Anomaly Research Centre
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Anomaly Research Centre


Episode 1.2 is the second episode of the first series of Primeval. It was broadcast as Underground Infestation[1] in North America, Spinnennest (Spidernest)[2] in Germany and Au bout du tunnel (At the end of the tunnel)[3] in France.

Summary[]

"Cutter investigates an invasion of giant spiders on the Underground and soon finds himself confronted by a far more ferocious creature - the 15ft Arthropleura, a prehistoric relative of the millipede. Stephen tries to save his old friend but is attacked in the process and has a vision of Helen, who delivers a message intended for her husband. Meanwhile, Abby is unimpressed by Connor's romantic overtures."[4]

Full synopsis[]

In the London Underground, a train is speeding through the tunnels, when it slows down and stops and the tannoy announces that the journey is being delayed due to signalling issues from Parsons Green. The passengers become very hot, and one woman heads up to the carriage door and opens the window to get some cool air while reading her book by the door. Initially unnoticed by the woman, two legs poke through the open window and begin brushing the side of her neck, tickling it. The horrified woman then notices the legs, as the creature they belong to (a large, spider-like arachnid) appears in the window. The woman quickly shuts the window on the spider, severing one of its legs and leaving it wriggling on the floor; causing the woman to scream out in horror.

At the Central Metropolitan University, Connor is talking with his two friends, Tom and Duncan, about his new work with the Anomaly research team, telling them about the Anomaly and his encounter with a Gorgonopsid and that he is forbidden to say much else about it due to the Official Secrets Act. However, both Tom and Duncan don't believe Connor, despite Connor's claims that it is true and his willingness to bet a Star Wars poster signed by the cast (which he and his friends hold as a relic) over it. Connor claims he would prove it to be true were he not forbidden from it, and that Tom and Duncan will one day believe him, and then leaves. Tom and Duncan both think Connor has gone mad, although Tom does note that Connor genuinely believes what he is saying.

At Nick Cutter's office, he and Stephen are looking through ten years' worth of Helen Cutter's work, searching for references to the Anomaly. Stephen is doubtful that they will find anything, because they have looked through it before before discovering the Anomaly, and is convinced that she would have told Nick about the Anomaly if she knew about it beforehand. Cutter looks over at his photo of Helen and remembers seeing her outside the University the night after the first Anomaly incursion. Stephen asks if Cutter is alright, and Cutter brushes Stephen's concern off and doesn't tell him about seeing Helen.

In the University cafe, Connor is on his laptop browsing for information, when he finds something that catches his eye and makes him smile. At Abby Maitland's flat, Abby is dancing half-naked as Rex watches, when Connor is heard banging on her door and claiming to believe he has found another Anomaly. Abby then hurriedly hides Rex in a covered glass case, turns off the music, and opens the door to Connor. Connor is awestruck upon seeing Abby's home and comes in, and then notices how Abby is dressed and makes a reference to it, prompting Abby to go and get dressed. As Abby goes up to get changed, Connor gives her a printout of what he found on the internet: it was on a weird sightings forum, and Connor believes it is another Anomaly incursion and wants Abby to check it out with him. Connor admits to Abby that he hasn't told Cutter about the sighting, as he is worried about how embarrassing it would be if he turns out to be wrong and Cutter is present for this. As Abby comes back down, having partially dressed, Connor hears Rex's chirps and finds him, and Abby explains how Rex came back to the present and that she kept him to stop the Home Office experimenting on him. Connor then asks Abby if she will join him in investigating the possible new Anomaly, but Abby is uncertain and feels they should let someone else know in case. However, Connor tries to convince her against it because he believes it is their chance to prove themselves to Cutter, and Connor even suggests that they could get another Coelurosauravus from the new Anomaly as a playmate for Rex.

