series review
Primeval
Review By: Matthew Anderson
TV Station: ITV U.K.
Company: ITV/Impossible Pictures co-production
Running Time: 6 50 min episodes
Rated: PG-13: Violence
EPISODE 1
Episode Synopsis
In a small town in England, a young woman is running for her life.
Stalking her isn't a man or machine, but a dinosaur. No matter where she
runs, the creature finds her. She runs to an ASDA store and bangs on the
window, begging to be let in, but her cries are ignored by the janitor.
With no other option, she heads into the dark Forest of Dean.
Eight years later, Professor Nick Cutter head of the Department of Evolutionary Zoology at Central Metropolitan University and his Lab Tech Stephen Hart are accosted by one of Cutter's students, conspiracy nut Connor Temple. He shows the two a newspaper report on a dinosaur sighting in the Forest of Dean. Connor's mention of the location causes an emotional reaction for Professor Cutter, and he decides to investigate.
At the same time Zoologist and "Reptile Expert" Abby Maitland is informed by her boss that her reptile project has been cut. As they are talking, he drops a packet of requests to bring in exotic animals from people who no longer want them. In the packet is a photo of a young boy with a reptile that should not exist. Intrigued by the photo, she offers to go to the Forest of Dean and retrieve the "exotic" pet.
Cutter, Stephen, and Connor arrive at the location of the sighting, and find a
ripped open delivery truck, and the carcasses of several dead chickens. Stephen is
convinced it's a hoax until he and Cutter discover a destroyed security fence.
It looks as if something huge had stepped on it. The only direction the creature could have
gone is into the Forest of Dean.
Connor asks Stephen why Professor Cutter is so preoccupied with the forest. Stephen informs him that Cutter's wife, Helen Cutter, went missing eight years ago while investigating a creature sighting in the Forest of Dean. No trace of her body was found, only her rucksack.
Abby arrives at a house on the outskirts of the Forest of Dean. The young boy, Ben shows her the winged lizard he named Rex. He goes on to tell her that he found the strange creature in the Forest. Abby believes that Ben has discovered a new form of reptile. She asks the boy to show her where he found "Rex".
While on their way, Abby and Ben make a horrible discovery; a dead cow tossed into the upper branches of a
tree. Startled by a strange roar, they begin to run, only to be separated
when Ben runs ahead of Abby.
Back at the Eddington Hotel, Cutter is at the bar when a woman comes up to him and gives him a big kiss. Surprised at her forwardness, she tell the gob smacked professor that she told some guy at the bar that Cutter was her boyfriend. She introduces herself as Claudia Brown from the Home Office, and she is there to ask if the her photograph of the dinosaur is a fraud. While he isn't convinced if it's real or not, he does invite her to join him to hunt for the creature.
Ben is trying to get home when he encounters a glowing vortex. Looking into the center of the vortex, Ben sees a primeval world, full of creatures exactly like Rex. His excitement is cut short when he hears the roar of the creature again.
Rex has gotten away from Abby, and she is trying to chase him down, when she sees the creature. It is a huge dinosaur with razor sharp teeth. Remaining very still, she waits until the monster moves on to collect Rex.
Having really hit things off, Cutter and Claudia are busy talking while Stephen is attempting to track the "hoax". It isn't long until they find the same cow in the tree that Ben and Abby discovered. Connor notices that his compass has gone haywire.
Ben makes it back home, but cuts himself on the rose bushes just outside his housing complex. His blood
trail leads the creature right to
him. It bursts into
his room, and attempts to eat him. Unable to escape, he starts throwing
anything he can find, scoring a lucky hit with a plasma globe. As it runs
off, Ben's mother comes rushing up to see what the
commotion is about.
Night has fallen in the Forest of Dean. Still trying to get back to Ben's, Abby and Rex encounter another dino. As she is backing up, a voice tells her not to move. It is Cutter and the rest of the group. "Is it real?" Abby asks. Cutter postulates that maybe it's an experiment or some sort of throwback. After introductions are made, Cutter and Abby think that the creature may be related to the tortoise family. Conner takes a picture with his cell phone, but it is confiscated by Claudia, who makes a call of her own to the Home Office.
