The deeper you go, the more extreme conditions become. There are fish that walk instead of swim, worms that feed exclusively on bones and shrimps that spend almost their entire lives imprisoned with their mate in a cage of crystal sponge. Food is hard to come by and finding a mate is even harder, but life adapts in ingenious ways. On the desert wastes of the abyss, a whale carcass generates a frenzy as slow-moving sharks as big as great whites fight for what may be their first meal in a year. We encounter savage hordes of Humboldt squid hunting lanternfish in the depths and coral gardens flourishing in absolute darkness, with more species of coral to be found in the deep than on shallow tropical reefs. We discover alien worlds, bizarre creatures and extraordinary new behaviours never seen before. This episode takes us on an epic journey into the unknown, a realm that feels almost like science fiction. Scientists already think that there is more life in the deep than anywhere else on Earth. We have barely begun to explore it, and yet it is the largest living space on the planet. Summarising, a magical episode of a 2017 gem.The deep is perhaps the most hostile environment on Earth, at least to us - a world of crushing pressure, brutal cold and utter darkness. The behind the scenes footage "The Deep Blue" brings honesty and humanity, what the crew go through and how they work against sometimes volatile conditions makes the viewer feel admiration for them. One roots for the animals, whether prey or predator. Instead, it feels like its own individual story with real, complex emotions and conflicts. "One Ocean" also had the bottlenose dolphins and killer whales, but that was a different feeling. "Green Seas" highlight is undoubtedly the aforementioned pyjama shark and octopus scene, the only other scene to have that same amount of impact on me in a series full of emotional complexity was that of the whale carcass in the second episode. He delivers it with his usual richness, soft-spoken enthusiasm and sincerity, never talking down to the viewer and keeping them riveted and wanting to know more. Attenborough's narration helps quite significantly too, he clearly knows his stuff and knows what to say and how to say it. Found myself learning a lot about the mystery and beauty of the ocean and the marine life that inhabits it. There are things already known to me, still delivered with a lot of freshness, but there was a lot that was quite an education. Really can't fault the narrative aspects in "Green Seas" either. Some have found the music and sound effects too bombastic and intrusive, not for me. It not only complements the visuals but enhances them to a greater level. While not with the involvement of George Fenton, the music here soars, rouses just as much and touches the soul just as much, definitely worthy of cinematic quality. Then one is absolutely shocked at how something so wonderfully weird and intense as the scene between the pyjama shark (nowhere near as cute as its name suggests, it's pretty vicious actually) and the octopus was filmed, that is a scene in every way that stays with the viewer forever. Particularly standing out are the sea otters floating on their backs and the baby sea dragon taking its first swim, truly beautiful. Standing out even more is the photography, the underwater sequences are just as stunning as 'The Blue Planet' (unequalled when it comes to underwater sequences). It has gorgeous scenery and rich colours, while the animals and marine life are captured in all their glory. Visually, "Green Seas" is a wonder and a feast of gorgeous images. "Green Seas" is nothing short of magical. This doesn't matter, because 'Blue Planet II' is just as beautiful to watch, non-stop transfixing, educational, inspirational and emotionally complex. OK, so 'Blue Planet II' may not be as ground-breaking as 'The Blue Planet' and not everything is new here. This is saying a lot, seeing as apart from the odd gem 2017 has not seen me watching new television by habit, often find myself seeing re-runs or films more. Luckily, 'Blue Planet II' turned out to be every bit as amazing, easily a highlight of 2017 television and one of not many programmes that year to leave me completely transfixed and wanting to see the whole lot and looking forward to it every week. Absolutely adore the first 'The Blue Planet', one of my favourites of his, so was psyched to hear that there was a second 'Blue Planet' series. He has done so many treasures and even his lesser output of a long and consistently impressive career is still good. David Attenborough, as has been said many times, is wholly deserving of being called a national treasure, although it is a term he happens to not like apparently.
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