10
2006
David Blaine: Drowned Alive reflections
Even though David Blaine didn't make it nine minutes while holding his breath, it was a respectable attempt, but the show still didn't meet some of my expectations.
When the show began, I was really looking forward to seeing segments of David Blaine's street magic. There were a few, but far too few for a two-hour special. I have to say watching him take out a woman's teeth and then spit them back into place was dumbfounding and that trick alone made the entire two hours worth watching.
I was also somewhat surprised by the stunt itself. I had expected him to be wrapped in chains, but instead he simply had handcuffs on his hands and feet. Also, he had the key to the handcuffs. I could escape from underwater if I had the key to the handcuffs (though admittedly, not after holding my breath for four minutes already).
The skepticism I held for the stunt was tossed when he was pulled unconscious from the tank. His lips were the darkest shade of purple I've ever seen occur naturally. As they pulled him body out so he could sit on the platform his body was convulsing. I respect the fact that he's pushing his body to the limit (and beyond), but these stunts just aren't as entertaining as his street magic.
Liveblogging the show was a challenge. It was hard to keep up, and I feel like I missed some good moments because I was briefly looking at the monitor instead of the TV. As the countdown began, it got really tough, because the save and post function ate up precious time that I wanted to spend typing about what was going on. Looking back over the text, though, I feel like I captured the general sense of the show, but only those were keeping up as I was going can really testify to that.