In an Underground tunnel at Arsenal Station, a lone pest controller is spraying the tunnels for vermin. He hears a few noises in the tunnel behind him, but the pest controller ignores them and continues on as a rat crawls out into the tunnel as he moves on. Unnoticed to the rat, one of the giant spiders comes up behind it and pounces on it. At the Home Office, Lester and Claudia Brown are discussing clearing up the aftermath of the Forest of Dean Anomaly incursion, and Claudia explains that she has had Captain Ryan clear the Forest, and that there has been internet talk about the incident but there is mostly disbelief about the creatures. Claudia also mentions that one of the two eyewitnesses are in shock and the other, Ben Trent, is a boy, so they will cause no trouble if they can keep them away from the media. Lester and Claudia then discuss Cutter's position as leader of the new Anomaly research team; Lester disagrees with Cutter's maverick and unorthodox methods, but Claudia believes that they need him as Cutter is the closest they have to an expert. Lester believes that Claudia has grown attracted to Cutter, but Claudia only admits that she trusts Cutter. A reluctant Lester then agrees to keep Cutter on the team, and heads off.

In the New Forest, Connor and Abby have arrived to investigate the sighting. Abby is still uncertain about not telling anyone else before going, and Connor is trying completely unsuccessfully to comfort her if she's frightened and assure her about what to do if they encounter another Gorgonopsid. In the Underground, the pest controller is taking a break and getting out his lunchbox, when he drops his apple on the tunnel floor. As the pest controller goes to pick the apple up, one of the giant spiders on the wall is watching him, then scuttles off before the pest controller can notice it. Back at the University, Cutter is in his office looking through Helen's work, when Claudia arrives, having decided to come in person after Cutter ignored her messages. Cutter explains what he is doing, and he believes it is his fault that Helen left through the Anomaly; on Helen's last field trip before she disappeared, Nick was meant to go with her but didn't, as he and Helen were having difficulties and quarrels over Helen's theories about evolutionary inconsistencies which Nick found ridiculous (and which have since been confirmed in a way to be correct by the discovery of the Anomaly). Though Claudia believes that Helen is dead as she couldn't have possibly survived so long in the Permian, despite Cutter's uncertainty about this, Claudia tries to comfort Cutter about it and tell him it wasn't his fault.

Back in the New Forest, Abby has set up camp, and heads back over to Connor at the foot of a tree and explains that their tent is too small for more than one of them to fit in at a time. Connor claims to enjoy these kinds of outdoor activities, despite Abby's doubts about it for obvious reasons. Connor also suggests they huddle together or warmth against the cold temperature, which Abby does not take, and Abby next asks if she can ask Connor a personal question. Connor at first is happy and thinks Abby will ask him a romantic question directed at him, until Abby asks the question: is Stephen currently in a relationship. Connor answers that as far as he remembers, Stephen hasn't talked around him about Abby; and after thinking to himself about saying it, Connor then claims to Abby that he has never seen Stephen with a woman and believes Stephen may be gay. When Abby asks Connor about this theory and Connor flatly claims to not know for certain, an upset Abby throws her drink away and storms off into the tent; leaving Connor alone out in the cold to keep first watch for the night.

Back at Cutter's office at the University, Cutter asks Claudia about what they will do about the discovery of the Anomaly. Cutter wants to reveal the truth about the Anomaly to the public, but Claudia is sharply against this because of the panic and chaos doing so would cause and the high chance of containing and covering up evidence of the Anomaly incursion. Cutter labels this action a cover-up, which Claudia first tries to deny before then admitting it to be true. Stephen then bursts in, telling Cutter and Claudia that Abby has sent him a text message explaining she and Connor are in an unknown area of the New Forest investigating the possible new Anomaly, shocking and worrying Claudia and Cutter.

In the New Forest, as night falls, Connor quietly paces to himself while listening to music, until later he is asleep against a tree, oblivious to his mobile phone ringing in his hand. In the vegetation by the camp, a mostly unseen creature is lurking around and growling, and Abby comes out of the tent and sees it. Abby rushes over to Connor and wakes him up, and the creature begins to attack. The creature corners Abby and Connor in the camp before they can escape, and then begins advancing out of the vegetation towards them. However, before the creature reaches the two, it falls over and its roars become electronically garbled, and it is revealed to be a giant animatronic. As a confused Connor and Abby begin to cautiously move up to and investigate the animatronic creature, they notice Tom and Duncan nearby in the trees laughing, and it is realised that Tom and Duncan were using the animatronic to prank Connor. An approaching siren is then heard, and Tom and Duncan run off as the police arrive and Connor and Abby are left in chagrin over what is happening.

