The BBC docuseries Planet Earth: The Blue Planet II is the kind of thing most people watch for a relaxing night in. It’s perfect for curling up on the couch with loved ones and marvelling at the beauty of nature — most of the time.
A recent episode of The Blue Planet II took a less soothing turn when it introduced viewers to a swarm of growing spider crabs, shot in high definition close-ups. Watch the clip below:
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Thousands of spider crabs gather under the sea for one crucial reason. ๐ฆ#BluePlanet2 pic.twitter.com/DOSGI2nKKz
โ BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 24, 2017
The segment didn’t sit well with squeamish audiences. There are some who don’t like spiders, and some who don’t like crabs, and the intersection between the two groups seems to be bigger than the BBC thought. Here are some Twitter’s reactions.
This is the stuff of nightmares. #SpiderCrabs #BluePlanet https://t.co/RzEN6sh2gA
โ Christina McKelvie (@ChristinaSNP) November 26, 2017
Christina McKelvie, member of the Scottish Parliament, was pretty unsettled by the spider crab footage, calling it “the stuff of nightmares.”
Spider Crabs = Never going in the sea again. #BluePlanet2 pic.twitter.com/PmByMtm4TN
โ OhMyDosh! (@ohmydoshUK) November 26, 2017
Viewers were channeling Frank Reynolds on the matter.
SPIDER CRABS,
โ Paul Mitchell Will Tweet You Now (@mrmitchell78) November 26, 2017
SPIDER CRABS,
MARCHES SO MUCH, THEY HAVE NO FLAB,
SPINDLEY LEGS,
UGLY FACE,
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS ALL OVER THE PLACE,
LOOK OUT, HERE COMES THE SPIDER-CRAB #BluePlanet2
Paul Mitchell turned his terror into a spider crab song.
“These spider crabs were once ordinary crabs, but then they were bitten by radioactive spiders. Now they use their powers to fight sea crime.” #BluePlanet2
โ Tom Freeman (@SnoozeInBrief) November 26, 2017
Tom Freeman might be onto something here. Or, maybe he just leaked the plot to Tom Holland’s next movie, only time will tell.
Oh imagine putting your feet down there when swimming #spidercrabs ๐ฑ #BluePlanet2
โ Jane Devonshire (@janecdevonshire) November 26, 2017
Jane Devonshire, champion of Master Chef UK 2016, said exactly what we were all thinking.
Spider crabs notwithstanding, Blue Planet II is a thrill-ride of a nature documentary, narrated by David Attenborough and scored by Hans Zimmer. Hopefully this creep-crawly interlude won’t turn too many viewers away for good.