Primeval: Series 5, Episode 6 – Dork Review

The final new Primeval of 2011 brings us the climax of Philip’s evil plan, the culmination of the entire year and a chance to kill off a few dead weight characters? Surely that’s the only way to make it feel like the last 13 episodes mattered?

So who lives? Who dies? Was the thing any good?

Bang Goes The Knighthood

Well, it was as you’d expect from one of these finales: a string of climactic explosions, strung together with nonsense science and character moments. Everyone realises they love each other, mostly in predictable combinations, although I found myself hoping for some office-inappropriate relations between Lester and Jess.

I think Jess is meant to be dating Becker, but that’s been ignored for ages, and anything which gives Ben Miller more to do is a plus. For now, though, we had an exciting if unsurprising climax, disappointingly lacking in pointless bloodshed. They tried injuring Miller, which is one way to make me care about the outcome, but it didn’t go anywhere.

Although credit to them for sticking to their guns in portraying Phillip as misguided, rather than straight-up evil. Alexander Siddig had some good moments this week, giving the poor guy some dignity as his storyline drew to a close.

Conclusive And Wide-Ranging Summary

This episode caps off two whole series of Primeval, and it’s been an uneven run, but fun at times. This second half, in particular, has felt a lot more focused. It seemed like they weren’t sure where to go with the Ethan storyline in series four, and they’ve duly ignored it ever since, after giving it no real ending.

So no, Primeval doesn’t quite manage the drama of Doctor Who, but it can compete in the entertainment stakes when it tries hard, which is convenient as Doctor Who itself has become a bit overly pretentious lately. The wildly fluctuating quality is a problem, and I still haven’t seen the first three series, so have no idea how representative that is of the rest of the run.

I did search for details on a possible series six, and found only this vague statement, which seemed uncertain whether there would be one, when it might happen and even if the same cast would return. So in short, who knows? But it was fun while it lasted, as they say.

Did you enjoy Primeval series 5? Who should’ve died? Should there be more? Let us know below.

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

More Posts - Website

Follow Me: