Oddities

This show consists of folks coming into the Obscura antique store in the East Village in New York. Sometimes they come to sell something, sometimes to buy or sometimes in search of something illusive--but ALWAYS it's weird and often twisted.

I've seen this show a few times already, but my daughter just saw it tonight. I think her reaction is the typical sort of reaction anyone would have if they give the show a chance. When the show began, almost immediately some sick and weird items began showing up in the Obscura antique shop. She said "Oh, my gosh!"--and was shocked. BUT, when I started to change the channel she told me to wait! She was hooked...almost like someone watching a train wreck! Fascinating and creepy, this is sort of like "Pawn Stars" for Wednesday Addams! Cool...really, really cool. Oh, and by the way, sometimes the people coming to the store are a lot weirder than the stuff the place sells!!

"I have a hard time trying to communicate with people...skateboarding's a way for me to communicate..." -Mark Gonzales, Professional Skateboarder

Even though the above quote was written by an athlete, I think it fits the theme of the show quite nicely. "Oddities" is a series that centers around an antique store that buys and sells, just that, oddities. Strange medical equipment, and all other manners of macabre artifacts come into and out of the shop, and that alone is interesting, but what I think makes the show unique, and compulsively watchable are the people both in front of and behind the counter.

The owners are passionate about their work, and it brings them into contact with many people. Whether it be authenticators, hobbyists, buyers or even the occasional lawyer, they're always treated kindly and professionally. They're not just buying and selling, they're communicating their passions.

The show does the same thing. A lesser show would consider some patrons as eccentrics, but this show takes a higher stance and presents them as individuals, not making a point of their uniqueness, but not downplaying it either.

I think the subtext is that, in a way, we're all "Oddities", along with the things we love.

While I do have some reservations about this program (back-to-back episodes can get repetitive etc) I think this show is up there with a lot of the better Discovery Channel Series' (and general TV documentaries) and I really hope it gets the audience it so richly deserves.