Review: Primal “The Colossaeus III”

Overview:

Matters intensify on the ruthless Colosseaus warship. However, a request that pushes Fang, Spear, and Kamau too far appears to be their captor’s undoing and their best shot at escape. A brutal battle transpires that requires everyone’s cooperation and when the dust settles it’s unclear who will be left standing to celebrate.

Our Take:

The final installment of trilogies are frequently polarizing entries that either receive the most derision or praise. These are the chapters of stories that are tasked with bringing everything together and must shoulder the brunt of failure or success for the entire series. Primal has never been irresponsible with its storytelling and so it’s no surprise that “The Colosseaus III” provides thoughtful resolution to a harrowing collection of episodes. This is a crucial cool down conclusion to what’s been Primal’s biggest story to date, but that doesn’t mean that “The Colosseaus III” isn’t still full of a staggering body count and mass destruction because boy, is it ever.

There’s plenty of blood and guts in “The Colosseaus III,” but something that’s appreciated in this episode is how it properly reflects the sheer magnitude of the Colosseaus warship. The enormity of this vessel is omnipresent, which only emphasizes the hopelessness of what’s essentially a floating prison. The first four minutes of the episode are simply devoted to establishing shots that reflect the gravitas of this intimidating eyesore. This sounds like it should be laborious and bland, but it’s in fact a thrilling way to kick off the episode and remind the audience of just how dire Fang, Spear, Mira, and Kamau’s situation has become in the final part of this trilogy.

After two episodes as compliant prisoners, Fang and Spear finally escape their oppressive confines. This escape is a constant struggle, which turns “The Colosseaus III” into a busy entry that’s full of unique setpieces between Kamau, Mira, Fang, and Spear’s diverse means of combat (Spear’s spinning brick maneuver is both incredibly simple and woefully dangerous). Spear’s female warrior feud also showcases exhilarating choreography. She wields double scimitars in her relentless attack on Spear and nearly slices his fingers off in the process. It’s an easy highlight of the episode, as is Fang effortlessly squashing enemies with his tail or mowing through them like the monster that he is.

A delightful surprise across Primal’s past few episodes is how former foe, Kamau, has grown into a legitimate ally for the heroes. Kamau gets many of the best moments in “The Colosseaus III,” including a reflective flashback to a simpler time of peace for both he and his daughter. Kamau’s scenes of capture emphasize his blinding rage and destructive power, but what’s most striking about this extended flashback is how it highlights that Kamau hasn’t always been a blunt weapon. This glimpse of the past begins with Kamau as a docile man who literally takes the time to stop and smell the flowers as he properly appreciates everything that the world has to offer. Kamau only turns to vicious vengeance when he’s backed into a corner and has no other option. 

“The Colosseaus III” resolves many of the season’s lingering storylines and sets the characters up for the future, which includes the emergence of an excellent villain with its cutthroat female warrior. She’d make for a fantastic ongoing antagonist, so it’s even more impressive that Primal recklessly knocks her off in a moment that’s one of the series’ most vicious and blunt fatalities, yet also somehow an act of violence that’s oddly heartwarming. Primal’s fearlessness when it comes to cleaning house and not feeling the need to hang onto overarching villains is one of its strengths. This second season has proven that serialization is hardly a negative element for Primal, but it remains exciting whenever the series ambitiously pushes itself forward into new territory instead of clinging onto what’s worked from the past.

The final part of Primal’s first trilogy does not let down the audience. It maintains the momentum of its predecessors, yet engages in an original story that doesn’t just make this installment feel like the fallout of other episodes. Primal could release “The Colosseaus” trilogy as its own standalone movie, like what was done with Samurai Jack’s introductory trilogy of episodes, and it’d be just as effective. The end of “The Colosseaus III” would honestly be the perfect place to conclude the season, or even the series. Everything is neatly wrapped up and the characters have genuinely grown since the start of the series. But then Elevated Elemental Ember Eldar starts walking on water and sets Primal up for one fiery finale. This season has already gone above and beyond anyone’s expectations and told a complete story. At this point, whatever carnage comes to pass in next week’s finale is just gravy.