Primal

 


There isn't really a lot more to say about Gendy Tartakovsky's animated series Primal that hasn't been said already by others. Only that the genres of both "caveman vs. dinosaur" that once belonged to Joe Kubert's Tor, and "sword and sorcery" (a term coined by Fritz Leiber) pioneered by Howard's Conan are still alive and well in this series. 

This is the first series on Adult Swim that I actually enjoy. "Love" is more like it. At this pointed, it's actually a breath of fresh air to come upon a series set in a fantasy version of prehistory, where creatures of all ages live side by side with prehistoric humans and other hominids. Tarakovsy uses a Neanderthal hero rather than a Cero-Magnon like Kubert did and explores the both the man and tyrannosaurus characters with depth is what's innovative here. It might be difficult for me, but Tarakvsky pulls it off. Viewers enjoy watching the relationship between the two main characters as it grows and develops, and this happens with virtually no dialogue. 

The presence and subsequent capture of the slave girl Mia at the end of the first season's final episodes gave some viewers pause. That's certainly a cliffhanger. What will Spear do next? Why, what any barbarian or caveman hero would in that same situation! The question is, how will he do it, but I assume he knows how to build a raft. 

One question that has intrigued viewers is: just when and where is the world of Spear and Fang supposed to take place? Is it long ago in some alternate prehistory, such as was the possible case with the original Tor? Or perhaps an isolated spot on prehistoric earth, where the creatures of various eras overlap, like some of the latter Tor series, and Don Glut's Tragg? It's not impossible. A lost world surviviing in the modern age. Seems unlikely. We're not inside a hollow earth or earth-like planet, as we see the sun rise and set. One possibility some have speculated is that it's set in the far future, where there used to be a vast "Jurassic Park" like zoo or preserve, only with animals from all eras, even hominids, cloned from DNA. But let's not lose sight of the fact that wizardry also exists in this realm, as much as in Conan's Hyborian age, as shown by the coven of witches and (possibly) the night feeder. 

The concluding episode left viewers hanging, not only because of what will happen to Mia, but also for the fact that we now know that more civilized humans share Spear and Fang's world. And that leads to the question of whether the diversity of primeval fauna



that abounds on their continent also exists elsewhere at this time, or perhaps the rest of the planet is more like the late Plesticene of very early human history. Mia looked at some pteranodons while with Spear and Fang, suggesting she might not have seen creatures like flying reptiles before. And who are the civilized boat-builders? As with the movie 10,000 B. C. they could well be proto-Egyptian. The recent trailer for season 2 includes scenes of Spear battling the civilized humans. One scene shows warriors or perhaps another culture, covered in blue markings that might be wode, such as used by the ancient picts. Another shows a queen and guards in a palace scene that has a definite Egyptian influence. There is of course, the long-held theory that Egypt may have derived from Mu or Atlantis, and that it might be the cradle of the diverse civilization that arose afterward. 



The cat in the throne room scene looks to be a modern leopard, not some kind of prehistoric felid. However, the season offers more prehistoric beasts: Archelon, Megalodon, Argentavis(large enough to ride on?), a possibly male tryannosaurus (with the red head, and possibly a new mate for Fang), and an arsinoitherium. Does the scene with Fang and the male tyranno battling the horned mammal take place in the new land, or is it perhaps a flashback to her former mate? I think fans are intrigued by this since it's suggests a possible new supporting character. So I'd prefer the former. Also a clue that this might be the case is that there is indeed a connection between ancient Egypt and Arsinoitherium, where it was discovered, and the name refers to the ancient queen Arsino.

There is also a scene of the demon god, or whatever he is, we saw Mia sketch in the sand:

 

This doesn't resemble any known Egyption deity; it's more like Tim Curry's Darkness from Legend!

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