In the tunnels of the Underground, the pest controller is scouting for any signs of vermin, when he comes across a hole torn open in the tunnel wall. The pest controller looks inside the hole but finds nothing. He then looks up from the hole, and sees one of the giant spiders above him as it pounces. The next day, in the New Forest, Cutter is talking with and apologising to a police officer for Connor and Abby's act of trespass in the Forest, as Stephen looks at the animatronic creature's fake jaw. When Cutter comes over, Connor and Abby try to explain what happened to him and apologise. Cutter explains that the police won't prosecute them, but he is still furious at the two (primarily Connor) for blabbing about the Anomaly secret and for their reckless actions and lack of planning or preparation against the possible Anomaly incursion. Connor apologises for telling Tom and Duncan and what has happened as a result, and Cutter tells Connor that he is now off the Anomaly research team and orders Connor to go back to the University and continue with his old work. Abby is upset that Connor is getting punished for their recklessness and she isn't, and Cutter explains that she will stay on the team because she has skills useful to them and unlike Connor she kept the team's work secret. Cutter and Stephen then head off, leaving Connor silent and deeply upset and Abby unable to say anything to comfort him.

At a hospital, the pest controller from the Underground is shaking and unconscious in bed as a patient, as Dr. Lewis comes in with Cutter and Claudia, talking about the incident with the latter. Dr. Lewis explains that the pest controller was found injured and in his current state that morning in the Underground. Lewis also believes the wound to have been caused with a knife or an axe, but the hospital staff still can't understand what they are dealing with; the pest controller is dying from not the wound itself, but from venom that has been injected into his bloodstream. As Claudia discusses this with Dr. Lewis, Cutter goes up to the pest controller and looks at the injury. Dr. Lewis reveals that the pest controller, when found, was deliriously claiming to have seen monsters. Cutter looks at the pest controller's injury, and notes that it is not knife- or axe-inflicted but rather is an insectoid-like bite. Dr. Lewis wonders what kind of creature could have caused that bite, and Cutter notes it is a good question.

Later, at the Home Office, Lester is arguing with Cutter and Claudia over the new creature incursion; Cutter wants Lester to have the London Underground shut down to stop the creature poisoning any more victims, but Lester refuses to close the entire system and throw the city into chaos on such uncertain evidence of the new incursion. Claudia then convinces Lester to close down only the area of the Underground where the pest controller was attacked (most of which is also disused anyway), and Lester begrudgingly and reluctantly agrees to do this.

Later, outside the Arsenal Station entrance, several black cars pull up outside, and Claudia and dozens of Special Forces soldiers led by Captain Ryan come out; and the soldiers arm up and head down into the evacuating station, as Ryan and Claudia talk and Cutter, Stephen and Abby arrive by car. In Arsenal Station, Ryan and his men arrive in the Underground tunnel and begin to prepare themselves, arming up with rifles and night vision goggles; up outside of the station, Cutter wants him and the field team to go down the tunnel with Ryan and his soldiers and argues that Ryan's men don't even know what to expect to find, but Claudia tells Cutter that it is protocol that Special Forces go in before the field team. In the tunnel, Captain Ryan and his soldiers enter and head down the tunnel, until they come across a small door in the tunnel wall. The soldiers promptly break the door down and head through into a small, tight corridor, at the other side of which they find and go through a door into an abandoned Underground shelter. As Ryan and his men look around in the shelter, one of the giant spiders suddenly comes out of hiding and quickly scuttles between the soldiers' feet, then heads off out of sight again before the soldiers can do anything to capture it. As Captain Ryan and the soldiers form a circle and look around for any sign of the spider, Ryan looks up and sees hundreds of the giant spiders nested on the shelter ceiling. Just as Ryan alerts his men, one of the spiders falls down from the ceiling onto one of the soldiers - injuring him on the neck before Ryan swats the spider away - and the other spiders then all begin to descend en masse upon the frenzied soldiers. As the spiders falling down from the ceiling onto the soldiers begin to overwhelm them, one of the men, in a panic, fires his gun. The unusually bright and powerful gunshot bounces off the walls and bedposts and around the shelter for a few seconds, and in the aftermath, Captain Ryan finds that all of the spiders have disappeared from sight again. Ryan immediately orders his soldiers to withdraw, and they quickly head back out of the shelter through the tight corridor they came in through.

