Genndy Tartakovsky will always be a well-known name to those who enjoy high caliber animated media. With iconic shows like Dexter’s Laboratory and the Emmy winning Samurai Jack, the guy built his legend over the years.
As a result, there was great anticipation when fans learned of another Genndy Tartakovsky production along the way because they believed the maestro would live up to his standards. Primal released its first season in 2019, and viewers found it to be a rich experience. You will not really notice the lack of conversation because the artwork and tale are so compelling!
We will go into the show’s intricate intricacies in this video and give you all the information you could possibly want about the two main characters and their exploits. It would be a good idea to brush up on your recollections because the second season debuts tomorrow!
Prior to explaining further, we have a very minor request.
Please subscribe to our channel if you enjoy our work. It may seem like a tiny gesture to you, but it means a lot to us.
What is the show all about and how did it come together?
When an animated series combines all the components of interest — fantasy, action, and adventure — as well as the essential emotional component that draws viewers — you know there is something exceptional about it. In a nutshell, Primal is a television show that uses the characters’ on-screen facial expressions and amazing background music to present a silent story.
Genndy Tartakovsky created the first season’s ten episodes, which depict the tale of an unusual pair — a Tyrannosaurus and a Neanderthal — who, in certain situations, end up journeying together. The two stick together against numerous threats after certain catastrophes completely devastate their lives, and their relationship propels the narrative onward. We shall soon begin to examine this actual masterpiece if you can forgive the antiquated, fantasy-prehistoric setting.
Tartakovsky reportedly came up with the idea of Primal while he was working on the last season of Samurai Jack. Initially, he envisioned it to be a more kid-friendly show, and even the main character of the caveman Spear was supposed to be a kid.
However, it soon dawned on him that things would work better if he shifted the idea from a Disney fairytale to a hard-hitting, raw and brutal story of an emotionally broken caveman and his traveling companion, a T-Rex named Fang, who had an equally tragic backstory! Tartakovsky was inspired by the likes of Conan the Barbarian, Heavy Metal Magazine, and the works of Ralph Bakshi, and the caveman that you see is a mixture of various characters from these put together.
Primal ended up becoming the first Cartoon Network Studios series that was aired on Adult Swim, and it was also their first to be released with a TV-14 and TV-MA rating. Tartakovsky put together a team of specialists, all of whom were a master of their trade and the results are there for you all to see.
How it all begins for Spear, the Neanderthal Caveman!
The first thing that you might be wondering is how a Neanderthal caveman has a name, especially when the show doesn’t feature a single proper dialogue! Well, he doesn’t, and it is probably for the convenience of the viewers that the makers came up with a name in the credits. The Tyrannosaurus is named Fang in the production notes, and it certainly helps in elaborating on the story!
It starts off with the focus on Spear, who is on a fishing trip. He seems to be a master of his trick, and successfully finishes his day with a handful catch. However, his happiness is short-lived, because while he is returning to his family, something doesn’t seem alright. When he suddenly hears his wife screaming at a distance, he drops his catch and runs to his family.
However, he is a little too late, and it is a helpless moment for him as he watches giant dinosaurs, a trio of Tyrannosauroidea, devour his wife and two kids. It is an agonizing sight, and the pain and shock in Spear’s voice will resonate with you for a long time. The dinosaurs escape, and it is already too big a tragedy for him to think of revenge immediately!
His entire world falls apart, and the loss of his family drives him to a point, where he even contemplates suicide. You might debate if a prehistoric Neanderthal would have the thought process to kill himself, but while you are watching the episode, such thoughts wouldn’t dawn on you at all. It will seem quite a natural reaction from a helpless husband and father who lost just about everything he lived for.
But, our protagonist is a fighter, and even after contemplating suicide briefly, he decides to live and fight for survival yet again. Soon, he comes across the silhouette of another dinosaur, and he believes it to be one of those responsible for his family’s death.
He quietly follows the dinosaur back into a thicket, and he is surprised to see that the dinosaur, a Tyrannosaurus we will refer to as Fang, actually has two offspring of her own. When Fang observes a stranger near her nest on the offensive, she is immediately prepared to defend her young ones.
However, she soon realizes that there is a greater threat around them when the same Tyrannosauroidea pack that attacked Spear’s family arrives on the scene. There is still a soft spot in Spear for children, and he does everything in his capacity to fight the infiltrators alongside Fang, who is a fierce fighter herself. They repel the first wave and slay the three dinosaurs who were the initial attackers.
There is even a heart-warming moment where Fang’s adorable babies cuddle with Spear briefly as gratitude for saving them. Just as you start to think that they have saved the day, the alpha of the Tyrannosauroidea pack arrives and it is simply too strong for Fang and Spear. Before they can do anything to stop it, the giant dinosaur eats Fang’s children, and she has to endure the same fate as Spear.
