Review: Primal “Rage Of The Ape-Men”

Peace of mind is important. If someone is purely an endless collection of rage and aggression, then that anger will eventually consume them. After viewing and perpetrating so much violence, it’s appreciated to see Spear and Fang relish some downtime. They get some much-needed R&R here. The beginning of “Rage of the Ape-Men” is so beautiful and serene that it could work as a white noise machine that comfortably soothes you to sleep. The soundtrack and peaceful noises of nature amplify this serenity. Just like how the previous episode of Primal temporarily took to the skies, “Rage of the Ape-Men” spends a relaxing portion of its first-half underwater. Primal lets you just sink into these calming visuals, just like how Spear and Fang sink into their respective tranquilities. However, with an episode with a name like “Rage of the Ape-Men,” it’s only a matter of time before this peace gets destroyed.

Primal has embraced a lot of different tones over these five episodes, but “Rage of the Ape-Men” dips into the horror genre in some very effective ways. The serenity that Spear and Fang enjoy during the episode’s opening minutes doesn’t just disappear, but it’s replaced with abject terror. Spear sees suspicious shadows move around while he’s underwater and by the time he can do anything about them it’s already too late. It’s frightening to see Spear and Fang so out of their depth, but their situation only becomes more intimidating.

The horror vibes in “Rage of the Ape-Men” intensify when Spear and Fang are kidnapped and taken to some sort of ape-men coliseum. The coliseum has a very Texas Chain Saw Massacre aesthetic going for it. It’s decked out in the skulls of previous victims and the overwhelming cacophony of ape-men screeches makes concentration impossible. Spear does his best to figure out what exactly is going on here, but he’s helpless through most of this. So much of the episode’s first act contains shots of Spear looking terrified, his usual ruthlessness nowhere to be found.

Part of what makes “Rage of the Ape-Men” such a successful episode is how much it makes both Spear and the audience outsiders through the whole exercise. There’s very clearly a whole culture and deep history of ceremony with these ape-men. This is their world and we’re just getting a glimpse of it. However, Spear and the audience are reduced to making guesses about what’s to happen, which only makes their lot more frightening. It’s a great strategy to get such raw emotion out of this set piece. Furthermore, the situation is even more intense because Spear isn’t just an outsider, but he’s physically restrained and forced to watch his best friend get demolished.

And while we’re on the topic of the ape-man’s culture, was that mysterious, strength-giving black goo supposed to be some connection to Samurai Jack’s Aku? Is it possible that Genndy Tartakovsky’s worlds are somehow linked through mystical occult shenanigans? Or maybe it’s just some prehistoric black goo. Primal has largely grounded itself in a degree of realism, but the introduction of more magical elements to this series could be a rewarding decision. There are a lot of ways in which this freedom could really open up Primal’s somewhat-limited perspective.

The previous installments of Primal have featured plenty of gore—especially the previous episode—but “Rage of the Ape-Men” gets especially gratuitous in that regard. Spear is pushed to the brink here and he’s crushed over Fang’s unfortunate condition. It brings out an extremely ferocious warrior within him, but he also experiences a physical change. The horror influences continue here as “Rage of the Ape-Men” gets a lot of mileage out of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde trope. Both Spear and the main antagonist of this episode undergo remarkable metamorphoses that are actually scary.

Spear doesn’t just demolish his ape-men enemies, but he obliterates them. Right from the opening punch through the eye this final battle is incredibly heightened. Spear’s is in full-on John Wick mode. His attacks launch a frenzy of viscera, intestines, and severed anatomy that fly around his aggressive gestures. He’s literally just crushing heads at one point. Primal wants the audience to properly understand how angry Spear is in this moment and it absolutely succeeds. The moment where Spear punches out an ape-man’s organs so quickly that he can’t even register what’s happened to him is pure art. At the moment, this violence may feel like a celebration, but it’s absolutely chilling to look at the aftermath of it all. Spear’s carnage is on the level of genocide and bodies just fill the frame. He’s disgusted and confused over what he’s done, which makes for a brief, yet powerful reflection.

“Rage of the Ape-Men” goes out on a devastating note that’s only made more brutal by the fact that this is the “last” episode. An onslaught of attacks doesn’t just overwhelm Fang, but they impart significant damage that might even be fatal for the dinosaur. The episode lets the gravity of this situation sink in for both Spear and the audience. There’s a major tragedy, but the most Primal thing about it is that it forces everyone involved to just roll with it. Who has time for grief or tears when there are enemies that need to be pulverized?

The episode’s ending is a real downer, but with so much of Primal dedicated to Spear and Fang’s unusual alliance, I’d be genuinely surprised if Fang is truly down for the count. However, in a show that’s as bleak and mature as Primal, a major death is pretty much par for the course. I don’t think Primal would be afraid to go to these dramatic places, but it would just so greatly alter the series’ dynamic as it moves forward. It’s possible that Spear could team up with another unlikely adversary to wage war against the world, but it wouldn’t be the same. Spear and Fang have been linked through trauma and it’s hard to imagine a more significant bond forming between Spear and someone else.

The biggest strike against “Rage of the Ape-Men” is that it has the discourtesy to air as Primal’s “finale,” even though it was just conceived as an ordinary episode. Adult Swim has chosen to present Primal in this five-night “limited series” approach, but in reality, it has a full ten-episode season that just hasn’t finished the production. It’s somewhat unusual for Adult Swim to air an unfinished season of a show. However, it’s easy to see why they were so excited to get Primal on the air as quickly as possible. These five episodes accomplish more than some 22-episode seasons of animated shows. Even as half of the whole, Primal shines brightly and makes its point.

“Rage of the Ape-Men” is not Primal’s true season one finale, but it works well enough as this momentary ellipses on Spear and Fang’s journey. The episode is another triumph of storytelling, animation, action choreography, and it still advances Spear and Fang’s friendship and communal understanding at the same time. It’s not the best entry that Primal has turned out, but it’s still incredibly impressive and highlights another facet of this series’ range. The final five episodes of Primal don’t yet have a release date, but that just means that you can re-watch this episode and the other four enough times that you memorize every nuance of animation (and while you’re at it, check out the episodes’ animatics!).

Spear and Fang may temporarily be frozen in metaphorical amber, but it’s only a matter of time before life finds a way.