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* ReusedCharacterDesign: Spear looks almost identical to the caveman in the ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' episode "Old Flame", which was also directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. [[HilariousInHindsight Cue the "This is him now. Feel old yet?" memes.
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* ReusedCharacterDesign: Spear looks almost identical to the caveman in the ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' episode "Old Flame", which was also directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. [[HilariousInHindsight Cue the "This is him now. Feel old yet?" memes.]]
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* ReusedCharacterDesign: Spear looks almost identical to the caveman in the ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' episode "Old Flame", which was also directed by Genndy Tartakovsky.
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* ReusedCharacterDesign: Spear looks almost identical to the caveman in the ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' episode "Old Flame", which was also directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. [[HilariousInHindsight Cue the "This is him now. Feel old yet?" memes.
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* EyeScream: In the second trailer, Spear uses a rock to smash the eye of a woolly mammoth into a bloody pulp.
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* EyeScream: In the second trailer, Spear uses a rock to smash the eye of a woolly mammoth into a bloody pulp. Subverted in the show proper where it turns out the eye was left intact.
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* KillSteal: A preview shows Spear and Fang chasing a warthog. The caveman successfully kills the warthog by throwing his spear, but the dinosaur gets there first and eats the warthog whole before the caveman can get a piece of it.
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* KillSteal: A preview shows major plot point in the second episode. Spear and Fang chasing a warthog. The caveman try to hunt together, but each time they find prey, the ''Tyrannosaurus'' takes all of it, leaving nothing for the caveman. For example, when Spear successfully kills the a warthog by throwing his spear, but the dinosaur gets there first and eats the warthog whole before the caveman can get a piece of it.it. Initially it's PlayedForLaughs, but soon it turns more serious and almost drives the duo apart.
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* CruelElephant: The second trailer has an aggressive mammoth fighting Fang.
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* CruelElephant: The second trailer has an aggressive mammoth fighting Fang. However in the show proper its shown they attacked the elderly mammoth to eat it and then the rest of the herd retaliated.
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* AntiVillain: The mammoths in episode three attack Spear and Fang remorselessly, but its only because they ate one of their own and took away its tusk. Once they're given it, they retreat to [[ElephantGraveyard ceremonial grounds]].
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** If it makes it any easier just think of it as Earth in an AlternateUniverse.
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* AnimalsNotToScale: The trailer shows woolly mammoths twice the size of African elephants, bats larger than humans, a Franchise/KingKong-sized ape monster wearing a ''Triceratops'' skull, and a GiantSpider that can toss a ''Tyrannosaurus'' aside like a ragdoll. Averted with the large snake in the second episode which is about the correct size for the extinct species ''Titanoboa'', and the horned ''Tyrannosaurus'' in the first episode which are accurately sized, [[spoiler:but played straight with the alpha who is about the size of a sauropod; it's so big you would be forgiven if you thought the smaller T-rex were its children]].
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* AnimalsNotToScale: The trailer shows woolly mammoths twice the size of African elephants, bats larger than humans, a Franchise/KingKong-sized ape monster wearing a ''Triceratops'' skull, and a GiantSpider that can toss a ''Tyrannosaurus'' aside like a ragdoll. Averted with the large snake in the second episode which is about the correct size for the extinct species ''Titanoboa'', and the horned ''Tyrannosaurus'' in the first episode which are accurately sized, [[spoiler:but played straight with the alpha who is about the size of a sauropod; it's so big you would be forgiven if you thought the smaller T-rex ''T. rex'' were its children]].
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* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Spear demonstrates almost superhuman-level feats of strength at times. Probably the most prominent example in the very first episode is when he throws his spear straight through a fully-grown ''T. rex'' like a bullet.
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* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: CharlesAtlasSuperpower:
** Spear demonstrates almost superhuman-level feats of strength at times. Probably the most prominent example in the very first episode is when he throws his spear straight through a fully-grown ''T. rex'' like a bullet.
** Spear demonstrates almost superhuman-level feats of strength at times. Probably the most prominent example in the very first episode is when he throws his spear straight through a fully-grown ''T. rex'' like a bullet.
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* SnakesAreSinister: A swimming constrictor snake appears in the trailers.
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* SnakesAreSinister: A swimming constrictor snake appears in Giant snakes are the trailers.main antagonists of Episode 2.
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* SeldomSeenSpecies: Credit is due where credit is due, this might be the only animated work to feature ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetoceras Synthetoceras]]''. Also, the giant bats may be ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromantis Necromantis]]'' (although it was nowhere near the size of the bats in the show). The giant aquatic snakes, meanwhile, can be either ''Titanoboa'' or ''Palaeophis'' (their large size fits the former whereas their aquatic habits fit the latter).
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* SeldomSeenSpecies: Credit is due where credit is due, this might be the only animated work to feature ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetoceras Synthetoceras]]''.org/wiki/Syndyoceras Syndyoceras]]''. Also, the giant bats may be ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromantis Necromantis]]'' (although it was nowhere near the size of the bats in the show). The giant aquatic snakes, meanwhile, can be either ''Titanoboa'' or ''Palaeophis'' (their large size fits the former whereas their aquatic habits fit the latter).
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** Spear and Fang seem to be good terms, but as mentioned in KillSteal above, the Fang is still a much larger dinosaur and would definitely need to eat more, even if that meant the caveman wouldn't get any share of a kill.
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** Spear and Fang seem to be good terms, but as mentioned in KillSteal above, the Fang is still a much larger dinosaur and would definitely need to eat more, even if that meant the caveman Spear wouldn't get any share of a kill.
