In the second season of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal, caveman Spear (Aaron LaPlante) and dinosaur Fang went on a journey to rescue human Mira, who had been kidnapped. They managed to rescue her and return her to her village, but the village was attacked, and Spear was mortally wounded—though he had managed to consummate his relationship with Mira before he succumbed to his wounds. In a time jump, we saw Mira, her daughter, and Fang and her offspring head out on a journey.

The third season picks up un unspecified amount of time following Spear’s death. The village has come under attack, and a surviving shaman uses magic to reanimate Spear’s body to exact revenge on those responsible. This leaves Spear in a zombie-like state, not really understanding who he is or what is going on. As his instincts and memories slowly kick in, he finds himself wandering and looking for Fang, who he only sees flashes of.

A rundown of the ten third season episodes is as follows (warning: may provide some sightly spoilery details):

• “Vengeance of Death” – A shaman from Mira’s village uses magic to resurrect Spear to exact revenge on those responsible for decimating the village. Spear is left zombie-like and confused, but it appears that his memory and brutal instincts start to come back as marauders attack a nearby leper colony and he steps up to help.
• “Kingdom of Sorrow” – Spear wanders through the relentless heat of the desert, where he faces off against a giant sandworm, visions of his former self, and a pride of lions.
• “Feast of Flesh” – A cricket in the jungle causes Spear to have visions of Fang. As he tries to protect the insect, he is captured by a tribe of hungry molemen creatures, who want to turn him into dinner.
• “Prey for the Wicked” – A flashback to the burial ceremony held for Spear in Mira’s village. In the present, the village comes under attack by a pack of hungry andrewsarchus, who abduct some of the villagers. Mira and Fang volunteer to lead the rescue mission.
• “The Dead Cast No Shadow” – Mira and Fang come face to face with the zombie Spear, and while Mira tries to connect with him, Fang believes he may be a threat. Spear joins the group, but they soon face a new threat.
• “Cavern of Horrors” – Mira and her group locate the lair of the andrewsarchus and try to rescue her people. Meanwhile, Spear tries to reconnect with Fang, but she still wants nothing to do with him.
• “Heart of the Undead” – As an injured Mira recuperates in the village, Fang steps up protection, barring Spear from entering to see her. When Mira awakens, she is angry about Fang’s actions and heads to the jungle to search for Spear.
• “The River of Life” – Spear washes up by a volcano, where he unwittingly becomes a challenger in a tribe’s gladiatorial contest. Meanwhile, Mira’s baby girl, Viva, arrives.
• “The Hollow Crown” – Spear continues to be a champion in the gladiatorial arena, and his body and memory start to heal, but he loses his fighting focus after learning of Viva. Meanwhile, Mira, Viva, Fang and her offspring search the waterfalls for signs of Spear, but come across a deadly foe.
• “An Echo of Eternity” – A nearly-restored Spear reunites with Mira and Fang and meets his daughter, but the peaceful reunion is soon interrupted.

I was really excited to check out the third season of Primal on this Blu-ray release as I had missed it when it aired on Adult Swim/Cartoon Network. While I enjoyed the season overall, it was missing the key Fang/Spear buddy dynamic that made the previous seasons so great. It’s not even until episode 4 that we see the return of Fang, and even then, she distrusts the zombie Spear and wants nothing to do with him. I almost wish they had just initially returned Spear to his old self instead of this zombie version, but his journey back to himself is really the arc of this season. That said, I found the season to be quite engaging, and it ultimately builds to a solid and satisfying conclusion.

Primal is a visual and aural feast. The animation has a hand-drawn look to it rather than today’s more modern 3D computer animation. However, it still maintains a beautiful and cinematic look, particularly in the more fast-paced action sequences. The lighting of scenes adds a sense of realism and lends a feature film aesthetic to the series. Over the course of the season, there are a lot of amazing action sequences, and many bloody, gory scenes with creatures and humans being torn apart. The story can be a bit brutal and dramatic at times, and all of that bloody action is captured in great detail.

The Blu-ray presentation is solid, with rich colors and detail that look excellent both in bright sunny scenes as well as the darker nighttime sequences. I didn’t really notice any issues with aliasing in the animation like I did in the show’s first season&mdasg;the quality and detail is solid throughout. To help set the tone and mood, the series features a tense and primitive-sounding score, which really fills the room and builds the excitement. The score also does an excellent job of conveying the emotions of the characters, serving as their voice when there is pretty much no dialogue. The audio track also provides a fully-immersive soundscape, bringing the sounds of nature and the roar of battle to life. Whether it’s the sounds of insects, animals, or other deadly creatures, the viewer is transported right there in the middle of it all. The discs offer English subtitles, but since the series has pretty much no dialogue, this SDH track primarily just further explains all of these sounds for those who may not be able to fully experience it.

This time around, the 10 episodes are split across two Blu-ray discs, which are packed on either side of a standard HD keepcase. Our review copy did not include any slipcover, and like the second season, there is no digital copy included;Warner Bros. has stopped including digital with their TV show releases. The second disc also includes about 14 minutes of bonus material, consisting of a storyboard walkthrough and some Q&A with series creator Genndy Tartakovsky.

What’s Included:

Episodes: (3:43:46)

Blu-ray:
• All 10 episodes of the second season:
  Disc 1 (1:52:01): “Vengeance of Death”, “Kingdom of Sorrow”, “Feast of Flesh”, “Prey for the Wicked”, “The Dead Cast No Shadow”
  Disc 2 (1:51:45): “Cavern of Horrors”, “Heart of the Undead”, “The River of Life”, “The Hollow Crown”, “An Echo of Eternity”
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH​, French*, Dutch*
  *only available for Behind the Scenes

Extras:

• Behind the Scenes
  Select From:
  • Genndy Storyboard Walkthrough (10:45)
    Series creator Genndy Tartakovsky sits at his desk, providing detailed narration to the animated storyboards for the first half of the season premiere episode. This is presented side-by-side with the final version of the episode. Afterwards, he talks about his decision to bring back Spear.
  • Spear and the Cricket Explained (3:24)
    Series creator Genndy Tartakovsky talks about the cricket in episode 3, and how it has the same coloring as Fang, which is why Spear is subconsciously trying to protect it, and why he goes nuts when it is killed.

Final Thoughts:

I didn’t quite enjoy this season of Primal as much as the previous ones. It was missing that wonderful Spear/Fang buddy dynamic that was a major part of the first two seasons. That said, I still found the season to be entertaining, and it does ultimately build to a satisfying conclusion. Even without any dialogue, the series takes the viewer on an exciting, tense and emotional journey. The episodes flow right into one another making it an easy binge. I don’t think this third season is something that a new viewer could necessarily jump right into and fully appreciate—it is better to have seen the previous seasons first. This third season feels like a complete story arc, and provides a solid and satisfying conclusion to the Spear/Fang/Mira saga, should the series not return for a fourth season (there had been no cancellation or renewal announcement as of yet). The Blu-ray presentation is excellent, with solid video and an immersive soundtrack. The discs contain just 14 minutes of bonus material, and unfortunately there is no digital copy included this time around. However, the release still comes recommended based on the quality of the series itself.