Review: Primal “The River of Life”

Overview:

Adult Swim has recently dropped its latest episode of Primal, “The River of Life,” in which the cast is granted a new arrival.

Our Take:

The story starts up from last week, in which Spear found himself in the midst of a volcanic tribe. Somewhat spooky and elf-like, they actually take something of a liking to our undead protagonist and even crown him their king.

With the limited dialogue, it’s a little unclear just what their motives are, though they seem to use Spear to fight in battles for them. A witch-like priestess also regularly leads him to a strange river, filled with invigorating water that increases his strength.

The episode initially feels like it was setting up the twist that the tribe was planning on sacrificing Spear to the volcano. Alternatively, the power of the water seems like it could have a corruptive influence on Spear. However, he still keeps his memories of Mira and his former life.

This helps segue into the main draw of the episode: Mira finally gives birth. After visiting the town under the cover of night, thanks to a flying dinosaur he won in a fight, Spear is finally able to meet his daughter. This allows him to end the episode with a massive grin on his face.

While viewers might be left guessing just what the volcanic tribe is up to, it’s still a nice change of pace from everything trying to eat Spear. He even ends the story on a relatively happy note, getting to see his daughter.

The battles King Spear takes part in allow the episode to have some action, but audiences will know that Spear, who has faced all sorts of threats, will come out on top. Some of his opponents, such as one man with flowing red hair who arrives on a flying dinosaur, can sometimes feel like they are straight out of another cartoon. However, the little family reunion, which the season has teased for episodes, makes the story worth watching.