Anthony Bourdain ’s CNN show , Parts Unknown – whichdebuted in 2013 –isn’t " Modern . " But live in the sprawling dark of the immensely successful and wide influentialNo Reservations , it ’s often considered , at best , a sequel , a follow - up , and at spoiled , a wan knockoff of the transcendentally original , original .
As someone who defaults to " only liking the honest-to-goodness clobber " due to pure bullshit millennian instinctive reflex , it was easy for me to ignore Bourdain ’s post - NRventure . Why check this new show when his old catalog will always be best ? Does n’t this new CNN series sidesplitter " sell - out " ? Well , in advance ofParts Unknown’snew season , I binge - look on Bourdain bust - feeding / drinking , and came out the other side with this realization : his new(er ) show is smarter , discriminating , raunchier , more nuanced , and ultimately more informative than anything Tony put out during hisNRdays . And it only took me three years and six seasons to acknowledge .
It goes waaaay deeper
When Bourdain took his talent to CNN in 2012,he toldAdweek , " There are a lot of place where me and my squad have been wanting to make tv set for a long time and have n’t been capable to . And CNN has the base and inclination to make those places accomplishable . "
And this has come about . Parts Unknownis emphatically more politically charged thanNo Reservations . Some of the show ’s most memorable episodes have trip the light fantastic toe at the crux of the matter of sociological , cultural , and economical issues . AlthoughNo Reservationsdid this as well , it never reach the mystifying nerves routinely come across by his CNN outfit .
Some celebrated example admit the Jamaica episode in Season 4 , where Bourdain read a wide - crystalline lens look at the irreparable watershed between the island ’s ample and hapless . In Massachusetts , another Season 4 sequence , Bourdain focuses much of the sequence on the diacetylmorphine epidemic that harass the country . In the much - hyped Cuba episode ( Season 6 ) , the show spread with a oral communication by JFK , and never slack down its in - astuteness documentation of theoft - befuddling Cuban way of life .
Isaac Brekken / Stringer
While this political - leaning discussion of the areas Bourdain visits may turn some viewers off ( I can see the internet commenters now : " Stick to food , Tony ! " ) , thoughtfulness on what defines regions , beyond solid food and crapulence , is what truly secern the show from the glut offood / travel shows out there– including Bourdain ’s ownNo Reservations .
It takes its time
Parts Unknowntakes the sometimes sweltering clip ofNRand decelerate it down to a crawl . It dips inside the subject at deal , and feel it out fluidly , and with depth .
No Reservations , was n’t without geological fault . Often , the posture was a little too windy , hold on at serious topics , but either falling scant or biting off more than it could jaw . Conversely , Parts Unknowndoesn’t worry about incorporating madcap themes or gamy - conception ideals , and allow the culture and the the great unwashed do the legwork . Never drone on , or tedious , it ’s a more nuanced and ultimately more rewarding look into the subjects at helping hand .
It’s Bourdain at his most Bourdain-iest
Bourdain took a respectable portion of hisNo Reservationsstaff with him , and in compounding with the increased imagination available from CNN , and the dude ’s ever - intensify degree of fame and influence , they were finally able to make the show they always wanted to make .
Despite the serious overtones of many episode , Bourdain is able to play into his larger - than - life part . Take , for instance , my personal best-loved episode ofParts Unknown,“Tokyo”(Season 2 ) . This is Bourdain drinking , eating , conversing , and find his way through the seedy , sometimes creepy , epilepsy - rush world of Tokyo night cultivation . It ’s classic gonzo - Bourdain – his personality has never shone more intelligibly on television than in this succinct , somewhat off - putt minute . He ’s boozing , his shirt is untucked in distinctive Tony swagger , and he ’s swearing like a sailor in a dealings electronic jamming . He ’s everything you ’ve ever wanted him to be .
It better explores the relationship between culture and food
Bourdain ’s shtick has always rested soundly in the intersection of food and culture . And to be frank , none of his shows accomplish this with the setting , tact , and balance asParts Unknown . His presumed goal is to introduce his viewers to people and station in an authentic fashion , often using food as both a set up pad and a tether back to Earth .
Watch " Iran " ( time of year 4 ) . It ’s potential the most politically charged episode the series ever make . They mark a dejeuner withWashington PostjournalistJason Rezaianmere week before he was contain for undetermined intellect . By the end my entire perception of Iran was completely changed and fleshed out . It used food culture to state a much bigger report , and uncover an unobserved world ( to the West , at least ) in an enthralling room . To many , myself included , this is what make Bourdain so unique .
And he ’s never done it well than onParts Unknown .
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