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Vice Season 5 Episodes
Season 5 Episode Guide
29 Episodes 2017 - 2017
Episode 1
Assad's Syria & Cost of Climate Change
Fri, Feb 24, 201755 mins
After six years of civil war, Syria's longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad is poised to re-take full control of his country. The first effects of climate change are being felt across the U.S., and projections show $40 Trillion in damage worldwide over the next five decades.
Episode 2
Trans Youth
Fri, Mar 3, 201730 mins
As the debate continues over which bathroom transgender people should use, a more complex question is emerging about how early the medical transition begins for trans kids. Families and doctors are rewriting the rules as they decide when and how to start medical intervention before transgender youth hit puberty. VICE explores this emotionally charged and rapidly evolving issue with trans youth and their parents in the midst of that intense process.
Episode 3
When the Earth Melts & the Displaced
Fri, Mar 10, 201730 mins
VICE travels across the Arctic to see the devastating impact of thawing permafrost, and the astonishing solution that might keep it frozen. 2016 was the deadliest year yet for refugees making the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea in the hopes of reaching Europe.
Episode 4
Kings of Cannabis & Into the Darkness
Fri, Mar 17, 201730 mins
The legal marijuana industry is set to surpass $20 billion globally by 2020. At the heart of this 'green boom' are the strain hunters who search the far corners of the Earth to find the never before mixed strains of marijuana known as 'landraces'. VICE correspondent Hamilton Morris joins two hunters on an epic journey through the Democratic Republic of Congo, as they search for one of the rarest species of Cannabis yet whose unique genetics could ultimately earn them millions of dollars. If you gathered up every physical thing we can see in Outer Space -- our Earth, all the planets, all the stars - it would account for a mere 5% of the Universe's total mass. The rest, that other 95%, is known only as "Dark Matter" and "Dark Energy." Understanding these two forces is the biggest mystery in modern physics. From an abandoned gold mine that lies a mile beneath the Black Hills of South Dakota, to the world's most powerful telescope nestled into the high deserts of Chile, nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson meets the scientists working to unlock the secrets of our Universe.
Episode 5
Black and Blue/Our Bionic Future
Fri, Mar 24, 201730 mins
Almost three years after Ferguson, tensions between the police and Black communities remain high. While African Americans are being targeted at unprecedented rates, 2016 saw a dramatic spike in the number of officers killed in ambush-style attacks. Recent attempts at reform have done little to save lives. Now, as the country grows further divided, some officers are speaking out to spark change in some of the 18,000 local police departments. VICE correspondent Cord Jefferson reports from St. Louis, one of America's most dangerous cities, to hear from activists and police officers alike about race and policing. A bionic revolution is brewing, as recent advancements in bioengineering have brought about scientific breakthroughs in rehabilitation for people with disabilities. The most cutting edge research is happening inside the human brain, where implanted technology allows people to communicate directly with computers, using their thoughts. VICE's Wilbert L. Cooper travels to Zurich to see the first ever bionic olympics and discovers a host of technologies that are expanding what it means to be human.
Episode 6
End of Amateurism
Fri, Mar 24, 201729 mins
College athletics have seen explosive revenue growth in the last decade, fueled by media contracts and corporate sponsors. In order to enter this system, the NCAA requires players to forego profits, and are instead offering them scholarships and access to state-of-the-art facilities. But with college sports now a multi-billion-dollar industry, the question being asked in U.S. federal court is still whether that compensation is enough. VICE travels the college sports landscape, meeting with athletic directors, coaches, sports marketing minds and the players themselves to see the role money plays in amateur athletics today.
Episode 7
Life Under Sharia & Plastic Oceans
Fri, Apr 7, 201730 mins
VICE co-founder Suroosh Alvi travels to Aceh and across Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country and travels to the remote shores of Hawaii and the coast of the North Sea to see the extent of our plastic addiction.
Episode 8
Fast Food of Arabia/Nollywood
Fri, Apr 21, 201730 mins
The health effects of Kuwait's obsession with American fast food; exploring the booming film business in Nigeria.
Episode 9
Medical Détente & Bananas
Fri, Apr 28, 201730 mins
Gianna Toboni travels to Cuba to witness potential treatments and cures that flourished in the country's bio tech industry despite the decades-long US embargo. VICE heads to the heart of banana country in Latin American and the Philippines to see the devastating effects of the disease and to investigate what the loss of the banana would really mean besides a less colorful lunchbox.
Episode 10
Taliban Resurgence
Fri, May 5, 201725 mins
Ben Anderson returns to the conflict he's covered for 10 years, re-uniting with several Afghans-an Army Major, a Policeman who dismantles IEDs and a family who were forced to fight to defend their home--for a shocking report that questions what America's longest war has actually accomplished.
