Review: Primal “The Hollow Crown”
Overview:
Adult Swim has just dropped the latest episode of Primal, “The Hollow Crown,” in which Spear soon starts to enjoy the journey that is fatherhood.
Our Take:
Things appear to open up with a tender moment: Spear getting to meet his newborn daughter with Mira. However, the giggling child quickly cuts back and forth into a monstrous beast, revealing he’s just lost in thought while still fighting for dominance in the volcano.
Fortunately for him, he snaps out of it soon enough that he is able to win his latest fight. And lucky for him, he’s the only one around who can survive losing a little off the scalp. After winning, he returns to good spirits, drawing cave sketches of his little girl. This is the perfect segue to the babe’s smiling face as it’s being carried off by Mira in a lush, green backdrop.
Unfortunately for Spear, the inner joy he now has in his heart, best seen when he finishes his fight early to do more sketches, almost like a kid and a sketchbook, arouses the suspicions of the witch-like tribeswoman who may hold the real power in the volcano people.
Last week’s episode had many fans guessing that the liquid Spear was being fed could heal his decay. These fans are proven right halfway through the episode, as our caveman protagonist becomes more human-looking during his next fight. He’s still got a skeleton arm, but he’ll need to strengthen his muscles as his opponents start to look more humanoid, too.
Meanwhile, being a parent isn’t easy for Mira, who struggles when she can’t figure out why her daughter is crying. Even Fang doesn’t seem to make much of an impression on her, despite her best intentions. After all, kids usually either love dinosaurs or are terrified of them. Being nonchalant usually isn’t an option. Of course, saving her from a cat-like beast with flames for eyes might just win the little tyke over.
During this time, the tribeswoman tries to sway Spear back to his kingly duties. This even includes bringing a younger female into his quarters, who soon reminds you why this is airing on Adult Swim.
Ultimately, this is a touching father-and-daughter story, made more poignant by the fact that the two never actually get to meet. Spear even spends the episode making a doll for his baby girl that he hopes to give her. Dangerous things could still happen, but a baby’s scream heard in the trailer for the next episode suggests she’s safe for now. All in all, it’s all worth it for the cute baby.
The tribeswoman could also have a lot of potential for a new antagonist. Unlike the previous, animalistic villains, she comes off as scheming and calculating, and could possibly put Spear in greater danger than he’s known before this season.
