Jasmine Sahu is well suited with this new American drama exclusive to Dave.
Lois Cameron explains why this series is much more than your average cosy period drama.
The last episode of this series sees Sherlock and Moriarty attempt to solve the final problem with devastating consequences.
With major cast changes afoot, Jacob Martin ponders whether Being Human can live up to its own scarily high standard.
The fourth series of Primeval concluded at the weekend with a surprisingly gripping episode. But was it a case of too little too late?
Normally, every episode of Primeval has the same plot as the one before. Anomaly opens, monster comes through, team disposes of it. It’s a formula that worked well when the show was starting out, but the tumbling ratings over the last two series reflect that it doesn’t have the appeal it once did. Having said that, this series has made far more effort than the lazy, often downright stupid third series. Yes, the first six episodes stuck to the formula that has been tried and tested more times than Katie Price has been in celebrity magazines but, generally, they were very entertaining.
The final episode made the wise move to buck the formula, and was a definite step up as a result, with most of the sub-plots either being resolved or developed. Packing them all into one episode along with the usual monster chasing did occasionally prove a little too much for the writers, but at least they were trying something different.
Most of the loose ends were well tied up, and the revelations about Matt (Ciaran McMenamin) and Philip (Alexander Siddig) were pleasing for loyal viewers. However, the return of Danny (Jason Flemyng) was rather lacklustre, and viewers could be forgiven for having forgotten about his quest for his brother (it hardly matched Fox Mulder’s search for his sister). In fact, beyond that, there seemed little point to his appearance at all, much like Lucy Brown’s reappearance in the penultimate episode, where the Claudia Brown sub-plot was barely even addressed. What was the point?
Despite many flaws, it was difficult not to enjoy the finale, and it was the first time since Douglas Henshall left that there was a sense of excitement and tension. The closing scenes were truly edge-of-the-seat stuff, even though the lack of a tantalising cliffhanger meant that the episode felt like a lit firework where the spark is extinguished before it reaches the gunpowder.
Throughout this series, it has been clear that everyone involved with the show has been trying very hard, seemingly wanting to avoid the complacency that set in with the third series. For some reason, though, it still felt a little short of the mark. A lot of this is to do with the cast; too many of the original characters have left, and the new characters are two-dimensional and lack believability. Furthermore, there are far too many plot holes. Why are there only 4 people who are sent out to capture the monsters, two of whom have no military training, while those who are military trained are used as guards? And how does Connor create such devices as the machine that can detect where an anomaly leads to when he appears to have as much knowledge of science as a banana?
Therefore, Primeval continues to be a show that frustrates almost as much as it entertains, and when the fifth series comes along later this year, they better have started running (rather than strolling) with the good ideas that they clearly have before the axe falls again.
You must log in to submit a comment.