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* AnimalsNotToScale: The trailer shows woolly mammoths twice the size of African elephants, bats larger than humans, a Franchise/KingKong-sized ape monster wearing a ''Triceratops'' skull, and a GiantSpider that can toss a ''Tyrannosaurus'' aside like a ragdoll. Averted with the large snake in the second episode which is about the correct size for the extinct species ''Titanoboa'', and the horned ''Tyrannosaurus'' in the first episode which are accurately sized, [[spoiler:but played straight with the alpha who is about the size of a sauropod, so big you would be forgiven if you thought the smaller T-rex were its children]].
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* AnimalsNotToScale: The trailer shows woolly mammoths twice the size of African elephants, bats larger than humans, a Franchise/KingKong-sized ape monster wearing a ''Triceratops'' skull, and a GiantSpider that can toss a ''Tyrannosaurus'' aside like a ragdoll. Averted with the large snake in the second episode which is about the correct size for the extinct species ''Titanoboa'', and the horned ''Tyrannosaurus'' in the first episode which are accurately sized, [[spoiler:but played straight with the alpha who is about the size of a sauropod, sauropod; it's so big you would be forgiven if you thought the smaller T-rex were its children]].
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** Spear's wife, who looks more human-like than Spear, for the briefest moment she's seen is shown throwing small boulders at the T-rex so strongly it shatters on impact.
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* InfantImmortality: ''BRUTALLY'' averted at the start of the very first episode, in which Spear's children get devoured along with his wife. [[spoiler:Fang's children don't fare much better.]]
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* InevitableWaterfall: While struggling against a flood filled with horde of snakes in the second episode, Spear quickly sees a waterfall with much sharp rocks at the bottom.
* InfantImmortality:''BRUTALLY'' ''Brutally'' averted at the start of the very first episode, in which Spear's children get devoured along with his wife. [[spoiler:Fang's children don't fare much better.]]
* InfantImmortality:
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* RealityEnsues: The caveman and ''T. rex'' seem to be good terms, but as mentioned in KillSteal above, the ''T. rex'' is still a much larger dinosaur and would definitely need to eat more, even if that meant the caveman wouldn't get any share of a kill.
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* RealityEnsues: The caveman RealityEnsues:
** Spear and''T. rex'' Fang seem to be good terms, but as mentioned in KillSteal above, the ''T. rex'' Fang is still a much larger dinosaur and would definitely need to eat more, even if that meant the caveman wouldn't get any share of a kill.kill.
** In the second episode, Spear's attempts at using a snake's body to hold him and Fang atop a waterfall quickly fails due to Fang's heavy weight pulling Spear's grip off the body.
** Spear and
** In the second episode, Spear's attempts at using a snake's body to hold him and Fang atop a waterfall quickly fails due to Fang's heavy weight pulling Spear's grip off the body.
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The limited series follows Spear, a caveman at the dawn of evolution, and Fang, a tyrannosaur on the brink of extinction. Bonded by similar tragedy, the duo form an unlikely friendship becomes their only mutual hope of survival in a violent, primordial world. Notably, ''Primal'' is [[NoDialogueEpisode completely dialogue-less]], with there being zero vocalizations beyond animalistic grunts and yells throughout the work's 110-minute runtime.
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The limited series follows Spear, a caveman at the dawn of evolution, and Fang, a tyrannosaur on the brink of extinction. Bonded by similar tragedy, the duo form an unlikely friendship that becomes their only mutual hope of survival in a violent, primordial world. Notably, ''Primal'' is [[NoDialogueEpisode completely dialogue-less]], with there being zero vocalizations beyond animalistic grunts and yells throughout the work's 110-minute runtime.
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* MoodWhiplash: The show can quickly switch from a quiet and calm moment to a brutal, violent one and back.
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* SeldomSeenSpecies: Credit is due where credit is due, this might be the only animated work to feature ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetoceras Synthetoceras]]''. Also, the giant bats may be ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromantis Necromantis]]'' (although it was nowhere near the size of the bats in the show). The giant aquatic snakes, meanwhile, can be either ''Titanoboa'' or ''Palaeophis''.
to:
* SeldomSeenSpecies: Credit is due where credit is due, this might be the only animated work to feature ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetoceras Synthetoceras]]''. Also, the giant bats may be ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromantis Necromantis]]'' (although it was nowhere near the size of the bats in the show). The giant aquatic snakes, meanwhile, can be either ''Titanoboa'' or ''Palaeophis''.''Palaeophis'' (their large size fits the former whereas their aquatic habits fit the latter).
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* AnimalsNotToScale: The trailer shows woolly mammoths twice the size of African elephants, bats larger than humans, a snake with a size more fitting of a Basilisk, a Franchise/KingKong-sized ape monster wearing a ''Triceratops'' skull, and a GiantSpider that can toss a ''Tyrannosaurus'' aside like a ragdoll. Averted with the horned ''Tyrannosaurus'' which are accurately sized, [[spoiler:but played straight with the alpha who is about the size of a sauropod]].
** The Alpha Tyrannosaurus is so big you would be forgiven if you thought the smaller T-rex were its children.
** Actually averted with the large snake in the second episode. An extinct species of snake named titanoboa were known to get that big.
** The Alpha Tyrannosaurus is so big you would be forgiven if you thought the smaller T-rex were its children.
** Actually averted with the large snake in the second episode. An extinct species of snake named titanoboa were known to get that big.
