Primeval: The Past is Here (and it’s Hungry)

By Angela Roberts

February 23, 2011

Primeval

UK sci-fi series Primeval has been shown off and on by Canadian Space channel for the past few years, and recently Space has been broadcasting its most recent series (or season). Primeval Series Four has seen a number of changes to the show, a good chunk of the cast having changed and a new threat looming over the horizon. The show has experienced its ups and downs in Britain, nearly being cancelled after Series Three and being renewed for two more seasons. It’s fairly popular in the UK and has a loyal following in the US and Canada, but it’s definitely one of those shows that any geek should be watching, but probably isn’t. At least that’s the impression I get whenever I bring the show up. Certainly, some of that can be explained by the erratic play it’s received in Canada. Here the first three series were shown sporadically and never seemed to be in order. I know I got frustrated a few times trying to watch the show and feeling like I’d seen the same two or three episodes over and over again. This series is perhaps the first time I’ve been able to watch continuously an entire run of the show. And now that we’re nearly at the end, it seemed a good time to look at the show, where it’s been and where it’s going.

The premise of the series is this: Strange anomalies (rips in space and time) have been popping up all over Britain, and prehistoric creatures have been coming out of them to wreak havoc in the modern day. The government sets up a crack team of unconventional researchers to investigate and deal with these anomalies. This team works out of a secret base called the ARC. Over the last four series, the ARC team has had to deal with all manner of creatures and threats, both from the past and the future. Several team members have died or disappeared, including two of their leaders, and the action doesn’t seem to have let up even as they confront a new chapter in their journey. That’s right. Series Four is the beginning of a new chapter in the adventures of the ARC team. For one, only three series regulars return to the show after Series Three’s powerful finale, Connor, Abby and Becker (played by Andrew Lee Potts, Hannah Spearritt and Ben Mansfield) and one recurring character, the stiff-necked but curiously kinder James Lester (Ben Miller). Team leader Danny Quinn (Jason Flemyng) is still missing, and member Sarah Page (Laila Rouass) has apparently died on a failed rescue mission. Connor and Abby have toughened up while stuck in the Cretaceous for a year, and (finally) developed a romance. They very nearly find themselves out of a job as they discover that the ARC has established a military-only rule for field agents. But unsurprisingly, Lester finds a way around that. Also, however, the continuing story arc that dominated the last three series and especially their finales, Helen Cutter and her quest to undo humanity, has finally been resolved with her death. Or has it? Her threat may be done, but slowly we come to realize that the future is still in danger, and shady goings-on abound. New team leader Matt Anderson (Ciarán McMenamin) is clearly hiding something, and may be searching for the catalyst of a terrible future. Oily businessman Philip Burton (Alexander Siddig) is definitely up to something with his side projects and his drive to study the anomalies even at the cost of human safety. And these mysterious travelers from another time show up and make life even more complicated, steampunkish Victorian Emily Merchant (Ruth Bradley) and psychopath Ethan (Jonathan Byrne).

I think it’s fair to say that the main appeal of Primeval is the gripping ongoing storyline. The past is fun, the creatures are pretty cool, but it’s the future that keeps you coming back. Without that intriguing goal underlying every episode, safeguarding the future and reversing the dire situation to come, this show would become extremely repetitive. It would be one of those ‘creature-of-the-week’ shows, no matter how few episodes there are in a season. That’s not to say that every episode can’t stand alone or that the episodes themselves aren’t exciting, far from it. I had episodes running on my laptop while I was working on this review, and it was hard to concentrate on the writing without glancing over every few seconds. Thank goodness for online commercials! But my original point still stands. It’s the arc that makes the show stand out, which, of course, is a big reason why seeing things out of order really sucks. It’s not like you won’t get the gist of what’s going on, but I had a distinct feeling that I was missing something important for a good part of my viewing history before Series Four.

I like the changes that have taken place so far in this series. The new characters are interesting and engaging. They all bring something new to the show. And I’m pleased to see Alexander Siddig in anything, really (fans might recognize him as Doctor Bashir from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). I’m eager to watch the next two episodes and see what happens. And I hope Series Five comes to Space soon; it would be annoying to wait. That’s the hallmark of a good show; it makes you want to come back every week to see what happens next and you’re actually a little upset when you have to wait for the next season. Heck, it’s the kind of show that you plan your evening around. I just wish that more people watched it.

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