"Primal" (season one)

[tharpdevenport]

Genndy's show is already out. You can watch the first episode on Adult Swim for free:

https://www.adultswim.com/videos/primal/spear-and-fang

Enjoyed it, but it has faults, namely the lack of any family interaction prior to the attack and the boring and unmemorable score by Tyler Bates and Higginbottom, who helped ruin the scoring of the final season "Samurai Jack".

 

[tharpdevenport]

"River of Snakes" (episode two)

"Spear" (which I'll call the lead) and "Fang" find their "friendship" is going to be more difficult then realized when food comes between then.

Got a lot of what I expect from "Samurai Jack", including a slow-mo' shot and a familiar sound effect. Has two or three humorous moments in it, but nothing to laugh out of loud about (it's not that kind of show).

As usual, the score is unremarkable by Tyler and Higginbottom; it even made an action scene slow down. How I miss James L. Venable! I was imagining what score from SJ I'd track over the episode.


"A Cold Death" (episode three)

In the brutal primal world where not only is there no such thing as a grocery store or growing your own food, it's hunt or be hunted, and even the innocent have to die in order for our heroes to survive. But that doesn't mean actions are without consequence.

A good episode yet once again not helped by Bates/Higginbottom.

 

[RPOW0614]

Huge Samurai jack fan so I was looking forward to this.

I was not disappointed, great show.
I binged this yesterday (but somehow managed to skip over the 'cold death" ep) and loved it.

I like the relationship between Spear and Fang.
I don't think not seeing Spear with family before the events of the first episode lessened the story in any way.

Fangs reaction to the worm at the river and Spears reaction to Fang is hilarious.

Much like Samurai Jack a lot happens without any dialog and the emotional impact is just as moving.

Looking forward to more of this.

 

[JD]

Is there more to this than just a bunch of overly graphic, gory fight scenes? That's all the trailers seemed to show, and I really need more than that to be interested in a show.

 

[tharpdevenport]

"Terror Under the Blood Moon" (episode four)

On the run from a large pack of raptors, "Spear" and "Fang" find themsleves hiding out in an area where even raptors fear to tread once the sun sets.

There's a lot more suspension of disbelief required for this episode than in the previous three.

It's nothing more than an action/suspense thriller, but it works terifically.

Now the scoring by Bates/Higginbottom is just pissing me off. I'm imagning all the score by Venable I'd track in from "Samuria Jack".



"Rage of the ape-Men" (episode five)

"Spear" and Fang" think they have found tranquility but run in the ape-men.

You know how one episode you were watching "The Colbys" and it was just like another episode of the show it spun off from, "Dynasty", and then suddenly Fallon was abducted by aliens? Now, combine that with the episode of "Scrubs" where Dr. Cox said he'd rip both your arms off and beat you to death with them.

Thankfully a nine minute repreieve from Bates/Higginbottom.



EDIT
And the season will have five more episodes: “We have 10 episodes total,” Tartakovsky explained. “Because we could only have five ready this year, we decided to release these five, and then the next set is next year.” Will Primal return for more, after its first 10 episodes? Tartakovsky hopes so: “So far it’s been received very positively, and I think the network is being very supportive. At the same time, we haven’t gotten ratings and all that good stuff in yet, so we’ll see—but I think everybody’s very excited about the show.” From: https://io9.gizmodo.com/genndy-tartakovsky-explains-how-he-created-primals-fero-1838337115

 

[Peach Wookiee]

So far, I love this series! It's brutal and I love how it's animation driven. And the ape-men... That was true brutality...