Review: Aquaman: King of Atlantis “Chapter Two: Primordious”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Aquaman’s reputation is under attack, but no one in Atlantis is taking him seriously! To win his subjects over, he sets out on a journey that leads him straight into a horror-tinged mystery unlike anything he’s ever seen!

Our Take:
It looks like our aquatic hero has gotten himself in a troubling situation this week. HBO Max’s latest animated miniseries got off to a middling start last week with Aquaman’s first mission as Atlantis’s new king. It’s not without a few enjoyable moments, of course, but the storyline and animation choices were about as rough as traveling through the Trench. However, following the surprise conclusion of “Dead Sea”, it looks like the animated trilogy may have a chance to turn itself around for the better.

“Primordious” takes place immediately after “Dead Sea”, where Aquaman and Mera return home to see that Ocean Master has reclaimed the Atlantian throne. What’s even worse is that they have been gone for an entire year, as proclaimed by Vulko. Luckily, Aquaman managed to defeat him yet again and reclaimed his throne in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when Ocean Master stole Aquaman’s trident, resulting in the subjects making fun of him. As a result, Aquaman and Mera set out to retrieve Ocean Master and the trident. Unfortunately, their little goose chase led to them encountering a mysterious fisherman named Primordious and his army of monstrous sea beasts.

When it comes to the trilogy miniseries formula, the middle chapters usually start to get more interesting regarding its storytelling. Fortunately for me, “Chapter Two: Primordious” is no exception. While it does have the same elements from the previous episode, such as the humor and animation, “Chapter Two” managed to improve them with its fast-paced scenarios and its balance between slapstick and action. As usual, the episode is 45 minutes long, like the previous chapter. The only difference between this and “Dead Sea” was that “Chapter Two” doesn’t feel like an eternity, thanks to its pacing.
One of the few things I enjoyed from this episode was the humor. It still retained the light-hearted and cartoonish tone from “Dead Sea”, but it also managed to find the jokes that actually stick compared to the previous episode. It also became more self-referential since Aquaman was treated as a joke way before his live-action debut in 2018. In my eyes, the best parts of its comedy were Aquaman’s musical sequence and Mera accidentally attacking Aquaman instead of Primordious.

Despite showcasing some ugly close-up faces, I was slowly starting to grow attached to its animation style. Its vibrancy and creative shots still provided some fun and absorbing action scenes, especially in the scene where Aquaman and Mera chase Ocean Master through Atlantis. Sadly, that sequence overstayed its welcome by about a couple of minutes, but it’s entertaining and humorous to watch regardless.

Overall, “Chapter Two: Primordious” quickly turned itself around and provided a solid improvement over its first chapter. It managed to fix its combination of storytelling, humor, and characters while slowly serving as a suitable albeit brief tribute to Aquaman fans, young and old. Not only that, but it also expanded its mystery surrounding the time crystals with good results. Whatever Ocean Master and Mortikov have got planned for these crystals at the end, We’re sure that our sea-worthy king is up to the challenge in the third and final chapter, right?