event The Watching Hour: Series 7

With a premise involving a gruesome reality show that pits everyday people against one another in a “kill or be killed” free-for-all, Series 7 could have easily been a trite morality tale about our declining society. Fortunately it’s tempered with an interesting look at the unseen machinations that shape “reality” TV. Reigning contender Dawn is eight months pregnant, and one of her “randomly” selected competitors is her terminally ill high school sweetheart. Sounds like great television, right? Framed as a marathon airing of the show’s seventh season, the black comedy certainly has the look down, from the pre-commercial previews to the jerky cinéma vérité camerawork to the slow-mo replays of the violence, be it perpetrated by teenage girls or senior citizens.

With a premise involving a gruesome reality show that pits everyday people against one another in a “kill or be killed” free-for-all, Series 7 could have easily been a trite morality tale about our declining society. Fortunately it’s tempered with an interesting look at the unseen machinations that shape “reality” TV. Reigning contender Dawn is eight months pregnant, and one of her “randomly” selected competitors is her terminally ill high school sweetheart. Sounds like great television, right? Framed as a marathon airing of the show’s seventh season, the black comedy certainly has the look down, from the pre-commercial previews to the jerky cinéma vérité camerawork to the slow-mo replays of the violence, be it perpetrated by teenage girls or senior citizens.