I love this series, only wished I'd hear about it when it first aired. Then I could call myself more of a fan. Because it is so gooooood! Finally something British that actually rocks over 99 percent of all the American series!
They should never end this one. Just do what they did with Simpsons and star trek: go on and on and on and never ever stop! How about 30 seasons to start with? :D
"It's funny because it's true" - Unknown
Could not agree more!
Which was your favorite season?
Definitely season three, it was supposed to be the last one, I read somewhere, but they kept on anyway. Liked the fourth one too, because Abby and Connor finally got together for real! The bit when they where in the Triassic period, learning to kick ass at survival, that was my favourite ep. Ad the one with the cute creatures in the hospital in s3. Cause, who doesn't love small rodents?
But the third was better then the rest. It had so much in it (it was longer too) and there where deaths and many things happening all at once. Most of the series is more to the point and there is not much background story, which I like. I get to fill in the gaps for myself. What do you think?
"It's funny because it's true" - Unknown
Oh I loved a lot of them. Season three was *really* good, I really enjoyed Danny is the leader of the group. I was also a huge fan of five though I know not a lot of people are....I completely agree with you on season four about Abby and Connor. I love how their characters developed over the show. It's very natural and believable. And just plain awesome when they're in the Triassic period.
Season Two might have been my favorite though. I loved what the Stephan-Helen-Cutter, angle brought to the show.
I loved five too. The part where Connor goes: "We should get married then..." had me laughing the whole ep. Abby nearly choked, it was their best scene after the one where he tells her he loves her (season 3 was it?). And the one where she says she'll marry him if he doesn't give up. (I thought she said she was pregnant first but...) Can't imagine people not loving season five. It was quite exciting with Connor going after the scientist dream, only not knowing that's what ends the world. What the writers did there, made my day. I like those kind of morale dilemmas and clash of beliefs etc. You see how complex everything really is. You get what I mean right? I hope I'm making sense.
About Abby and Connor. First I was kind of mad cause it took so long for them to get together but then I realized they had to become good friends first. So Abby could realize that he has always been there for her. Hence the kiss in season three. I loved it when Danny turns and sees it. And when he comes back from a year "abroad" he comments on them being together. Only good writers remember what characters remembers, it feels more real that way. Most series move on and forget there were actually a season one and a season two.
I've read that many thought the death of Cutter, Helen and Stephen crippled the show but I believe it made it into something more. They had gone where they could with that story and they ended it like it should have. They didn't drag it out like in most shows just because they are afraid of loosing viewers who are too attached too one specific character. A real fan is a fan of the dynamic and the show as a whole. Not the specific characters. But that's just my opinion.
Last but not least I want to thank you for responding, not everybody is here because they love the stuff they see. Most are mean and rude. I can tolerate them but that doesn't mean I don't prefer a real I love this show rant. I would rather read those than "this is the worst I ever saw" posts.
Oh and sorry for the long post. I tend to have a lot of thoughts about stuff I like and then it just comes naturally to write about it. ;)
"It's funny because it's true" - Unknown
Oooh talking about shows I love makes me happy :-) And there’s isn’t anyone to rant my love of Primeval with so I’m happy to do it! And thank you in return. I've been dying to say half this stuff since finishing the last episode and I definitly understand what you .
I loved season five so much. I’m a bit hesitant to say it was my favorite just because, being season five, it’s the last one I’ve watched which naturally bestows extra love on it at the moment. The Connor stuff was so well done. I loved the way both he and Abby ended up essentially saying “just trust me on this.” And neither could. I completely understand what you mean by morale dilemmas and clash of beliefs. And yep that’s exactly what made Connor’s story line that season so strong. Half the time when a show has a character being told “don’t do this”, you really don’t see why they continue, but with Connor it made so much sense. Looking at it from his point of view…I think would have continued working on the project if I were him. I would say Philip also really pretty well into that morale-dilemmas theme of the finale season. He really had a lot more depth than just plain straight villain. To the point that I’m really not sure I would call him a villain by the end of the season.
And I too thought Abby was pregnant at the end too. But I’m glad she wasn’t. Not because I dislike pregnancies in shows, but just because there’s something really sweet that says so much about how deeply he loves her that it was just her saying she wanted to marry him that got him back on his feet. The whole transition of Connor from geeky but lovable college kid to what he was in that last episode was so spectacularly well done.
