December 12, 2008
GH: Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse
All right! So I finally got around to watching the Season Finale of Ghost Hunters and wow! Simply: wow! Please note my use of lowercase. Actually, it would probably more accurately sum up my feelings about this episode if I had said, "Simply: wow!" Yes, underhwleming is another way to put it, but let's dig in, shall we?
As many of you know I actually take notes while I watch in order to put together the best write-up I can. Normally I don't find myself taking any notes at all until the investigation actually gets underway — mainly because everything prior to that almost always consists entirely of relating personal experiences (which is not really what we're looking for here) although there are occasional bits of historical fact that I feel are noteworthy. This investigation marks the first time I recall someone actually presenting evidence before the investigation, in this particular case a woman had a photograph of a green mist with some white streaks around it. I don't know if it's paranormal, some sort of camera malfunction or what, but I want more of this. Maybe it's hard to come by, but I like evidence over stories by about 1000 to 1 ratio, so if there is any chance we'll see more of that next season I will be quite willing to watch.
Something I'd like to see less of is the weird dynamic going on with Steve & Dave. As they got ready to investigate Steve noted what a beautiful autumn evening it was, the air slightly cold and crisp, the "perfect night" for a ghost hunt. The romantic in me doesn't really have a problem with this in and of itself — although getting romantic over ghost hunting may seem a little creepy to some, but Steve's antics overall strike me as less romantic and more "just a little weird". Top that off with Dave Tango's unfortunate wording of his own enthusiasm: He unabashedly told the camera he "really, really" wanted to "hit" that lighthouse. I know what I'm pretty sure he meant, but I am worried that there is also a small chance he's using his job as a substitute for other things in his life.
Right at the beginning of the investigation we were treated to "new classic" Ghost Hunters: Grant reported seeing a light that no one else (and especially not the camera) saw and then he had a K-II meter than was going crazy while his right hand seemed to be fidgeting with something in his pocket and suddenly stopped when he pulled his hand out of his pocket. Shortly thereafter, Jay said he felt like the whole lighthouse just "went DOOONNG" and Grant wholeheartedly agreed, however no audio was apparently captured of this event. A bit later there were some audible knocking sounds, and then Jay reported the K-II meter was "going crazy" but the camera only showed the meter for a second and I couldn't even tell if anything was lit up.
Things did get a bit more interesting when they asked the spirit of a deceased Captain, a former keeper of the lighthouse at least one witness believes she saw walking the grounds long after his death, to make a noise — a loud clatter seemed to be an immediate response. Jay then asked at least four times for the spirit to make a noise and he did seem to get a response every single time. No explanation was found, but of course with the available video footage (and their available debunking) there isn't really enough information to rule out coincidence and/or natural phenomena — or even a crew member messing with them at the bottom of the stairs. Who knows?
Jay & Grant sent Kris & Amy into the Lighthouse to "verify" their experiences (I thought that was what all the recording equipment was for?) and I must critique this point: They went in with full knowledge of what Jay & Grant experienced. Wouldn't it be more verification if they went in without any foreknowledge, but came out reporting the same phenomena?
In any case, as has been noted below in the comments (since I am writing this after many of you have already put in your own "two bits") there was some "Shave and a Haircut" knocking which did seem to elicit the Roger Rabbit-esque "Two Bits" response. What really impressed me though was that after a whole bunch of knocking and random sounds, Amy was lamenting that the sounds were all coming from some distance away and they implored "the Captain" to come up the stairs to them. What seemed like immediately after their request, there was a sound that — to me, at least — sounded exactly like someone walking up the steps. It wasn't subtle, it didn't sound creepy, if I worked at that lighthouse and heard that sound I would instantly think one of my co-workers must be coming up the stairs.
