by Conan Simmons – January 24, 2021 – 7:47 am
This Emmy winning episode, for Best Character Design by Stephen DeStefano, is the best of the series.
Beginning with a herd of mammoths on a trek through a freezing blizzard the focal point falls on an aging mammoth that begins lagging behind. As the show directs our empathy towards the struggling creature he is violently set upon by Spear and Fang as they hunt for food and warmth. Remarkably the show is able to redirect audience empathy from the ill-fated mammoth to our regular heroes.
Gathering the spoils of their hunt, Spear and Fang forge onward always looking out for each other through the blinding blizzard. Unbeknownst to our heroes a pack of hungry wolves are roaming about eager for a fresh meal. Even more ominous danger builds when the herd of mammoths double back only to discover the remains of their fallen comrade. Their facial expressions and body language make it perfectly clear they want revenge for what the hunters did.
Things come to a head in the brutal way of ‘Primal’ when Spear and Fang find their antelope hunt interrupted and are forced to engage in tough battle with the revenge minded mammoths.
‘A Cold Death’ features the best character design of the series, rightfully winning the Emmy. Focus is always placed on the eyes as the primary means for which characters communicate with one another. And no matter the circumstances Fang is always an animal in her behavior thankfully keeping ‘Primal’ from becoming some cutesy Disney-style talking anthropomorphic character.
The colors too, always a vital part of the series, seem to be more vibrant in this episode making it particularly pleasing to watch.
‘Primal’ also brings in a relevant message about ivory tusk hunting and handles it in a clear, non-preachy way. It’s rare to see a cartoon make such a valid real world point whilst maintaining high entertainment.