‘Blue Planet Now’ Recap: ‘Hammerheads and Humpbacks’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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​Over the course of the past few weeks, BBC America’s Blue Planet Now has done a phenomenal job of educating its audience about the perils of climate change and all the work that’s being done to help our oceans thrive and survive in this time of crisis. And it’s accomplished these respective goals by working hard to educate the viewer, by providing everyone that tunes in with powerful knowledge about the creatures that inhabit the water and the wonderful places where they live. But we have reached the end of this magnificent documentary about the waters that sustain planet Earth and really the only question on my mind when I settled in to watch last night’s finale of this series, was how this show was going to wrap up everything that’s been discussed thus far.
 
Because this is after all, a story about the seas and the life that thrives within it and every story needs a proper ending, and as it turns out ‘Hammerheads and Humpbacks’ closed out this journey in the most appropriate way possible; by celebrating the vast amounts of life that swims and floats beneath the waves. Which is a genius way to end this tale, because what’s the point in learning about the oceans and their wildlife in this manner, if we stray away from why scientists and so many others are fighting for our oceans in the first place? Which is why is great to see this episode take the time to celebrate the natural beauty and wonder that the seas provide us with, such as how the coral reefs glow under the right kind of light in the middle of the night in order to protect their algae. Something that was majestic and hauntingly elegant to see on screen and truly, a sample of the beauty that this story was going to send our way.
 
For we spent a lot of time with the creatures that share the namesake of this episode and it was quite wonderful to see Hammerhead Sharks swimming about in natural fashion since a fair chunk of Steve’s segment was designed to remove the mystique surrounding this aquatic predator. For they are simple creatures that don’t harm people in the slightest, but find their lives threatened at the moment and seeing them just do their thing speaks to the fact that they are an everyday fish just trying to get by and removing the mystique behind them was a wonderful way to show us their gentle side. Plus, I also appreciated the fact that this story took the time to highlight other species of shark that often find themselves in peril, such as the Silky Shark, because it’s important to know that we have to be more creative in how we fish at sea in order to protect the creatures that eat a lot of the same things we do.
 
Yet while the shark segment of this documentary was powerful in its own right, the true centerpiece of this particular tale involved the Humpback Whale. For this part of the story did a phenomenal job of showing us the incredible journey these gentle giants go upon in order to have a family. Because I hadn’t a clue that these whales eat hearty up north before making a massive trek to the Baja Peninsula, and it is in these warm waters that they have their young, or find a mate and it was fascinating to watch that ritual play out before our eyes and to see them communicate and create their song as well and really, this truly was the most beautiful segment of this tale. Simply because it really was a perfect slice of everyday life in the ocean, and a fine reminder that those little calves and that wonderful song is why so many are dedicated to preserving these precious waters.
 
Yet, while this celebration of life was important, one cannot forget that the work to keep every species healthy is and in their natural habitat continues, and the finale was quick to show us some of the research that is going into why sperm whale population is in decline or some of the tricks that are going into bringing fish back to coral reefs that are slowly being restored and really what I liked the most about this finale, is that it puts the onus squarely into our hands when this story has come to a close. Because it really is up to us to save the oceans and keep them free of plastics and threats to the wildlife that thrive there and if we cannot, then precious moments and wonderful sights like the ones presented to us here, will never come again and that’s a heartbreaking thought, and a reality I hope that we will never see and I do hope that Blue Planet Now has done its job and touched plenty of hearts and minds along the way so that our oceans can inspire awe for generations to come.  

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