I am relatively convinced that sound wasn't windows rattling or mice, it was someone walking up the steps: living or otherwise. I was afraid the girls would be too frightened to look, but impressed when they did. Their reasoning seemed close to my own: That sounds "too real" and "too definite", there's got to be a real person on the stairs so let's go look. Unfortunately it would seem the limitations of the IR illuminators in the dark lighthouse made for a bad view — but then again, since it's a spiral stairway if someone was hoaxing them all they would need to do is stay on the section of stairs directly below them and they'd be completely out of sight. Now, if the girls had rushed down the stairs at top speed with flashlights blazing, determined to catch whomever was there (if anyone corporeal was indeed there), I'd have been very impressed, but alas it was not to be.
Despite their enthusiasm, Dave & Steve seem to have had quite the worthless evening because their part of the investigation was granted virtually no camera time. We see them in the Guard House briefly, obsessing over two spiders that were either mating, or one was "murdering" (their word, not mine) the other. My limited knowledge of spiders suggests it could possibly even be both. Am I glad they interrupted the flow of the investigation to show us the only mildly interesting thing that happened to them all night? No. I like the two of them very much, but they need to be useful instead of low-brow comic relief. A bit later in the investigation we see them wandering the Fort, but nothing interesting happens then either, and that's all (for them) folks.
Prior to the Dave & Steve expedition to the Fort, Jay & Grant were there first (of course) and heard what they described as a "male scream". To me it sounded like some sort of shrill bird call, but maybe their audio is just absolute garbage. I'm sorry, did I say that out loud? Later they play for the client what they said was "woman's laughter" but acknowledge that the recording doesn't really sound anything like what they heard at the time. Shouldn't that immediately cause them to run out and buy better recorders? What kind of professional wants to play sounds for a client and then tell them, "Oh I know it doesn't sound like what we told you we heard, but…" ??
A loud noise occurred as Jay & Grant entered the Keeper's Quarters and Grant said it was an interior office door slamming shut, however I'm not sure how he would know that because he didn't claim to have seen it. For all we know a book might have fallen off a shelf in the office, causing that sound to come from that direction. Grant said the negative pressure from them opening the door to enter the building would have caused the office doors to open rather than shut, but perhaps they would have caused something to fall, which happened to sound like a door slamming.
One thing I wanted to mention was that immediately after this Grant specifically said they should go into the basement because that's the "easiest to debunk". Long-time fans will recall countless times where they walk into a basement and find EM fields from wires in the ceiling or what-not — but Grant specifically heading for the basement for an "easy" debunk just strikes me as trash investigation skills. Rather than actually evaluate a piece of evidence critically, it seems to me like they'd rather go straight to the circuit breaker box with an EMF detector and (to use a running joke from Mythbusters) say, "Now there's your problem!"
I'm not even sure anything was reported in that particular basement. It really goes to show how these guys can take, leave or re-interpret evidence as their mood changes. Back at the fort they caught what appeared to be someone running away quite fast on their FLIR, but they determined they'd actually been catching a reflection off a small object nearby that was blocking part of the frame — yet other times they seem to completely forget such a thing as thermal reflections even exist. Honestly, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if at some point they catch what is clearly a thermal image of an actual person, and then start claiming to debunk it as a reflection even though it clearly isn't. There have certainly been times where we've suspected some deliberate hoaxing may have occurred, but there seems to be a lot of pure incompetence too, and that can take their conclusions in the wrong direction either way. It's like watching a train wreck… and … I can't… look away…
Coming up from the basement is when they heard the woman's laughter, by the way, for those who care about such things.
One last oddity for the night: Jay knocked three times on the wall, and then rather than hear a response we actually see the K-II meter light up three times successively, almost identical to the pattern Jay had just made. This occurred several times back to back and seemed rather odd and possibly even impressive except for two things: (1) We don't see Grant while the K-II is lighting up, and when the camera pans to him (he is right next to it) we don't see his right hand because it's out of frame, and (2) The first time this happened Jay remarked that nothing like it has ever happened before, however before he knocked the first time he was staring intently at the K-II, clearly expecting it to light up at any moment and wanting to see it when it did. From what Jay said, we can surmise they did not instruct the spirits to light up the K-II when he knocked, so why would he be staring at it so intently before and during his knocking and why would they even have the K-II meter out and sitting by itself if they weren't expecting a response? I suspect Jay was expecting a response.
