I’m not usually one for edutainment. Too often, it’s more “tainment” than “edu,” a sugar-rush of flashy visuals with little substance. But “Mission Unstoppable,” now in its sixth season, continues to defy the genre’s pitfalls. This Saturday’s episode looks to be another intriguing mix of the practical and the peculiar, featuring underwater engineers, DIY robotics, and an exploration of pop music’s scientific underpinnings.
While the tea-brewing robot might seem like a gimmick (and, okay, it kind of is), it serves as a gateway to basic robotics principles. The segment on underwater engineering, however, seems genuinely fascinating. Maintaining and repairing underwater infrastructure is complicated business, and the show’s focus on a female engineer in this field is a welcome change from the usual STEM stereotypes.
The episode also tackles some meatier intellectual concepts. Dr. Brain’s segment exploring the relationship between language and thought should at least spark some interesting conversations. Does thought require words? Can we think without language? These are questions philosophers have wrestled with for centuries, and it’s encouraging to see a children’s program at least touch upon them.
Finally, the exploration of pop music science is a canny move. It’s a subject practically guaranteed to engage younger viewers. While it’s unlikely the episode will uncover the formula for crafting a chart-topping hit, examining the elements that contribute to a song’s catchiness should be interesting, even for cynical old critics like myself.
“Mission Unstoppable” airs Saturday, November 23rd at 10:00 AM on CBS.