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* AnimalsNotToScale: The trailer shows woolly mammoths twice the size of African elephants, bats larger than humans, a snake with a size more fitting of a Basilisk, a Franchise/KingKong-sized ape monster wearing a ''Triceratops'' skull, and a GiantSpider that can toss a ''Tyrannosaurus'' aside like a ragdoll. Averted with the large snake in the second episode which is about the correct size for the extinct species ''Titanoboa'', and the horned ''Tyrannosaurus'' in the first episode which are accurately sized, [[spoiler:but played straight with the alpha who is about the size of a sauropod]].
** The Alpha Tyrannosaurus issauropod, so big you would be forgiven if you thought the smaller T-rex were its children.
** Actually averted with the large snake in the second episode. An extinct species of snake named titanoboa were known to get that big.children]].
** The Alpha Tyrannosaurus is
** Actually averted with the large snake in the second episode. An extinct species of snake named titanoboa were known to get that big.
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** The Alpha Tyrannosaurus is so big you would be forgiven if you thought the smaller T-rex were its children.
** Actually averted with the large snake in the second episode. An extinct species of snake named titanoboa were known to get that big.
** Actually averted with the large snake in the second episode. An extinct species of snake named titanoboa were known to get that big.
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* OnlyAFleshWound: Spear bashes one of the horned tyrannosaurs' legs in with a rock, resulting in a compound fracture, but after a few seconds of screaming it just snaps the leg back into place and keeps attacking like nothing happened.
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* OnlyAFleshWound: Spear bashes one of the horned tyrannosaurs' legs in with a rock, resulting in a compound fracture, but after a few seconds of screaming it just snaps the leg back into place and keeps attacking like nothing happened.happened, though it does seem to have a limp for the short period it survives after fixing its leg.
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* SeldomSeenSpecies: Credit is due where credit is due, this might be the only animated work to feature ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetoceras Synthetoceras]]''. Also, the giant bats may be ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromantis Necromantis]]'' (although it was nowhere near the size of the bats in the show).
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* SeldomSeenSpecies: Credit is due where credit is due, this might be the only animated work to feature ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetoceras Synthetoceras]]''. Also, the giant bats may be ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromantis Necromantis]]'' (although it was nowhere near the size of the bats in the show). The giant aquatic snakes, meanwhile, can be either ''Titanoboa'' or ''Palaeophis''.
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* SnakesAreSinister: A swimming constrictor snake (possibly ''Titanoboa'') appears in the trailers.
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* SnakesAreSinister: A swimming constrictor snake (possibly ''Titanoboa'') appears in the trailers.
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* SeldomSeenSpecies: Credit is due where credit is due, this might be the only animated work to feature ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromantis Necromantis]]'' and ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetoceras Synthetoceras]]''.
to:
* SeldomSeenSpecies: Credit is due where credit is due, this might be the only animated work to feature feature ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromantis Necromantis]]'' and ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetoceras Synthetoceras]]''. Also, the giant bats may be ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromantis Necromantis]]'' (although it was nowhere near the size of the bats in the show).
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Seems to be confirmed now, since the species is aquatic and can barely move on land.
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%%* SeldomSeenSpecies: Credit is due where credit is due, this might be the only animated work to feature ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromantis Necromantis]]'' and ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetoceras Synthetoceras]]''.
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* BarbarianLonghair: Spear sports shoulder-long black hair, and the trailers present him as a powerful, savage warrior.
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* BarbarianLonghair: Spear sports shoulder-long black hair, and the trailers present him as he's a powerful, savage warrior.hunter struggling to survive in a primordial world.
* EvilIsBigger: Fang, the sympathetic ''Tyrannosaurus'', when shown side-by-side with the human Spear, appears to be around 8 meters long, which is relatively small for her species. The antagonistic (although more "predatory" than "evil") horned tyrannosaurs are slighly bigger [[spoiler:and their leader is humongous with a body length between 20 and 30 meters]].
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* KillerGorilla: A gigantic ape wearing a ''Triceratops'' skull appears in the trailer.
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* KillerGorilla: A gigantic ape wearing a ''Triceratops'' skull as a helmet appears in the trailer.
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* MimeAndMusicOnlyCartoon: Despite its overall DarkerAndEdgier feel, it fits the bill. The show features no dialogue from either the caveman or the animals, only grunts, roars and other animalistic sounds.
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* MimeAndMusicOnlyCartoon: Despite its overall DarkerAndEdgier feel, it fits the bill. The show features no dialogue from either the caveman or the animals, only grunts, roars and other animalistic sounds. All emotions are conveyed through the characters' expressions and body language as well as the background music.
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* ThickLineAnimation: The animation seen in the trailers has thick black outlines.
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* ThickLineAnimation: The animation seen in the trailers has thick black outlines.
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I haven't seen Samurai Jack Season 5. Is it as dark as Primal or slightly less.
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* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to many previous works from Genddy [[note]] as far as recently in Season 5 of "WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack"[[/note]]. Primal is the most darkest of his projects to date, considering, it all takes place in a primordial DeathWorld to begin with.
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* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to many previous works from Genddy [[note]] as Genndy [[note]]as far as recently in Season 5 of "WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack"[[/note]]. Primal is the most darkest of his projects to date, considering, it all takes taking place in a primordial DeathWorld to begin with.DeathWorld, being [[BloodierAndGorier excessively gory]], and centering around the tragedy of a man losing his family (including his children).