They eventually manage to develop a smart fighting tactic, and the two manage to kill the alpha, but it is still too late. The loss of her children is as overwhelming for Fang as it was for Spear, and suddenly, in the very first episode, we have two main protagonists, who have no one in the world but themselves to care for.
Initially, Spear leaves Fang alone to mourn, but the grieving T-Rex doesn’t forget the insane help provided by Spear in the time of her greatest need. They start traveling together, and it is the first hint of what is about to come! We have the two most unlikely traveling companions, who would be mortal enemies in normal circumstances. However, it is still too early to say that their bond has matured!
The second episode actually delves into the details of their budding friendship, and it is not so unrealistic that a dinosaur and a caveman become best buddies overnight! There is a constant struggle to be the pack leader, and the tendency can be observed more in Fang.
Whenever they come across a food source, Fang steals it all from Spear, and the caveman finally loses his cool. At this moment, he attacks Fang in anger, and his spear is lost in the process. Their fierce fighting takes them into a deadly den of gigantic prehistoric snakes, and when they end up facing a Titanoboa, it once again comes down to them fighting together. Fang takes the lead in this duel, and she kills the massive snake, but both Spear and Fang fall down a waterfall in the process.
During the fall, Spear hits his head and it requires some special heroics from Fang to get him out of the water. She even gets his lost weapon, and another bout of action packed events is enough for them to develop their budding bonhomie further. It is probably at this point that both Spear and Fang realize that there is no point in fighting for superiority among them, when there are greater dangers lurking around every corner of this prehistoric world!
All about the heroic Neanderthal
Now that you know all about Spear’s backstory, it is time to learn more about him! This is our protagonist in Primal, the hero if you will, who even has a tragedy big enough to make the viewers feel deeply for him. He has the support of his traveling partner and friend, the T-Rex named Fang, but in the later episodes, Fang behaves more as his pet.
Clearly, he handles the decision-making and also has the ability to command the dinosaur if required. The first thing that you will notice about Spear is his ability to survive in the hostile terrain. It is a brutal place, and not some happy Disney world, where every creature coexists in harmony.
Almost every other creature in Spear’s world is after his life, and the remaining are there for him to hunt for food. It is a perfect survival of the fittest kind of environment, and it takes someone with fierce resilience and character to survive in this world, where every day poses a different kind of challenge.
Spear probably gets his name because of his expertise with the spear. It seems like a tiny weapon when you consider the gigantic opponents that he has to deal with, but he is an effective fighter and the spear is quite effective when he uses it right! He is an experienced hunter as well, and be it fishing or hunting for meat, Spear seldom fails in his task. He is also quite intelligent and observant, and there are plenty of instances, where we see him learning new tasks pretty quickly.
He mastered the use of bows and arrows, although he had never used them before, and he also had the sense to develop makeshift weapons in times of emergencies. One particular episode comes to mind, where a pack of wild dogs attacks, and he uses bugs as a makeshift weapon to make his punches stronger. One of the best things about the show is that it never attaches too much humanity with Spear.
He is, after all, a Neanderthal, and it would be outrageous if they attached too much compassion to this character. He doesn’t feel guilt after slaughtering animals, and brutal violence comes naturally to him because that is the only way to survive in this hostile world!
However, this doesn’t make him a heartless creature, and his brief encounter with Fang’s children and his selfless fight against a gigantic dinosaur to protect them are perfect examples of that. Besides being incredibly brave and gutsy, he is also ready to put his own life on the line to protect those he feels for. He also shows some intelligent emotions in the tenth episode, when he meets the strange bald woman named Mira.
He is smart enough to make her feel uncomfortable, he manages Fang so that Mira is not terrified, and when Mira is finally kidnapped, his agonizing screams tell you that he started to feel deeply for the woman. What happens next is in store for you in Season 2, and we will bring you updates as soon as the second season releases. One thing is for certain – Spear and Fang will do everything in their capacity to get to Mira and bring her back to safety!
The show also doesn’t present him as some kind of a superhero, which is another commendable effort considering the temptation to make your protagonist invulnerable! Spear is stronger than a modern human, and a lot more agile, but he is just as susceptible to external threats as any prehistoric man would be! His physical strength, extreme tolerance of pain, or his ability to work continuously tirelessly are simply attributed that Neanderthals had in order to survive! There is just this one episode, where we see him in a super-mutated form.
It all starts off with Spear and Fang being kidnapped by a group of sadistic ape-men. They organize some kind of a tournament where the contestants fight till death and use some special serum that mutates them into beings of super-strength. When Fang is almost beaten to death in the completion, Spear quickly gulps down large portions of the strength serum and mutates into a herculean monstrosity. He rescues Fang, and violently kills the ape-men responsible for Fang’s condition. This was the only time that the show actually portrayed Spear with a few superpowers, and even this episode was neatly organized so that everything seemed rational enough.
