Review of 30 Days

[Guest guest]

[iGN - opinion]June 18, 2008 - In a sense, the "Animal Rights" episode of 30 Daysperfectly captures almost every aspect of the show's general conceit –from clashing ideologies to emotional revelations to the developmentof new friendships and modes of understanding – despite one's initialperception that there's simply no way for this to end peacefully.After all, pairing a life-long, meat-eating hunter with a family ofvegan animal-rights activists seldom, if ever, leads to a friendlycampfire session of "Kumbaya."...Sent on a number ride-along's and rescues with farm representativeFrank Allen – who presents a far more logical and level-headed foilfor George – the degree and extent of the cruelty exercised againstlocal farm animals becomes incredibly apparent. The lack of lawsoffering the same level of humane protection toward dogs and cats todairy and farm animals seems, for the first time, to affect

George,and when he's later put in charge of a half-dead rescued calf, theexperience becomes that much more real. Melissa's field-trip to alocal dog shelter sheds some light on the brutal reality of thehundreds of abandoned animals euthanized each day because of theneglect, poor care or irresponsible laziness of their owners.Slowly, these experiences begin to weigh on George's thoughts, and thereal charm of the episode comes in the eventual middle-ground carvedout by both parties. Melissa and Lorri come to respect George as ahunter and meat-eater while George becomes legitimately impassionedabout the proper care and humane treatment of farm animals. That theepisode concludes on a note of honest friendship and change makes itnot only an educational experience, but an emotionally-fulfilling hourof television.-- full story:http://tv.ign.com/articles/882/882790p1.html