In recent months, Genndy Tartakovsky went on record as saying that this second installment of his prehistoric masterpiece would be his “most ambitious” project to date. From a founding father of Cartoon Network, who created Samurai Jack and worked on Batman: The Animated Series, it says a lot.
When we last saw our savage protagonist, Spear (vocalized by Aaron LaPlante), and his carnosaur companion, Fang, they had befriended the seemingly modern human, Mira, only to witness her whisked away by her sea-faring former captors. This season finale was like an atom bomb to both the audience and Spear who had only ever seen ape-men, cannibals, crones, and fellow savages up until Mira. To see and hear language, religion, and Bronze Age technology opened up a far wider world.
Distraught by Mira’s recapture, Spear learns quickly that he can’t swim after the boats but is able to figure out that they float. He builds a raft big enough for him and Fang, setting off in the direction he last saw the sails. Unfortunately, they’re out to sea without a paddle. Or a sail. Or any idea what he’s doing. They bake in the sun, eat from the sea, and nearly get eaten by the sea. Their raft is decimated by storm and beast, separating them and washing them ashore in a new land.
Fang mourns until her hunger dictates she leave the beach for a forest where she meets a rival and potential new partner. Spear is taken in by a clan of what appear to be Picts, covered in blue tattoos and with knowledge of smithing, medicine, and spoken words. Fang grows content quickly and Spear starts to assimilate, even learning that a smile isn’t baring one’s teeth at another. Happily, they are reunited. Unhappily, it is the colliding of incompatible worlds: theirs and everyone else’s.
The entire concept of Primal Season 2, these first two episodes, and the previews thus far unveil a grand adventure for Spear. His world is already anachronistic, freeing up all of ancient humanity to be used by Tartakovsky and company. There are times when the art seems a bit less detailed than in the first season, but the story and music remain on point. Whereas the story of Primal started in a brutal and violent story of survival (strong trigger warning for those discovering the first season for child death in some episodes and gore throughout), the second looks to be about growth, discovery, and perhaps, most of all, loyalty.
