numnoggin

Another disappointing episode which regrettably has put me off bothering with any more of this series and possibly any of Jack's future ventures in general which is a shame as he seems genuine, is likeable, interesting & has real enthusiasm in the paranormal research field.

The exploration into the Royal Standard pub should've been a stand-alone episode. It's a unique, ancient place with lots of history and tragedy so ideally it needed a longer, more thorough investigation. They should've used other methods rather than just the séance with a psychic & the Estes method. The findings from the medium wasn't as anticipated but the results were interesting however. I would like to have known whether the person that was mentioned is alive or dead. They could've gone outside, used an sls or infrared camera or even just a good old fashioned tape recorder. Perhaps they did but didn't garner any results so didn't bother showing this?

The Swan Theatre part at the beginning was quite boring & the over-the-top hyped camera cuts, misleading visual and sound effects were super annoying. There is no need to add scary sound effects especially during the quieter investigation part as it makes us assume it's the scene's real sounds which is unfair & deceptive. Instead of showing OTT visual cutaways as filler I'd rather see more investigative content. When the interviewees relay their true experiences (which sadly are the most interesting parts of the episode) there are unnecessary cutaways to clips of random, dramatic, chaotic visuals & sounds of the property as well as close-ups of a sculpted bust of a former employee at the same time which is suggesting that the shadow figure they're talking about seeing is in fact this person shown in bust form whereas it is all speculation. Btw it would've been great to see if Kate had any marks on her leg and to see evp work, ghostbox use or an obvious during the apartment scenes.

The sensationalised cutaways & sound effects are just too much. They're so misused & so frequent. They're likely used to make it appear more interesting & for use in adverts. Especially if it's being broadcast to Americans.

Come on Jack you can do better than this! Don't draw things out to waste time & don't overdo the production needlessly when you could be showing us more resulrs or at least your attempts to make finds.

A unique location & thorough investigation. The hypnotist part was interesting but Barri was compromised as he knew about the property already. However, when he was under it seemed genuine as he looked like he was sleepwalking. It would've been good if afterwards Barri was shown a photo of the men he saw to confirm the experiment was right & not just imagination or speculation. I realise there may not have been enough time to research this or that any actual photos would've definitely been found.

The team used different tech devices that caught some top finds which matched the psychic walkthrough & what the client had experienced. It's good when they use different tech especially at the same time as it strengthens the findings. Using a digital recorder as the main tech gets old and it's just underwhelming and unreliable. The echo vox, Alice box, rem pods & word bank devices are the best as well as my favourite, the SLS cam (not used in this ep though).

Overall, a great episode but some parts were seemingly rushed & annoyingly unresolved like when they had the response of "us" after hearing something in the kitchen but the team were asking too many questions, not giving enough time or silence for the voices to be heard. (Tbf some of the voices were on top of the other almost like they were chatting amongst themselves so it was hard for the team to recognise a distinctive response.) A bit unfulfilling and frustrating as during this part there was so much excitement & commotion that they didn't find out who had previously called out "witch" (& why) as well as finding out who had tapped the client & her friend in the past and why. The team also jumped the gun with the "mark" part where they assume their first thought is right. They do this a lot & it's quite annoying! Other TV para investigative teams do this also. Maybe they legit get a psychic understanding in the presence of the spirit or they feel compelled to go for 1 reason in the hopes it'll lead to something else that's linked, will provide resolution or maybe that it'll look better on telly to have a cohesive finding.

Also, they presume spirits are stuck & haven't crossed over/got to heaven. What if they have but can come back anytime? Even when they move them on into the light they may not necessarily be helping them but rather misunderstanding & maybe insulting but it kinda drives home the point to stop their haunting scaring the homeowner. The non-physical interactions is probably just them going about their own business in that same building but within their own dimension because of their connection to it & wanting to inhabit it.

This has much potential but the amateur behaviour and lack of self awareness of the main investigators is just too much to handle. They are so egotistical and stuck in their ways, easily distracted, too desperate to find something and spend too much time jabbering on which is contaminating any evidence and all the hubbub makes it seem like more is happening than they're actually is. It is a pretense as well as pretentious.

Too many people for a start, a comically oversized Ouija board is not practical in general and with lots of people using it and in a small space. It's just moronic. Yvette is SO annoying as she constantly talks, loves the sound of herself and enjoys dominating and playing up to the camera. She is condescending, whiny and scares too easily. It's like she puts on this ethereal style voice to try and be ghostly and whimsical.

The whole team especially the 'psychic' (who kept going on about rushes of cold air going past him and was a bit like a deer caught in headlights most of the time aimlessly meandering around and saying the same things about what he's feeling & how he 'senses' the ghost of John with him) and Karl are super irritating and unprofessional. They never shut up, don't conduct any experiments or just observe. They're too eager to interact and the amount of Karl called out "John?" to address the ghost was too much. He was missing some sounds (potential evidence) and not letting his colleagues investigate or speak as much as he did. They shouldn't explore in the dark and solely rely on a few handheld cameras. There were no fixed cameras or other investigative equipment. A heat camera was used once and just showed a warm door-handle. Luckily at the end a reviewer stated how this was likely from residual body heat of one of the many live investigators going through the rooms during that session..The only saving grace was this end 'conclusion' from this supposedly unbiased paranormal researcher who applied logic to their findings.

