Primeval 5.02
Jun. 11th, 2011 03:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Even before we got to the opening credits B. had had a few choice things to say about whales "nothing that has ever lived has been as large as a whale" and the behaviour of animals in general including ones in the sea "they keep away from novel objects". He also had some thoughts on what you might or might not tell the commander of a nuclear sub about potential hazards to navigation - though he was later slightly mollified when it turned out not to be a nuclear sub.
This reminded me very strongly of season 4s episode set in a school. It wasn't trying to do anything particularly complicated and, as a result, ended up being more coherent, tense and gripping than Primeval often succeeds in being. The submarine setting was genuinely fresh for the show and the director made good use of it. Some imaginative thought had gone into the sort of threats you might face in such an environment. Meanwhile the sub-plot back at base with Lester and the Admiral was equally tensely played (even if you had to suspend your disbelief slightly at the idea that the option of first resort would be nuclear).
Niggles about the behaviour of plesiosaurs and the enthusiasm of the navy for nuclear weapons aside, I noted Becker was, once again, absent. I assume this was because of actorly commitments elsewhere. Once again the show didn't choose to even provide a one-liner explaining where he was. I'm still liking Connor and Abby (and still wondering what was happening most of last season) but I did want to shake Abby when she told Matt about Emily. It was hard to see how the information would do him any good at all, given the relatively low chance of a convenient anomaly opening to enable a rescue attempt (though meta-fictionally I'd say the chances of that happening are about 1, since we're now aware of her damsel-in-distress status).
After it all finished B said, "if it wasn't quite so silly, Primeval would sometimes be very good." I didn't disagree.
This reminded me very strongly of season 4s episode set in a school. It wasn't trying to do anything particularly complicated and, as a result, ended up being more coherent, tense and gripping than Primeval often succeeds in being. The submarine setting was genuinely fresh for the show and the director made good use of it. Some imaginative thought had gone into the sort of threats you might face in such an environment. Meanwhile the sub-plot back at base with Lester and the Admiral was equally tensely played (even if you had to suspend your disbelief slightly at the idea that the option of first resort would be nuclear).
Niggles about the behaviour of plesiosaurs and the enthusiasm of the navy for nuclear weapons aside, I noted Becker was, once again, absent. I assume this was because of actorly commitments elsewhere. Once again the show didn't choose to even provide a one-liner explaining where he was. I'm still liking Connor and Abby (and still wondering what was happening most of last season) but I did want to shake Abby when she told Matt about Emily. It was hard to see how the information would do him any good at all, given the relatively low chance of a convenient anomaly opening to enable a rescue attempt (though meta-fictionally I'd say the chances of that happening are about 1, since we're now aware of her damsel-in-distress status).
After it all finished B said, "if it wasn't quite so silly, Primeval would sometimes be very good." I didn't disagree.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-11 05:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-12 06:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-12 07:29 pm (UTC)