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* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to many previous works from Genddy [[note]] as far as recently in Season 5 of "WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack"[[/note]]. Primal is the most darkest of his projects to date, considering, it all takes place in a primordial DeathWorld to begin with.
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* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: A gigantic crocodile attacks Spear in the beginning of the first episode.
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* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: A gigantic crocodile crocodile, possibly a ''Deinosuchus'', attacks Spear in the beginning of the first episode.
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* AnimalsNotToScale: The trailer shows woolly mammoths twice the size of African elephants, bats larger than humans, a Franchise/KingKong-sized ape monster wearing a ''Triceratops'' skull, and a GiantSpider that can toss a ''Tyrannosaurus'' aside like a ragdoll. Averted with the horned ''Tyrannosaurus'' which are accurately sized, [[spoiler:but played straight with the alpha who is about the size of a sauropod]].
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* AnimalsNotToScale: The trailer shows woolly mammoths twice the size of African elephants, bats larger than humans, a snake with a size more fitting of a Basilisk, a Franchise/KingKong-sized ape monster wearing a ''Triceratops'' skull, and a GiantSpider that can toss a ''Tyrannosaurus'' aside like a ragdoll. Averted with the horned ''Tyrannosaurus'' which are accurately sized, [[spoiler:but played straight with the alpha who is about the size of a sauropod]].
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* OhCrap: Both Spear and Fang sport a look that personifies this when they see a ''wall of giant snakes'' right next to where they are fighting in the second episode.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/primal_title.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Hunt. Kill. Survive.]]
->''"All Earth was but one thought — and that was death."''
-->- ''[[https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43825/darkness-56d222aeeee1b Darkness,]]'' '''Creator/LordByron'''
''Creator/GenndyTartakovsky's Primal'', also known simply as ''Primal'', is a five-episode action-adventure {{mini series}} produced by [[Creator/CartoonNetwork Cartoon Network Studios]] for Creator/AdultSwim. The series is set to run from October 7th to October 11th, 2019, though the first episode premiered a few days prior on [adult swim]'s website.
The limited series follows Spear, a caveman at the dawn of evolution, and Fang, a tyrannosaur on the brink of extinction. Bonded by similar tragedy, the duo form an unlikely friendship becomes their only mutual hope of survival in a violent, primordial world. Notably, ''Primal'' is [[NoDialogueEpisode completely dialogue-less]], with there being zero vocalizations beyond animalistic grunts and yells throughout the work's 110-minute runtime.
The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KFyVu514DY first trailer]] was released on May 14th, 2019, while the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4UN616BFDA second]] was showcased on August 27th.
Not to be confused with the [[VideoGame/{{Primal}} video game of the same name]].
----
!!Tropes:
* OneMillionBC: The show's setting is "the dawn of evolution". Cenozoic creatures like cavemen, ape-men and a woolly mammoths exists alongside Mesozoic animals such as theropod dinosaurs and pterosaurs.
* ActionFilmQuietDramaScene: Between the gory fight scenes, the show has several quiet and somber moments. The first episode has one where [[spoiler:Spear stands on the edge of a cliff, contemplating suicide]], and one where [[spoiler:Fang, after losing her family, follows Spear on a beach for comfort]].
* AllCavemenWereNeanderthals: Spear, the show's protagonist is a stereotypical neanderthal-like caveman with a bulky physique, hunched posture, thick arms and enormous fists, as well as thick brows and a flat forehead. He also seems to have SuperStrength, considering that in the trailers he fights animals far larger than him with his bare hands. The trailer also shows that one punch from a caveman is enough to tear a smaller ape-man in half.
* AllThereInTheManual: Since the show has no dialogue, the names of the characters are only known from the episode titles and supplementary materials.
* AmazingTechnicolorWildlife: The giant bats Spear fights in the trailer are ''blood-red''.
* AnimalsNotToScale: The trailer shows woolly mammoths twice the size of African elephants, bats larger than humans, a Franchise/KingKong-sized ape monster wearing a ''Triceratops'' skull, and a GiantSpider that can toss a ''Tyrannosaurus'' aside like a ragdoll. Averted with the horned ''Tyrannosaurus'' which are accurately sized, [[spoiler:but played straight with the alpha who is about the size of a sauropod]].
* AntiHero: The main hero, Spear, brutally kills his opponents, but considering that this is a [[DeathWorld dog-eat-dog world]] where our moral standards don't exist yet, it's justified for his situation. Spear is even shown preparing to attack Fang and her family before being interrupted by the horned tyrannosaurs.
* ArtisticLicensePaleontology: A mile long, actually. It remains to be seen if there is any explanation for any of these:
** [[OneMillionBC Dinosaurs are shown alongside mammoths and humans]], when in reality non-avian dinosaurs went extinct before large mammals (aside from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schowalteria some]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repenomamus species]] unrelated to any placental mammals) walked the earth. Cenozoic fauna that lived before the Pleistocene appear as well.
** Although Spear and his family seem to be neanderthals, his wife is slender and has the general body proportions of a modern ''Homo sapiens''. In her brief appearance she also seems to be a meek and stay at home type, when hunter-gatherer societies are known to be more egalitarian.
** [[PteroSoarer Pterosaurs are very bad as usual]], with no pycnofibers, bipedal launching and pointy wings alongside weirder things like five fingers including the wing finger and a well developed sense of smell[[note]]The few pterosaur endocasts we have show that, like most modern birds and bats, they had a poor sense of smell. However its entirely possible we might come across some species that did have better olphaction, given things like turkey vultures and flying foxes[[/note]], not to mention resembling a mix-match of different genera. They do reference ''Quetzalcoatlus''' terrestrial habits, however, though given that it was following the scent of fish it might hint that it was going by the outdated idea that it was a fish eater.
