‘A Wild Year on Earth’ Recap: ‘A Time of Activation’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Over the course of the past few weeks, the BBC America documentary series, A Wild Year on Earth, has done a phenomenal job of teaching its audience two key lessons about our world. Such as the fact that our perception of the world and how it often operates is narrow and incorrect. Which isn’t meant to be an insult or an insinuation of ignorance, we simply only know our world and our worldview and quite frankly we are blessed to be in that position. Since the world is a chaotic place that is constantly in motion and is full of strife and difficult moments for the animals that aren’t afforded the same wonderful opportunities and structure that mankind enjoys.
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But while that particular lesson has allowed for us to properly understand just how blessed we truly are a species; it is the other truth present in this story that has managed to captivate us in a powerful manner. For as our journey through a year on Earth continues along, this documentary is making it clear that we are far more connected to our planet than we think and that was never more evident than it was during this week’s episode. For ‘A Time of Activation’ took the time to point out that mankind and the animals that surround us, have a deep understanding of the fact that September and October feature great changes to the planet’s climate, and we need to prepare for that. 

Which is why humanity in the northern hemisphere, begins to harvest all the food it can. For not only are the crops ripe and ready to be pulled from the fields, but because deep down, those primordial ties to the Earth reminds people that the cold is coming and now is the time to prepare our food stores, and there are also some visual/physical clues to help remind mankind that the chill of winter is near. Such as the incredible changes we see in the leaves and of course, by way of some of the mass migrations that take place during this time of year, one of which involves the Caribou. For these majestic creatures kick off a three-month push, south, once September arrives, one that is treacherous and exhausting, just to ensure that they have adequate food for all.

But while that was fascinating and compelling in its own right, this particular chapter made a point to reiterate its other lesson, by reminding us of the fact that in the southern hemisphere, there is no chill or harsh winter coming. No instead, the south sees animals begin to awaken during this time of year, and work to expand their families since this is when the Kangaroos of Australia begin their mating season and in other parts of the southern hemisphere, animals also have to contend with heat and harsh conditions. As evidenced by the sorrowful vignette involving a hippo that was desperate to find a place to cool off and relax while the sun’s powerful rays baked the surrounding landscape and truly, this part of the story did a wonderful job of showing us just how dynamic and different life on our world can be.  

If anything, this particular episode just helps us to understand that September and October are critical times for certain, the kind that put the duality of life on display. For whilst the north begins to transition from vibrancy to bleakness, the south embraces the wonder of starting over and that is poetic and beautiful and that brought about one fascinating episode. One that truly put the majestic chaos of the world on display and found a way to leave us a bit melancholy as well. Simply because we are nearing the end of a fascinating journey, since there is only one episode left in this dynamic and detailed documentary and it should be quite interesting to see what wonders and lessons await us, at the end of our journey through a year on Planet Earth. Until next time.

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