Primeval 5.04

'I hate insects, worse than spiders, worse than dinosaurs'

It was predictable that something was going to wrong with the Connor’s new found ability to spontaneously generate anomalies, and our predictions were quickly fulfilled.

This week, Primeval changed tact, moving from ferocious beasts to skin crawling insects. The sounds this episode’s creatures, being prehistoric beetles, made you squirm as did the CGI effects of millions of the beetles which were as good as always. Of course since insects seem relatively harmless it just so happened that one of the team was allergic to insect bites.

However, Jess’ (Ruth Kearney) new found insect bite allergy allowed the budding romance between her and Becker (Ben Mansfield), which seemed to have been forgotten about since last series, to develop. His protectiveness over the computer genius quickly revealed his true feelings and his choice to leave quickly after providing her with an adrenalin shot showed a more emotional, human and vulnerable side to the macho hero we’re used to.

Despite Connor’s (Andrew Lee Potts) irritating faith in Philip, this week Connor stepped up, realising his mistakes and becoming a bit of a hero. In the process he began to mend his relationship with Abi – something i’m sure we’ve all been waiting for. It was Abi’s (Hannah Spearitt) partnership with Matt which stood out this week though with the pairing becoming quite a force. Despite a few slip ups towards the beginning with her accent, Spearitt showed her growth as an actress with her delivery of the line ‘we had to, you wouldn’t listen to me’ and her harsh glare afterwards.

This episode was one in which many characters surprised and grew, providing Primeval with a stronger footing than simply a programme about dinosaurs.

Aired 7/07/12 ITV