Skip to Main Content

The Smell That Ruined My Life

Episode 16 | 14m 5sVideo has Closed Captions

A young man seeks to utilize trauma in order to forget about a horrid smell.

A young man ponders the powerful influence trauma can have over perception, recounting his own trauma caused by discovering a beached whale. The foul smell of death and decay leaves him with olfactory hallucinations and a fear of oceans, associating them with mortality. In an attempt to face his fears, he is met with surreal encounters with people that may be key in beating his own affliction.

01/05/2026 | Rating TV-MA

Problems playing video?   | Closed Captioning Feedback

Report a Problem

Before you submit an error, please consult our Video Help page.

Problems playing video?   | Closed Captioning Feedback

Report a Problem

Before you submit an error, please consult our Video Help page.

WHRO Public Lens is a local public television program presented by WHRO Public Media

The Smell That Ruined My Life

Episode 16 | 14m 5sVideo has Closed Captions

A young man ponders the powerful influence trauma can have over perception, recounting his own trauma caused by discovering a beached whale. The foul smell of death and decay leaves him with olfactory hallucinations and a fear of oceans, associating them with mortality. In an attempt to face his fears, he is met with surreal encounters with people that may be key in beating his own affliction.

01/05/2026 | Rating TV-MA

Problems playing video?   | Closed Captioning Feedback

Report a Problem

Before you submit an error, please consult our Video Help page.

How to Watch WHRO Public Lens

WHRO Public Lens is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.

Support for PBS provided by:

WHRO Public Lens is a local public television program presented by WHRO Public Media

or

By creating an account, you acknowledge that PBS may share your information with our member stations and our respective service providers, and that you have read and understand the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Are you sure you want to remove null from My List?