Rotten

Tl;dr: Read the last paragraph, and if that's tl, then my recommendation is to watch the garlic episode.

This series is definitely a slow burner. I stopped watching the first episode multiple times because I could not get into it but trudging through the tedious parts gives way to some of the best documentary work I have ever seen. This is the worst part about this series, the irregularity of the quality. Certain sections will be completely vapid and devoid of emotional investment from the audience whereas the best Rotten has to offer is a surprisingly touching and emotional story paired with legal and legislative conflicts.

The Peanut episode for example, is extremely boring. Easily the worst, I don't understand how they went through with this topic. Someone must have realized at some point that they were pretty much saying the same thing for 30 minutes during the episode.I feel like I could spoil everything that happens in this episode and it would change anything because most of the revelations and ideas brought up are extremely basic. If you have any experience with food borne allergies, be it personal or stuff you've seen on TV, this episode is a waste of time. The next episode, however, is completely different.

Now I may be biased because I love garlic (try chopped garlic with sardines and avocado on toast), but this episode is my favorite. In the description of the episode they bring up their a lawsuit. I could not have been more turned off but after watching it, this episode was the one that stayed in my head the longest. This episode could have been released by itself and I would be completely satisfied. The development of the plot is paced very well and it leaves so many questions unanswered. This episode leaves you frustrated in the best possible way. If you are going to watch any episode of this series, this one should be it.

An argument could be made for the chicken or cod episodes but if you've seen Food Inc., the chicken episode isn't as powerful as it could be although it is still one of the best. I should mention that this episode is definitely seperate from Food Inc. in a lot of ways, but it still touches upon similar topics. The Cod episode is good but it puts the legal controversy front and center whereas the garlic episode builds up to it which makes it more satisfying.

Plot-wise, there are three great episodes two good ones, and one bad one. The two good episode (dairy and honey) were still very good but not as well paced as the others.

The rest of what makes good TV is flawless, which is why I give it such a high score. The cinematography and overall directing is very good. The image itself is very crisp, and I noticed no errors in the sound design. Overall, the production quality is great. If I had to have one issue it would the song for the intro. It's starts very brutal and fits the rhythm of the video and I love it. But then, they bring in what I assume to be a brass instrument and it kills the vibe completely! They should have kept the ominous rhythm by itself and it would be fine.

After Food Inc., which to me was the pinnacle to food documentaries, I haven't had the same eye opening experience with any other documentary. Until Rotten. It tackles these issues from so many angles that you are bound to learn something new, be it from a human perspective, or a business or legislative angle. There are slow parts and one particularly slow episode (and it's a shame because I love peanut butter) which prevents this docuseries from reaching perfection but the parts that shine will leave you blind (in a good way???). This along with the production value is why I highly recommend this series.

The concept for this show is really quite brilliant. Looking at the shady underbelly of food manufacturing, and trade is a compelling idea. The first episode dips into this potential by looking at how Chinese honey exporters dilute their honey with various syrups made from rice, corn, and other food products. The fourth episode about garlic taps into part of the concept as well by looking at how Chinese garlic producers use prison labor to peel garlic that they then sell to the U.S.

However, despite moments of thoughtprovoking brilliance, this series only scratches the surface of most topics, and is increadibly unfocused in several of the episodes. The episode about chicken for instance deals more with a series of chicken coup attacks in the Southern U.S., then it does looking at the payment structure for farmers and the globalized scale of ownership with chicken companies.

So while the core idea is terrific, the execution of the series leaves a lot to be desired. They should've dug deeper into the issues, focused their episodes a lot more, and ensured that the finished product is just as engaging and thoughtprovoking as the idea itself.

Some episodes are better/more interesting than others, but overall it's a good docu. It has some major focuses and unlike other wannabe docus out there lately doesn't try to create a false image of the world and what YOU should do to follow their idea of fairness. It informs and does so well as it should be. Not some highly biased individual experience based "idea" of a docu. Good stuff and worth/enjoyable to watch.

I really liked Rotten, a tile that suggests a dramatic exposé which it is not, The drama is in its close-up look at real people working in the growth/ production of peanuts, garlic, milk, bees/honey, fishing (cod), and chickens. in the U.S. as well as the current state of these particular fields with regard to regulation, trade, consumer demand, profitability, etc.

It's very engaging, fascinating even, with honest and caring attention to the foods and those who produce them. I totally enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

The second season of this show was similar to the first, focusing on the industrial processes and environmental harms of so much of what we consume. The first had episodes on honey, peanuts, garlic, chicken, milk, and fish, while the second season covered avocados, chocolate, water, sugar, wine, and marijuana edibles. It's a really good show, well produced and thought provoking, and made me think twice about the products I buy in the supermarket. I do take umbrage, however, with the tone of the last episode of S02, on pot edibles in Amsterdam and in the U.S. While I'm sure they were aiming for impartiality, too much of the episode ended up being like "Reefer Madness", using scare tactics to convince viewers that pot legalization is moving too fast. That's balderdash and one quote alone shows the fallacy of the "war on drugs":

"...enforcement of federal and state marijuana laws costs eight billion dollars a year..."

It's pure insanity that we waste so much money, and incarcerate way too many black and brown people, for something that should never have been illegal in the first place. All the money that's spent fighting a plant that is patently less harmful than alcohol is asinine. Soapbox rant aside, I'd definitely recommend watching S02; all the episodes are illuminating and interesting (and infuriating and frustrating).