Episode 11
Engineering Immortality & Robot Revolution
Fri, May 12, 201730 mins
Isobel Yeung meets the scientists and doctors leading the charge in genetics, pharmaceuticals, and stem cell research, which promises to revolutionize how our bodies age in the years to come. VICE explores how robotics and the computers that power them are poised for an extraordinary leap forward with the emergence of artificial intelligence, and how humanity can reconcile the huge risks and possibilities that will follow.
Episode 12
Women Behind Bars & Business of Making Art
Fri, May 19, 201730 mins
The number of women incarcerated in the United States has increased 700% since 1980, overwhelming prisons and jails originally designed with men in mind. The majority are nonviolent offenders and mothers, serving out their sentences in facilities often unprepared to address their most basic needs. VICE correspondent Isobel Yeung spends time in facilities across the country, discovering what it means to be an American woman behind bars. "The Business of Making Art" - Andy Warhol's work dramatically redefined our notion of 'art' and questioned the very idea of what it means for an artist "to make" art. With Warhol's art now fetching tremendous sums in the booming modern art marketplace, Ben Anderson embarks on a journey through the art world with some of Warhol's master printers to explore not just the question "What is art?" but "What is a Warhol?"
Episode 13
Taking Back Iraq & Lost Generation
Fri, Jun 2, 201729 mins
"Taking Back Iraq" - The city of Mosul has been central in the war to defeat Islamic State. In 2014, Iraqi troops surrendered Iraq's second largest city to Islamic State, who in turn declared an Islamic caliphate and used the city as a base for operations in the region. Last October, a U.S. supported coalition of Iraqi and Kurdish troops announced a long-awaited offensive to retake the city. Aris Roussinos embedded with Iraqi forces on the road to Mosul as they began their assault on Islamic State's last stronghold in Iraq. "Lost Generation" - Iraq has one of the youngest populations of any country in the world. The majority of people living there today have grown up in the shadow of the 2003 invasion, knowing nothing but war and chaos. With Islamic State seemingly on the verge of defeat in the country, the question of what happens next is far from certain. Isobel Yeung travels to Iraq to see what the future looks like through the eyes of the youth.
Episode 14
The Politics of Terror/End of the EU?
Fri, Jun 9, 201730 mins
"The Politics of Terror": While Donald Trump's election in the U.S. came as a surprise to many, his victory is part of a global trend. In the wake of terror attacks and the migrant crisis, a new wave of populist candidates is cropping up across Europe, and the fate of the EU hangs in the balance. VICE examines the rise of Europe's far right, and the hyper-charged climate fueling nationalist ideologies across the continent."End of the EU?": Silvio Berlusconi was in many ways Europe's original populist, shaping the mold for today's right-wing European leaders. Shane Smith travels to the home of the former Italian prime minister to discuss why this message resonates across the continent, how the left fails to grasp populist anger, and the need for a unified response to rebuild Syria.
Episode 15
Future of Firearms & Russia 'Wins' Climate Change
Fri, Jun 16, 201730 mins
"Future of Firearms" - The firearms industry experienced unprecedented growth in the last decade. Fear of government regulation drove much of that growth as President Obama repeatedly tried to pass gun control laws in the aftermath of numerous mass shootings. Now, with the political landscape fundamentally changed, the industry, and gun rights advocates, are looking for new ways to expand upon their 2nd amendment rights and the bottom line -- with some surprising results. VICE takes a closer look at the future of firearms in America. "Russia 'Wins' Climate Change" - Climate change is causing catastrophic changes to our planet, but it may be an economic blessing for Russia. As the Arctic ice melts, petroleum and mineral resources are more accessible, shipping lanes are opening up and the frozen Siberian tundra could become arable. In fact, the Russian government and people seem to be welcoming the warming temperatures. And with America pulling out of the Paris Agreement, perhaps this is a glimpse into our own future.
Episode 16
Last Line of Defense & El Rostro
Fri, Jun 23, 201729 mins
Public Defenders are facing soaring caseloads, and flatlining budgets, and with 80% of all criminal defendants in the US unable to afford a lawyer, the system is collapsing. With the Constitutional right to fair representation in a court of law in jeopardy, Cord Jefferson heads to one of the worst hit states to see how overworked and underpaid public defenders is grinding the legal system to a halt. Deep in the Peruvian Amazon, indigenous tribes are doing everything they can to save their home from exploitation. Vice travels to where multinational energy companies have been drilling for lucrative natural resources to see how large-scale mining is decimating the land. With the native Harakmbut people as his guide, Ben Anderson goes into the forest to explore sacred landmarks they hope will stop these companies from destroying it for a profit.