Cutter, Abby, and Claudia go to Ben's house, only to find the aftermath of the young man's battle. Ben tries to convince everyone, including his irate mother, that Rex was an prehistoric animal, but Cutter and Abby, following Claudia's orders, tell him that he was mistaken. When the boy mentions that he has seen a hole to the past, Cutter's interest is peaked.
As they leave Ben's house, Claudia tells Abby and Cutter that the two of them must sign the Official Secrets Act. While Cutter his concerned about this being an "Official Secret", his greater concern is finding the creature that attacked Ben. The one they found earlier isn't a predator, it's an herbivore. There is still another creature out there. Cutter decides to go back into the forest and find the hole to the past.
Stephen and Connor are sitting with Rex and the herbivore dinosaur.
All Connor can talk about is his dreams of fame, fortune, and winning the Nobel Prizes.
His giddy musings come to a quick end as Cutter and his group arrives.
They startle the dinosaur, and follow it to see where it runs to. His plan works, as the creature takes them to the rift
in time and space.
The military sets up a base camp while Cutter and Connor observe the magnetic properties of the anomaly by watching Connor's pen get sucked into the void. While Abby and Stephen talk about Rex, Cutter is informed by Claudia that they must go to the Home Office and be debriefed. As she makes arrangements, Stephen comes over to talk about Cutter's missing wife. Cutter is convinced that the anomaly explains everything, but the ever practical Stephen points out it doesn't explain why she didn't come back.
When they arrive at the Home Office, Cutter and Abby are reading over paperwork when James Lester, a high ranking government official comes over to Claudia to let her know he is taking over.
As Stephen and Connor track the dino that attacked Ben, Cutter and
Lester are going toe to toe about the anomaly. Neither of them trust each
other. Lester doesn't like civilians, and Cutter doesn't like government
spooks. Cutter informs Lester that he intends to enter the rift to find
out what happened to his wife, whether Lester likes it or not.
As the scientists attempt to examine Rex, Abby remarks that the scientists don't know what they are doing. Her point is proven when the creature escapes from the lab and flies around the home office. Abby and Claudia narrowly keep it from escaping out an open window by coaxing it with food.
While Stephen and Connor are hot on the trail of their rampaging dino, Lester authorizes Cutter to go into the rift, right after he signs a release form.
Connor has figured out from a footprint he and Stephen found that the other dino is the carnivorous Gorgonopsid. Stephen is now more determined than ever to find it before it kills.
The Gorgonopsid has tracked Ben to his school, and attacks him and his
teacher. Only the timely arrival of Stephen keeps the two of them from
getting killed. Trying to lead it to the forest, the creature rams into
Stephen, knocking him unconscious.
Before Cutter goes into the anomaly, Claudia introduces him to Captain Ryan, his military escort. Obviously not thrilled with having him there, Cutter starts to complain, but Claudia cuts him off. As Abby gives Rex to Cutter so he can take the creature back, Claudia gives Ryan a standing order; bring Cutter back, no matter what. When Cutter and Ryan enter the rift, Connor observes that the magnetic field is getting weaker.
On the other side, Cutter strikes off on his own. He marvels at the vast landscape of primeval trees and volcanoes. As he observes a herd of dinosaurs, Captain Ryan calls him over. Ryan has found the remains of a base camp, and human skeletal remains. They also find a camera with the initials HC, Helen Cutter. The body however is that of a male. Spurred on by the discovery, Cutter decides to go look for his wife, forcing Ryan to knock him out and carry him back to the anomaly.
The two arrive just as the anomaly is starting to close. Cutter
attempts to stay, but he is no match for the trained military man. The two
just make it through as the hole in time closes. As everyone celebrates,
Abby notices that Rex has also come back, and she picks him up.
The celebration is cut short when the Gorgonopsid rampages into the camp. The soldiers try to shoot it, but it's moving too fast. Claudia trips and Cutter tries to help her up, just as the huge creature charges at them. Stephen arrives at the nick of time, crashing his SUV into the creature. Briefly stunning the creature, Cutter throws his friend a machine gun. Taking careful aim at the skull, Stephen manages to kill the creature.
