Planet Earth, Episodes 5 and 6

Episode 5: Deserts
The episode genially looks in on the world's deserts, first stopping off at the Gobi which gets a good deal of snow. Not all deserts are hot all the time, Attenborough reminds us. There are some awesome shots of sandstorms and otherworldly camels are put on display, their lips moving industriously. Predictably, most of the episode focuses on how harsh the desert is. There's life, but its always scraping about for a bit of food and water. There's a strange sequence where red kangaroos are shown under thermal imaging. It gets the point across about how they dissipate heat, but it's oddly analytical for this show. There's an eerie couple of shots showing swarms of locusts coating the land. They're cast as villains (the word 'plague' is dropped. That's their word, Attenborough, not yours) but I find them too unreal to take seriously. Also people eat locusts, so it's just food becoming a different kind of food. Sure they destroy the environment, but so does beef. Sweet, delicious beef. Episode animal mascots: Fennec foxes (but of course they would be.)

Episode 6: Ice Worlds
This episode focuses mostly on the poles. We are told that the south pole is as large as the US (but also that it doubles in size in the winter. Get it together, David.) Coincidentally, in the desert episode, we're told that the Sahara is as large as the US. I wonder how many USes it would take to cover the earth? (answer: about 52) Anyway, the episode takes a strong stance against global warming. Polar bears are shown dismally falling through ice and crawling to increase their surface area. Meanwhile, on the south pole, smug penguins seem to effortlessly survive the winter, huddling together and failing to mate with their girlfriends (idiots.) There's a strange sequence where the deep parental instinct of the penguins is put in contrast with the lack of chicks to go 'round. Life is chaos for animals (for us too, actually.) Musk oxen make a surprisingly adorable animal, their babies bleating in this winningly ugly, grunting way. Episode animal mascots: Musk oxen, ice foxes, penguins.