously had a lot of influence on you two. I'm glad you did this episode as this is unspoken history and it's about an individual effort trying to add up to something while chasing a mystery. There's a lesson there in all of it I think.
