Man Vs. Wild "Norway: Edge Of Survival" Review

Last season, Man Vs. Wild produced two episodes similar to "Norway: Edge Of Survival." The concept is simple. Instead of braving the wilderness with just his small crew, Bear creates every detail of his survival situation. The episodes existed last season as a way for Bear to reinforce the essential survival techniques for people to use should they find themselves lost in a harsh terrain. In other words, the episodes were live-action Best Ofs, meaning that the show opted for Bear to physically go through survival situations he'd been through many times before. I thought the episodes were a fun and inventive take on Best Of episodes because Discovery didn't merely run an episode with old clips.

"Norway: Edge Of Survival" differs from the two episodes last season because Bear and his crew bring new situations to the proverbial survival table. In fact, this episode had a brutal honesty about it. Bear's quite honest about how each of his man-made situations would turn out for the average, and even above-average or excellent, survivor. And that honesty involves certain death. Death is the dominant theme of the episode or, rather, the power of Mother Nature is the dominant theme. The idea of death is always a sobering thought. Last season in this kind of episode, Bear came close to death a few times as well and his reaction is always sobering. Man Vs. Wild has always been a show about perseverance, which is why some of the situations Bear experiences are so startlingly different. It becomes apparent that, without the help of his crew, Bear, or any other survivor, would die from the conditions, which is why this episode is a stand-out as well.

-Bear wastes no time with insane challenges in the great country of Norway. The episode opens as Bear tells the camera a story about the time he broke his back in three places and nearly became paralyzed for life because his parachute failed to open. Like anyone, Bear panicked and didn't trigger his emergency 'chute with enough time so he crash-landed on the ground with brutal results. The experience motivated Bear to show the audience how to trigger the emergency parachute in the event that the first chute fails to open. 10,000 feet above the ground, the wind's more brutal. Bear doesn't want to be thrown about in the air like a rag-doll so the crews monitor the winds using orange smoke. Soon enough, Bear's soaring through the air. He cuts his 'chute and the man flies through the air with nothing but mountains and water to stop him. Now, the initial chute took 11 seconds to open which cost Bear a valuable 1,000 feet so he acted quickly and triggered the emergency chute. He had a water landing and instructed the viewer to cut the strings away from the body before the parachute filled with water. The parachute would weigh a person down with the probable outcome being...you guessed it...death.

-The next challenge pitted Bear Grylls against raging rapids in Norway's biggest dam--a dam that provides power for most of Norway. The dam setting allowed Bear and the crew to control water power. For safety reasons, Bear harnessed and he had a lone stick to break up ice AND maintain his balance and control against the increasing intensity of the current. Midway through, Bear advised any survivor to head for shallow waters when the water became increasingly intense. He noted that many survivors think they can cross the river quickly; however, it's a decision that will cost that survivor his or her life. Sure enough, Bear is beaten by the rapids at a mere 7MPH (enough speed to topple houses believe it or not). With the harness, Bear successfully reaches the bank and safety. The challenge features one of Bear's great lines: 'LET THE DAM OPEN!' He was Moses-esque.

-1/3 of Norway consists of forests. Deer, elk and bears are the biggest game in the Nordic country. Bear reminded the viewers of the various traps he made during the previous season. Traps save valuable energy that one would use actively hunting for game. Rather than capturing big game, Bear wants to show how much force is his one of his traps so, obviously, he uses himself. The trap has enough force to kill any animal and hospitalize any human (without the deadly spikes). Nothing else happens.

-The man-made storm is, by far, the most intense challenge in the episode. For nearly 59 minutes, Bear endures devastating winds and rain in the forests of Norway. The weather can be unpredictable in Norway so Bear wants to demonstrate how to survive when a vicious storm happens and one's skin temperature drops.

What unfolds is one of the series' most depressing challenges. Bear is absolutely destroyed by the man-made storm. His only refuge from the wind is to crouch down but the wind batters him regardless of his positioning. His shelter barely protects him from the harsh conditions. He gathers tinder for the fire, breaks a branch in half in search of dry wood but he fails to light a fire. His skin temperature continued to drop. His hands were numb. He was close to hypothermia. Bear reached the point when he gave up, aware that much longer in the conditions would result in death. Afterwards, he frantically tried to warm up. He was in sort of an upset way as he described the thoughts that ran through his body as every survival attempt failed during the storm.

-The next challenge involved a Tyrolean traverse. In the past, Bear nearly fell when his support gave away. He used a traverse that the Special Forces use in piracy cases. The highlight of the challenge was when Bear, in the middle of the Tyrolean traverse and high above water, simply stated that he'd call himself committed to the challenge in his circumstance. The greatness is all in the delivery.

-Bear taught the audience how to safely jump from 50 feet or above water without major injuries for the final challenge.

Overall, "Norway: Edge Of Survival" successfully avoided copy-catting the two season five episodes. It was an intense and entertaining hour of television. Bear Grylls continues to out-do himself. Even though Man Vs. Wild is no longer a fad amongst college students, the show is well worth watching on a weekly basis.

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