The River "Doctor Emmet Cole" Review

So, I've been spelling Emmet (Emmett is what I used) wrong for the last four weeks. I felt foolish when the episode, as well as the info, kept showing the word Emmet without the extra T. The correct spelling of the missing character's name was not the lone surprise of the episode. During Act I, the familiar appearance of the brunette camera operator jumped out of me--she's the same actress whose mission in the Paranormal Activity films was destroying the lives of any man who dare enter her life. Jahel revealed that the name Il Tunchi did not denote a benevolent spirit but, rather, a vengeful demon who's interested in killing folk. Immediately, I suspected Rabbit the camera operator to be Il Tunchi in human form. I watched each of her scenes closely, expecting Emmet to succumb to her cruel and bloodthirsty hand. I felt relief when Emmet awoke one morn to find that Rabbit had fled the premises with all of the survival gear; of course, one wouldn't find much mercy in taking the last of the food and water and leaving a man to his death, but at least her disappearance eliminated the possibility that Emmet and the dog would be strung up and skinned.

"Doctor Emmet Cole" is the definitive episode for all-things-Emmet Cole. A trip to a waterfall led to the discovery of Emmet's bag along with the tape collection. The production team poured through the tapes until they deemed them safe for watching. The majority of the Magus crew gathered in the editing bay to watch the weird sojourn of Emmet Cole in the heart of the Amazon jungle. The structure of the episode led to unintentionally comical moments. The conceit of the show makes it impossible to tell a natural flashback story. The 'found-footage' gimmick is cool for one or two films but the gimmick becomes wearisome when a TV show tries to tell a story that's quite difficult to tell in their style of storytelling. Throughout the crew's viewing of Emmet's adventures in the jungle, the audience is treated to awkward reaction shots from the regulars. Their expressions aren't terrible. I suppose one should consider the fact that they most likely reacted to nothing at all except for the director's directions. There are several tapes to sift through. Presumably, the production crew edited everything into what we've seen. Apparently, though, Emmet edited the tapes himself because nothing's different between these tapes and the tapes we're 'watching' each week. Now, it's possible that the mysterious editing team behind the series for us, the viewing audience, as well as the reactions of the crew. In this instance, we're also characters, or rather, we must imagine an audience other than ourselves watching this documentary of the search for Emmet Cole--the same audience who devoured his "Undiscovered World." I also understand that this is a TV show, and one must not concern oneself with many questions about the show within the show within the show.

Emmet Cole is exactly the same in this episode as he was in those brief snippets we saw in the first or second episode (can't remember which one). The jump cuts between Emmet's various spiritual and magical adventures in the jungles didn't leave anything to the imagination. The found footage shows a quasi-possessed Emmet raving about Lena's mark, some village, and magic. Emmet's direct address of Lena causes every Magus character to turn their heads in curiosity, to which Lena tearfully pleads ignorance. Lena, after all, is mourning the loss of her father. Lincoln tried to detour the mission for two days to let Lena return to the States, but Tess outright refused the request. Later, Tess expressed regret about keeping Lena on the boat against her will while in the stages of grief. Emmet and Russ engaged in fisticuffs over the plan to plunge deeper into the Boiuna. Russ had enough; Emmet stated his belief that the Boiuna tests each and every person who dares enter into the land; but the tests will be rewarded when one finds The Source. Two camera operators follow Emmet while the others remain behind, and they eventually died (as we learned).

Emmet's spirituality is the most engaging aspect of the character. The conviction with which he speaks is addictive. He's the kind of person who could persuade people to pledge their faith to a dangerous fundamentalist sect of Christianity. For Emmet, the Source is the place from which love, redemption, transformation, etc, comes from. Rabbit listens attentively to Emmet when he tells a story about the day his life changed. Emmet used to plan the entirety of his future out until the day his baby daughter passed away from an enlarged heart. Tess encouraged Emmet to live his life in front of the camera, to allow people to see the world through his eyes, and the process restored Emmet's healthy spirit. A year later, "Undiscovered World" had a timeslot on public access television, and Lincoln came into him and Tess' life. Emmet closed his story by reiterating his most essential tenet: 'There is magic in the world" and magic saved his life. He believed in the Source so much that he was willing to die in pursuit of it which is a trait of any True Believer.

Neither brutal deaths nor the whistles of the Il Tunchi deter Emmet Cole in his quest. Rabbit, as already mentioned, fled during the night when death kept coming and hope diminished by the hour. Everything is a trial, a test of will, for Emmet Cole. Cole doesn't succumb to the tragedy or to the hopeless despair of his situation. Food is rare as is drink. Emmet anticipates starving to death. His only companion is his adorable dog. As the shroud of mortality slowly envelopes him, he reaches out to the people he cherishes most in the world--Lincoln and Tess. A man who went into the heart of darkness to find his heart again actually found his heart. When confronted with death, the only thing he wants to do is hear his son's voice and apologize to Tess for ruining things. Generally speaking, Emmet's just a middle-aged man who suffered a mid-life crisis, who had an unspecified something with Lena, and who nearly killed himself in pursuit of his convictions and faith in something. I compared The River to an aspect of David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest, and I feel exactly the same way. The character of Emmet Cole is fascinating and compelling to watch, not a mysterious as James O. Incandenza, but molded in the same spirit as the patriarch of the dysfunctional Incandenza clan.

The tribe that Emmet wanted to find found him on the cusp of death and brought him to their village. The Magus crew went to the tribe site but found no sign of life. Clark reminded Tess about the passage of time between the tapes and the present day. Tess wore a worried expression as she looked upon the deserted village. The search for Emmet continues. Michael Green, Oren Peli, and the rest of the writer's wanted the viewer to feel invested before the final two episodes of the season. Lincoln has another moment in which he curses himself for being a bastard of a son in his father's hour of need, and Tess wants to rectify the wrongs done in their marriage before his departure. Emmet, too, has been reformed. "Doctor Emmet Cole" successfully communicated this theme. Anyone looking for horror and suspense in the series should've stopped watching four weeks ago. The River, as a whole, is a niche show, with an appeal to only a certain group of people. Every episode's been enjoyable, and easy and fun to write about.

Other Thoughts:

-I would quibble about Jahel during the crew's reaction shots scenes. Jahel expressed the most emotion out of any; however, I recall the 'psychic' aspect of her character. I assume she felt Emmet's suffering more than she understood the language; unless, she might've learned English in 4 days. Anyway, Paulina Gaitan's acting moved me. I felt her sympathy and empathy.

-Lena told Jonas that she set off the beacon. The 'shocking' revelation was cheapened when one realized the writer's included that to convince the audience of the possibility that Emmet died on his way to the falls.

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