I really like the cast of characters for the last two seasons. I thought Matt was a good, and I appreciate that they never repeated character-types for the leaders of the group. Nick, Danny and Matt are all really different.
I agree that it’s good Primeval never gets stagnant in its plots. I firmly believe that is the weakness of American Television shows. They are rarely willing to make big changes or have characters truly evolve. Stephan’s death was a great moment in the show, and by the time Helen died it was definitely time, Nick I felt had a bit more story left in him, but like I said, I really liked Danny and what he brought to the team and so I didn’t actually end up missing Nick.
Oh I do have one question on your opinion on something. The future we see at the end of season 3 with the bugs and future predators that Helen wants to stop, do you think this is the same as Matt’s future, only at an earlier time? Or has the future changed between season 3 and 4 and the future predators still evolved? It was a question that interested me while watching, and wondered what other people thought.
And now look who has to apologize for the long post :-)
Yeah I kind of thought it was the same future. Because why wouldn't it be? I mean Helen just wanted to erase the human population because what she saw in the future of how we destroyed it. I don't know if she knew who would be the reason but frankly she was a bit mad so I bet she wouldn't have cared anyway. So instead of trying to fix the problem like Matt, she wanted to delete it of the face of the earth. Permanently.
So to conclude. The era which we saw Helen walk into (when they followed her) would be an earlier version. She or Danny never changed anything so why would the future, or the creatures change? (The ape men that died had already died according to history.)
I too like when there actually isn't any "villain" but just people believing in different things and then sticking to that belief. It's more realistic that way. People aren't just evil, maybe mad but they always have a motive or a goal. We are all like that. We all have a wish or a dream. We are all fueled by something. Mostly in series that is just maim and kill. Or taking over the world. A real villain is much scarier because it could be you, just in a different state of mind.
As you see I like talking about our inner thoughts and what makes us human. So when writers manages to make a series with 6 to 10 ep per season and then also manages to cause dilemmas like in the fifth season. And dramas like when Helen turned out to be alive and kicking but not the person we thought. But someone who abandoned her husband and lover to chase after her dream and came back cold and mad.
The producers, director and writers can all be very proud of this show. Very often when UK shows try to be real and good they get boring. And American shows are too, well too... Like I say when I've watched something that I give 10 points: I'm full, not I-wanna-puke full or almost full. But satisfied. It's not too much and it's not boring. And best of all, they talk with a British accent. Not with some awful American accent where it sounds like they are shewing gum all the time.
Not to hate on the Americans. I'm not a hater, I'm a lover. There aren't enough of those in the world. ;)
Oh and keep ranting. I wanna know what you think of the show, as a whole. Is it the best UK show you know? Black Adder is mine after Fawlty towers of course. You can watch them anytime. But they are comedy so you can't really compare them to Primeval. And they have a few years on them as well. That automatically gives them a head start.
"It's funny because it's true" - Unknown
Hmmm, now that you mention it, it may actually be my favorite British TV show. So hard to say since picking favorite shows is incredibly difficult for me particularly across different genres. My favorite British comedy is undoubtedly Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister. I’ve seen parts of Black Adder mostly the last two series (seasons? Not sure what to call them) which I quite enjoyed. Of the non-comedy shows which I find it easier to compare with Primeva, Doctor Who, Downton Abbey and Merlin for example…I definitely like Primeval best. And I definitely agree, British accents make everything better :-)
Though in all honesty there are a lot of American shows I like as well. I dislike how afraid they are to change anything in them though. The way they are set up it’s actually in the audience’s best interests for the show to end, because it’s not until the final episode, that they tend to give the answers to the big mysteries, or finally bring the romance to and end one way or another, or have the *the* bad guy finally defeated. There are some exceptions but in general that’s the way it is. It’s why HBO and Showtime shows tend to be better. It’s not the racy content; it’s that the characters are more likely to actually progress and change and grow up and are not stuck on constant repeat.
As a whole I think the show is incredibly fun to watch, but has a really unexpected layer of seriousness and depth which really puts it in a league above so many others. Often shows will have an episode here or there that is deep or profound or thought provoking, but Primeval has several themes which run through the entire show which just sets it apart.
