First the positives; the series is outstanding, holding up to any of the current fantasy dramas. It was exciting to watch as a viewer, and there was no issue being invested in the characters and plot lines up to the end. The interwoven ultra-violent Alley Oop meets Conan the Barbarian is completely unique and works with the fantastical gods, beasts and Neolithic European and African characters.
For the negative, the final pacing felt rushed at the end of the episode after giving a prior three-episode arc with the Vikings and another with the Egyptians. It was understandable to show the harshness of his father getting killed and highlighting the reality and fact that he was still wild and did not fit in with civilization. The quick pace of the Chieftain appearing and turning into Conan's Thulsa Doom snake culminating in the final mountaintop battle felt overly fast after all the prior buildup. One could not help but wonder if it was paced for timing only to cram everything into a single half-hour episode.
If the one-off 'Primal Theory' episode was introduced as a separate special, then that might have allowed for one episode to open up a heavier closure for the audience a la Gladiator's fingertip Elysium wheat fields or Braveheart's "freeedooom" crescendo with his angelic slain lover beckoning from the crowd. Additionally, after all Spear has done for Mira, he has to turn himself into a charcoal briquette in order to get any intimacy from her? That moment of tenderness could have been shared after Mira discovered him sleeping after scrawling the cave paintings (which surprisingly did not reference much of his other extensive ship battles) on the wall of the Nubian abode. That sequence change would've allowed for a more believable 'mating' sequence. Not only when he was on the verge of death, but he just may not have had enough of the plumbing left to perform the task seeing his nose burnt off. The same tenderness of him calling out to her could've landed with more impact into the ending reveal without them mating in his condition.
Regardless, the show has had an excellent first two seasons and hopefully it comes back for another in whatever form or setting as Tartakovsky's work is utterly amazing.
For the negative, the final pacing felt rushed at the end of the episode after giving a prior three-episode arc with the Vikings and another with the Egyptians. It was understandable to show the harshness of his father getting killed and highlighting the reality and fact that he was still wild and did not fit in with civilization. The quick pace of the Chieftain appearing and turning into Conan's Thulsa Doom snake culminating in the final mountaintop battle felt overly fast after all the prior buildup. One could not help but wonder if it was paced for timing only to cram everything into a single half-hour episode.
If the one-off 'Primal Theory' episode was introduced as a separate special, then that might have allowed for one episode to open up a heavier closure for the audience a la Gladiator's fingertip Elysium wheat fields or Braveheart's "freeedooom" crescendo with his angelic slain lover beckoning from the crowd. Additionally, after all Spear has done for Mira, he has to turn himself into a charcoal briquette in order to get any intimacy from her? That moment of tenderness could have been shared after Mira discovered him sleeping after scrawling the cave paintings (which surprisingly did not reference much of his other extensive ship battles) on the wall of the Nubian abode. That sequence change would've allowed for a more believable 'mating' sequence. Not only when he was on the verge of death, but he just may not have had enough of the plumbing left to perform the task seeing his nose burnt off. The same tenderness of him calling out to her could've landed with more impact into the ending reveal without them mating in his condition.
Regardless, the show has had an excellent first two seasons and hopefully it comes back for another in whatever form or setting as Tartakovsky's work is utterly amazing.