Episode 17
Cyber Supremacy & Japan Rising
Fri, Jun 30, 201730 mins
VICE travels to Tel Aviv to find out how Israel is on its way to becoming the world's top cyber superpower and sends Gianna Toboni to Tokyo to see the consequences Japan's rising nationalism.
Episode 18
Power to the President
Fri, Jul 14, 201726 mins
When factions of the Turkish military attempted a coup on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government, he reacted with a forceful crackdown. Over 100,000 people have been detained or dismissed, including civil servants, teachers and journalists. VICE travels to Turkey as the country heads to the polls in a nationwide referendum that grants Erdogan unprecedented power.
Episode 19
Crude Reality & Between Oil and Water
Fri, Jul 28, 201730 mins
Six years after winning its independence, South Sudan is already on the brink of collapse. Despite its vast oil reserves and more than $10 Billion in aid from the United States, the country has been driven into famine and a devastating ethnic war. VICE's Isobel Yeung explores how corruption at the top is threatening to tear the world's newest country apart. Last year, thousands of Native Americans and environmental activists from across the country converged at Standing Rock in an effort to block construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline near the reservation. By winter, a lean-to encampment had grown into a massive protest site the size of a small town, and clashes between protesters and local police and corporate security flared into the nights. VICE traveled to the Sacred Stone Camp in December and followed the story over the subsequent months as the Trump Administration moved quickly to resume work on the pipeline, examining how resource extraction has affected Native American communities.
Episode 20
Autism Under the Lens
Fri, Aug 4, 201727 mins
The number of children diagnosed with autism has more than doubled in the last two decades. Today, one in 68 children will be diagnosed with the developmental condition. VICE explores the transformative work being done at the forefront of autism research, meets families trying out some of the newest treatments, and discovers a growing self-advocacy movement out of the autistic community that wants to refocus the science.
Episode 21
Show of Force & Return to Somalia
Fri, Aug 11, 201730 mins
VICE travels to the Hermit Kingdom (North Korea) during the annual Day of the Sun celebrations as global tensions reached a fever pitch and correspondent Gianna Toboni heads to Mogadishu to witness the fight to save the country.
Episode 22
Controlling the Narrative & Power to Congo
Fri, Aug 18, 201730 mins
Gianna Toboni reports from the Philippines on the government's crackdown on the media and President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal war on drugs; Ben Anderson returns to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to witness the conservation efforts of park rangers who are fighting to protect wildlife and natural resources.
Episode 23
Dawn of a Dictator
Fri, Aug 25, 201727 mins
In early 2017 Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced moves that would change the world's most oil-rich nation from a democracy into a dictatorship. This sparked a crisis, igniting long-standing anger over inequality, misrule, hunger and crime. VICE travelled to Venezuela as Maduro seized Venezuela's political institutions with an alleged 'sham election' and violently suppressed the growing opposition to his rule.
Episode 24
Dirty Oil & Rebuilding Our Reefs
Fri, Sep 8, 201732 mins
VICE heads to the heart of Nigeria's oil production to witness firsthand the fight of the Niger Delta youth and traveled across the world's oceans to see what a few small teams of scientists are doing to keep these vital structures alive.
Episode 25
Dark Web & Future of Appalachia
Fri, Sep 15, 201729 mins
VICE embeds with the officers trying to shed light on the dark corners of the web and goes to the heart of coal country to see what it will take to save Appalachia.
Episode 26
Divide and Conquer & Crackdown in Honduras
Fri, Sep 22, 201730 mins
VICE travels to North Carolina to see the effects of gerrymandering on American democracy and visits the Honduran prison system and watches as the government tries to bring peace to the country.
Episode 27
Russian Hacking & Contagion
Fri, Sep 29, 201730 mins
VICE travels to Moscow to find out why these hackers are so effective and founder Suroosh Alvi went to Uganda to see how vulnerable humans are to a new pandemic and the options there are for staving it off.
Episode 28
Post-Truth News & Microbiome
Fri, Oct 6, 201730 mins
What's driving the media's battle over facts and the polarization in the Trump Era, and an exploration of the emerging field of microbiome science.
Episode 29
After ISIS & Cubs of the Caliphate
Fri, Oct 13, 201740 mins
In the Season 5 finale, VICE heads to the front lines of the fight to retake Mosul from ISIS, and meets the Iraqi youth who lived and trained under ISIS as they try to rebuild their lives.
