Season Review: Primal Season One

 

 

Overview:

Primal is an original fantasy, action/adventure series takes us back to the beginning of human history. The dawn of man, where humans are as vulnerable and desperate for survival as any other animal. Though, this is not our history as supernatural elements and unknown creatures stalk the night.

The story follows neanderthal, Spear, and his unorthodox relationship with female tyrannosaurus, Fang. Man and beast brought together through emotional circumstances fighting for their survival in a world of dangers. Their bond made thicker as they depend on one another more every step of the way.

However, this may be just the beginning as the pair find a more significant purpose by the end of the inaugural season.

 

Our Take:

The first season of Primal changes the game for television animation in a way few cartoons have ever accomplished. Not in the way that comedy sitcoms pass down the torch of relevance from one great show to the next. No, Primal does not follow anything so formulaic, this show built something original from its foundations up. And with attention to detail and talent to back it up, it is like nothing else you can find on the small screen.

Genndy Tartakovsky is one of the leading names in animation today. The prolific animator is the mastermind behind favourite shows like Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars. His impressive resume includes everything from Batman: The Animated Series to Hotel Transylvania. Primal is the product of allowing this award-collecting talent free reign when it comes to creating a new show and he puts his best foot forward.

Though Primal does something completely different from anything else Tartakovsky has done, with dropping dialogue completely and relying exclusively on telling the stories through visuals. We have seen Tartakovsky go minimalist with vocals in his productions before, though Primal would take place in a world where it would no longer be necessary.

The risks of creating an animated series for primetime television without any dialogue are plentiful. Things could have either gone drastically wrong or surprisingly right. Thankfully, Primal falls within the latter offering something timeless and natural.

The writers have a significant challenge on this series being limited in one of the major tools of storytelling, dialogue. Though they have succeeded at taking us back to a time when the antagonists are the elements, survival, and morality. The plots can be predictable, but in the sense that we naturally understand the stories themes and have expectations for an outcome. We know our heroes will survive another day, even if they are being stalked in the middle of the night or put into a ring with rage-driven monkey-men.

There is no ignoring that the story is driven by the visuals. And as ground-breaking as the series is, vocal-free cartoons are nothing new. Cartoons are built on dialogue-less classics like Steamboat Mickey and Fantasia, and the tradition has continued in many beloved shorts available today.  Primal is not the first cartoon to expel dialogue, it is just the first television show that said we can do this for an entire adult series.

Like its predecessors, the only means to make this show a success is by having the talent behind it to make it work. Genndy Tartakovsky is a master at everything he does, but he cannot do it alone, and he is just as great at surrounding himself with the best available.

For example, Stephen DeStefano has already received an Emmy award for his impeccable character designs on Primal. But he is no new-comer, DeStefano started on another visually ground-breaking series, The Ren and Stimpy Show. He has since mastered his craft on a filmography that includes The Venture Bros., Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Art director Scott Willis also scooped up a 2020 Emmy award for his work on Primal. He is another powerhouse of the stylistic Ren and Stimpy Show, as well as being at Tartakovsky’s side through most of his projects.  

And not nearly enough credit goes out to Christian Schellewald who delivers the background design of Primal. This man is responsible for creating the world around Spear and Fang and dropping all of our jaws.

These are just a few of the powerhouse artists that Primal boasts in its bullpen. There is a collection of extremely talented people each a master of their craft. And when they collaborate under the tutelage of someone like Genndy Tartakovsky, it is worth paying attention. Because aside from the series and its story, visually Primal is a piece of art.

As previously mentioned, Primal has already managed to rake in awards for outstanding individual achievements. It is also only a matter of time before the show starts collecting trophies as one of the best animations on television. Reception for the show has been overwhelmingly positive from critics and fans alike. That was before the second half of the season even dropped. And there is much more on the way with season two confirmed and in production.

It is not clear if Primal is even gaining the recognition it deserves. Likely because it has yet to reach its capacity audience. The series is naturally approachable by audiences across all demographics. Though classified as a cartoon, it tells a story that we can all connect to as animals ourselves. Anyone can watch this show from your grandpa to your sister-in-law and understand its beauty. It’s not right to say the show is before its time as it is timeless in its foundation. It is more that the show is still establishing itself and has yet to reach general audiences. Adult Swim has a very niche target viewership, even if the mass-majority of them don’t have a bad thing to say about the show.

That said, we have only just witnessed the beginning.  Primal has a lot more to offer and who knows what the show is still capable of achieving. The season finale set the stage for a much bigger adventure progressing forward. In one episode they let fans know that the first season is just the trial and there is something even more significant on the way.  

This first season should be recognized for the achievement that it is, and the beginning of a new standard in adult animation. It simultaneously brings us back to the origins of storytelling, animation, and humankind, while progressing its genre with uniqueness and outstanding talent. It won’t be much longer until we are praising this show as a modern classic and the benchmark of what animated television is capable of.