** Dinosaurs have pronated hands and tend to [[AllAnimalsAreDogs show some dog-like behaviour]].
** [[RaptorAttack The raptors are oversized and featherless as usual]]. Although the creators confirmed they wanted to put feathers, but had difficulty with it.
** Woolly mammoths are once again depicted as much larger than modern-day elephants.
** The enemy ''TyrannosaurusRex'' in the first episode have enlarged horns similar to rhinoceroses or ''Ceratosaurus''. The real ''Tyrannosaurus'' most likely did have horns, but these horns were stubby.
* BarbarianLonghair: Spear sports shoulder-long black hair, and the trailers present him as a powerful, savage warrior.
* BatOutOfHell: Spear fights a flock of gigantic red bats in the second trailer.
* BloodierAndGorier: Compared to Genndy's other works. Just to show how violent the series will be, a sneak peek of the series shows Fang killing another tyrannosaur by ''gnawing its upper jaw off.''
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Spear demonstrates almost superhuman-level feats of strength at times. Probably the most prominent example in the very first episode is when he throws his spear straight through a fully-grown ''T. rex'' like a bullet.
* CruelElephant: The second trailer has an aggressive mammoth fighting Fang.
* DeathWorld: The second trailer quotes that this is a time of death, where all living things are struggling to survive and will do so at almost any cost. Mercy to the enemy can mean suicide.
* DrivenToSuicide: After losing his wife and kids to a pack of horned ''T. rex'', Spear climbs a tall cliff and ponders whether or not he should just step off of it. He ultimately doesn't go through, but he did spend many hours at the edge of the cliff thinking if he should.
* EstablishingSeriesMoment: Spear coming home to witness his family being devoured by tyrannosaurs sets up the [[DeathWorld kind of setting]] the series takes place in.
* EyeScream: In the second trailer, Spear uses a rock to smash the eye of a woolly mammoth into a bloody pulp.
* FantasticRacism: Briefly. Spear is willing to kill Fang and her family, not because she's a threat but because she's a similar dinosaur to the ones that took his loved ones away.
* GiantSpider: In the second trailer, Fang fights a spider that's similar in size to a sauropod, towering over the tyrannosaur.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: In the second trailer a neanderthal-like caveman (likely Spear) punches an attacking ape-man, literally breaking it in half.
* HeelRealization: After losing his family to three ''T. rex'', Spear is ready to go in for the kill when he spots Fang near a river. Following her to her home, he sees her children and after a moments pause is driven into a seeming infantacidal rage. Before he can act, the dinosaurs that killed his family attack Fang. Spear very quickly sees the parallels.
* HornsOfVillainy: The ''Tyrannosaurus'' that kill Spear's family have ''Ceratosaurus''-like horns, which the more sympathetic ''Tyrannosaurus'' Fang lacks.
* InfantImmortality: ''BRUTALLY'' averted at the start of the very first episode, in which Spear's children get devoured along with his wife. [[spoiler:Fang's children don't fare much better.]]
* InformedSpecies: The ''Ceratosaurus''-like theropods from the first episode are identified as ''T. rex'' by the animatic. Somewhat downplayed in that they do possess the general body size, proportions, and two-fingered hands of ''Tyrannosaurus''.
* InterspeciesFriendship: Between Spear, a neanderthal-like caveman and Fang, a tyrannosaur.
* KillSteal: A preview shows Spear and Fang chasing a warthog. The caveman successfully kills the warthog by throwing his spear, but the dinosaur gets there first and eats the warthog whole before the caveman can get a piece of it.
* KillerGorilla: A gigantic ape wearing a ''Triceratops'' skull appears in the trailer.
* LightIsGood: In a rather beautiful sequence Spear sees his wife and children in the rising sun, inspiring him to not comit suicide.
* LoinCloth: The only piece of clothing Spear wears.
* MadeOfPlasticine: As typical for a gory series, making the mooks into paste seems very easy. The crowning example is Spear throwing a spear through a horned tyrannosaur torso like a bullet.
* MamaBear: Fang fights tooth and claw to save her children. When [[spoiler:both she and Spear ultimately fail]], she launches herself at a monster ten times her size without hesitation.
* MimeAndMusicOnlyCartoon: Despite its overall DarkerAndEdgier feel, it fits the bill. The show features no dialogue from either the caveman or the animals, only grunts, roars and other animalistic sounds.
* MixAndMatchCritter:
** The first episode feature a pack of ''T. rex'' with the horn of ''Ceratosaurus''.
** The pterosaur from the first episode looks like a cross between ''Pteranodon'', ''Ludodactylus'', and ''Quetzalcoatlus''.
** The trailer features wolves with ''Smilodon''-like saber teeth.
* MonsterIsAMommy: Spear thinks Fang is a predatory dinosaur similar to the ones that killed his family. Then he discovers she has two nestlings which she also tries to protect from predators.
* MonstrousCannibalism: The horned tyrannosaurs are either the same species as Fang, or at least a closely related species. This does not stop them from seeing Fang's offspring as prey.
* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: A gigantic crocodile attacks Spear in the beginning of the first episode.
* NoisyNature: All the characters and animals roar and screech very often, up to and including the human character Spear, often just because. In an early scene in the first episode, Spear is menaced by a large pterosaur, and just as it takes off it screams loudly at nothing in particular before it does so.
