Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal Season 3 Episode 10 Review: An Echo of Eternity

Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal Season 3 Episode 10, “An Echo of Eternity,” brings us the season to close with a loaded finale.

Season 3 of Primal follows the journey of a newly undead Spear as he tries to regain his humanity. The decision to bring Spear back as a zombie is divisive, and the way his arc concludes may leave fans with more questions than answers.

Where we last left off, Fang is locked in a brutal battle with a strange, panther-like creature.

The episode ends on a cliffhanger, leaving us wondering whether Fang will prevail and whether Spear will find them.

Fortunately, Spear does find them. Fang wins, but is terribly wounded in the process.

The reunion between Spear, Mira, and the dinosaurs is truly a heartwarming moment, but very short. As a whole, this episode moves extremely quickly at the expense of its emotional impact.

Spear’s healing from his undeath happens very quickly, and the season doesn’t quite give us enough time to process the implications of it. In turn, it doesn’t quite feel earned.

The glimpses of Spears’ humanity returning to him through experience are bittersweet, but having all of it come back just by drinking from the black river cheapens Spears’ progress.

Immediately after reuniting, the volcano tribe attacks them and brings them to the arena. Seemingly, they’re punishing Spear for leaving by kidnapping his loved ones, turning them into horrifying mutant versions of themselves, and making them fight.

It is gut-wrenching watching Spear panic and struggle against his chains. It’s even harder to watch him desperately appeal to the better nature of everyone.

It’s an interesting moment for Spear to become the most human among them in that sequence. You get the impression that he never once doubted that their old selves are still in there.

Not to mention, the designs for the mutant Mira and Dinosaurs are awesome. The transformation sequence is beautifully grotesque, and the end result is something unnatural and terrifying.

The animation in this episode is once again on point. While it isn’t quite as ambitious as previous seasons, the action on display here is breathtaking.

Besides the action, the character acting in general is very well done. The way Spear moves and emotes now versus how he did as a zombie is a night-and-day difference.

It’s cool to see him become more alive, not just in his appearance, but in how he carries himself.

It’s just a shame how quickly the plot moves, meaning these changes come all at once.

Even the Spear and Fang making up seems to come out of nowhere. It’s nice to ride on the back of his old friend again, but it doesn’t quite feel earned.

The problem with this finale is that it’s too fast. We even get a flashforward of Spear completely regenerated, living his life as if nothing had happened.

While it’s amazing that Spear and everyone else get to live, it feels like there’s so much left unsaid in the name of neatly wrapping the season up.

There is still a lot to love about Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal Season 3, but it might be one of the weaker seasons. If Primal ever gets a Season 4, hopefully it takes its time making its conclusion feel earned.

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Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal airs Sundays at 11:30 P.M. ET on Adult Swim.

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