S02E04

Sticking to the tired formula, this fourth episode of Primeval's second series yet again begins with a 'sport gone wrong' pre-credits sequence. We've already had paintballing and bowling this year, so why not a spot of basketball? The ending follows a similar pattern, with Oliver Leek revealed to be having some duplicitous dealings with Helen Cutter. At the end of last week's show the shock revelation was that Leek was colluding with Caroline. Listen closely on Saturday evenings and you can hear a collective yawn by viewers of ITV who have decided to stick with this show.

This episode is largely another languid, lacklustre affair, but there are a few minor positives worth dwelling upon, if only to give this review some token objectivity. The moonlit canal setting provides a suitably creepy, foreboding atmosphere for the monster hunt, Caroline continues to be an intriguing character with her near-murder of Rex, and the interaction between Abby and Connor provides some nice relief from the plodding plot.

Sadly, there were some laughably poor fight sequences between Abby and the monster, very poorly directed and complete with slow-motion in a desperate bid to create some dramatic tension. It felt like a spoof and one half expected Leslie Nielsen to walk onto the set, do a back flip and scissor kick the shark into oblivion.

Can next week's episode finally kick start this series? Hopefully the true nature of Oliver Leek's dealings with Helen Cutter and Caroline will be unveiled soon and the scripts will have some kind of creative spark. Otherwise, expect the story to begin with a bug-infested game of croquet and conclude with Leek having a conspiratorial chat with Rex.


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