Primeval: Series 5, Episode 3 – Dork Review

So, in last week’s review of Primeval, I was pleased they still referenced the Emily character, since I liked her and thought it was a shame she was written out last series. I should have realised, with the level of subtlety Primeval operates at, the casual mention meant we’d be seeing her shortly. Like, in the very next episode.

So is the reappearance of a pet character enough to get a good review out of me?

It’s Jack The Ripper Theme Week!

Those of you who watch Doctor Who (which I’d think would be a decent percentage) may remember a Jack The Ripper reference in the most recent episode. Well, in a clever co-ordinated scheduling, Primeval is doing Jack The Ripper too. Not directly, I admit, but the cast are dashing around Victorian London looking for a mysterious “Jack”. Coincidence? Surely not.

Aside from the BBC/Watch conspiracy, the bulk of the episode is getting Matt into the past and reuniting him with Emily, and seeing as they are perhaps my favourite characters, I was probably always going to like it a bit. (Well, them and Ben Miller, who’s annoyingly absent this week.)

And the ending, which I won’t spoil but will probably be obvious from the subsequent, made me very happy indeed. It’s already obvious that Primeval are having to miss cast members out of some episodes; clearly in this case they decided to make a story out of it.

Connor Spins His Wheels

I spent last series commenting that I enjoyed the ongoing storylines of Primeval, but the plots of each individual episode seemed half-baked. This time, matters have inverted; the only subplot is the Connor/Phillip conspiracy, and it’s spinning its wheels. It doesn’t help that Alexander Siddig’s Phillip hasn’t been in the last couple, leaving other characters muttering about him impotently.

Oh, and the special effects limitations were apparent this week. They avoided showing the raptor too often, and the visual flow of any scenes where it interacted with other characters was atrocious. Whenever it looked like biting someone, I had to wait for someone to shout out what had happened.

But as a whole, and I may be biased this week, it was a fun enough adventure, with a meaningful and well-earned end. They should get some movement going on their uber-plot though; hopefully Phillip won’t stay disappeared until the finale.

More Primeval on Dork Adore | Primeval: Series 5, Episode 1 – Dork Review

Nick Bryan

Nick learned to read and write at an early age. This has developed into an unhealthy need to either write stories or consume them for later dissection. He reviews film and TV on Dork Adore and The Digital Fix, lives in London and enjoys a nice white beer.

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