Expedition: Africa (DVD)

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Everyone grows up with different dreams of adventure. I always wanted to be either an astronaut or a Viking. Basically, I like it cold. Put another way, I have no interest in traveling anywhere you would be expected to sweat a lot.

Obviously I never fantasized about an African safari (sweat and mosquitoes; I´ll pass) but for some people the romance of an African adventure is irresistible. This was popularized in no small part by the 1871 expedition by journalist Henry Morton Stanley. Stanley sought out to find the mysterious Dr. David Livingstone who had disappeared in Africa while searching for the source of the Nile. Stanley´s trek took him from Zanzibar to the town of Ujiji where he found his man and allegedly uttered the famous words, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume."

No evidence exists to prove that he actually said that but his journey made for great press and captured the fancy of the UK public as well as readers in Europe and America. The journey remains one of the most famous expeditions of the 19th century which raises the question: Why in the heck hasn´t someone turned it into a reality show yet?

You need wait no longer. In "Expedition: Africa" four modern day explorers, equipped only with a compass and maps (and a large camera crew and tons of backup safety contingencies), retrace Stanley´s journey but this time doing it in thirty days when the original trip took nearly nine months.

The four characters and their squabbles form the heart of the series. At the center of every battle is the prickly and cocksure navigator Pasquale Scaturro, who assumes a leadership position without asking anyone else´s permission. This causes problems with the other headstrong adventurers: Mireya Mayor, a wildlife expert; Benedict Allen, a British survivalist; and Kevin Sites, a journalist (like Stanley.)

It´s a good thing everyone wants to wring Pasquale´s neck because it provides the only real tension in the show. The unfortunate drawback to "Expedition: Africa" is that nothing much goes wrong. Aside from one of the cast coming down with malaria, the trip proceeds with nary a hitch and the creative team behind the show is forced to create drama from the most minor glitches: Mireya searching at night for a lost bow and arrow, or everyone staring daggers at Kevin while he takes forever to interview a local while a storm rapidly approaches. Another favorite technique is to intercut random footage of prowling lions and hyenas with unrelated footage of our characters in camp to create the illusion of imminent danger.

Still, the interpersonal tensions make for compelling viewing. Everyone bitches at Pasquale because he´s brusque and condescending but, with a few exceptions, he proves himself to be the most capable member of the troupe. It´s hard to see anybody else doing as good a job as he did in leading the expedition. But the constant arguments between Mireya and Pasquale, or Benedict and Pasquale, or Kevin and Pasquale (and occasionally Kevin the neophyte with his more experienced comrades) make the show strangely watchable even if it´s not particularly thrilling.