Primeval 3.3

...or, OMG I still can't believe they did that!

Serious spoilers ahead, do not cross line here...

I know I'm really late in blogging about last Saturday's episode of Primeval, but what can I say, I'm still emotionally scarred. And I KNEW what was coming (thank you, Lori!). I never met a spoiler I couldn't stay away from, what can I say?

Let's just get right to the point, shall we? I know that British shows don't hold back and when it comes to casting changes, nothing is sacred. They are always willing to change things up, to do the unexpected...but I really didn't expect them to knock off Cutter (Douglas Henshall) in the series' overall 16th episode! I'm just not sure the man was given his due, especially since the main antagonist is his own ex-wife, Helen (Juliet Aubrey).

Rest in peace, Cutter...SOB!!

There was a lot that I liked about this episode...the creatures that came through the anomaly at the hospital were too freaking adorable, and I'm awfully glad two of them will be rooming with Connor (Andrew Lee Potts) and Abby (Hannah Spearritt). The first half of the episode was a nice showcase for Potts's, and even Henshall's, comedic talents. The way Connor interacts with Becker (Ben Mansfield) is really funny, especially when he can't even remember the new guy's name! And having Cutter and Abby assist a woman who's been freaked out by the mole-like dinos was really fun - especially because Cutter is so out of his element. *wink*

The reporter guy from the 2nd series "mammoth on the freeway" episode is back, and he annoys me so much I'm not going to even bother to look up his name. Seriously, does the guy have a mop on his head or something?! And he is so freaking WHINY, I just want to smack him. I'm really hoping his stint on the show will be of short duration.

Helen is back, and in a big way obviously. She's such a fantastic villian...definitely in my top 5 most hated villains of all time. Maybe top 3...I seriously loathe that woman. But I want her hair! (Sorry for the A.D.D. moment there...)

Anyways, it annoys me just a bit that Helen ALWAYS got the drop on Cutter, so to speak. I know they hadn't been a couple in quite sometime, but still, she could read him way too easily, always staying several steps ahead. Cutter was always too reactive where she was concerned for my liking...poor guy! *SOB* So this episode gave us Cutter and Cutter Clone (a bit like Spock and Spock Prime, HA!!), and Helen spinning some yarn about how the work Cutter's doing at the ARC is the reason humanity will go to hell on a freight train, so she has to stop him and that's why she's raided the ARC, blah blah blah. If this show has taught me anything, it's that you should never EVER believe a word that comes from Helen's mouth. Personally I think her whole story was because she knew it was the type of thing to get to Cutter, because Helen doesn't have an altruistic bone in her body. That and the fact that Helen is a class A kook and a SERIOUS stalker...she doesn't like rejection and so I think she's driven to destroy men who don't fall in line with her plans (i.e. stupid Stephen!!).

Now, the whole thing about who did Helen actually shoot, Cutter or Cutter Clone, is vague enough that it's POSSIBLE Douglas Henshall might come back at some point - however, I will tell you thanks to my inability to avoid spoilers, Henshall's not coming back this season. It's an open door, though. Especially if Helen's cloning technology is better than she thinks, and Cutter Clone survives and develops consciousness and freewill, etc.

I think Connor, Lester (Ben Miller), and Jenny (Lucy Brown) had some of their best moments in this episode. When Cutter gives Connor charge of the anomaly artifact (anomaly maker?) and tells him that it's on him now, it was a nice little "passing the torch" moment. Connor showed a lot of growth and maturity in this episode, first when he runs inside the burning ARC to retrieve Cutter's body (who the heck could've guessed he was that strong - LOL!), and two when he accepts Cutter's charge...he'll always be a bit goofy, but I think losing Cutter amounts to losing a big brother or father figure, and it's going to hit Connor's life in a big way. Lester and Cutter have ALWAYS been at odds, and while Lester would rather boil in oil than show emotion and shows appreciation or praise only under EXTREME duress, you just knew he was gobsmacked by Cutter's death in the way he was standing around screaming for an ambulance. Poor Lester...note to ITV, if you ever kill off Lester I might have to quit watching this show. Thanks. And last but certainly not least, poor Jenny. The whole Claudia/Jenny thing has been quite a roller coaster ride, but dangit Claudia/Jenny and Cutter were MEANT to be together!! It just broke my heart when Jenny started going on about how there was something she had meant to tell Cutter, and now she never would be able to (there's a lesson here, folks!). So very, very sad. Cutter and Claudia/Jenny will go down as one of the great television romance tragedies of all time in my book...they were so good together, only to have stupid Helen wreck it all! *sigh*

So while the door is open to Cutter's possible return, whether or not I actually care about him returning depends on how the new assortment of cast members "gel" over the rest of this season. Dr. Page (Laila Rouass) got to do some nifty sound editing work in this episode, but I think Becker's character is being better developed, with a tad more screentime, and he says less so that's saying something. They've got to figure out more for Rouass to do in an episode. And I will never, ever complain about more Becker screentime, unless he just gets really stupid all of a sudden. :-)