Later, in the street outside Arsenal Station, a Special Forces medic is examining the soldier that was bitten on the neck by the spiders, as Cutter, Stephen and Claudia discuss with Captain Ryan what he and his men saw and Ryan describes the spider creatures. Captain Ryan also notes that he is suffering a large headache despite the lack of blood invasion he suffered, and how the gunshots were much brighter and stronger than usual in the shelter. Stephen notes that the latter is an indication of higher excess oxygen levels in the atmosphere, and Cutter theorises that there is indeed another Anomaly in the Underground near the shelter and an atmosphere with higher oxygen levels is seeping through. Cutter also explains to the team that what they have learned so far means that this Anomaly does not link to the Permian as the last one did, and theorises that the Anomaly must lead to the Carboniferous period. Cutter tells Claudia that he and his team have to see the spiders for themselves, and Claudia agrees to let them into the Underground and the team then go to gear up. At the University, Connor is silently sitting alone to himself outside, thinking sadly about how he is now no longer part of the Anomaly operation because he bragged about it.

Back outside Arsenal Station, Cutter, Abby and Stephen are finishing gearing up, when Captain Ryan comes over and offers Cutter a gun against the creatures. Cutter explains that they will need the brightest torches there are against the spiders, and when Ryan offers them night vision goggles instead, Stephen states that the torches aren't for vision. Claudia then comes over and tells Cutter and Stephen that the attacked pest controller has recently died and tests are now being run on the injured soldier. When Claudia then sees that Abby is going in with Stephen and Cutter due to her greater experience with animals than the rest of the team, Claudia is reluctant, but Abby convinces a reluctant Claudia she can help (also mentioning that she has only just recently finished studying insect behaviour, which makes Stephen smile to himself). When Cutter and Captain Ryan go off to get torches, Stephen asks Abby if she was telling the truth about her knowledge of insect behaviour, and Abby confesses to him that she dislikes spiders. Stephen states that the arachnids are likely scorpions, which does little to calm a sarcastic Abby.

Cutter, Stephen and Abby then enter the station and head down into the tunnel with torches. In the small corridor linking the tunnel and the old shelter, Cutter looks in from the tunnel and spots one of the giant spiders nearby on the floor. When Cutter shines his torch at the spider, it immediately flees in the opposite direction, confirming Cutter's theory that the spiders are sensitive to light. Cutter, Stephen and Abby then slowly head down the corridor single-file towards the shelter, failing to notice one of the spiders lurking beside them on the wall. The spider reveals itself and pounces when Abby passes by it, then scuttles off when Abby instinctively shines her torch at the spider in response. Cutter, Abby and Stephen come out into the shelter, where they find numerous spiders lurking and scuttling around and fleeing from the light from their torches. Abby separates from Stephen and Cutter as the latter two continue to force the spiders away with their torches, and Abby finds a chain-link wall which has been chewed through and looks through and sees something. Abby calls Cutter and Stephen over, and the trio enter the space on the other side of the chewed chain-link, staring in shock and amazement at what Abby has found, As Cutter wonders aloud what's happening to them, it is revealed that the thing they have found is the Anomaly. Several of the spiders head up to the Anomaly and scuttle back through. Abby drops her torch, and when she bends down to pick it up, she notices a large, mostly unseen, insectoid creature moving around nearby behind a wall of old boxes and containers. Abby alerts Cutter and Stephen, and as the trio watch the creature move around, Cutter notes that whatever it is it isn't one of the spiders. Suddenly, the new creature bursts through the wall of containers at the team, and is revealed to be a giant centipede. Abby and Stephen flee back into the shelter in the frenzy, while Cutter is left trapped against the attacking centipede.

