What about the dwarf, mate?

"Animal X" was an Australian TV series with some kind of cult status. I never bothered watching the original, but "Animal X: Natural Mystery Unit" is apparently a U.S.-oriented version of the same show, albeit still with Australians on the cast.

The concept is simple: Bill Kerr a.k.a. the Mission Controller sends out two young investigators, David and Nathalie, to investigate alleged sightings of Bigfoot, ghosts, aliens and other paranormal creatures. Kerr tries to make it all seem spookier than it actually is, while Dave and Nat turn out to be singularly non-charismatic. Not even the disco beat in the background can save the day. But sure, if you are well-disposed towards shows of this kind, I suppose you could get *something* out of it, at the very least a good laugh!

In "Winged Creatures", the team visits Point Pleasant, West Virginia and a town in Maine weirdly called...wait for it...Pleasant Point. Jungian sync? They also make a trip to Mexico. Then, it's back to another part of Maine to meet the dean of cryptozoology, Loren Coleman for some kind of closure. The mission? To find some explanation for the bizarre winged humanoids reported from various parts of North America. Of these, Mothman of Point Pleasant is arguably the best known, mostly due to John Keel's classical blockbuster "The Mothman Prophecies". One of the original eye witnesses, Linda Scarberry, claims to have seen both winged humanoids and transparent Men in Black. Scarberry reports that Keel told her that the MIBs wanted to kidnap her child, since five women in Point Pleasant became pregnant simultaneously after the Mothman encounters?!

Some sceptics have attempted to explain away Mothman as a barn owl (sounds familiar?), but Coleman can do better. He believes that Mothman is an unknown, truly *gigantic* species of owl. Bighoot, not Bigfoot. But what about the transparent MIBs and threatened child nappings? What about the evil dwarf observed by Keel on more than one occasion? Well...? Much as I like the idea of a thunderowl, it doesn't seem to cover all the bases, even apart from being an example of explaining one unknown with another...

Here, "Animal X - Natural Mystery Unit: Winged Creatures" ends. Although I can't say this show is my cup of Australian tea, I nevertheless give it three stars for showing us the absolute fringes of cryptozoology.

I mean, winged humanoids...? ;-)