Pirate Gold of Adak Island is an eight-part reality docuseries released on Netflix. It follows the expedition team which is called to hunt down the treasure hidden in Adak Island, Alaska. Each episode has a runtime of about 25 minutes to 34 minutes respectively. The expedition team includes Dr M Jackson, Burke Mitchell, Jay Toomoth, Brian Weed and the mayor of the island Thom Spitler.
In 1892, a Pirate named Gregory Dwargstaf hid gold coins worth $365 million dollars in 150 food and milk tin cans, on the island of Adak. He was running away from the govt officials and found the secluded island to be the best place to hide his treasure. But he died before he could come back to get it.
In World War II, the island was used as a base by America to attack Japan. During the construction of the base in 1943, a worker found a tin can with gold coins from the 1880s-90s which was worth thousands of dollars. Later on, in 1959, another can with $2.5 million dollars worth of gold was found by a Seabee while constructing drainage.
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Is Pirate Gold Of Adak Island Scripted?
The docuseries is tagged as a Reality-TV show on Netflix and it is evident in the style of presentation, which includes narration and separate interviews of the expedition cast to lead the series. Some interviews were filmed in LA in 2021, so essentially the cast is recalling what they saw and felt when they were on the field on Adak Island.
That’s why many times their comments can be felt as scripted or a bit exaggerated as compared to the events happening on the screen. Since the interviews were filmed later, there’s a definite possibility of the production crew interjecting in what they should say that will align with their compiled and edited story arc.
Secondly, there are some close-up shots of the things they found like the spears or the gold coin for example. When the team is digging it out, the camera can be placed at a distance only, so that they don’t come in the way of their work. That’s why they are not able to get a clear view of things in their hand as they pull it out. But they are shown in a close-up right after, which is shot a bit later to show the audience clearly.
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That could explain why the gold coin is seen in minted condition, even though they were buried in a tin can underground. The production crew also cleaned it up a bit before shooting it in their hands. Also, gold is the least reactive metal of all, it does not tarnish or rust as it doesn’t react to oxygen. Most Gold nowadays is mixed with alloys that’s why they become dark over time.
So if the treasure is from the 1800s then it is most probably pure gold which will remain the same, unless it is mixed. One of the popular audience opinions was that the expedition team first strategised that Gregory Dwargstaf must have buried the treasure near the places he anchored his boat. But later on in the episodes, they go to any place where they find clues about the treasure.
It is contradicting their own expert opinion but when you are faced with failure at every point, I won’t blame the team to go after any small clue no matter where it leads, as long as they find something substantial. Like their expedition to Lake Betty, to find what the dead army personnel was looking for.
Final Thoughts: Scripted or Not?
Pirate Gold of Adak Island on Netflix cannot be called a scripted show, since the presence of the treasure on the island has been a well-known fact/theory. Is the show edited in a way to create an interesting story? Yes. But it’s not just this docuseries, every piece of content whether fiction or nonfiction is built from the scratch on the editing table, which will be entertaining to watch.
Not every scene that you see is filmed at the same time, sometimes two scenes of the same scenario might be filmed months apart. That’s the work of the filming crew, to present you something in the form of a story. I think the Netflix series is definitely interesting to watch, I mean who doesn’t like crazy pirate stories. But it isn’t without some faults like the stretched-out episodes with cliffhangers at every end.
It could have been a six-part series if they had done away with unnecessary protocols they had to face and the drama around the bomb they found. I guess they were also trying to show and warn the audience, who might get motivated to find treasure after watching it, how dangerous it could be in case they dug out at the wrong place.
Pirate Gold of Adak Islandis streaming onNetflix.
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