elcome back, fellow ranchers! I feel the need to clarify something before jumping into this week’s episode. There are many things I love about The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch. And many things I dislike. I’ve been highly critical, rightly so, about the involvement of Utah Valley University and the money that Mormon millionaire Brandon Fugal has donated to them. With a large portion of this episode taking place at Utah Valley University, I was nervous.
When covering The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch, it’s more fun [for me] when the episode is entertaining and leads into the drama. The science side of it all adds a level of believability and grounding to the show; it’s the reminder that we’re watching a show about scientists and researchers trying to uncover why weird things keep happening on this property.
Part of this episode is spent with Chemist Dr. Tammy Clark (last seen in Season 6 Episode 12 “Hard Boiled”). Dr. Clark, while definitely a bit shy in front of a camera, is delightfully charming. As is Physicist Dr. Brian Patchett. After watching this episode, I went back and looked into some of my “rants” about the UVU/donor issue.
Whatever the weird feeling I have about that, I believe, is larger than Dr’s Clark and Patchett. At the end of the day, I ultimately believe in the weird findings from the Type A ceramics originally discovered in this lab. These two doctors seem serious enough, about their oaths and science in general, that they wouldn’t lie or manipulate data. But it’s where the data is found and the connection it has to Fugal that sits wrong with me.
Okay, I’m glad that’s out of the way! It’s time for us to head back to our second favorite ranch in Utah to see if we get any closer to uncovering The Secret…of Skinwalker Ranch. (We don’t!)
The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch Investigates Type A and Type B Materials
Utah Valley University – 11:42 AM
We join Erik Bard, Archaeologist Chris Roberts, Jim Royston, and Thomas Winterton at Brandon Fugal’s alma mater (and wallet vacuum). They meet up with Chemist Dr. Tammy Clark. We learn that they’re here to run new lab tests on the materials, both previous and new, found within the Mesa. Dr. Clark takes them into a lab where Chemist Dr. Brian Patchett greets them.
In a talking head, Dr. Travis Taylor states how the team is frustrated that all of the vertical drilling didn’t solve the mystery of the buried object. But thankfully, they did bring up more metal fragments from the 60- to 70-foot area.
Erik Bard says he heard that they could possibly use a technique called FTIR. At the start of a series of bizarre actions from Thomas Winterton, he says, “I haven’t spent a lot of time in a science lab…what’s FTIR?” His voice sounds annoyed, and maybe even slightly embarrassed. Which is weird, because Thomas has joined them at UVU before. Could the producers, as a conduit for the viewer, be telling Thomas to play up a “stupid” angle for exposition purposes? Thomas has asked questions here at UVU before, but he’s never seemed so…hostile with his questions.
Dr. Tammy Clark says that FTIR is a Fourier-transform spectrophotometer. She says that the FTIR can tell us if there’s a carbon-hydrogen bond or a carbon-oxygen bond. Thomas indignantly asks, “What does that mean?” Chris Roberts informs Thomas (us) that it means we can possibly date the pieces.
What Is FTIR and How Could It Help Date Skinwalker Ranch Materials?
So, how does FTIR work? It works by beaming infrared light at a sample, which helps determine what kinds of bonds are in the sample. If they see a carbon-hydrogen bond, they may be able to use the samples for radiocarbon dating purposes. That’s when Thomas awkwardly sighs out the sentence, “We have precious minutes here at the lab; let’s make use of them.” Dr. Brian Patchett bounces for this portion of testing.
FIRE THE LASERS
Another Austin Powers reference??
Chris Roberts asks Dr. Tammy Clark if they can start with the Type A material. She slides the piece of Type A material on the plate. The initial tests reveal multiple spikes. Thomas Winterton asks if that means there is carbon in it. Dr. Clark vaguely responds with, “could be”. Erik Bard asks if it’s enough to carbon date the material. Dr. Clark responds with, “Looks like it has enough carbon-hydrogen bonds. . .depending on the sensitivity of that procedure, it should work.” What??
In a talking head, Dr. Travis Taylor states the only bummer about carbon dating is that the samples will have to be sent off and it will take time. But at least it feels like progress.
Dr. Clark places the Type B sample on the slide. The data for this one looks completely different; this sample is reflecting light. There’s no carbon in it. Dr. Clark brings up the Type A data to compare, and it’s quantitatively different. Erik says the Type B material needs to get into the Scanning Electron Microscope.
