“We are very proud,” said Rob Hoeben. The professor of molecular virology (Leids University Medical Center) was beaming between a set of large freezers. In Hoeben’s eyes, they were all worth being proud of, but the one he now affectionately passed his hand over could count on that little bit of extra appreciation. This freezer contained all the simian viruses that he and his team had collected. Hoeben: “This is our gold mine.”
With the corona pandemic fresh in our minds, as a viewer you could wonder whether that was really necessary, such a freezer full of animal viruses. But in the first episode of the new season of Focus (NTR) showed that viruses can also have a healing effect. For people with cancer, for example. Journalist and presenter Petra Grijzen spoke to researchers who spoke passionately about the ability of some viruses to attack and kill tumor cells. Especially for the suspicious viewer, Grijzen had made it her special task to ask a researcher every now and then whether it was really safe.
Now it would of course have resulted in an even more exciting broadcast if the answer to that question had changed to a ‘no’ halfway through the episode, but it was also very satisfying to hear Hoeben passionately argue for “an image improvement of the virus”. Or to hear him explain with infectious (contagious?) enthusiasm how he and his team had obtained 140 samples of gorilla feces, from which they isolated viruses. Of the twelve they tested, number seven turned out to be the most efficient at killing tumor cells. “That’s why he earned the name 007,” said Hoeben, and his funny eyes almost couldn’t hold it anymore: “The virus with a license to kill.” The researchers’ awe for the viruses they were working with was almost as impressive as the images of disappearing tumors shown in between. At the end of the episode, Grijzen had adjusted her “negative image of viruses”.
Looking back
Inspired by Grijzen’s ability to question her bias, this viewer decided to switch to SBS6, where a new season had also started: in this case of the program Mr. Frank Visser: how are you now?in which presenter Viktor Brand, together with former participants, looks back on the conflicts they previously fought in Mr. Frank Visser makes a statement. Theo, Monique and Inge were allowed to start things off.
The problem had been as follows: Theo and Monique took in stray kittens as the Kattenmand Stichting Kattenmand, some of which they temporarily placed with foster parents. But to the dismay of Theo and Monique, foster parent Inge, who had taken four foster kittens into her home, turned out not to like that ‘temporary’ aspect: an angel had informed her that kitten Tara was a reincarnation of her previous cat and that she was on the other three. they actually got fed up with it too. Tara was ultimately allowed to keep them, but Inge had to give Mr. Visser back the other three kittens.
That review took more time than the promised ‘what’s up now?’ part, which also took up several minutes of inescapable puns (catfights, catnapping – well, whatever). During Brand’s flash visits, the two parties appeared to have broken contact and were otherwise doing fine. To cover up the bleeding, Brand gave Inge a large official portrait of the three kittens that she had to return to Theo and Monique. He hoped she liked it. Yes, she thought so.
Once again the question arose: is this really necessary? No, was the answer this time. Sometimes an opinion does not need to be adjusted.