Back at the Home Office, Lester shows Cutter the pictures from Helen Cutter's camera. Lester isn't thrilled that someone has been there before, but he is relived that the problem is over. Cutter's assessment is different. If this has happened before, then everything they know about time and space is wrong. If the anomalies are something new, then he wants to know what caused them to appear. Either way, this is only the beginning.
Back at his office, Cutter is sitting at his desk, looking at a picture of
his missing wife. Going to the bath room, he is startled by a
noise. Returning to his desk, he finds the picture missing, replaced with
shell of a living, primeval mollusk. Hearing an outer door slam, he runs
outside to see a woman who looks like his wife on the other side of the street.
By the time he gets there, the woman has vanished.
THE FACTS
CHARACTERS
MAIN
Nick Cutter: Head of the Department of Evolutionary Zoology
at Central Metropolitan University. Eight years ago, his wife Helen
went missing investigating a creature sighting in the Forest of Dean.
He has not gotten over her disappearance, and is desperate to find any trace
of her. Very headstrong, he prefers to do things his way, and isn't
afraid to back down if he thinks he is right. He is also impulsive,
and doesn't always think things through. There is no denying that he
is very smart, and an excellent Paleontologist.
Abby Maitland: Young and pretty, Abby is a keeper at
Wellington Zoo. Her primary expertise is in reptiles, but she is well
versed in other areas. While she shares Cutter's impulsive spirit, she
is more than capable of getting out of any sticky situation she comes
across. While she doesn't like lying, she will do it if necessary.
Stephen Hart: Officially Cutter's lab assistant, Hart is
an experienced tracker who has worked with Cutter on several expeditions.
He remains calm in every situation, a good balance to the rash behavior of
his "boss". Stephen is very good at reading people, and he
is able to
anticipate their reactions.
Connor Temple: Student at Central Metropolitan
University. Never meeting a conspiracy theory, or alien threat he
didn't like, Connor is always suspicious, but not necessarily
paranoid. He is also a bit of a Dinosaur geek, building his database
of dinos since he was 14. His head is always in the clouds, dreaming
of meeting the perfect girl, or winning the Nobel Prize.
Claudia Brown: a junior government official who is tasked
to investigate creature sightings in the Forest of Dean. Because of
her outgoing personality, she is very quick to make friends. In spite
of her lower ranked position, she doesn't
cave in when facing governmental bureaucracy. She and Cutter hit
things off rather quickly, with the two of them flirting constantly.
SUPPORTING:
Sir James Lester: Senior member of the Home Office, he
reports directly to the head office. More of a spook than a "paper
pusher" he is very rigid and steadfast in his opinions. He isn't
thrilled when Nick Cutter and his team are brought onboard, and doesn't
hesitate to say so. He is also a pragmatist, so he understands that
sometimes it's necessary to use civilians, so long as the government is
protected.
Helen Cutter: A paleontologist like her husband, she
disappeared eight years ago investigating a creature sighting in the Forest
of Dean. How much involvement she has in regards to the anomalies
is unknown. What is know is that she has gone back in time
on at least one occasion.
Capt Tom Ryan: a Gulf War veteran and expert in desert
operations. He is assigned by Claudia Brown to protect and bring Nick
Cutter back through the anomaly. He is skilled at unarmed combat.
KNOWLEDGE BANK:
- We know part of the reason Helen Cutter vanished; she was being chased by a Gorgonopsid.
- The store she attempted to seek refuge in is an ASADA shop, the UK branch of Wal-Mart (as evidenced by the rollback advert in the background)
- Helen Cutter's reputation as an investigator is still known around Central Metropolitan University 8 years later.
- Stephen once tracked a wounded animal through the rain forest for 10 days.
- Originally, Rex was thought to be a Draco Volanus (gliding lizard). It's actual species is Coelurosauravus.
- The herbivore that Abby and Carter encounter is a Scutosaurus.
- Coelurosauravus' droppings are bright green (presumably due to all the green plants they consume)
- The Gorgonopsid is a very good climber, able to drag cows into trees, or climb up to the second floor of a two story building.
- Gorgonopsid's track by smell, and once they lock onto their prey, it will keep hunting it until it's dead.
- Gorgonopsid are strong enough to pick up and throw a car just with its mouth.
