Genndy Tartakovsky's "PRIMAL" Season 2 Spoiler Thread

[GojiraGuy1954]

Discuss

[suspsy]

"Red Mist" was an intense episode, and one that's sure to generate discussion regarding the morality of

Spoiler

killing women and children. But when it comes down it, the situation offered Spear two choices: kill them and survive or don't kill them and don't survive. He'll probably be haunted by his actions for a very long time, but he made the right decision for himself, Fang, and Mira. Also, those Vikings were slave traders. They've undoubtedly raped and murdered scores of women and children themselves. This was the proverbial chickens coming to roost.

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[GojiraGuy1954]

"Red Mist" was an intense episode, and one that's sure to generate discussion regarding the morality of

Spoiler

killing women and children. But when it comes down it, the situation offered Spear two choices: kill them and survive or don't kill them and don't survive. He'll probably be haunted by his actions for a very long time, but he made the right decision for himself, Fang, and Mira. Also, those Vikings were slave traders. They've undoubtedly raped and murdered scores of women and children themselves. This was the proverbial chickens coming to roost.

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Spoiler

I really wonder what is the "lore" and purpose of this red mist. As far as I remember it's only appeared twice in the show, once when Spear's family was killed by the horned carnivores and then during this episode where Fang and Spear were decimating the village. Also cool parallels

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[Carnoking]

After missing episode two for some time, I finally got a chance to see it and the following three. Glad I did, because Shadow of Fate was perhaps one of the strongest episodes thus far.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Finally caught up last night.  Great episodes so far. Red Mist certainly was thought provoking. Normally I can cheer for our heroes..this time..not so much. I get it they had to what they had to do, but it wasn't a cheering sort of episode.

[Carnoking]

That's what makes Genndy such a great storyteller I suppose. Even if he couldn't convince me to feel bad for the Viking chief and his daughter, or the village in general, he sure used every trick in the book to make sure the episodes aren't without their dimensions.

That being said, it does feel like Dawn of Man and The Red Mist could have been combined into a single episode with some cutting down. Gotta be honest, this season as a whole feels like we're getting more filler since it now has to stretch a central reunion story over a set number of episodes instead of just having the freedom to do Monster of the Week. I mean I practically forgot the Dawn episode as soon as the credits rolled and seriously, what does Primal Theory add to Spear and Fang's quest? I trust Genndy is building to something but that whole episode felt like a Halloween Special, not part of the actual series.

[suspsy]

Again, I don't like that women and children were killed, but it's not like Spear and Fang herded them all into the middle of the village and then casually murdered them just like how American soldiers casually murdered Vietnamese women and children at the My Lai Massacre. Those Viking women chose to go into battle, and some of them chose to take their children along with them. Those women were also fully aware and supportive of the slave trading that their husbands were engaging in. So in one sense, Spear and Fang can be seen as the universe's means of bringing judgment down upon the guilty.

[SpartanSquat]

Genndy mentioned he wants to turn Primal after season 2 into a brand of anthology animated shorts like Heavy Metal movie, the show has big influences from the movie and the magazine (btw I highly recommend the movie: good animation, cool stories and of course great heavy metal!)
With Primal Theory, I think the whole universe is set in a prehistoric post apocalyptic future, basically the new Charles Darwin mentioned how humanity could devolve with certain factors, its like evolution theory. Maybe in this new future humanity devolved to a certain point. But I think the madman with tatoo maybe its linked with the Scorpion King that enslaved Mira tribe.

[Carnoking]

Genndy mentioned he wants to turn Primal after season 2 into a brand of anthology animated shorts like Heavy Metal movie, the show has big influences from the movie and the magazine (btw I highly recommend the movie: good animation, cool stories and of course great heavy metal!)
With Primal Theory, I think the whole universe is set in a prehistoric post apocalyptic future, basically the new Charles Darwin mentioned how humanity could devolve with certain factors, its like evolution theory. Maybe in this new future humanity devolved to a certain point. But I think the madman with tatoo maybe its linked with the Scorpion King that enslaved Mira tribe.

I did wonder throughout the episode if there would be some "connection" to the larger story. Given how unstoppable the escapee was, my first inclination was that we'd learn about the origins of the mysterious black goo (perhaps an experiment done on inmates) and how this goo would lead to the devolution of the ecosystem. But no, it just felt like a drawn out punchline to the fireside setup. It did pique my interest in how it's connected (if at all), so there's that.

