Primal

IMPRESSIVE

Based solely on the first season, I can say this is one of the best adult animated series in its genre, violent, raw, and primal, set in the age of dinosaurs and Neanderthals, with a heavy dose of fantasy. The main character doesn’t speak, and the fact that it still completely hooks you is genuinely impressive.

I can confidently say the first season isn’t woke. I don’t really remember the couple of episodes I saw from season two, so I’m planning to rewatch it to get up to speed before starting season three.

I should clarify that I only recommend the first season. Even though Tartakovsky is the creator, these days you really can’t be sure what’s been filtered through the DEI era. That said, I’d absolutely bet on the first season.

Enjoy it!

ℹUPDATE:
I made it through season two, where it leans more into Mira, Spear’s partner, and got about halfway into season three before I dropped it. The reason was something I’ve felt way more on TV news and Social Media than from movies or shows: "black fatigue" and "female fatigue". So the woke angle feels forced in here mostly because the storytelling isn’t traditional; the narrative is driven almost entirely by action since nobody talks, so they didn’t really have many other options. They pack the screen with oppressed people of color and frame white characters as the enemy, and you can see the fingerprints of the agenda all over it.

So my final verdict: only season one is worth recommending. Maybe a couple of episodes at the start of season two, and the first episode of season three. The rest is just bursts of propaganda mixed into a slow cooked animation soup.