Within seconds of Erik saying that, Thomas Winterton continues to rush the team by saying, “Are we ready to head over to SEM?” Now, this could all come down to unfortunate editing. But how could an editor watch this and not feel how rushed and awkward it feels? Is the editor trying to create the “viewer” POV through Thomas?
Scanning Electron Microscope Reveals Differences in Skinwalker Ranch Samples
I haven’t watched Austin Powers in years. I’m not sure where all these references are coming from.
To get started, Dr. Brian Patchett puts the Type A sample under the Scanning Electron Microscope. This is the same device that found out that the Type A sample was deteriorating in real time, before magically restoring itself. Dr. Patchett zooms in, and we can see the cross-hatching on the same, just another indication that it was manufactured. As Dr. Patchett zooms in on the material, we can see it still has that porous-like quality. Erik Bard reacts positively because consistency is good.
Dr. Patchett then puts the Type B sample in the SEM. We can instantly tell this sample looks much different. The surface is darker, there isn’t any cross-hatching pattern, and it’s not porous or deteriorating. Dr. Patchett says that this is clearly a different material. Erik wonders if that could mean there are multiple different objects buried in the Mesa. That’s when Jim Royston asks Dr. Patchett if they can examine the elemental analysis.
Elemental Analysis Shows Type A and Type B Are Different Materials
Dr. Patchett does something on the computer and pulls up the elemental analysis. The Type B material consists of oxygen, a lot of calcium and phosphorus, trace elements of silicon, aluminum, iron, sulfur, and potassium: all things present in the earth’s crust. Dr. Travis Taylor, in a talking head, says that these are definitely not the answers they were looking for. And this all means that the Type B material was likely made from materials that occur within the Mesa. But that still leaves the question of what the Type A material is.
Erik asks Dr. Patchett if they can compare the elemental analysis of both types. We see that the Type A material has magnesium that is multiple times higher, a lot more aluminium than iron, and far less calcium. Simply put, there is no question that these two materials are different things.
Erik asks if they can check the layered metal shard that was found during digging. Dr. Patchett pulls up the analysis and we see that the metal has a large amount of iron. He zooms into the material for more precise data, but then the SEM goes dark. He checks the filament integrity–in order to produce an image, the SEM needs a source of electrons. It turns out that they have a blown filament, which was only halfway through its lifespan. This is going to be a costly, time-consuming repair.
Did the Skinwalker Ranch Hitchhiker Effect Strike Again?
This leads Erik to wonder if this is just a coincidence or if there can be a cause assigned to it. Could this be another example of the Hitchhiker Effect commonly reported on Skinwalker Ranch? Could the ranch be “following” them to make sure they can’t collect timely and accurate data?
Skinwalker Ranch Team Tests a Possible Connection Between Homesteads Two and Three
Homestead Three – 5:26 PM
Dr. Travis Taylor, Erik Bard, Thomas Winteron, Kaleb Bench, Jim Royston, and Sam Deriso are at the science tent near Homestead Three. They have a series of experiments set up for the evening near the western property line. There hasn’t been much of anything to ever happen at Homestead Three, except for the incident that happened in Season 7 Episode 9 “Up In Smoke”. But we do learn an interesting trivium about Homestead Three.
In 2016, shortly after Brandon Fugal bought the ranch, he and Erik Bard brought a group of scientific experts and private security on a tour of the ranch. While at Homestead Three, a security guard was overcome by something that made him go catatonic for a period of time. Eventually he was okay, but how or why it happened remains a mystery.
The plan tonight, per Dr. Travis Taylor, is a mirror repeat of the tests that took place last episode at Homestead Two. Erik says he is convinced of a connection between the two homesteads. To test this, they plan to generate a 1.2 GHz signal from Homestead Three to see if it appears at Homestead Two, which is just about 700 feet away. While Erik runs the signal, Travis and Kaleb Bench will be monitoring spectrum analyzers at Homestead Two.
Mysterious 1.2 GHz Signal and Radiation Spike Hit Skinwalker Ranch Team
9:17 PM
Dr. Travis Taylor and Kaleb Bench are at Homestead Two, monitoring their equipment. Before Erik Bard even gets a chance to start his signal generation, Travis notices an errant 1.2 GHz signal. It disappears as quickly as it appeared. That’s when Travis notices something alarming: his gamma ray detector is completely fried, and the screen is busted.
Travis radios over to Erik and asks him to run his signal generator, which Erik does. Interestingly, Travis doesn’t receive the signal. As stated, there is only about 700 feet between Homesteads Two and Three. Erik decides that he will have Thomas Winterton and Jim Royston walk the signal generator from Homestead Three to Homestead Two.
