Summary
Rotten Season 2 Episode 3, “Troubled Water” turns its attention to bottled-water companies and the impact it has on nearby towns and communities.
Water is a regular subject for me at present. Bill’s Brain covered it, Goliath Season 3 centres around it, and now Rotten Season 2 is giving us insight into the world of bottled water, mostly by Nestlé, who seem to be extremely eager to dip their pipes in any land possible.
“Troubled Water” shows the impact a company like Nestlé has on towns that rely on their water sources but consume it for themselves to create their own branded water products.
Rotten shows us communities who are trying to save their water sources, that are drying up — the question that is posed is who owns the water?
Now that’s a great question served by Episode 3, “Troubled Water”. Public water is, well, public, and the activists ensuring that Nestlé does not take advantage of their water are asking those critical questions. The docuseries outlines how Nestlé fight court cases all the time about their constant well-building and renting of sources is not directly impacting the community.
Episode 3 also delves into how bottled water companies mislead consumers with their branding with the terms of “Spring Water”, “Ice Mountain Water” and “Michigan Valley Water”, when the sources are flagrantly incorrect.
The second half of Episode 3 explores water in less-developed areas in Nigeria, and how Nestlé planted their factory near a poor village. It explores their attempts to offer social value, opening up free water service, but in reality, it was way too far from the residents who were suffering.
Rotten Season 2 Episode 3, “Troubled Water” does not put bottled-water companies in a good light, and it raises a good point for the future — with demand for water going up, and climate change already impacting us, will the rich have access to clean water, while the less fortunate have to take risks with contaminated sources?
You can read the recap of the fourth episode by clicking these words.
This is extremely one sided review. You obviously didn’t do any research except for watch the documentary. Explore the questions on why Coke or Pepsi wasn’t covered in the episode even though they have more lawsuits? This is a sham of a review.
Hi Benny – sorry you didn’t like the review. Will bear that in mind in the future.
Daniel: While I appreciate your comments on the “Troubled Water” segment of the Netflix series “Rotten”, I felt that Netflix CLEARLY had an agenda in it’s commentary. An agenda that almost completely ignored the major source of the water crisis: GOVERNMENT.
The segment “Troubled Water” opened in the town of Flint, MI, a town which clearly has documented water problems. Flint residents pay a monthly water bill for the delivery of supposedly “clean” water to their homes. This bill is not just for the water itself, but to MAINTAIN the source of supply, water, purification system(s) pipes to deliver the water, even water testing. So what happened? Well, in Flint’s case, one political party has been in control of the area for over 60 years. Just what happened to create this water crises in Flint? NOT Nestle’ – it was local government CORRUPTION – by ONE political party. Yet did Netflix address this issue? No.
BTW, another city – Los Angeles – has a similar water problem. LA, located in a desert, has for 75 years done a very poor job of maintaining it’s water delivery system. According to a recent article in the LA Times, Los Angeles’ water delivery system currently LEAKS over 8 billion gallons of water a year – in the middle of a desert! What is the source of LA’s problem? Once again local government corruption – and control by one political party. Not Nestle’, not Coca Cola, not Pepsi. Certainly NOT “climate change” whatever that is supposed to be. Once again, Netflix, nor the supposed “experts” pontificating in the “Troubled Water” segment did not point this out. Odd, yes?
Thirdly, from watching this Netflix special “Troubled Water” did you know one nation, one of the smallest nations on planet Earth, with only one fresh water lake and no naturally flowing rivers AND located in the middle of a desert has become a water “Superpower” since 1948? No, of course not. BTW, this same nation, once visited by a famous American author – Mark Twain (aka Samuel Clements) in the mid 1800’s – Clements said – “Nothing lives in this country – it’s only rock and sand.” Today, this same nation grows more flowers than Holland, more fruits & vegetables than any nation in Europe and the nation has even begun EXPORTING water to adjacent countries. However, Netflix completely ignored this reality in their desire to put Nestle’ into their “crosshairs.” Oh. The name of this tiny nation, the nation that in jst 71 years became a water “superpower” in the middle of a desert? Israel.