On the reveal I have only one thing of importance to note: There has been some discussion of their host being "in the house" while they were filming. Since I saw some of the comments here I paid careful attention to that and it did not seem to me that he was saying he was in the same house as the TAPS investigation team — he said he was in the house with the Coast Guard personnel (or something). In other words, there are people there 24/7 and all the folks who were normally there restricted themselves to one building while TAPS investigated the rest of the buildings. He was relating an experience they had in that building during the investigation. Unless I'm completely misunderstanding what he said, I don't think there was any contamination of the investigation — at least none inherent in what he was saying.
In the end, J&G came to a rather even-keel conclusion, neither claiming the place was haunted, nor offering "normal" explanations for the strange things they experienced. That's fine with me, I think most Ghost Hunters episodes should probably end like this and I was glad this season ended on this sort of note. Some of the stuff in the middle was a garbage sandwich, but whaddya want? Science?
Filed under Ghost Hunters, Posts by Logisti
 |
| ^ Please Support our Sponsor |
Comments on GH: Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse »
blinddog50 @ 3:55 pm
Hard to decide which was the greatest waste of an hour of humankind.
This episode of GH or The Rosie O'Donnell Variety Show.
Close call.
I did notice one startling revelation though.
Have you noticed that in the right light and seeing him full-faced that Grant can resemble Robin Williams.
That was pretty much all that I got from this season finale.
Nosfer @ 5:07 pm
The field of Ghosthunting has been officially set back 23 years
All I will say is that it WAS a pretty cool shot of that spider! Would love to hear the unedited (ie unbleeped) version of the gals up in the lighthouse.
Leslie @ 5:09 pm
I'm wondering if Grant was manipulating the K2 meter in the begining of the investigation. As he and J are going up the light house stairs, he keeps fiddling with his K2, which is lighting up like crazy, and then we see him put something in his back pocket and the K2 goes out. This is right at the point where he says he thought he saw a light below. Now it looks to me like he has the K2 , a flashlight, and a recorder in his hands, so what was in his other hand that he put in his back pocket?? And if you watch him closely, he seems to be playing with his back pocket and then front pocket , and then the K2 lights up. To me, he just looks like he is trying to pull something off.
On a different note, I'm glad to see that J was not so quick to say that the place was haunted.
Brenda Lee @ 5:43 pm
Have you guys seen the review of this episode by a person who witnessed the investigation? The URL is http://www.cliqueclack.com/tv/2008/12/10/ghost-hunters-what-i-saw-that-you-didnt-see/. He made some interesting comments about geese flying overhead right when Jay and Grant thought they heard laughter.
Speaking of wildlife, I thought the mysterious sound Jay and Grant heard outside sounded like a bird. I don't think you can really have an outside investigation that is not contaminated by outdoor sounds. I thought they should have spoken to someone who knows what local water birds, and wildlife sound like. Wild animals can make some crazy sounds.
I noticed that K2 meter lighting up as well in the beginning. And I noticed how Jay backed off from claiming it was paranormal; this raises the question: why bring it?
I hope GH is dedicated to improving next year – maybe that can be their resolution! They really have to improve their scientific method if they hope to regain some trust from those of us so disappointed this season.
Wes @ 5:47 pm
Yikes, debunking, like the King, has left the building (or lighthouse, in this case). Let's see, strange, repetitive noises in a working lighthouse? Just walk around the building and see if anyone's hanging around — don't worry about trying to determine if any of the mechanical equipment, or the surrounding water, or anything not as obvious as a guy wearing a neon "I'm a hoaxer" T-shirt might be to blame. I guess GH didn't save the best for last.
Hal @ 5:57 pm
The only action on this episode that even remotely qualifies as "compelling evidence" would be the timely responses the girls got (in the form of knocking sounds and footsteps) from the dearly departed captain "what's-his-face" whenever they asked him to give them a sign. Of corpse, er I mean, course, those sounds could have been faked by someone out of sight of any camera; even a fellow TAPS member unbeknownst to the girls! Ho, hum.
