# Anybody watching Primeval? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 27, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146 "2009-06-27T04:45:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/1 "2009-06-27T04:45:00Z")
I am (SciFi Friday). It is getting better and better. Good action, plot twists, conflict, and CGI. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that the three biggest female roles are portrayed by smoking hot women. Abby, in particular, seems to like bouncing around in her underwear. I have the impression that new episodes are being made in Britain, so we could be in for a good, long ride. Does anyone know if Cutter’s reality jump was a kind of intentional restart of the show? ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/2 "2009-06-27T04:51:10Z")
Rats. Apparently the 4th season was cancelled. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/3 "2009-06-27T12:48:54Z")
I liked it a lot, but the end of series 3 was not just one cliffhanger, but a whole bunch of them - they obviously thought there was no problem getting the go-ahead for s4. It was annoying enough thinking I’d have to wait a year to see how things played out, but it’s a whole different scale of annoyance having it left completely in the lurch. Grrrr. By switching timelines, they certainly avoided having to spend several years developing from a raggle-taggle band working ad hoc from a university office or two, to a fully functional secret government department! ---
**Author:** ![Poonther](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Poonther](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poonther)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/4 "2009-06-27T17:57:54Z")
S2 now in its first run on BBC America. It’s about half-way through the season and there’s been a lot of “changes” to say the least. Sad to read S4 was canceled, but happy to know ahead of time. Question for all of you across the pond that have seen S3. Should I watch this complete season once BBC America airs it or should I just watch the first episode to clear up the cliffhangers from S2 and leave it at that? ---
**Author:** ![Scruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Scruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruff)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/5 "2009-06-27T19:30:17Z")
Minor nitpick: Season **3** is playing on BBC America, at least here in Seattle. Season 1 ends with Cutter coming back through the anomaly and discovering that Claudia Brown never lived Season 2 ends with Simon’s funeral ---
**Author:** ![Poonther](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Poonther](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poonther)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/6 "2009-06-27T21:04:05Z")
Ah crap! You are definitely correct on that one **Scruff**! Important nitpick there for sure. I forgot that BBC America showed S1 and S2 back to back. That’s why I was brain farting all over the thread. Sorry 'bout that. Oh well now that I’m halfway into S3 might as well keep viewing even though there will be unsolved cliffhangers. Thanks again for the correction. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/7 "2009-06-27T21:21:27Z")
I’m watching it on BBC America. I don’t understand why they killed off Dr Cutter and (apparently) Helen Cutter. She was a good villain and her replacement by a nasty government bureaucrat isn’t as compelling. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/8 "2009-06-27T21:45:27Z")
Umm, guys, SciFi just showed 2.5. I would have preferred no spoilers. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/9 "2009-06-27T22:19:34Z")
I’m about half way through season 3. It’s a fun little show, and a shame it got canceled. Seems a bit directionless at times, but fun to watch anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/10 "2009-06-28T00:34:15Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > Umm, guys, SciFi just showed 2.5. I would have preferred no spoilers. Sorry about that. The characters proposed an interesting idea in the third series. That mythological creatures like dragons can be explained by creatures coming through anomalies throughout history. In an earlier episode a character was charged with the task of trying to predict anomalies based on the history of mythological creatures. They don’t seem to have returned to that idea, though. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/11 "2009-06-28T06:21:37Z")
I’m on season three too (BBCA) and I like it a lot. The effects are surprisingly good for a tv show, and one that I imagine has a relatively low budget. Which makes me rather pissed off when I see a multimillion dollar epic movie feature that can’t do creature CGI as well as Primeval. I find some of the cast changes this season odd, and wonder if they are writer, actor, or budget related. I was sad to hear that it ends on a cliffhanger and won’t be renewed. Hopefully they can do a one shot tv movie to tie things up. ---
**Author:** ![Scruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Scruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruff)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/12 "2009-06-28T06:44:24Z")
I like this show; it is fun, even if most of it doesn’t stand up to close logical explanation. But the sequence at the end of Season 1 made a believer out of me… When Nick takes Helen’s picture on the far side of the anomaly, and we reaiise (even before the show bangs us over the head with confirmation) that it is the picture that Nick found at the campsite in episode 1. One thing has always bothered me about Helen Cutter though. She has some mastery of the anomalies, and can find her way back and forth through time. Why (in the world of the show) does she always end up in London, 2007 and not somewhere else in either the near future or the near past. Me, I’d either set up a base in the 2050s and steal technology, **or** I’d travel back to about 1860 and use my knowledge of the immediate future to become rich, famous, powerful… ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/13 "2009-06-28T07:05:10Z")
Personally I thought it was cheesy crap that had the potential of redeeming itself, but instead got worse and worse right to the end, when it reached a nadir. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/14 "2009-06-28T12:15:08Z")
Moderator comment: Please, folks, remember to use spoiler tags. Be considerate of those who don’t want surprises or major plot elements revealed in advance. If you’re not sure how or why or what to avoid spoilering, see: [FAQ: Etiquette and Guidelines on the Straight Dope Message Boards](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7697117#post7697117) and also [Forum Rules: Spoilers](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=6769947#post6769947). ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/15 "2009-06-28T19:41:38Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > Moderator comment: Please, folks, remember to use spoiler tags. Be considerate of those who don’t want surprises or major plot elements revealed in advance. This show is especially hazardous to spoilers since people in the UK have already seen the entire series, people with BBC America are partway through season 3, and those who only have syfy are partway through season 2… ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/16 "2009-06-28T23:22:43Z")
> [@Scruff](#): > > One thing has always bothered me about Helen Cutter though. She has some mastery of the anomalies, and can find her way back and forth through time. Why (in the world of the show) does she always end up in London, 2007 and not somewhere else in either the near future or the near past. Me, I’d either set up a base in the 2050s and steal technology, **or** I’d travel back to about 1860 and use my knowledge of the immediate future to become rich, famous, powerful… She does gain access to some future technology, and she has bigger plans than merely becoming rich; they involve the whole human race… Despite the wholly unsatisfactory ending, I would watch it all the way to the end. The plot continues to develop right up until the credits… ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/17 "2009-06-29T03:01:34Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Personally I thought it was cheesy crap that had the potential of redeeming itself, but instead got worse and worse right to the end, when it reached a nadir. I find it to be very uneven. Some great episodes interspersed with many bad ones. Sometimes I really have a hard time believing these people are supposedly competent professionals and not just random boobs from the local pub. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/18 "2009-06-29T11:28:31Z")
> [@duality72](#): > > Sometimes I really have a hard time believing these people are supposedly competent professionals and not just random boobs from the local pub. Initially it was a pretty amateur team; it was started by a professor and a postgrad student (iirc) together with a nerdy student who blagged his way on to the team, one was an assistant zookeeper, later on there was at least one PR flak, and an ex-policeman who also blagged his way on to the team… So, not really a hand-picked, fully trained team, more a serendipitous meeting of suitable talents! ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/19 "2009-06-29T15:02:15Z")
I’m with serendipitous; suitable seems to vary (too) widely based on the writer’s needs. ---
**Author:** ![Scruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Scruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruff)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146/20 "2009-06-29T22:12:29Z")
And let’s have a big hand for the idiots at BBC America. Saturday’s Primeval was entertaining, and had a nice (obvious, but entertaining) cap at the end of the show. But on BBCA, they “spoiled” the punchline of the tag in the teaser before the final commercial break. Not a big thing, but a bit of a :smack: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-watching-primeval/501146.md?page=2)