* NonMaliciousMonster: As usual, predatory animals are just that. However, the ''T. rex'' Spear injures does bear a grudge against him.
* NotSoDifferent: Ultimately why Spear helps Fang. Just like him, she just wants to protect her children. [[spoiler: Also just like him, she is ultimately unable to.]]
* OnlyAFleshWound: Spear bashes one of the horned tyrannosaurs' legs in with a rock, resulting in a compound fracture, but after a few seconds of screaming it just snaps the leg back into place and keeps attacking like nothing happened.
* PrehistoricMonster: Most animals appearing in the show are exaggerated in size and are given monstrous features. The first episode alone gives us a giant [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodile]], a [[PteroSoarer large and toothy pterosaur]] and a pack of ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' with ''Ceratosaurus''-like horns. The trailers also show mammoths twice the size of African elephants, human-sized bats, saber-toothed wolves, vicious ape-men, and a GiantSpider larger than a sauropod dinosaur.
* PrimalChestPound: Pun not intended. In the second trailer, an ape-man is pounding its chest while screaming.
* PrimalStance: Pun, again, not intended. Spear has a somewhat hunched posture stereotypically associated with neanderthals, and [[RunningOnAllFours occasionally uses his hands during locomotion]] when charging into a fight.
* PteroSoarer: A pterosaur (called a "Pterodactyl" in the animatic) appears in the first episode. It can stand bipedally and is five-fingered (it has an additional thumb along with the wing finger and three small fingers).
* RaptorAttack: A pack of ''Franchise/JurassicPark''-styled dromaeosaurids appear in the trailers.
* RatedMForManly: This is a BloodierAndGorier show about a muscular caveman fighting {{Prehistoric Monster}}s.
* RealityEnsues: The caveman and ''T. rex'' seem to be good terms, but as mentioned in KillSteal above, the ''T. rex'' is still a much larger dinosaur and would definitely need to eat more, even if that meant the caveman wouldn't get any share of a kill.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: The horned tyrannosaurs that eat Spear's family [[spoiler:and later Fang's]] are a dark shade of red with prominent black stripes. Of course, they're just predators [[NonMaliciousMonster targeting what they think are prey]].
* ReusedCharacterDesign: Spear looks almost identical to the caveman in the ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' episode "Old Flame", which was also directed by Genndy Tartakovsky.
%%* SeldomSeenSpecies: Credit is due where credit is due, this might be the only animated work to feature ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromantis Necromantis]]'' and ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetoceras Synthetoceras]]''.
* ShadowDiscretionShot: While the show seldom censors any violence, the horned tyrannosaurs eating Spear's wife and children is only shown in shadows.
* SilenceIsGolden: Tartakovsky has described it as being his first completely dialogue-free series. In both trailers, there is no dialouge, only feral shrieks, grunts, and roars. Makes sense, since [[JustifiedTrope there's only one human character of note.]]
* SnakesAreSinister: A swimming constrictor snake (possibly ''Titanoboa'') appears in the trailers.
* StuffedInTheFridge: Spear's wife and children get eaten by dinosaurs in the first episode.
* ThickLineAnimation: The animation seen in the trailers has thick black outlines.
* TyrannosaurusRex: Fang, the show's deuteragonist is a ''Tyrannosaurus'' with one particularly large lower fang, which provides her name. The antagonists of the first episode are a pack of ''T. rex'' with horns.
----
[[caption-width-right:350:Hunt. Kill. Survive.]]
->''"All Earth was but one thought — and that was death."''
-->- ''[[https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43825/darkness-56d222aeeee1b Darkness,]]'' '''Creator/LordByron'''
''Creator/GenndyTartakovsky's Primal'', also known simply as ''Primal'', is a five-episode action-adventure {{mini series}} produced by [[Creator/CartoonNetwork Cartoon Network Studios]] for Creator/AdultSwim. The series is set to run from October 7th to October 11th, 2019, though the first episode premiered a few days prior on [adult swim]'s website.
The limited series follows Spear, a caveman at the dawn of evolution, and Fang, a tyrannosaur on the brink of extinction. Bonded by similar tragedy, the duo form an unlikely friendship becomes their only mutual hope of survival in a violent, primordial world. Notably, ''Primal'' is [[NoDialogueEpisode completely dialogue-less]], with there being zero vocalizations beyond animalistic grunts and yells throughout the work's 110-minute runtime.
The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KFyVu514DY first trailer]] was released on May 14th, 2019, while the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4UN616BFDA second]] was showcased on August 27th.
Not to be confused with the [[VideoGame/{{Primal}} video game of the same name]].
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!!Tropes:
* OneMillionBC: The show's setting is "the dawn of evolution". Cenozoic creatures like cavemen, ape-men and a woolly mammoths exists alongside Mesozoic animals such as theropod dinosaurs and pterosaurs.
* ActionFilmQuietDramaScene: Between the gory fight scenes, the show has several quiet and somber moments. The first episode has one where [[spoiler:Spear stands on the edge of a cliff, contemplating suicide]], and one where [[spoiler:Fang, after losing her family, follows Spear on a beach for comfort]].
* AllCavemenWereNeanderthals: Spear, the show's protagonist is a stereotypical neanderthal-like caveman with a bulky physique, hunched posture, thick arms and enormous fists, as well as thick brows and a flat forehead. He also seems to have SuperStrength, considering that in the trailers he fights animals far larger than him with his bare hands. The trailer also shows that one punch from a caveman is enough to tear a smaller ape-man in half.
