Mystery Diners Analysis

I came home late from my job on November 25. After tossing and turning in my head, I decided to go into the living room and turn on the television box to watch TV, in order to relax until I went to sleep. From 11:30m-12am, I watched an episode of the Food Network Show, Mystery Diners, an investigative restaurant show, by myself before falling asleep soon after. The reason for the classification of this show, Mystery Diners, as an investigative restaurant show is simple. Charles Stiles is the head of a company known as Mystery Diners, who helps restaurant owners find out the source of their problems. Usually, this is done through the wiring of cameras and surveillance, similar for police sting, in order to catch employees illustrating
First, like any good police procedural, it establishes who are the relevant suspects, the victim, and the “organization” committed to finding out the perpetuator of the crime. In this episode, scenes, shot using the “talking head” documentary style method, which feature the owner of the restaurant talking about his restaurant and the problem he’s been having establishing that a financial crime has occurred at a the restaurant and that the owner is a victim. After the initial introduction, a consultation occurs between Charles Stiles with his mystery diner and the restaurant owner, where the owner reveals who he thinks may be responsible for the crimes and Charles explains how he’ll find the answer. Through this exchange, shot in a medium 3rd person POV, the suspects of this episode are introduced as well as establishing Charles as a good guy by his willingness and determination to help the “victim” get answers. Secondly, the focus of this episode follows the overarching structure of the police procedural, which is gathering evidence and observations and, interrogating the witness via undercover operatives and watching their reaction to the information. This cycle repeats itself over and over until the perpetrator is revealed and the crime method revealed. It’s also the same exact cycle
The intermixing of the police procedural investigative format and the restaurant business makes for some really interesting television. Even though the format is the same for most episodes, the sheer ridiculousness of crimes, like riding a skateboard down bowling lanes to film a viral video, which was done in this episode is more than enough to entice me to continue watching this