Man's First Friend
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Man's First Friend
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Man's First Friend is a documentary-style show (with some dramatizations) that explores the relationship between humans and canines over the millennia. Some perilous moments include a dog hunting for unexploded bombs in a field. There are graphic images of a dog's injured leg after the dog's been "beaten and left for dead" on the tracks of a rail line. The dog is rescued, given medical treatment, and rehabilitated. A soldier who suffers from trauma hides a knife under her mattress, has nightmares in which people scream, and is very afraid to engage in life. Her dog companion helps her re-connect with life and heal. Dramatized images of early humans with exaggerated brows and teeth cutting up a creature after they have hunted it could be jarring to sensitive viewers. The narrator uses the words "mankind," and "man" to describe humanity throughout the show.
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What's the Story?
In MAN'S FIRST FRIEND, the first theoretical meeting between wolf and human is dramatized in full color. A lone female wolf, ousted from her pack, approaches the dwelling of early humans who'd left remains of their hunt for the wolves to peruse. The wolf gingerly approaches the humans, whose grunts indicate their cautious approval of this animal's approach. Though the narrator relates that it took many years for the relationship to form, the dirty hand of an early human woman is soon shown reaching for the soft scruff of the curious wolf, and a friendship is formed. Humans and canines eventually discover that they can help one another hunt, protect one another, and even heal each other. Shot in India, Mongolia, Kenya, Cambodia, the Arctic, and Canada, this documentary-style show seeks to illustrate the importance of the human-canine relationship the world over.
Is It Any Good?
Sweeping shots of faraway lands lend a grandeur to this documentary-style show about the human-canine connection. Man's First Friend takes an anthropological stroll back to the imagined beginning of the first relationship across species. Some of the dramatizations are a little heavy-handed, but the point is well made: Human evolution owes a lot to canines. During the rise of ancient civilizations, dogs guarded our grain stores from Egypt to Central America. Today in our tech-heavy lives, they help us be more, well, human.
Adults and kids alike will be enthralled by the rich visual storytelling. While some visuals of animals and humans in peril might be intense for sensitive viewers, the takeaways will leave viewers appreciating their domesticated pets, whose history, it ends up, is integral to our own.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in Man's First Friend. Is violence against animals more disturbing than violence against humans? Are we desensitized to violence of humans?
Dogs and humans have learned to empathize with each other over time. How do you feel this empathy has helped both species progress?
Dogs and humans work together as teams in order to help people and even save lives in this show. Does the teamwork they do happen overnight, or does it take time?
TV Details
- Premiere date: June 25, 2021
- Network: HBO Max
- Genre: Educational
- Topics: Cats, Dogs, and Mice, Friendship, History
- TV rating: NR
- Last updated: June 27, 2021
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