Thomas and Jim get a quarter of the way to Homestead Two, but Travis still isn’t receiving the signal. Erik still has the signal at the science tent, but unlike Travis and Kaleb, Erik doesn’t have an antenna. It stands to reason that if antenna-less Erik has the signal, then Travis (who has an antenna) should easily be receiving the signal. Thomas gets a handful of feet away before an audible BOOM shakes the entire team.
A weird signal appears on Travis’s spectrum analyzer before his computer freezes and crashes. Travis asks Kaleb, Thomas, and Jim to check the dosimeter behind Homestead Two. Once there, the three men notice something truly alarming. The dosimeter spiked above the threshold, setting off the dosimeter alarm; they’ve been exposed to a high burst of radiation. Is this what caused Travis’s computer to freak out? Could it also be why the signal wasn’t appearing from Homestead Three to Two?
Nonetheless, the team decides to hightail it back to Homestead Three.
Laser Grid Experiment at Homestead Three Produces Strange Results
Homestead Three – 12:02 AM
Since the Skinwalker Ranch team got some [seemingly] useful data from last week’s experiment at Homestead Two, they decide to do basically the same experiment at Homestead Three. Thomas Winterton sets up the laser grid in Homestead Three and begins to fill the room with smoke. Everyone watches the monitor with bated breath. Nothing.
Thomas fills Homestead Three with more smoke. Nothing.
Jim Royston decides to fly his thermal drone from Homestead Three to Two. Once Jim’s drone is hovering above Homestead Two, he loses controller signal. Jim receives two specific errors: failed to obtain remote control and unable to take off. The “unable to take off” error is interesting…as the drone is already in the sky! As Jim’s drone comes back to Homestead Three, his signal comes back.
Thomas tries one more time to fill Homestead Three with smoke. But they still don’t see anything unexpected. Don’t worry, the team will find something fascinating from this experiment.
The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch Team Investigates Possible Radio Wave Interference
Skinwalker Ranch Command Center – 11:35 AM
Dr. Travis Taylor, Erik Bard, Jim Royston, Kaleb Bench, and Thomas Winterton sit around the Skinwalker Ranch Command Center table.
Dr. Travis Taylor reveals what he has been dealing with all morning. A simple restart was not enough to fix his laptop. In fact, it was completely dead. This caused Travis to factory reset his laptop. The original radio receivers connected to his laptop were also fried. Jim Royston also chimes in to say the gamma ray detector incident was worrying. That’s when Travis reveals that the gamma ray detector was also connected to his laptop.
Erik Bard changes the subject by saying he wants to review the film from the laser experiment together. He pulls up video from a camera placed on the western side of Homestead Three. Travis quickly notes something about the beams. See, the camera and laser grid were set on the same level. So then why do the laser beams appear to be angling downward? The lasers should be pointing straight ahead.
Erik pulls up a second video of the lasers…same thing. But that’s not all! Half of the wall shows no sign of lasers. This causes Erik to pull up a third video, which proves the laser grid is set in a way that should produce straight lasers.
Travis brings up something that feels a bit far-fetched. He says the video looks like it has been hacked and altered. Or, what if something hacked their view in real time? What if something on the ranch made them see what they needed to see so that they would stop investigating?
Erik pulls up video from the thermal cam within Homestead Three. Suddenly, a giant flash comes over the camera. Travis says it looks as if Homestead Three just flashed–like a bright infrared source went BOOM. His initial thought is that it could be radio waves. He says that radio waves can cause the illusion of flashes of infrared light.
Thomas Winterton asks if radio waves can fry circuits, like what happened to the spectrum analyzer. Both Travis and Erik quickly reply, “Yes.”
Is Skinwalker Ranch Really Interfering With the Team’s Investigation?
I’ll be frank, I think the whole laser angle thing is bunk. I think Dr. Travis Taylor saying that the video was hacked and altered, or that their brains were hacked in real time, is bullshit. To me, it’s more than likely that they’re experiencing some sort of parabolic effect.
What is fascinating is the gamma ray incident. Will any health-related issues come up next episode because of this? Where the hell did this flash of radio waves/gamma rays come from? Is the ranch fighting back against them? See, I have an easier time believing that the ranch is fighting back, rather than the ranch is “hacking” their brains. Hearing a literal rocket scientist say something like that is hysterical. It may be the funniest thing Travis has said all series.
As usual, this episode leaves us with more questions than answers. But join us next week to see if we get any closer to uncovering The Secret…of Skinwalker Ranch.
