The Underground — Issue #119
Everything you need to know about in this weekly series: A cult TV show is coming back after a long time away, a day in the life of a therapy dog, the entire history of the world in 20 minutes, and Neil deGrasse Tyson tries the Hot Ones challenge.
At Social Underground we go beyond the mainstream stuff and see what’s underneath the surface. What should we get into, listen to, read, eat or watch? If there is something in our culture that needs attention that’s our job: Show you the underground things that you need to know about: Books, music, television, movies, comedians, art, and whatever else we can find to get you into something you never knew about. That’s The Underground
1. Why is Twin Peaks such a big deal? Chances are that if you haven’t heard of the cult show, you’ve seen its influence on other television shows with huge mysteries. I first watched it in high school for some film and television class. We just sat around and binge-watched stuff, then wrote about them. It was the best class ever.
The teacher eventually started Twin Peaks. From the first episode, you knew that you were watching something different. It kicks off with a murder of a girl, and from there, it gets into some really weird stuff. There are little people talking backwards in some carnival-like room. Kyle Maclachlan is running around being a creepy FBI agent, and the biggest mystery of all is “Who killed Laura Palmer?”
Well, you better catch up on the original show, because it’s coming back to Showtime on Sunday, May 21 at 9 PM ET/PT. If you still have questions about how great this show is, watch the feature below. I think it sums up why everyone fell in love with this series.
2. A look at the day in the life of a therapy dog. If you have ever had to sit in a hospital bed for an undetermined amount of time, you start to get depressed and lose hope. You can only watch so much TV before you start losing your mind, and maybe even unintentionally letting your anger out on your doctors and nurses. Sometimes a hero has to come in and save the day. That hero is Fraser the therapy dog.
Fraser is trained to comfort people in the hospital when they really need it. I’ve seen people in a hospital room who’ve been there for weeks want to freak out or die. One such instance, a family member of mine was in a hospital bed for about a month. He was moved to hospice AKA the death hallway because the hospital was generally awful (how do you not bathe a person after 2 weeks, then hide that from the family?).
What some people need is someone near them to make them feel emotionally better. What better than a dog who comes into your room to make you feel better? Dogs are 4-legged hugs and kisses that constantly want to make your day better. Fraser goes from room to room trying to rub off his awesomeness, then gets to go home, eat some kibble, and run around the backyard. A true hero.
Bring the tissues as you watch Fraser help patients who really need it.
3. The history of the world in 20 minutes. Trying to explain the beginning of Earth is a tough thing to do, especially if the person you’re talking to thinks the Earth is only around 10,000 years old.
What this video does is explain things in a funny and simple way. This how the universe began and how we got here. It’s near 20 minutes long to watch, but it blows past you because it’s so good. It’s that type of good content where you check the time on the TV, then wonder how the great show you’re watching went by so fast. It’s that type of good.
I know you may be hesitant on something you may not believe in, like facts or common sense, but hopefully this informative video can open your eyes to where you live. You’re on a planet! There are other planets! Hopefully, within our lifetimes, we can go to some new ones.
4. The great Neil deGrasse Tyson takes the Hot Ones wing challenge. When it comes to NDT, he’s probably one of the best teachers of science that I can think of. He presents difficult subjects with a way of making you interested, but also making you want to know more. At that point, he ropes you in and tells you more. The man loves to inform!
This week, Neil deGrasse Tyson takes the Hot Ones spicy wings challenge. Tyson doesn’t just eat the wings and react, no, he eats the wings and drops science on host Sean Evans like a true professor. As the wings get hotter, Tyson describes what his sensations are going through with specific descriptions about what the hot wing is doing to him. The man knows his food. He also knows his wine!
Tyson is also there to promote his best-selling book Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. Lemme tell you, the book is a binge-read. I ordered it and read the entire thing in a day. It’s one thing to tell you how good it is, and another to recommend it to everyone you talk to after reading it. It’s that damn good, son.
Me – “Yo, you check out that new NDH?”
Stranger – “Naw man, I don’t want no Ecstasy.”
Some people just don’t get it. Watch NDH demolish some wings and talk science in the video below:
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Jeff Sorensen is an author, writer and occasional comedian living in Detroit, Michigan. You can look for more of his work on The Huffington Post, UPROXX, BGR and by just looking up his name.
Contact: jeff@socialunderground.com