But someone who abandoned her husband and lover to chase after her dream and came back cold and mad.
My thought on Helen exactly. She went from the damsel in distress to something much more = an actual person that you can find similarities with yourself. I mean, who hasn't thought it would have been better if the human race never existed? No pollution and destruction etc. That's when I realized that, in another series, she could have been the main character. And the ARC could have been the bad company trying to cling to humanity and science. Might have been hard to sell that idea but it's tempting. It's like those books/movies where they do prequels which portrays the villains side of the story.
But that's the thing isn't it. They choose the companies and the teams as "the good guys" because that side of the story is what most will remember. Majority right? Democracy right? (I'm not going to go all political on you but think about it.) The company is independent and does things "their way" and there is always a bigger company or the boss who wants to be all strict and decisive. And everybody in the team would give their life for one another. This scenario however, is something common to most shows, American or British doesn't matter.
Not that there aren't other shows. But you can almost sum them up into little categories. Still when there are groups like in Primeval the dynamics is very most appealing. The writers can really play with their imagination and intelligence when there are more than one main character in the show. I like how they in Primeval changed characters often to see how they clicked and how they acted towards each other. Becker really benefited from that, the way he felt useless because he had let so many people die under his watch.
He was actually someone I loved that they gave some space. He got a real place in the group that way and not just "one of the guys". They made him unforgettable. I, for one, liked him. He reminds me of my brother. Though he is cuter than my brother... Anyway I'm glad all characters where different. Maybe you have mentioned this before but I like how every new member never actually took another characters place. They all fitted into that puzzle, into the dynamic and feel that they had in the ARC.
It is almost definite that there won't be a season 6 but I think that Canada will do a great job in continuing the show in a way that will benefit both the new show and the UK show. I have high hopes but I imagine I won't be disappointed. The format is too good to be ruined and the Canadians are famous for their quality. Or rather I have never seen a Canadian show that didn't stand out and surprise me. Not sure if you have the same experience.
And to point out, I don't dislike all American shows. I watch many I like but it's like this: you watch what you're in the mood to watch. Meaning, you can watch different kinds of shows at different tine´mes and still think they are all very good. Primeval is definitely one of the best. Among some of the best I've seen are: Death Note, Buffy ;) , Supernatural, Primeval, Game of Thrones, Firefly and Dark Angel. Of course there are a lot more like Stargate and Weeds. And the old classics which I've already mentioned. I could go on forever but those are definitely my favourites. Which ones are yours?
Oh and by the way, I think the language correction program for IMDb is American English, it keeps correcting my ou's to o's *favourites/favorites*. You have probably figured out that I am neither American or British by now. I can see that you're British from your language and from what you've written. I'm Swedish, If you want to know. Wish I'd grew up in the UK, love your language. Not sure if I have the dialect right. I think I write more American then I speak though. You wouldn't mind telling me your opinion on that?
Whoops! I said to myself before I started: I'm not going to write too much, I'm too tired anyway. She/he'll be disappointed cause I'm not ranting. And here I am, ranting my a** off. Are you a girl or boy? Not that it matters. I'm a girl by the way. 18 if you're wondering. It'd be nice to know who I'm talking to. ;)
"It's funny because it's true" - Unknown
I agree it’s nice to know sometimes who you’re talking to. For instance, now that I know you’re a girl, I feel completely comfortable in saying Becker was probably my favorite character, undoubtedly partly because he was so attractive :-), but also because, like you, I loved the way he was integrated into the series. It was very smooth, they didn’t try and rush it and expect us to care about him right away. They really let the character sink into the group. And I too, loved seeing how the losses of season 3 effected his character in season 4 and after, particularly in the episode where Ethan and Emily first came in and he and Matt had the debate about going after her through the Anomaly.
But back to your question, I’m also a girl. I’m twenty. And actually, while I completely agree with you about the British and their language, I am an American, though I grew up overseas. I’ve never lived in the UK but somehow I ended up with a weird accent and people often ask me if I’m from there, so you’re not the first person to think it. Not being British I don’t actually know, but I definitely wondered if you were from there from your writing. I guess that makes the two of us :-).
