'The Curse Of Oak Island' Season 7 Episode 5 review: The team finds a tiny chance of light at the end of a dark tunnel
'The Curse Of Oak Island' is a classic example of how you shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch. It has been seven years, yet Marty and Rick Lagina's team has been doggedly trying to find the elusive treasure on Oak Island. They've found a whole lot of other things-- things being the operative term, ranging from one small brooch to a coin, which could all possibly have historic relevance. As the theories continue to get wilder, the team grows more hopeful. Yet the pattern of the show remains the same, they think they've found something, but alas, they haven't. Yeah, that's pretty much it. It's initially entertaining but just gets to be a bit of a drag at points. However, the history lessons that are interspersed in the middle, are intriguing, even if it's uncertain whether it has any connection to the treasure on the island or not.
Let's cut to the chase. The latest episode of 'The Curse Of Oak Island' titled 'Tunnel Vision' is literally about hunting for this mythical flood tunnel that is expected to lead them to the treasure on the island. One of their finds is a sand-filled tunnel filled with hard clay, and it could be possibly connected to Smith's cove. Along with the team, the narrator can barely contain his glee as well. Thanks to the narrator, we get a summary of every scene, just in case we're at a loss.
While their first expensive drill-search seems optimistic, the second one hits a dead end, leaving the team rather frustrated. Along the way, there are some more history lessons about the fabled money pit. Yet, hope is easier to find than Oak Island treasure, and so as the episode progresses, they rope in Chipp Reid, a naval historian in their team, who presents them with 'evidence' that the wooden structures found on Smith's Cove, could be pieces from a French military fortification from the 1700's. There's a bit of interesting history behind this research. The city of Louisberg was established in 1713 by the French, but by 1720, it became one of the richest ports between Europe, Canada and the West Indies, for the French.
This led the French to build a massive fortress, which was completed in 1720, and was an extensive military stronghold in America. The fortress also had a series of tunnels beneath it. in 1745, an English colonel launched a campaign to seize control of the French fort. However, the English could not find the gold, as the French knew they were coming and hid the treasure. So, as Reid ominously says, "My guess...is that you're looking for some French treasure."
The episode ends with what appears to be a breakthrough, but as we've seen this way too often, it's safer to just probably wait and see what they find instead.
'The Curse Of Oak Island' airs on History Channel, at 9pm.