S02E02

Anomaly opens up. Monsters emerge. Chase humans in a confined environment. Team turn up and repel the threat. Along the way Connor is involved in some banter and Helen Cutter behaves mysteriously. That’s about it - again.

There’s a saying that goes “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and the makers of Primeval seem to have adopted this as their mantra. The problem is, the formula was never particularly dynamic or involving in the first place. An attempt to add an air of mystery by inserting Jenny, the Claudia Brown doppelganger, seems utterly futile as there’s a distinct lack of chemistry between her and the overly dour Cutter.

The killer worms have a real lack of menace, failing to generate any suspense. This is not helped by the poor standard of writing associated with the supporting characters in the episode. It’s amazingly hard to give a damn about the trapped office workers, still trying to keep their video conference call going. They just appear to be one-dimensional plot devices.

There is one brief moment of temporary redemption. This occurs when Connor’s head becomes engulfed by a worm that suddenly shoots into the frame from above. It harks back to a fabulous, gory scene from the film Hellraiser II, but it’s not enough to salvage this lame retread of an episode.


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