Page 6 - 201002 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2010

February 2010_june_july_2009.qxd 18/02/2010 9:03 AM Page 6 6 Psychic Kids - Children of the Paranormal by chud.com www.chud.com The Pitch "It's like an invasion of privacy meets The Sixth Sense!" The Humans Psychic / Medium Chip Coffey Loads of disturbed youngsters — none of which have stringy black hair — with psychic/medium Chip Coffey and psychologist Dr. Lisa Miller. The Nutshell In six bone-thawing episodes, Coffey and Dr. Miller seek out young children haunted by paranormal abilities or experiences and coax them out on retreats, whereupon the children are taught to control and explore their powers, and abjure the forces of evil in the name of Professor Xavier. The Lowdown I think I would be fascinated by a documentary about children who believe they have supernatural abilities and their The Cheesy Special Effects Used To “Entertain.” relationships with their parents. That's not what Psychic Kids delivers, despite its claims. gets cut free for lack of an anchor. Really, this Their exercises place control in the hands of Instead, the viewer gets a series of informative isn't so much a documentary as a piece of reality these young girls and boys. Instead of being demonstrations of confirmation bias, tarted up TV, with all the camera-awareness on the part of haunted, the children are taught to stand and with fancy editing and dramatic pauses. Now the subjects that goes along with the genre. Dr. face their demons, however literal they may be. that's entertainment! Miller and Coffey lead the children plenty while I never want to argue that it's bad to give No, no it's not. I'm not just saying that the cameras are rolling, but just as in the someone hope and the sense that they control because I'm a skeptic, either. My beef comes "unscripted" world of reality TV, it's hard not to their own lives. I can't argue that, without mainly from how terribly repetitive the whole suspect that there's even more direction going knowing more about the lives in question. exercise is. Every episode follows exactly the on behind-the-scenes. Which brings me back to my original same formula. In this case, I'd feel confident saying that frustration. Psychic Kids doesn't have much Step a) Introduce three children who rather than exploring the lives of these children, meat on its bones, and what little there is claim to have good reason for wetting the bed. the producers are exploiting them. I don't mean occupies a realm man was not meant to know, Step b) Bring those children to a that in a pejorative sense, but just descriptively. or something. There's a certain sympathy that common location. By focusing on the psychic abilities, rather than can evolve between the audience and the Step c) Invoke the powers of Mysticism the children possessing them, the whole series subjects, but it's because of the situation they and Science (thanks to Coffey and Dr. Miller, feels uncomfortably like watching an isolated occupy within the confines of the show. No hint respectively) to confirm those kids' worst fears. group of some religion discussing how great of real information troubles the waters of this Step d) Play a game of Captain Planet. that religion is. There's no reason for me to care, series, and so it's hard to spot even a glimpse of "With our powers combined, we can tell the unless I happen to be interested in that religion. interest. spirit of Blackbeard to cut it out, all right!" What's more, there's nothing to be gained from There's so little variation that the encouraging each other in the tenets of that The Package children, the subjects of this whole religion unless you're physically there in the "documentary" affair, become indistinct, which circle. If you would rather not watch all six isn't helped by the fact that the show isn't It's not worth watching for most episodes— Wait, let me rephrase. You would concerned with the particulars of a given kid's viewers, unless — like me — you enjoy rather not watch all six episodes. Instead, you life beyond that he or she claims to be bothered sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. can watch the condensed, feature-length version by some psychic affinity. Here's what gets my goat: There's never any of the whole show. You get all the same That makes me upset, as an audience sign that the children are in danger, but we are questionable methods and dangerous member, because it gives the show such a meant to believe that they believe they are. If a reinforcement of superstitions, but in less than narrow focus of appeal. Skeptics get the cold child is in danger, it's common to react by half the amount of time. It's a steal! shoulder, and psychological history doesn't wanting to protect them or fix their problem. even skirt near the camera's lens. Anyone trying And, judging by the claims of the show, that's RATING to be interested in the children as complex exactly what Coffey and Dr. Miller achieve. 3 OUT OF 10 creatures with some sort of unclarified problem