If this was their idea of a season finale where they "saved the scariest show for last," as proclaimed by the Sci-Fi announcer, then they should have a SERIES finale in which the entire TAPS crew are standing in front of one of those spooky-looking lighthouses sadly waving good-bye, for the last time, to an ever-expanding & dissappointed TV audience.
Dr. Peter Venkman @ 6:43 pm
blinddog50-
"Hard to decide which was the greatest waste of an hour of humankind.
This episode of GH or The Rosie O'Donnell Variety Show."
Luckily you can have them both –
Gossip Lady goes ghost hunting at Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SACpPuDSkz0
Dr. Peter Venkman @ 7:13 pm
During the reveal, the client says " In the middle of you guys shooting, I was in the house with one of the Coast Guard people who was working there …"
???? what the frig ?? Aren't they supposed to be everyone out and lights out ?
Were they working upstairs ( like keying high powered marine transmitters, talking and laughing ) while J&G were in the basement ? Did they shoo them out and kill the lights for a few minutes while S&T "investigated" their cubicles ?
B-52 Strike @ 8:21 pm
Dr. Peter Venkman @ 7:13 pm
During the reveal, the client says " In the middle of you guys shooting, I was in the house with one of the Coast Guard people who was working there …"
???? what the frig ?? Aren't they supposed to be everyone out and lights out ?
Were they working upstairs ( like keying high powered marine transmitters, talking and laughing ) while J&G were in the basement ? Did they shoo them out and kill the lights for a few minutes while S&T "investigated" their cubicles ?
—
You know, when I heard that I thought surely Jay or Grant would have went haywire, but nothing….zero….not even the slightest reaction. Are these guys on heavy doses of Valium or something during the show?
And, unfortunately, during the whole show, all I can do nowadays is watch Grant fiddle with his damn pocket. What's he got in there anyway? I half expect to hear a booming voice like in The Wizard of Oz. "Silence and pay no attention to that man with his hand in his pocket!"
blinddog50 @ 9:49 pm
Dr. Peter,
Thank you for the link.
Definitely a higher quality investigation than we saw on the season finale.
Nice to find out that the guy that gave J&G the pre-set up tour also has a business that specializes in lighthouse tours(did I miss the plug on the site tour?).
I also noticed several antennas at the top of the lighthouse that was not noticeable at night.
One of which was a Loran antenna (wiki it).
I so eagerly await GHI to see all new levels of absurdity in paranormal investigation.
Anon @ 9:51 pm
I couldn't help but notice the look of annoyance on the client's face when Jason and Grant played for him the video of Kris and Amy acting like frightened children at the sound of footsteps in the lighthouse. In all seriousness, this client called Taps in for a professional investigation, and instead what he gets is two girly girls swearing and basically 'freaking out' at the first instance of something possibly paranormal happen. A blatant example of unprofessionalism at it's best.
blinddog50 @ 10:18 pm
Anon,
He called TAPS so he can get more bling.
He probably cussed as they left, Damn them, couldn't find one damn little ghost, damn them.
He's probably applying for a bailout as we post.
I'm sorry, I'm going past skeptical and into cynic country.
Dr. Peter Venkman @ 11:35 pm
Anon –
If you want to see TAPS professionalism, checkout this deleted scene from last week.
http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=861061
After a scene like this, would ANY client want to leave them alone in their home ?
Queen of the Nerds @ 2:21 am
*Dr. Venkman- I was freaking out when the client said that they were in the boathouse. That was ridiculous. All of the footsteps, closing doors, voices and other noises were probably them… duh!
*During the K-2, all I could do was shake my head.
*Amy and Kris "investigating" in the lighthouse was like 2 teenage girls at a slumber party. The only word that comes to mind is unprofessional.
*How many close-ups of spiders are we going to see on a ghost hunting show? No real ghosts have been seen, but a plethora of spiders have been shown for our viewing pleasure.
Now I know why Jason and Grant are the only ones that have anything happen to them… the other "investigators" are too busy freaking out, laughing and running like little kids. "Dude, run!"
That was a really lame season finale. It doesn't leave me excited for next season.
