Reviews Of Blah: The Curse of Oak Island S05E08

Dan's Breakthrough

Synopsis

New evidence confirms a European presence on Oak Island 100 years before the discovery of the Money Pit.

What I thought

The main 3, Rick, Marty and Craig, arrive in the Money Pit, which is now full of cranes and other machinery. We’re reminded of the GeoTech system for the 44^th time, which is handy because they apparently drilled 44 smaller holes to narrow down where the Money Pit was. Now, they begin to make the bigger 50” hole down the magic hole that is H8 using a rotating oscillator. Well, not quite yet, as they first use a JCB to start the hole, whilst Marty drops a coin down the current plastic coated H8 hole for “Good luck”. You know, if they don’t find that coin again, I’ll be worried. Anyhow, there’s more heavy-duty equipment yet to arrive before drilling commences.

In War Room, a small gang, including Dan Blankenship, assemble to hear results of carbon dating on those two bone fragments found deep down H8. The Middle East bone is dated to 1682-1736 with the European one dated 1678-1764. Puzzling. Naturally, the Knights Templar are mentioned once again as possibilities. They’ve got to be flavour of the month on Oak Island?

Back in that pub, a whole lot of the gang are there to meet historian Doug once more. We’re going back to last season now and the 14^th century hand drawn map from Zena Halpern, another researcher. See S04E12. On that same piece of paper that had that map was some text which Doug has researched and connected to a family of kings linked to the crusades. More research needed it seems Doug.

On Lot 16, north of Money Pit, Gary the metal detector wizard is with Jim, Ricky and Marty where two 17^th century coins had been discovered previously. First up, they find a small horseshoe. That’s lucky right? Well, it’s part of a horseshoe. There’s then discussion about the depressions in this area that look like wells but are believed to be search pits from previous treasure hunters. Next, Gary finds something a good 12 inches deep, finally digging up what Marty thinks is from a cannon. Possibly it’s ammunition called grapeshot. Not much further away, Gary digs up a coin, irregularly shaped (usually meaning old). It’s hard to see anything on it so it needs cleaning.

Alex, Peter and Jim (the regular researching gang it seems) go to meet Doug at the centre of geographic sciences some 80 miles away. It’s all about Rochefoucauld this time, the name on that map, and finding any links to that French family and Oak Island. There’s talk about Samuel de Champlain, a cartographer who made a 17^th century map that bizarrely omitted Mahone Bay, where Oak Island is located. They then find a book about Du Gua, who was one of the first settlers in Nova Scotia who has a family tree saying that a member of the Rochefoucauld married into the Du Gua family. Fireworks go off, and more connections than a telephone exchange are made in gang’s minds. Rick and Alex meet later in War Room to chat to Nichola Lewis, a researcher in France via skype, who has been hired to help them liaise with the Rochefoucauld family. She’s setup a meeting with a Rochefoucauld who lives in the namesake castle. I feel a longer trip coming on.

At the Money Pit the gang inspect the grabber machinery and casing for H8. More equipment is then setup for the large casing drill site including a custom-built oscillator. No wonder it’s expensive! There’s an emotional moment as Ricky names the casing ‘Dan’s breakthrough’ and Jack writes with chalk ‘Forever Family’ on the casing in memory of his brother, before Dan Blankenship starts the oscillator going on H8. Oh, it’s starting to get exciting so it’s time to … Cue the credits …

Rating 5/10 - Drilling getting ready to commence, ammunition, an unidentified coin and more potentially wacky links to Oak Island, mean this is classic episode for the show.