Genndy Tartakovsky is a cartoonist who I hold a decent level of respect for. While I can't say that I'm a fan, as my experience with him only extends to two of his works, I like his style and his emphasis on visual storytelling. Primal is now what I know him for most, a show about savage lands full of intrigue and monsters. I would like to revisit the show from the beginning so that I can reevaluate it, but I can say that for the most part it's been a fun show that I've been able to enjoy with friends.

With how the second season of Primal ended, seeming to bring the show to a close, I was a bit conflicted when the third season was revealed. That feeling has persisted through to the present day. There's an irony to the fact that I'm writing this on Good Friday, because this third season has been one long resurrection of the show and the taste it's left in my mouth as a result is bittersweet. I want to like this show, but my critical mind forbids me from giving any more than a tepid recommendation.

Personal Score

this criteria uses the DecentFilms rating formula.

Letter-Grade Recommendability: C+
Artistic/Entertainment Value - ★★★☆☆
Moral/Spiritual Value - 0
Age Appropriateness: Adults

While season two ended with a scene many years past, season three kicks off right on the heels of the finale. Our protagonist Spear is indeed dead, leaving Fang and Mira to go on without him. It doesn't take long, however, for mystic agendas to bring Spear back in an undead form to wreak havoc, and from that point he's left to wander and rebuild his identity from the recesses of his decomposed body.

I did find this part of the story quite compelling. The show wants Spear back, but it avoids cheapening his death by technically leaving him "dead" for a time. He vaguely remembers images of his experiences with Fang and Mira, and the shadow of that hangs over him just like his decayed flesh hangs on his bones. His wandering does allow for some great moments, like his deathly presence at the start up to the very fun gladiator-esque pits at the end. I found his story here a parallel to the show itself, living past its prime and now trying to find its identity amidst that. If the show had been solely about this journey I would have a much more favorable outlook on it.

Unfortunately we now have a secondary storyline to follow. Mira and Fang are obviously still around and the show decides that they should have some significance. This isn't neccessarily a bad thing, though I do not find Mira interesting at all, but this then involves a multi-episode quest to rescue tribesmen from a den of monstrous pigs. Mira, despite being heavily pregnant, not only joins the rescue party but also proves to be one of the most competent members, fighting with an agility and strength that took me completely out of the story. The modern trope of pregnant women putting themselves in danger, even excelling in combat above the men around them, is so utterly absurd that even fantasy cannot excuse it. She continues to put the newborn child in danger as well, to the point where I have to call her grossly irresponsible and even selfish. I am absolutely not a fan of this second storyline, for the above reasons as well as the fact it plays out for far too long and takes up too much of the show's time.

I'll spare some words for Fang as well, but I think she wasn't much of a character here. She has a couple younglings to care for now, and as opposed to Mira she does exhibit some reservations for putting them in any danger. It's never explictly shown, but I believe the show reasons that losing her children at the very beginning is what motivates her to watch them so closely. She's also the biggest skeptic of the revived Spear, her animal instincts telling her that something is very wrong with this phenomenon. I did like how she was here, she behaves just as she should and her attitudes towards the other two help contrast the state they're both in.

Aside from the story the presentation is still quite good. The silent storytelling still continues here and that does make for a good use of cinematography and character acting to drive each moment. The art is also great; I was made aware that Primal has an issue with scaling Fang, but I don't think that was the case here at least. The music is fun and pairs very well with the visuals, even flaring a few times in unexpected ways. The presentation is easily the main draw of the show and it continues here.

In the end I did like a lot about Primal, I can see the sword-and-sorcery DNA woven into this world and its tales and I do enjoy that. However since the second season and now especially here I'm noticing more attention taken to continuity and arcs, as well as a blurring of the existing pre-history with bits of alternate history and civilizations. I don't really like the direction this show is going, and I imagine it'll only continue down this path as it goes on. I'll likely revisit the it as a whole before anything new comes out, but I do hope Adult Swim doesn't artifically prolong this show or put its committees in the writing room.