What struck me most, oddly perhaps, about this episode was the lack of on-screen chemistry between Andrew Lee-Potts and Hannah Spearritt.

Being unfamiliar, as I am, with the London skyline and not particularly invested in the idea that anomalies only open within an hour's drive of the capital this was the first episode in which the location move to Dublin for filming was really very obvious. My first thought, before I recalled where the shooting was taking place, was that they had gone to Scotland for the episode. Since the episode clearly flagged that the action was all taking place within a couple of hour's drive of the ARC and, even if the ARC wasn't necessarily in London, it was clearly Midlands or Home Counties, believability was stretched a little there, even more-so when we met the (are you) locals.

The monster of the week plot was pretty throwaway without the taughtness of setting/direction that made 4.04 stand out and the absence of Ben Mansfield was odd. I assume there was some contractual reason he wasn't at least sitting around at the ARC complaining that his leg was preventing him getting into the field. It reminded me a little of some of the early Doctor Who episodes which, because they were being shot 50 weeks of the year, would have Doctor absent while William Hartnell went on holiday. However having disposed of Becker, the script seemed to entirely forget that there are, actually, other soldiers available - or maybe the new Private-Public ARC could only afford four soldiers and having eaten one in each of the first three episodes and then taken a chunk out of Becker's leg in the last, no one remained to provide back up. I perfectly understand the dramatic constraints that cause the script writers to want to limit the number of people running around, but to suggest that there is a military team and then write an episode in which key parts of the action hinge around there being no other personnel available is clumsy at best.

I keep wanting to say something about Ciaren McMenamin and the Matt character in these posts but I'm still very much making my mind up about him. When I'm being charitable I think there is some fascinating work going here. A man, clearly unsuited for an infiltration role because he too impulsively connects with those he encounters, but presumably forced into it because there is no one else available. He's trying to keep a lid on his own natural tendency to form close bonds with his team because he understands the importance of the mission but his own character is working against him. He's unsuitable as the cool-headed leader of this kind of group because of his own recklessness but, of course, his credentials were all forged so the ARC can not be blamed for being unaware of this and, in short, there is a neat little tragedy waiting to happen there. When I'm being uncharitable I think it's all a sloppy mess, but so far he seems potentially more coherent and thought out than either Burton or Jess. Time, I suppose, will tell.

And lastly, Connor and Abby: I realise that the writers, ill-advisedly I think but that's by-the-by, want to create dramatic tension by driving a wedge between them but in order for me to invest in that, when I had long grown tired of Connor/Abby UST I need to be convinced there's an actual relationship there and I'm just not seeing it. This is particularly odd considering Lee-Potts and Spearritt are engaged in real life. Obviously there are documented cases of couples who are shagging like bunnies off screen having all the onscreen chemistry of a wet flannel however, if the publicity is to be believed, half the reason we have the pairing in the first place is because of the actors' natural chemistry. So why is it gone? Where are the quick looks, the fleeting touches, the tiny signs that let you know two people are a couple - especially in the few scenes we get when Connor and Abby are out of the professional environment. I know the relationship is supposed to be under strain but, at the moment, we're at the beginning of the break down so we should be seeing more of what is going to be lost. The kiss Connor gave Abby at the end of this episode was not the kiss of man who is relieved his girlfriend is all right, it was the kiss of man who had to work up his courage to actually kiss the other person and was slightly anxious they would be angry or put out about it and Abby's reaction reminded me of nothing more than the Abby who is in denial about Connor's feelings of previous seasons. There was no real response to it just a kind of blanking out, an "I'll pretend it didn't happen". I'll be very sorry if Primeval becomes another sorry entry into the canon of shows that don't know how to handle resolved sexual tension, but the signs are not good.


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