Primeval – Episode 10

BBC America

(Series 2, Episode 4)

I’m just not warming up to Jenny. I miss Claudia and I don’t care that they look identical. I just had to put that out there.

The looming threat hanging over this second series of Primeval came to a little more light in this installment, and even though I didn’t see it coming, I think that was more me just being intellectually and speculatively lazy. In retrospect, there aren’t really any other reveals there could have been, are there? It does add an interesting wrinkle to things in regards to the altered time line, or Primeval 2.0, that we’re living in.

Connor and Abby’s relationship almost took a dramatic move forward, but that damned Caroline keeps getting in the way. In fact, with what she did in tonight’s episode, Connor is clearly not thinking with the right brain to have bought her stupid excuse. Oh, enough of this, let’s get past the jump so we can talk properly.

Caroline tried to kill Rex! Are you kidding me? And, “Oh gee he must have flown in there when I was putting some stuff away.” He’s two-freaking-feet long! Are you saying that something like that can sneak past you and into a refrigerator when you’re not paying attention? Not to mention that Abby could hear him. And that the shelf he was dying on was empty save for him and bottled water. Sure, I always leave one shelf completely empty in case my cold-blooded pet wants to crawl in and take a nap while I’m not paying attention. Whore! Kill her!

Sorry. But that brings me to the male whore, Leek. His head is so far up Lester’s ass that even Lester, usually lost in his own arrogance, should know something’s wrong with the little weasel. Just to be safe, kill Leek too.

And speaking of Leek, we’ve got a whole crack team of people following around Team Primeval. Well, a crack team and the dumbass who keeps getting seen and recognized every episode by at least one member of the team. Of course Helen is going to be behind it. But what’s she up to? She knows about the altered timeline and remembers Claudia Brown. Does it relate to that somehow?

She’s probably relishing that new PR bitch Jenny has replaced her as she knows it’s torturing Nick. But what is her plan? Why does she care? Because Team Primeval 2.0 is more organized and funded than Team 1.0? Do they pose a more valid threat? You know, to whatever her plans are.

As for the “monster of the week,” other than their walrus-like movement limitations, these things were downright frightening. At the same time, they didn’t kill basketball Lucien or Abby, instead putting them under a grate so they could breathe. Why? Why don’t we learn why? We don’t usually follow up with monsters so there’s a chance this will stay unresolved, but it’s a good question. There’s obviously some intelligence behind their actions, and we’re pretty much told these are future monsters, but why? Breeding? Are they hoping to have babies with legs so they can get around better?

With the connecting threads between episodes, and the looming threat of Helen’s rag-tag team of losers infiltrating everywhere from Lester to Connor’s heart, this series of Primeval is a vast improvement over the first one. Suddenly, I find myself with a compelling mystery to lure me back week after week. And considering that we’ve lost the romantic tension between Claudia and Nick, they’re ratcheting back up the tension between Connor and Abby. Wow, there’s something for everyone! Except Claudia lovers.

Clacked by Jason Hughes
on Oct 12, 2008 @ 16:30 EST5EDT