- All the dinosaurs come from the late Permian era, according to Connor's database.
- Anomalies have strong magnetic fields, and will attract any metal objects. When an anomalies begins to collapse, the magnetic field goes weaker. Whether or not it was caused by Cutter and Ryan entering the anomaly is unknown.
- The remains of the base camp Capt. Ryan found includes a tent, a box of caned goods and energy bars, Helen Cutter's film camera, and the body of a man.
- The film developed by Lester had only three very posed pictures of Helen Cutter in the Permian era. At least, three is all Lester shows Nick Cutter.
BODY COUNT:
- 1 Soldier
- 1 Unidentified male
- Helen Cutter: Missing/Presumed dead
THE 2 VIEW
Primeval has been billed in some trade magazines as ITV's big budget answer
to "Doctor Who". While it certainly has a "Invasion of the
Dinosaurs" feel to it, it is more akin to "Torchwood", due to its
slightly darker tone and dimensional rifts...sorry anomalies. Don't call
them rifts.
As the kick-off point for the series, this episode is exactly what one would expect; lots of action, suspense, a bit of comedy, likable characters, and plenty of mystery to keep you coming back for more. Writer and creator Adrian Hodges does a very expedient job at getting all these elements together in the 50 minute run time. Thanks to director Cilla Ware's tight pacing, she doesn't let up until the end credits roll.
The special effects for the dinosaurs are quite impressive, considering this
is a television program, not a movie. The CG dinosaurs are blended into the scenes
quite well, although they appear a little too CG some places. I was really
impressed with the texture mapping, the scales and leathery hides looked
real. There were times I forgot that these were not puppets.
The cast was quite enjoyable, each bringing a distinctive vibe to their characters. Douglas Henshall's brooding portrayal and thick Scottish accent will certainly make the ladies swoon. Rising above her kitschy "S Club 7" roots, Hannah Spearritt's Abby is feisty, cute, and smart with out being annoying. Andrew-Lee Potts does a superb job at playing the supreme uber-dork Connor, giving the character the right mix of arrogance and buffoonery.
Lucy Brown's Claudia is a little more than just the typical government bureaucrat.
She is smart, strong, very people orientated, and an incredible flirt,
especially with Nick Cutter. You can feel the chemistry between the
two. James Murray plays Stephen as the silent, strong type, while Ben
Miller is the perfect smarmy, arrogant, bureaucrat.
Many may complain that the characters are the archetypes of every sci-fi show ever made. You have the brilliant scientist, the broody loner, the smart ass kid, the sexy government spy, the cute eye candy, and the mysterious figure that parcels out their knowledge in riddles and half truths. True, these sci-fi cliques are there, but I give credit that Adrian Hodges and co-creator Tim Hanes just throw them all into the deep end, quirks and all, and force you to care as they face one bizarre incident after another.
Is Primeval truly a series that can topple the unstoppable juggernaut that is
Doctor Who. Sad to say, it isn't. I'm not saying it's bad, but the
thing that makes Doctor Who so popular is its versatility. You can
go to any place in the universe, meet complex and interesting characters, both
good and bad. The limiting factor about Primeval is that.... well it's
primeval. Dinosaurs, giant insects, and other monsters of the week don't
really need a lot of character development. I don't think Rex is going to
be chatting with Abby anytime soon. While the cause of the Anomalies can
be anything from aliens to secret government agents, we won't get to see who is
behind it all until episode six. By that time, it's almost too late to take
the show in any other direction.
Anomalies. I am impressed with how hard the writers avoided the word rift. It's a rift in time, so why can't you say rift? While I'm sure the rational for anomalies is that it sounds cool, my gut feeling is that they wanted to avoid being accused of ripping off "Torchwood". Sure, the two shows are very similar (right down to the flying prehistoric reptile), but Torchwood was a sexy, character driven sci-fi while Primeval is....monster hunter/Stargate-SG1 sci-fi. It's better to forget about the comparisons and enjoy the show.
Primeval is 50 minutes of action-adventure fun. Well acted, fast paced,
with wicked cool special effects, this is the perfect series to watch after
Torchwood ends and before Doctor Who begins. The next episode looks to be
a hell of a lot of fun!