The Curse of Oak Island S05E16

Synopsis

We dive down DMT in the Money Pit to find out what that obstruction os, discuss the jewel and then take a good hard look at what to make out of the finds this season.

What I thought

Finally, we’ve made it to the, umm, final. This is the end of the season in terms of the TV series and the work that the gang are conducting on the island in 2017 before the harsh Canadian winter returns.

First up, there’s a meeting in the War Room with most of the main gang in there, and Marty/Craig on the videoconference, to discuss the broach and jewel find from last episode.  Gary, the metal detecting master, gives the result of his visit to a gem expert who says the “jewel” is a rhodonite garnet and about 4 to 5 hundred old stone. In case you’re like me, saying “what?”, this is a semi-precious stone that’s been used in decorative items since back to the Egyptians. So, it’s not a treasure, but it is pretty old … oh, and it looks pretty! Marty, bizarrely, asks a very sensible question - “how do you date a stone?” - upon which the answer via Gary is that it’s based on observations of the cuts on the stone as they are handmade. It’s also set in silver with copper leaching out, which also helped date it to a time when they used lots more copper than they do these days in silver items. I didn’t know they used any copper in silver items, but this is an education I guess.

Next day we’re back in the Money Pit where diver Mike Huntley arrives with all his gear. The water in DMT has been treated with “flocculent” which clings to anything moving about in the water and makes them settle at the bottom. Effectively this is clearing the water. Did they not use this in previous dives? Would have been useful you’d think. Or would it have? More on that in a moment. Mike is hooked up in a Robocop diving suit with lots of helpers and paramedics around as he dives to 77ft to find out what that obstruction is. Rick and a few others are in the dive’s crew compartment with Craig on skype also watching in. Mike is lowered by a bowsen’s chair slowly down until he gets into the water. Oh uh. Seems that treatment didn’t help with visibility! Mike gets off chair and is making his way down in near crap visibility. Unfortunately, that treatment has made the bottom like a jelly, so he aborts as he can’t stay on the floor. Up he comes from the first dive. On the second dive he’s had more weights added to his suit to help. Mike confirms there’s something down there, of which he believes it’s a metal plate. Jack high fives everyone on the entire island and starts jumping about like Tigger. Mike is asked to get samples, which can’t be that easy to do but he’s got a knife. Seems he didn’t actually get anything much from the metal if we go by what they say about his sample finds. He did at least say he reckoned it was 8 inches, although I don’t know if he meant width or height there. A third dive is planned but it’s not Mike this time as he’s had his daily limit and thus the backup diver is going down to get better samples. He’s also got a metal detector in one hand but it picks up no metal. A major depression hits everyone. This diver feels it with his hand and think it’s just a hard rock. A very hard rock. Yup, no metal. NO chest, or anything too exciting. Pretty much it’s what I thought, which was that it didn’t look like metal in the first place.

Next day there’s a meeting with the drilling companies, Irving and Roc, where they meet the gang and bid farewell … for now.

Some 30 minutes gone in to this episode and there’s ten minutes left, so it’s time for a big meeting with everyone involved to discuss what they’ve found this season and what comes next. Will they give up? Hell no. We basically regurgitate the big finds of the season, i.e. that cross, the 1600s coins, bones and the its-not-a-jewel jewel. Aging Dan has best view of everyone, mentioning that how much they go on depends on Rick and Marty’s money pockets and that it was the mystery of the island that first drew him to search here x number of years ago. What they’ve got all over the table, the finds of the season, is a lot of something and a lot of nothing, in my opinion. It says a lot, but it also doesn’t really say anything about any treasure on the island. However, like Dan says, there is still a mystery to be solved.

As they all depart, we’re left to wonder if they will return as no firm plans have been made for next year at this point. There’s a lot of man hugging between the gang which is heart-warming to see. They’ve certainly made significant finds this season but it’s true that none really answer the treasure mystery. I’m sure they will continue, and with a proper archaeologist on board now and Gary the metal detecting extraordinaire, I feel that with more solid help from real experts, they could really make breakthroughs.

Rating 6/10 - The season ends on a whimper in the Money Pit but the "jewel" and all the finds from this season should help keep our chins up.

The jewel turns out to be not that valuable but very old.

Mike heads down DMT to find out what the obstruction is.

And ... it's a very hard stone, not metal.

The gang gather to debate and say farewell.