* AllThereInTheManual: Since the show has no dialogue, the names of the characters are only known from the episode titles and supplementary materials.
* AmazingTechnicolorWildlife: The giant bats Spear fights in the trailer are ''blood-red''.
* AnimalsNotToScale: The trailer shows woolly mammoths twice the size of African elephants, bats larger than humans, a Franchise/KingKong-sized ape monster wearing a ''Triceratops'' skull, and a GiantSpider that can toss a ''Tyrannosaurus'' aside like a ragdoll. Averted with the horned ''Tyrannosaurus'' which are accurately sized, [[spoiler:but played straight with the alpha who is about the size of a sauropod]].
* AntiHero: The main hero, Spear, brutally kills his opponents, but considering that this is a [[DeathWorld dog-eat-dog world]] where our moral standards don't exist yet, it's justified for his situation. Spear is even shown preparing to attack Fang and her family before being interrupted by the horned tyrannosaurs.
* ArtisticLicensePaleontology: A mile long, actually. It remains to be seen if there is any explanation for any of these:
** [[OneMillionBC Dinosaurs are shown alongside mammoths and humans]], when in reality non-avian dinosaurs went extinct before large mammals (aside from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schowalteria some]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repenomamus species]] unrelated to any placental mammals) walked the earth. Cenozoic fauna that lived before the Pleistocene appear as well.
** Although Spear and his family seem to be neanderthals, his wife is slender and has the general body proportions of a modern ''Homo sapiens''. In her brief appearance she also seems to be a meek and stay at home type, when hunter-gatherer societies are known to be more egalitarian.
** [[PteroSoarer Pterosaurs are very bad as usual]], with no pycnofibers, bipedal launching and pointy wings alongside weirder things like five fingers including the wing finger and a well developed sense of smell[[note]]The few pterosaur endocasts we have show that, like most modern birds and bats, they had a poor sense of smell. However its entirely possible we might come across some species that did have better olphaction, given things like turkey vultures and flying foxes[[/note]], not to mention resembling a mix-match of different genera. They do reference ''Quetzalcoatlus''' terrestrial habits, however, though given that it was following the scent of fish it might hint that it was going by the outdated idea that it was a fish eater.
** Dinosaurs have pronated hands and tend to [[AllAnimalsAreDogs show some dog-like behaviour]].
** [[RaptorAttack The raptors are oversized and featherless as usual]]. Although the creators confirmed they wanted to put feathers, but had difficulty with it.
** Woolly mammoths are once again depicted as much larger than modern-day elephants.
** The enemy ''TyrannosaurusRex'' in the first episode have enlarged horns similar to rhinoceroses or ''Ceratosaurus''. The real ''Tyrannosaurus'' most likely did have horns, but these horns were stubby.
* BarbarianLonghair: Spear sports shoulder-long black hair, and the trailers present him as a powerful, savage warrior.
* BatOutOfHell: Spear fights a flock of gigantic red bats in the second trailer.
* BloodierAndGorier: Compared to Genndy's other works. Just to show how violent the series will be, a sneak peek of the series shows Fang killing another tyrannosaur by ''gnawing its upper jaw off.''
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Spear demonstrates almost superhuman-level feats of strength at times. Probably the most prominent example in the very first episode is when he throws his spear straight through a fully-grown ''T. rex'' like a bullet.
* CruelElephant: The second trailer has an aggressive mammoth fighting Fang.
* DeathWorld: The second trailer quotes that this is a time of death, where all living things are struggling to survive and will do so at almost any cost. Mercy to the enemy can mean suicide.
* DrivenToSuicide: After losing his wife and kids to a pack of horned ''T. rex'', Spear climbs a tall cliff and ponders whether or not he should just step off of it. He ultimately doesn't go through, but he did spend many hours at the edge of the cliff thinking if he should.
* EstablishingSeriesMoment: Spear coming home to witness his family being devoured by tyrannosaurs sets up the [[DeathWorld kind of setting]] the series takes place in.
* EyeScream: In the second trailer, Spear uses a rock to smash the eye of a woolly mammoth into a bloody pulp.
* FantasticRacism: Briefly. Spear is willing to kill Fang and her family, not because she's a threat but because she's a similar dinosaur to the ones that took his loved ones away.
* GiantSpider: In the second trailer, Fang fights a spider that's similar in size to a sauropod, towering over the tyrannosaur.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: In the second trailer a neanderthal-like caveman (likely Spear) punches an attacking ape-man, literally breaking it in half.
* HeelRealization: After losing his family to three ''T. rex'', Spear is ready to go in for the kill when he spots Fang near a river. Following her to her home, he sees her children and after a moments pause is driven into a seeming infantacidal rage. Before he can act, the dinosaurs that killed his family attack Fang. Spear very quickly sees the parallels.
* HornsOfVillainy: The ''Tyrannosaurus'' that kill Spear's family have ''Ceratosaurus''-like horns, which the more sympathetic ''Tyrannosaurus'' Fang lacks.
* InfantImmortality: ''BRUTALLY'' averted at the start of the very first episode, in which Spear's children get devoured along with his wife. [[spoiler:Fang's children don't fare much better.]]
* InformedSpecies: The ''Ceratosaurus''-like theropods from the first episode are identified as ''T. rex'' by the animatic. Somewhat downplayed in that they do possess the general body size, proportions, and two-fingered hands of ''Tyrannosaurus''.
