Review: Primeval: Series 2 Ep 7

Stephen is Lester’s only hope when Leek releases a Silurian Scorpion at a seaside resort..

The second series of Primeval finishes with a lot of loose ends tied up, but no proper insight into what’s causing the anomalies or indeed what Helen Cutter is really up to. The final scene is jaw-dropping, not least because there’s been absolutely no indication that Helen is interested in cloning.

After a season in which he’s spent a lot of time simply reacting, James Murray gets a chance to show what Stephen Hart is made of, with a solo sequence at the seaside reminding the audience why he’s useful to Cutter. His self-sacrifice at the end isn’t that surprising, particularly as two key shots from the sequence were rather annoyingly included in the throw-forward at the end of episode six!

Helen’s realisation that Leek is nowhere near as under her control as she thought is almost comic. It’s a shame that Karl Theobald’s dry delivery will be missing from future series, as it undercut some of the slightly arch dialogue that Cutter delivers, just at the moment where everything started to become over-melodramatic.

Verdict: Framestore must have been working overtime to create all the monsters seen in this episode, and they must be dreading what Adrian Hodges and Tim Haines plan to cap this with next season – but the audience will have high expectations.  8/10

Paul Simpson