Primal is an Americananimated television series created and directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. It premiered on October 7, 2019 on Adult Swim. Set in a prehistoric world, the show follows a caveman, a formidable hunter at the dawn of evolution, and a female Tyrannosaurus on the brink of extinction, brought together by tragedy into an unlikely partnership as they fight to survive the violent creatures that also live in their world. The first season will consist of 10 episodes, with the second half airing in 2020. An episode from the second half was shown during Adult Swim'sApril Fools' Day 2020 run. Adult Swim announced on their Twitter that the second half will come somewhere in fall 2020. A film adaptation of the series, titled Primal: Tales of Savagery, was submitted in the Animated Feature Film category for the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. It screened at The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills on November 21, 2019.
Development
According to the show's creator, Genndy Tartakovsky, Primal was an early piece of work he scrapped because it did not click with him at the time. As he learned more and more about what drew people in to his shows, he wanted to experiment with those artistic traits, particularly the use of no dialogue and slow moments. He also stated that the method in which he approached animated shows and films began to slow down in terms of energy after Dexter's Laboratory. By the time he began working on season 5 of Samurai Jack, it had come full circle. He said he was inspired by Conan the Barbarian and vintage pulp novels. According to Tartakovsky, he felt that people would not take the show seriously because they were "breaking the rules" by having "a man and a dinosaur together," so he emphasized that it is a character study, a "buddies" journey about two characters who are very different but bonded by tragedy.
Main characters
Spear – a caveman whose tragedy begins with the death of his mate and two children. This violent event is the source of his continued internal struggle to find peace, and although he overcomes his initial suicidal depression, Spear is still learning to cope with the loss. Due to this trauma, Spear is able to find a unique companionship with Fang, but unlike her, he very much wants it to be a partnership, which she is reluctant to do so at first. Eventually, Spear develops a deep bond with the tyrannosaur and is willing to make any personal sacrifice to protect her.
Fang – a medium-sized female Tyrannosaurus rex whose tragedy begins with the death of her children. Unlike Spear, who is still traumatized and dealing with the loss of his loved ones, Fang is able to cope through the loss of her children faster. Being a tyrannosaur, she is driven by instinct first, which can cause a lot of tension between her and Spear, but it is usually resolved with little consequence. This natural tendency does come to a head when she instinctively attempts to assert her dominance over Spear, but eventually learns that it is far healthier to work in a partnership than in a pack mentality. Nevertheless, as time goes on, her bond with Spear grows to the point where she will do anything to ensure their survival.
Episodes
Reception
Initial reception for Primal was highly positive; much praise was given to the art and animation, the use of storytelling with no dialogue, and the balancing of the show's interpretation of violence and beauty. In a review from IndieWire, Steve Greene wrote "Primal is a piece of elemental storytelling that finds some real emotional depth without either of its protagonists uttering a single word of dialogue", ultimately giving the series an "A-". On Rotten Tomatoes the show has an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 18 critics. The site's critical consensus states: "Epic in every sense, Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal is a stunning feat of visual storytelling".