* InterspeciesFriendship: Between Spear, a neanderthal-like caveman and Fang, a tyrannosaur.
* KillSteal: A preview shows Spear and Fang chasing a warthog. The caveman successfully kills the warthog by throwing his spear, but the dinosaur gets there first and eats the warthog whole before the caveman can get a piece of it.
* KillerGorilla: A gigantic ape wearing a ''Triceratops'' skull appears in the trailer.
* LightIsGood: In a rather beautiful sequence Spear sees his wife and children in the rising sun, inspiring him to not comit suicide.
* LoinCloth: The only piece of clothing Spear wears.
* MadeOfPlasticine: As typical for a gory series, making the mooks into paste seems very easy. The crowning example is Spear throwing a spear through a horned tyrannosaur torso like a bullet.
* MamaBear: Fang fights tooth and claw to save her children. When [[spoiler:both she and Spear ultimately fail]], she launches herself at a monster ten times her size without hesitation.
* MimeAndMusicOnlyCartoon: Despite its overall DarkerAndEdgier feel, it fits the bill. The show features no dialogue from either the caveman or the animals, only grunts, roars and other animalistic sounds.
* MixAndMatchCritter:
** The first episode feature a pack of ''T. rex'' with the horn of ''Ceratosaurus''.
** The pterosaur from the first episode looks like a cross between ''Pteranodon'', ''Ludodactylus'', and ''Quetzalcoatlus''.
** The trailer features wolves with ''Smilodon''-like saber teeth.
* MonsterIsAMommy: Spear thinks Fang is a predatory dinosaur similar to the ones that killed his family. Then he discovers she has two nestlings which she also tries to protect from predators.
* MonstrousCannibalism: The horned tyrannosaurs are either the same species as Fang, or at least a closely related species. This does not stop them from seeing Fang's offspring as prey.
* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: A gigantic crocodile attacks Spear in the beginning of the first episode.
* NoisyNature: All the characters and animals roar and screech very often, up to and including the human character Spear, often just because. In an early scene in the first episode, Spear is menaced by a large pterosaur, and just as it takes off it screams loudly at nothing in particular before it does so.
* NonMaliciousMonster: As usual, predatory animals are just that. However, the ''T. rex'' Spear injures does bear a grudge against him.
* NotSoDifferent: Ultimately why Spear helps Fang. Just like him, she just wants to protect her children. [[spoiler: Also just like him, she is ultimately unable to.]]
* OnlyAFleshWound: Spear bashes one of the horned tyrannosaurs' legs in with a rock, resulting in a compound fracture, but after a few seconds of screaming it just snaps the leg back into place and keeps attacking like nothing happened.
* PrehistoricMonster: Most animals appearing in the show are exaggerated in size and are given monstrous features. The first episode alone gives us a giant [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodile]], a [[PteroSoarer large and toothy pterosaur]] and a pack of ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' with ''Ceratosaurus''-like horns. The trailers also show mammoths twice the size of African elephants, human-sized bats, saber-toothed wolves, vicious ape-men, and a GiantSpider larger than a sauropod dinosaur.
* PrimalChestPound: Pun not intended. In the second trailer, an ape-man is pounding its chest while screaming.
* PrimalStance: Pun, again, not intended. Spear has a somewhat hunched posture stereotypically associated with neanderthals, and [[RunningOnAllFours occasionally uses his hands during locomotion]] when charging into a fight.
* PteroSoarer: A pterosaur (called a "Pterodactyl" in the animatic) appears in the first episode. It can stand bipedally and is five-fingered (it has an additional thumb along with the wing finger and three small fingers).
* RaptorAttack: A pack of ''Franchise/JurassicPark''-styled dromaeosaurids appear in the trailers.
* RatedMForManly: This is a BloodierAndGorier show about a muscular caveman fighting {{Prehistoric Monster}}s.
* RealityEnsues: The caveman and ''T. rex'' seem to be good terms, but as mentioned in KillSteal above, the ''T. rex'' is still a much larger dinosaur and would definitely need to eat more, even if that meant the caveman wouldn't get any share of a kill.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: The horned tyrannosaurs that eat Spear's family [[spoiler:and later Fang's]] are a dark shade of red with prominent black stripes. Of course, they're just predators [[NonMaliciousMonster targeting what they think are prey]].
* ReusedCharacterDesign: Spear looks almost identical to the caveman in the ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' episode "Old Flame", which was also directed by Genndy Tartakovsky.
%%* SeldomSeenSpecies: Credit is due where credit is due, this might be the only animated work to feature ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromantis Necromantis]]'' and ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetoceras Synthetoceras]]''.
* ShadowDiscretionShot: While the show seldom censors any violence, the horned tyrannosaurs eating Spear's wife and children is only shown in shadows.
* SilenceIsGolden: Tartakovsky has described it as being his first completely dialogue-free series. In both trailers, there is no dialouge, only feral shrieks, grunts, and roars. Makes sense, since [[JustifiedTrope there's only one human character of note.]]
* SnakesAreSinister: A swimming constrictor snake (possibly ''Titanoboa'') appears in the trailers.
* StuffedInTheFridge: Spear's wife and children get eaten by dinosaurs in the first episode.
* ThickLineAnimation: The animation seen in the trailers has thick black outlines.
* TyrannosaurusRex: Fang, the show's deuteragonist is a ''Tyrannosaurus'' with one particularly large lower fang, which provides her name. The antagonists of the first episode are a pack of ''T. rex'' with horns.
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