Review: Primeval Series 5 Ep 1

Watch May 24 2011

An underground creature disturbs Lester’s attempts to gain a knighthood…

Primeval kicks off in its new home on Watch with an enjoyable hour that moves the ongoing plotlines forward considerably. Danny Quinn’s revelation at the end of the last series that Philip Burton is somehow connected to Helen Cutter confirms that Siddig’s character is definitely one of the bad guys, and his seduction of Connor continues in this episode.  Meanwhile, Matt is caught red-handed by Abby, leading to some interesting new dynamics within the ARC team – let alone the Connor/Abby relationship.

Otherwise it’s a little bit of a throwback to earlier seasons, with the team coming up against subterranean creatures that benefit from hiding in the shadows – although full marks to Impossible for the full frame shots, in which the creatures stand up creditably against the Bugs from Starship Troopers which clearly were an influence.

There’s a nice vein of humour throughout the episode, at the expense of Ben Miller’s Lester (not a knight, despite what some ITV publicity and the non-canonical novels have stated). The byplay between him and Jess works well.

Overall it’s nothing ground-breaking, but a solid instalment.  7

Paul Simpson