Aaron LaPlante does a brilliant job as the voice actor for the role, and it needs no explaining as to why Tartakovsky rates the actor so highly. The character doesn’t have dialogues to speak, but the grunts, small sounds, and every subtle noise that comes out of him are of utmost importance because it is all that the viewer has to make sense of all that is happening. Of course, a massive credit is due for the animators who have perfected the facial expressions of the character. You see his joy, his pain, and his rage, and every feeling is perfectly depicted without a single dialogue. Maybe, it is the perfect example of art in motion!
Fang – the T-Rex you will grow to love!
A Tyrannosaur is hardly the creature that you think you will call adorable, but Fang certainly steals the show in Primal with her loveable presence. After the tragic loss of her children, she crossed paths with Spear who had already encountered a similar fate. Destiny brought them together in their journey for survival, and Fang was as capable as her Neanderthal counterpart. This teal-colored dinosaur can be both fierce and cute, and this ability makes her a fan favorite. She probably gets her name from the large tooth protruding from the side of her jawline, and the brave predator never backs down from a fight.
She might be a primitive animal, but there are several instances when she shows both compassion and intelligence. It doesn’t take her long to figure out that Spear means her no harm, and she is also quick to adjust to the situation, where she has to work alongside the Neanderthal and not as his superior. Fang is able to communicate with Spear, and it is one of the most heart-warming moments in the series, when we see two different species with no distinct language communicating simply with expressions.
The adorable dinosaur might seem fierce and violent upfront, but she has proved time and again that she can be fiercely loyal to those she loves! Spear has been saved from some brutal opponents courtesy of her help, and in the final episode of the first season, we even see her warming up to their new companion Mira.
In terms of pure strength, she probably surpasses Spear, but the strategic part is the Neanderthal’s advantage. That being said, while fighting lowly creatures Fang is just as effective as Spear if not more. She has extreme resilience, and the episode where she encounters a near-death experience after being beaten up by the ape-men proves that she can recover very quickly.
Her jaws and fangs are her greatest weapons, and there have been moments, where she literally tore up the heads of gigantic bats and ripped through the tough hide of mammoths. She is also quite fast when she hops around, and her enhanced sense of smell often helps Spear detect dangers before it is too late. Overall, Fang is the perfect companion for Spear, and we cannot wait to see their adventures resume in the second season!
Marvelous Verdict: Raw emotion in animation cocooned in violence and adventures!
We would have a hell of a time trying to explain what exactly Primal stands for! Like we have said before, this series is a wonderful blend of everything, and Genndy Tartakovsky simply proves once again why he is regarded as one of the greats in animation. The show is beautifully animated, and you will realize how essential the intricate facial expressions are, when you watch the narrative unfold before you without any dialogue. The art style might remind you of Samurai Jack every now and then, but make no mistake, this series is a lot more violent and mature.
The harsh world, where you either kill or get killed, is portrayed brilliantly, and there is often a post-apocalyptic vibe in the environment that adds to the thrill of the narrative. Nothing is sugar-coated and you will realize the harsh nature of the terrain in every danger that the characters find themselves in. You will be rooting for the two protagonists, Spear and Fang, the whole time, and the gorgeous animation style makes the fight scenes stand out. The makers do not hold back on the brutal violence, and the stellar work manages to triumph through visual storytelling without a single line of dialogue. In fact, the show is more cinematic than some of the modern-day dialogue-driven flicks, and it would be a shame to miss out on this animated masterpiece!
What to expect in Season 2?
The tenth episode of the first season was crucial because it offered a great insight into where the story is headed next. The mysterious arrival of Mira, and then her kidnapping in the cliffhanger climax, show that both Spear and Fang wouldn’t give up on her just yet. The initial previews of the second season show Spear in a desperate search for his new friend, and you can be sure that their adventures will take them deep into enemy territory.
Whatever little we have learned about Mira and her captors, they seem to be technologically more advanced. Mira already knew the use of bows and arrows, while Spear had no idea about such weapons. Chances are that brute strength and a dinosaur ally might not be enough and Spear would have to think outside the box in order to free Mira.
The last scene of Season 1 showed Spear and Fang watching in horror as a ship set sail with Mira held captive. She somehow escaped from them at the beginning of the tenth episode, but now that her captors have her back, Spear has to find a way to rescue her. A brief glimpse of the first episode in season 2 shows Spear jumping into the ocean in an attempt to reach the ship. Of course, it is an outrageous effort, and he eventually runs out of breath and washes back up on shore. As Primal makes a return to Adult Swim, the fans are all set to experience yet another entertaining season! Expectations are sky high, and Primal will probably succeed yet again in keeping up with the hype!
Our Final Words
Shows like Primal go on to prove that you don’t really need something exorbitant to develop such a high-quality series. The storyline is simple enough, and there are hardly any complications throughout the ten episodes of the first season. Yet, the fans and audiences agree that Primal is one of the greatest animated shows of this decade, and if you watch it you will know why! We will bring you more from the second season, but do let us know in the comments below about your thoughts on Primal, and what you expect to happen in Season 2!