Oooh asking me what some of my favorite shows are is very dangerous. I can go on a very long time. I’ll try and keep the list short. Buffy (which you probably guessed), Primeval, Battlestar Galactica (though it had some problems), Criminal Minds, Fringe, Eureka, Roswell, Gilmore Girls, those are the ones I can think of at the moment that I really really like, but there are quite a few more. And then one show that would give Primeval a run for its money for me, Farscape. It’s not as quick to grab but I do love that show. I could probably rant about it for near as long. I met the first Farscape fan the other day that I’d ever met in person and got ridiculously excited.
I’ve actually relatively recently started watching Stargate. I’m really liking it.
But as you can see, I’m not against American shows either :-), for all that I say about them getting stuck in the plots, I still love to watch them.
I agree with you about watching what you’re in the mood for and how at different times different things fit your mood and then you really really like it. It’s actually why I tend to be a bit slow at finishing shows. I mostly just watch TV shows once they come out on DVD. So I’ll watch one for a while till I get out of the mood and then I’ll watch something else then come back to the first thing maybe six months later, depending on when the mood strikes me again. It’s slow, but it’s fun.
You do make a good point about how really, in Primeval either side could have been the good guys or the bad guys, it really just came down to how it was written. And really, what was difference between the ARC and Christine Johnson’s group? Nothing really, it just came down to the people that they were composed of.
The interesting thing about Helen was, in season one while she was guilty of not being a very nice person she didn’t actually do anything wrong, then in season two, while her actions become decidedly ‘bad guy’ actions…her goal was still to make a better world…
I think my favorite instance of not repeating character types, replacing one person with a carbon copy, was with Jenny. After Nick died and Danny came on the scene I thought ‘oh, we’re just going to turn her into his romantic interest now’ and they didn’t, and I really really respected that.
You said a bunch of other really interesting things I could respond to, but this post has already gone on for awhile, though I will take one more paragraph to agree about Canadian shows, and agree that it would be hard for them to mess up a Primeval show. I'm really looking forward to the spin-off airing!
Ha, I'm kind of getting tired of writing too. So I'll make this short. Surprised however that you're not from Britain.
Love that you've started watching Stargate. Watch it like when it was aired so when you get to season 8 of SG1,start watching Atlantis and then maybe if you want watch universe after Atlantis. Watched the whole series twice together with my brother. It's a good one. My favourite ep is S04E06 "Window of Opportunity".
I'm kind of a series freak. I watch about 15 at the same time (when I'm in the mood for it of course). You get tired of some and realize they are not for you and then sometimes you find stuff like Primeval and wished you'd find it sooner.
Glad we agree on most things about the show, I guess there are people like yourself out there. Nice to meet you. Oh and I like Eureka too, and Sanctuary is one to check out! First season is OK (they didn't have a big budget then) but the rest is awesome. ;)
"It's funny because it's true" - Unknown
Ooh I'll rememmber that about Sanctuary, that's good to know. I watched the first season, at the start I didn't care for it much but near the end I was quite enjoying it and was considering whether I wanted to try season two. I think now maybe I will.
Yes, we do seem to agree on a lot of things Primeval-related. It's always fun when you find another fan you can enthuse with.
I'm on season five at the moment of Stargate. Window of Opportunity has definitly been one of my favorite episodes too! It was so funny but the end with Jack talking about his son was so well acted. I enjoy Stargate so very much.
Oh, well have fun then! If I need any tips about series I'll ask you and hope you'll do the same. It was nice ranting with you ;)
"It's funny because it's true" - Unknown
It was fun ranting with you too :-). Always like a good tv show rant (particularly about Primeval)!!!
Yes definitly, we should share series tips! Always good to find someone with similar tastes!
Lol, I loved the part where at the end Abby asks Conner,
Aby "Conner Temple, will you marry me?"
Connor says "I'll think about it"
Abby "Forget about it".
Connor "Yes, so yes"
And the last episode in season 5 had me in tears when Connor, Abby and Matt go to the future to rescue Connor and he gets hurt.
He can't go on and says "All I ever wanted to do was to follow Prof. Cutter and I actually ended up helping Helen".
That line showed how much he loved Cutter!