The sounds and movement that occured are probably naturally explainable & were likely echoes, gusts of wind, trapped air, vibrations of them all walking and shouting causing things on the ground to move and natural forces from the sea and wind causing draughts, cold air rushes, rumblings and things shunted.

The team really want to believe there's someone there on the other side who resides there in the spirit world and make it obvious that they really want this. They don't act neutral, skeptical or scientific. They fixate on this John character due to the tragic story (officially unconfirmed) & keep repeating his name and his death in their search. It would annoy the heck outta me if I was a ghost and it'd make me not wanna communicate with them at all! From what I've seen from other episodes of this show, the group's 'evidence' is limited as well as questionable; their demeanour puts their credibility in jeopardy. They're clumsy, annoying, disorganised, disrespectful and chaotic.

Amy closes the episode saying it's 1 of the most haunted places she's been to so far & that if they had had more time they would share with us what they've encountered... They should've! It could've been a 2 parter or an extra features episode showing a collection of finds from multiple recent shows.

Also, when Adam is scanning the basement with a SLS cam maps of human skeleton joints clearly show repeatedly on his screen but these aren't mentioned once! Grr!

Due to the probable high amount of ads the US audience get in comparison to us here in the UK, we are subjected to repeats & replays of things we've seen in the show already which is quite annoying. I suppose at least they don't drag it out & repeat it 3 times like Ghost Adventures does. However, there seemed to be a discrepancy with a perceived EVP where they state just the name of a person is heard then an intro to the person's name which is shown in the text at the bottom left side of screen. However when they rewind for the 3rd time they miss out the first part & just say the name like the 1st time and not the 2nd. Confusing! Maybe this was an editing error? I just hope they're not making up what they think they hear.

Anyway, it's an interesting episode all the same especially due to the few clear EVPs, the loud footsteps, the accuracy of the 2 psychics & the likelihood that a negative energy signature is still attached to a medical bag.

**Lookout - Beneath be Spoilers!!** More time should be spent investigating in a big place with dark history like this. A 2-parter episode should be considered for these type of vast locations. Fixed cameras could be used for hours or left overnight & then footage reviewed later. Also, they should've split up with a camera person each to be more vulnerable & to have more chance at attracting something paranormal.

It seemed like without the input of Chip Coffey & the staff there would've been just half an episode. Both inputs were great though: quite insightful & much needed, don't get me wrong... Also, the way it was filmed & edited during the end of the dungeon part was misleading as it seemed like a camera op had a tumble & shouted out but it was just a nervous response to a bang heard (which wasn't even very audible) so it was sensationalised and overhyped when it was nothing. Typical of these type of US reality shows.

There should have been EVP work, SLS cam use & handheld cams by the investigators (who were using them to film each other in the daytime introduction leadup as per usual) especially in the part on death row (I think?) where they alleged to have seen a shadow arm coming out of a jail cell down the corridor. The camera operator tried to get a shot but the 3 people were in the way so wasn't caught. Also, they were using an IR lens at other parts so it would've been good here in the darker, more narrow sections of the prison.

Jack mentioned a name like 'Spicoli' (well, that's what the subtitles said) later on when talking in response to someone mentioning the long-haired blonde male spirit but this wasn't addressed. Had they researched who it could've been? It would've been good to check out.

I realise that the ghost hunters need to be confident, assertive & seemingly in control but when they call out to incite and challenge a spirit it comes across as rude and disrespectful. Even when it's to those of the "d-word" (haha!) class where you don't need to mind your P's & Q's, being hostile and demanding is dangerous in that situation and potentially a deal breaker with benevolent spirits.

Considering they apparently do 3 days there, they shouldn't use the last day to just show their findings to the property manager & actually use some of that day for more investigating. That IS what they're there for at the end of the day. Also, sometimes the investigators are too creeped out & scarper which annoys me cos they're investigators and should be brave and in their element wanting to explore and find out more about the paranormal. If they can't face scary things & be willing to dive in then they shouldn't be doing what they're doing. I know they're only human but their intrigue if not their reputation should give them a confidence boost to do so.

Also, editing shouldn't overuse freaky imagery & sound affects as it's not known if they're added on or really caught on camera at the time. I know they've gotta make things exciting, atmospheric and spooky but the Americans do like to go overboard and sensationalise & it's kind of like lying and is taking up time that could be used to show more evidence.

Chip is cool & is the star of any episode as usual & could've been featured more if he wasn't pestered all the time. He was a bit unwilling to delve into the 'd-word' stuff which is fair enough & Katrina was kinda pushy with him which was hella (no pun intended) annoying. She asks too many questions, isn't patient & lately often comes across as arrogant and too self-assured. Surely psychics need time to gather their surroundings & gauge stuff. Tbh, it felt a bit like Chip was giving her quick, short, obvious answers to just to shut her up, like with the "six" reply.

Enjoyable but could be better in content, editing and host interaction with other - more key - parties.