MacLager @ 8:19 am
I too have grown increasingly weary of the GH team's unprofessional antics. It's alright to have a bit of fun in order to lighten things up, but consuming a client's hot sauce is over the line. What's next, Steve drinking all of the resident's beer in his fridge? That probably won't happen because I'm guessing he has a phobia involving cans & bottles. That brings up the fact that I am tired of hearing about & seeing examples of his spider phobia every week.(among others) I'm guessing he never played with "Daddy Long Leg" spiders when he was a kid. I'm thinking he spent too much time in his room……(I must be gettin old as I am ranting like Andy Rooney!) I think I'm about finished watching this show…
ahistory @ 10:02 am
Logisti, if I were you I wouldn't bother even watching this one, let alone writing it up.
After being dubbed the "scariest" and then noting it was a lighthouse, I was expecting some really dramatic "evidence" as in past lighthouse investigations. But upon reflection, it did seem rather fitting. A lame end to a very lame season. And what did Jay and Grant say, they wanted to make Amy a permanent member. Oh boy, more giddy girls to come next year.
At least we did get to see some real fear as Steve and Tango once again came face to face with their real nemesis and spent more time shuddering at spiders than they did ghosts. And speaking of bugging Steve, I wonder how much Steve and Tango (my favorite pair) even got to really investigate. Steve even felt obligated to justify this lack of time by explaining how great it was for him and Tango to be relegated to reviewing the evidence since they were the "first" to really see anything. It makes you wonder why its always Jay and Grant investigating these days and when they do, they stick Steve and Tango in the truck. Coincidence?
Hal @ 10:39 am
As some on this forum have surmised in the past, that TAPS members likely check this site regularly to see what us skeptics are saying about them, I'm willing to bet that they continue to do so, even at this season's end, then just start laughing (again, at us) . . . ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK!
Edge @ 10:57 am
EVERY SINGLE TIME the K2 lights up,Grant has his hand in his pocket. I'd think walking around in the dark, up a spiral staircase, I'd have my hands out trying to make sure I don't fall on my face. This show is dead. Its worth watching only for the comedic value.
Good luck selling more TAPS shirts guys!
Phoenixmagi @ 12:34 pm
I had the opportunity to watch this episode but decided to skip it on purpose and not even record it with DVR for the first time ever. I had better things to do with my time. I used to never miss a episode now I can't even get excited to see a finale with a lighthouse no less, which if its anything like the last lighthouse should be a great show, apparantley I didn't miss much. this season as really hurt their credability with this viewer and now I can't bear to watch a new episode of Ghost Hoaxers
Ponyone @ 4:46 pm
I noticed a few things that could be rather fishy.
. The first appearance of the K2 in Grant's hand, the thing is lighting up. Probably due to what else he was holding in his hand (recorder, flashlight etc.)
. When J & G are on the spiral staircase in the lighthouse and keep hearing the knocks… the camera will be on Grant and stay on him until the last minute, and then switch to Jay when you hear the knocks.. then back to Grant's reaction. hold on Grant. Keep holding… then switch to Jay real quick and *KNOCKS*. Every single time. Kind of adds fuel to the fire for people who believe Grant is up to shegrantigans, or shenanigrants.
. Not sure if I read the scene/expressions right, but at the reveal, when the owner says he and his partner or whatever were in the house the whole time, it looks like Jay and Grant kind of look like "Uh oh, he just let that slip" and seem to get a little red in the face and try to quickly shut him up by talking over him and moving the conversation.
. Deleted hot sauce scene. I have no idea, but is that not the K2 in the background lighting up like crazy? Or is it some other machine at the place (answering machine or some such)? If it's the k2, shouldn't they be scurrying to it and see if there's anything paranormal afoot? They love that thing now, yet they ignore it while it lights up like a christmas tree because they're playing around with sauces.
. Speaking of the K2… every single time they place it down somewhere, Grant ALWAYS places his recorder (or some device) right next to it. Every time. Not only could that equipment be setting it off, but if you want people to buy into the K2, why would you leave an electronical device next to it? Sheesh.