I just finished the third season and I’ve got some mixed feelings. For those of you not familiar with the show, Primal is an animated series created by Genndy Tartakovsky—you might recognize him as the director of Hotel Transylvania.
The show is part of the Adult Swim lineup, a programming block born out of Warner Bros. for Cartoon Network. It’s geared toward adults, focusing on irreverent comedy and anime. It used to air late at night because the content is often gritty or packed with dark humor, much like Rick and Morty.
Primal’s first season dropped in 2019 and was a massive hit. The story follows two characters at the end of the Jurassic era: Spear, a Neanderthal, and Fang, a carnivorous dinosaur. After both lose their families, they form a survival bond that leads them to face off against formidable, overpowered enemies. Together, they’re an unbeatable duo.
Spoiler Warning
It’s hard to talk about Season 3 without spoilers, so if you're planning on watching it, stop reading here.
Season 2 ended with the ultimate sacrifice. Spear was starting a family with Mira, a slave he rescued from Vikings, but they were attacked by a supernatural foe. Spear ended up sacrificing himself to protect his family. Episode 10 concluded with Spear’s burial, and a time skip showed his grown daughter following in his footsteps while riding a dinosaur.
Season 3 kicks off by revisiting the village where Spear’s family lived, but it jumps back in time to when Mira was still pregnant. When the village is attacked, a shaman decides to resurrect Spear—the "Great Warrior"—to defend them. However, he returns as a zombie with no memories or emotions, though he still manages to wipe out the attackers.
The season follows this "Zombie Spear" as he battles powerful enemies without a clear sense of who he once was. Honestly, the plot development felt a bit weird; seeing his raw power but knowing he wasn't truly "himself." It’s not until the final episodes that you realize why he was brought back: simply to be reunited with his family.
Final Verdict
After finishing the season, I saw an interview with Genndy Tartakovsky where he hinted that killing off Spear in Season 2 might have been a mistake, and that these characters still had a lot of mileage left. Frankly, I don’t think they expected the show to be such a huge success or that it would go beyond two seasons. That’s why Season 3 feels like an effort to bring Spear back to life—specifically in Episode 10, which connects back to the Season 2 finale, placing him alongside his wife and daughter in the final scene.
I’ll admit, I didn't enjoy this season as much as the previous ones—at least not the first few episodes. However, by the end, it regained that signature intensity and brutality. It’s obvious they did all this just to bring the protagonist back. Personally, I don’t mind; I get the desire for more content from this world. I understand some fans might have preferred leaving things as they were and following the daughter instead, but honestly, it just wouldn't have been the same.
Images from https://www.adultswim.com/videos/primal