THE FOLLOWING IS BASED ON AN ACTUAL CONVERSATION WITH A REAL PERSON

Me: Guess what?!

Friend: *Wearily* What?

Me: I just ordered a Primeval ARC shirt!!!

Friend: Lucky you...

Me: I will be an actual ARC employee. And I can run around waving a scientific calculator like an anomaly detector during EVERY SINGLE FIRE DRILL! Gear up for fun!!!

Friend: ...

Me: You're just jealous because now I can get close to Lester.

Friend: ... Yes.

Me: I know how you just long to rip off that tie!

Friend: ... Of course.

Me: They only ever shoot him from the torso up, so the shots never catch you escaping from under his desk!

Friend: -___-


Just a little sketch from the world of the real life non-internet based people!

Episodes 4 and 5 of Primeval have been and gone, and Series 4 is really beginning to find its feet. I'm interested in the way the show... I guess you could say format... Has been for these past two episodes. Ep 4 was a really Series 2 vibed episode - right down to an action hero jumping on desks to escape a predator, a la Stephen and those "worm things". I loved this episode, particularly the two teenage boys, who were a foil to the team and allowed for a bigger comedy injection. It's nice to see Connor getting back to his jokey ways after a serious post-Cretaceous moping session. Incidentally, the boy Darren was so much like a younger Connor that it could NOT have been coincidence. I just picture Andrew Lee Potts bursting into a casting session yelling "he's mine!" A little mini-me to bring him drinks, haha.

I loved the school setting for this, but it caused problems for me (my only issue with this episode). A) I have never seen a school that big or modern, making me think it was shot in a college or uni outside of termtime. And B) I dunno whether this is in fact THE RICHEST SCHOOL IN THE WORLD, but in my school we have classrooms which the teachers lock, and front doors which the janitor locks and thats it. There are about 4 security monitors on the exterior gates and doors, and that (again) is it. We sure as hell don't have computerised locking systems which would be at home in a prison. Nor do we have CCTV cameras in ever corridor and classroom. That jarred a leetle.

Episode 5, again was a bit of a harking back point. This time everything felt very Series 1, which was nice. I particularly enjoyed seeing the team losing their frigging great guns (which my mum says look like toys - MUM PERSPECTIVE!!) and having to work off their wits, something we've not seen much of since the start. Especially (and this is a reference only a committed nerd would notice) that Connor is once again a hero with the prime weapon of an oar. Can't help but feel that Abby driving a big prehistoric thingy around on top of a mobile home might've drawn more attention than it was worth, but I guess needs must. This ep also had some priceless moments, such as Lester trying to be Jess and failing miserably (she looks better in a miniskirt, too). And maybe I'm childish but I laughed at the name of the pub! I really only have one bugbear about this story... at no point did we see a little boy on a porch playing a banjo!

Kudos to this series, for keeping so many balls in the air at once. I've a feeling that this Series' finale is going to be epic - so far we have three main story ARCs (see what I did there?!) there's the riddle that is Ethan. Then there's the sinister beardiness of Philip Burton. And finally there's mysterious Gideon, who seems nice but a bit mad and driven at the same time - I guess imminent death can do that to a person. Whether all of these elements can be explained into the finale? Perhaps not. More likely, some things will get resolved and others will become the central concern of Series 5.

So there we have it. A Series 2 vibed story and a Series 1 vibed story. And between them they've racked up the highest TV ratings of the Series so far. (Thanks to Primeval Anomalies once again for providing genuine hard facts which I am too lazy to get for myself!) Surely this isn't a coincidence? Personally I liked Series 3 a lot, but I know for a fact that after Cutter's death and Jenny's departure, a lot of folk decided that this was no longer for them. My theory is that these nostalgically vibed stories are a real attempt by the writers and producers to call back the glory days of Primeval's early success as a top drama. And personally I think they're doing a pretty damn good job!

Sassy xx