The more I think about Red Mist, the more it grows on me even if Shadow stays on top. No doubt, the Vikings are the bad guys to this story but it would have been so easy to go over the top with it and just portray a village of terrible human beings that we would enjoy seeing get put down by Spear and Fang. Instead, we just have a village of men, women, and even children doing their best to defend their homes, loved ones, and lives against deadly intruders. Their response to Spear and Fang is understandable to us because it's, well, primal; something I think we would all do in a similar desperate and dangerous situation, and that results in a much more tragic confrontation than what we would have got if they were just bad guy fodder for the good guys to mow down. I think there are even some parallels that can be drawn between Red and the Vikings, two entities whose ways of life couldn't be reconciled and in the end had to be put down in an unfortunate manner.
Then of course if we consider this from the chief and daughter's point of view, the two returned home to find their friends and loved ones not just killed but outright butchered in most cases for seemingly no apparent reason. This gives their quest for vengeance an additional "righteous" quality from their perspective rather than some hollow round 2 showdown with a generic bad guy. Pretty solid storytelling and character building for a show with little to no dialogue (until Primal Theory that is)

[Cretaceous Crab]

All I can say is wow. I don't have access to Adult Swim but I started watching these on YouTube. I about near cried after watching the Lula story arc.

Can't wait to watch season 2 in its entirety.

[suspsy]

Geez louise bob. Last night's episode didn't just have me on the edge of the couch, but standing up in front of the TV with my fists clenched. What a freaking rush! This show is incredible!

[GojiraGuy1954]

Spoiler

I audibly gasped when the giant dude captured the spider. Him being a peaceful pacifist forced to slaughter thousands so that his daughter can be safe is such a heartbreaking storyline. The rest of the giants paddling the boat being inspired by him to start an uprising was very cool. Though i'm scared to see what will happen once the "Corrupted Eldar" monster reaches the Colossaeus.

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[Carnoking]

Spoiler

This series. This freaking series, man

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[GojiraGuy1954]

Spoiler

The finale was underwhelming

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[Carnoking]

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I will agree that the final battle they've been building up to felt over a bit too quick (the standoff with the war queen had more going for it). It would have been cool to see them using every trick in the book they've learned over their journey to put up more of a fight just to have Spear still have to make that ultimate sacrifice. That said, the storytelling outside of that was all top notch. I almost wish they'd gone for a longer season finale runtime so we had room to buildup to Spear's decision moment and deliver on a more epic final battle.

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At the end of the day though, I'm satisfied with the series and very sad that this seems to be the end. It gave us two very distinct seasons, a lot of epic adventures, lovable characters, and incredible moments of visual storytelling. Short of something like this in a live-action setting, I think it'll be a long time before I see a narrative show or movie that offers such a unique and thrilling experience.

[GojiraGuy1954]

Genndy wants to turn Primal into an Anthology series

[Carnoking]

Genndy wants to turn Primal into an Anthology series

On one hand, this is good to know! It seems the creative team has come up with a very large and diverse world that I would love to see further explored. On the other hand, it seems the heart of Primal really was Spear and Fang's relationship so I have mixed feelings about it continuing down an avenue that does not revolve around their journey together.

Spoiler

The ending was very bittersweet, and I can't really imagine a more appropriate closure to their story. That being said, Genndy did mention the possibility of returning to the daughter's story down the line if the demand was there, but even that would feel a hollow facsimile of what we got up to this point.

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Do I doubt Genndy and company could come up with an equaling intriguing and endearing duo or trio of characters to follow across this world? No, not at all. But I am saying they've got some big shoes to fill.

[Carnoking]

Something I'd be interested in seeing is a trimmed down feature film version of this season. I recall back when the first five episodes released, they were combined into a single animated feature in order to be shortlisted for an Oscar nomination. Whereas I would have been delighted to see this show get such a recognition, it did seem a farfetched endeavor seeing as those first five episodes really consisted of the pair ping-ponging between primordial threats. This new season, however, has a much more robust overarching narrative that I think could serve as a strong animated film if edited properly.

[HD-man]

I liked the the finale as is, but would've liked it better if there was an extra ep: 1st, I think ep10 should've spent more time showing us Mira's ppl & their way of life, ending w/everyone seeing the smoke in the distance; Then, I think ep11 should've began where ep10 left off &, later, spent more time showing us Spear/Mira's daughter & her way of life. BTW, since I didn't post in this thread earlier, I'll say here that s2ep4 is definitely my favorite s2 ep, maybe my favorite overall.

[GojiraGuy1954]

I liked the the finale as is, but would've liked it better if there was an extra ep: 1st, I think ep10 should've spent more time showing us Mira's ppl & their way of life, ending w/everyone seeing the smoke in the distance; Then, I think ep11 should've began where ep10 left off &, later, spent more time showing us Spear/Mira's daughter & her way of life. BTW, since I didn't post in this thread earlier, I'll say here that s2ep4 is definitely my favorite s2 ep, maybe my favorite overall.

The Primal Theory should have been a halloween special to help the transition from mainline Primal to S3's anthology format