Claudia radios Cutter asking what's happening, and Cutter explains there is a new creature and that the team are going to head back out now. The centipede has apparently vanished from sight, and Abby and Stephen begin looking around the shelter for where it has gone. Stephen then hears the centipede's trilling above him, and looks up to see the centipede is on the ceiling and about to attack him. Stephen quickly grabs a petrol container and uses it to knock the centipede creature off the ceiling. The centipede quickly recovers and is close to pouncing at the cornered Abby and Stephen, when Cutter whistles from by the area where the Anomaly is to successfully draw the creature's attention. Though Stephen and Abby are both reluctant, Cutter gets them to flee the shelter, and the two then head out back through the corridor to the tunnel before the centipede can reach them. Cutter then realises that he has trapped himself with the aggressive creature, as the centipede turns its attention to him. Cutter runs over to another door and gets it unlocked as the centipede advances and he manages to get through onto the other side and close the door behind him just before the centipede reaches the door. The creature begins slamming and banging on the door, as from the other side, Cutter tries to hold the door shut against the centipede with his weight.

After the giant centipede has stopped trying to break the door down, Cutter sees that he is now in an old, empty tunnel, and he hears a feminine voice in the tunnel whispering his name. Cutter heads a bit further down the tunnel to investigate, and when he sees a shadow running off he calls out to them, suspecting it is Helen, but the shadow escapes from his sight before he can follow it. Back in the street outside Arsenal Station, Claudia is trying without success to contact Cutter over the walkie-talkie, but the signal is blocked, Claudia, Stephen and Abby look at the map of the Underground and see that there is no other way out of the tunnel where Cutter is, and Stephen notes that Cutter must be trapped. Stephen wants to go down to rescue Cutter, but Claudia is against it as they don't know what creature they are dealing with. Claudia accepts Stephen's fears that Cutter may be injured, but still refuses to let him go back down due to fear that that will mean they'll lose more people. Claudia then begins demanding facts about the giant centipede creature, but Abby and Stephen don't know anything about the creature. Stephen realises that Connor might be able to identify the centipede and give them information on it due to Connor's extensive knowledge on prehistoric animals, and Claudia then agrees to have Connor brought to them and heads off to give Captain Ryan the order. Stephen still refuses to leave Cutter down in the tunnels any longer, despite Claudia's refusal to let anyone down there without backup, and Stephen then heads off; leaving Abby dumbstruck and impressed.

Back in the old tunnel, Cutter is searching around for the woman whispering his name, but all he finds are dead ends down every tunnel. Back on the Arsenal Station platform, Stephen arrives and begins rifing through the pest controller's equipment and belongings for something useful. Stephen finds the pest controller's pesticide spray and comes up with an idea, then heads down into the tunnel with it. Stephen turns the spray into a torch by setting the chemicals coming from the end alight, and returns to the abandoned Underground shelter. One of the giant spiders appears, but Stephen uses the spray-turned-torch to force it to flee. Stephen then continues searching for Cutter, and heads into the area by the shelter where the Anomaly is and begins searching around. The giant centipede arrives and tries to sneak up on Stephen from behind, but the latter notices it and turns around, using the flames from the spray to repel it, and the centipede backs off. Stephen then resumes looking for Cutter, but when he passes by the Anomaly, its magnetic field pulls the flaming spray out of Stephen's hands and into the Anomaly; leaving Stephen defenceless against the giant centipede. Seeing the centipede attacking, Stephen flees back out into the old shelter, but finds the centipede creature has speedily gotten to there before him; and the centipede creature then attacks.

