Primeval 5.03
Jul. 5th, 2011 06:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
purplecatIn lots of ways I wish Primeval had attempted something like this in season 4 or, at least, put this level of thought into Emily before now.
If I'm honest Emily's characterisation is still very much presented through the lens of the 21st century and, clearly, Primeval's approach to Victorian London is about as rigorous as its approach to the workings of big business, computer technology, government and the military. However, for the first time the show demonstrated some appreciation of the fact that she wasn't a 21st century woman and that she might have a different moral perspective on things. It was convenient, therefore, that her husband managed to get himself munched in the final few minutes and remove any awkward moral objections she might have had to getting further involved with Matt Anderson. As well as appreciating that some gesture was being made towards her Victorian upbringing, Emily was also here genuinely shown to be independent and self-sufficient where in season 4 she functioned as little more than a damsel-in-distress. Even if the overall thrust of the episode remained Matt rescuing Emily, Emily herself was a lot less passive and helpless than she was in much of the last season. It has to be said, right up until the end, I was half hoping she would remain in Victorian London and then we could all imagine her teaming up with Madame Vashta and Jenny in order to fight crime.
Of course the other half of the episode was the Connor and Abby shenanigans which, broadly speaking, I also liked. I'm not a huge fan of the long drawn out will-they-won't-they nonsense these two characters have been put through, but at least here we were being given a genuine dilemma rather than a manufactured obstacle to their relationship. It would be nice, of course, if Philip Burton were being played in a more nuanced fashion because the set up does make Connor look a little dumb. However, at heart it's a straight up matter of trust. Abby has no more reason to believe Matt is right than Connor has to believe Burton is. Moreover she has good reason to suppose that if she tells Matt's secret to Connor, he will immediately relay it to his hero and he has good reason to suppose her opinion is biased because of Burton's lack of concern for the animals. At heart it's a dispute about which of them places trust more reliably with the unspoken request on each side that the other put some faith in their judgment. The wierdness of Connor and Abby's relationship in seasons 3 and 4 could have done with more genuine clashes like this and fewer feckless brothers and pointless cold-shoulder behaviour.
I'm beginning to like Primeval much better again. Although darker in tone, this episode hinted at a level of thought about the characters and their relationships that I don't really think it's shown since seasons 1 and 2.
If I'm honest Emily's characterisation is still very much presented through the lens of the 21st century and, clearly, Primeval's approach to Victorian London is about as rigorous as its approach to the workings of big business, computer technology, government and the military. However, for the first time the show demonstrated some appreciation of the fact that she wasn't a 21st century woman and that she might have a different moral perspective on things. It was convenient, therefore, that her husband managed to get himself munched in the final few minutes and remove any awkward moral objections she might have had to getting further involved with Matt Anderson. As well as appreciating that some gesture was being made towards her Victorian upbringing, Emily was also here genuinely shown to be independent and self-sufficient where in season 4 she functioned as little more than a damsel-in-distress. Even if the overall thrust of the episode remained Matt rescuing Emily, Emily herself was a lot less passive and helpless than she was in much of the last season. It has to be said, right up until the end, I was half hoping she would remain in Victorian London and then we could all imagine her teaming up with Madame Vashta and Jenny in order to fight crime.
Of course the other half of the episode was the Connor and Abby shenanigans which, broadly speaking, I also liked. I'm not a huge fan of the long drawn out will-they-won't-they nonsense these two characters have been put through, but at least here we were being given a genuine dilemma rather than a manufactured obstacle to their relationship. It would be nice, of course, if Philip Burton were being played in a more nuanced fashion because the set up does make Connor look a little dumb. However, at heart it's a straight up matter of trust. Abby has no more reason to believe Matt is right than Connor has to believe Burton is. Moreover she has good reason to suppose that if she tells Matt's secret to Connor, he will immediately relay it to his hero and he has good reason to suppose her opinion is biased because of Burton's lack of concern for the animals. At heart it's a dispute about which of them places trust more reliably with the unspoken request on each side that the other put some faith in their judgment. The wierdness of Connor and Abby's relationship in seasons 3 and 4 could have done with more genuine clashes like this and fewer feckless brothers and pointless cold-shoulder behaviour.
I'm beginning to like Primeval much better again. Although darker in tone, this episode hinted at a level of thought about the characters and their relationships that I don't really think it's shown since seasons 1 and 2.