If the mainstream media is to be believed (which, I think you know, it always is), the institution of American manhood is under assault from an array of unseen and nefarious forces. Though those forces don’t seem to have undertaken any great new campaigns of late, the counter maneuvers are in full swing, assuring us that the only way to reclaim a station that was once defined by participation in wars is to do things like wear khakis and eat cupcakes. Ironically, one of the only places that healthy male camaraderie seems to be alive and well is reality television, where shows like Ax Men and Ice Road Truckers show largely male-dominated worlds with a heartiness and affection that’s plain unheard of in our ridiculous culture. If they keep on this track, it’s entirely possible that shows like these will bring back manhood (if, you know, it’s actually gone) before Mad Men ever will; that is, if the format doesn’t trip over itself first.
Ax Men divides itself its attention in its third season between five different in two different parts of the country. In the Pacific Northwest, there are Rygaard, Pihl, and Browning, all logging companies that specialize in, well, either cutting down trees out in the wilderness or finding ways to remove lumber that has already fallen, sometimes in huge clusters in valleys (they use a helicopter for the more difficult bits). Throughout this season, Rygaard and Browning are engaged in a competition to see who can bring more lumber off the mountain, while two newcomers (Travis and Dave) compete to find out who will earn a regular spot on the Rygaard team. Down in the southeast, the ‘Swamp Man Shelby’ and S & S work to recover logs that have been sitting underwater for many years, and in that time have developed rich color and texture to the wood (which makes it that much more expensive). Along the way, there are plenty of alligators, bees, and general safety glitches to make all of this more dangerous than hauling tons of lumber already is, but through a harsh mixture of fortitude, focus, and coordination, they manage to do it without making the show so unbearably intense that you start to wonder why the camera man doesn’t set down his equipment and help.
The appeal of any show like this is, of course, the personality of the subjects that it follows, and the chemistry that they have with each other; if that isn’t working, there’s really no reason to spend time watching them do anything. If there’s any promise to reality television at all (and there’s an argument that there isn’t), it’s that it allows for more potential for spontaneity and character than a scripted series really ever could. When a crew gets hundreds upon hundreds of hours of footage before anyone from above has determined what the storyline is going to be yet, it’s possible for subjects to provide some direction to the show itself, and, if fully realized, could be the television equivalent of something like the Up series, providing a subject with more illumination over time than a single documentary could. While that is certainly an overly generous estimation of Ax Men, the show is at least cognizant of the importance of allowing subjects to have their own voices, and spending a considerable amount of time with them without forcing storylines upon them (though, inevitably, there is enough of that, particularly with the Rygaard competition between Dave and Travis). Most of the guys portrayed here aren’t terribly articulate, but they say everything that they mean to, and they do it without compromising themselves for television (one of the loggers is missing his front teeth).
If there is one major complaint that could be singled out about the show, it’s the sheer sensationalism of the format, which is fairly typical of reality programming. Shots are cut up very quickly, and the constant presence of a narrator serves to overemphasize points that could probably be determined even if you were watching with the sound off. Frequently, you just wish that the editors would back off and allow the show to be a little more naturalistic, as few effects (save perhaps the CGI enactments of the loggers’ potential deaths) are more interesting than what the loggers themselves have to say. But for all its overblown qualities, due to its attention to physical detail, the show rarely feels dishonest or inaccurate (though I suppose there’s little way of knowing). Whether or not you’re interested in what it takes to be a logger (which is covered in some detail), Ax Men is still a charming and approachable show, and it shows beyond a doubt that there are much better ways to be manly than wearing Docker’s.
DVD Bonus Features
The last disc contains additional footage that did not make it into the show. They are grouped into three categories: “The Loggers”, “Dancers”, and “Logging”, as well as some other that doesn’t quite fall into any of those.
"Ax Men: The Complete Third Season" is on sale August 24, 2010 and is not rated. Reality. Directed by Dolores Gavin. Written by Geoff Miller, Sarah Whalen. Starring Jay Browning, Jesse Browning, Melvin Lardy, Mike Pihl, Swampman Stanga Shelby.