Back in the street outside Arsenal Station, Abby is trying without success to contact Stephen, when Claudia and Ryan come over and see Stephen is missing. Claudia is furious upon realising what Stephen has done, and tries herself to contact Stephen but gets no response from him. Claudia then scolds Abby for the field team's maverick and reckless methods, before ordering Ryan and another soldier to get down into the tunnels and find Stephen. As the soldiers head off, Connor arrives; Abby calls over to him, and Connor seems happy to be back with the team again. Back in the Underground shelter, Stephen is alone and lying on the floor, shaking uncontrollably and largely unable to move, with an injury by his shoulder. A woman with a torch then comes in and finds Stephen, and Stephen begs her to help him as he tries to turn over to see her. The woman remains standing where she is and watching Stephen, as the latter tries to get her to come over and help him. Stephen tries to see the woman, but his vision is too blurred. In the empty tunnel where Cutter is, the latter continues calling out for Helen; while back in the shelter, the semi-conscious Stephen recognises the woman as Helen Cutter. Cutter returns from the empty tunnel to the shelter, and finds the injured and poisoned Stephen on the floor, with Helen having vanished, and heads over to his aid. Stephen sarcastically tells Cutter that the giant centipede poisoned him, and Cutter then decides to get Stephen out of the tunnel and begins to help him up. As Cutter helps Stephen across the tunnel towards the exit, Stephen reveals to Cutter that he saw Helen and she is indeed alive, and that she gave him a message for Cutter: she is waiting on the other side of the Anomaly, and if Cutter wants to know the truth then he must go through the Anomaly to find her. Cutter and Stephen head out of the shelter into the Underground tunnel, just as Captain Ryan and his soldiers arrive and find them and begin helping the two up from the tunnel.

Back in the street outside the station, Connor identifies the giant centipede creature to Abby and Claudia as an Arthropleura, based upon the fact that it is a Carboniferous creature; it is virtually blind but has good senses, but it should also be a timid creature (Claudia jokes that the Arthropleura in the Underground must suffer from personality disorder). Connor also notes that Arthropleura is supposed to feed on dead plant matter and thus most likely isn't poisonous; but just as Claudia becomes relieved and believes the Arthropleura isn't deadly, Cutter and Captain Ryan and his soldiers come out with the injured Stephen. As Claudia, Connor and Abby come over and see Stephen's bite from the Arthropleura, the soldiers take Stephen over towards an ambulance, and Cutter notes that Stephen's wound and venom symptoms are identical to the pest controller's; meaning that the Arthropleura is indeed the killer and the giant spiders are innocent. Claudia is upset at Connor for his failure to identify the Arthropleura as the venomous creature. Stephen mentions seeing Helen and asks Cutter to tell the rest of the team about Helen, but when Claudia asks Cutter about it, the latter pretends to not know what Stephen means, though Claudia is doubtful that Stephen was hallucinating. As Stephen is loaded up into the ambulance, Abby stays by his side and tries to comfort him. Stephen flirts with Abby and asks her out to dinner, and Stephen also accepts that he is dying but Abby refuses to. Abby then gets in the back of the ambulance with Stephen as the paramedics prepare to drive off.

At the hospital where the pest controller was admitted, Stephen is brought in to Dr. Lewis, unconscious and in severe condition, and Lewis demands to know from Abby about the centipede that poisoned him; warning Abby that Stephen has no chance of surviving if they don't learn exactly what happened to him. Abby offers to get Dr. Lewis all the information she can, but Lewis doubts this will help due to the absence of poisonous centipedes in London. Dr. Lewis tells Abby that if the latter can get her a sample of the Arthropleura venom in its pure form, she might be able to locate a matching antivenom; Lewis also warns Abby that the antivenom could have a minimum of fifty percent chance of curing Stephen as it is itself toxic, but without one Stephen is certain to die. Abby orders Dr. Lewis to keep Stephen alive in the meantime, then leaves the hospital. Back in the Underground shelter, Captain Ryan and his men are scouring the place with bright torches. Ryan notes that their tactic is working, as the light from the torches forces the giant spiders to flee en masse back through the Anomaly.

Back in the street outside Arsenal Station, the team are discussing how to save Stephen. Abby believes that continuing tests on the venom in the victims' blood will take too long and won't save Stephen in time, and Cutter agrees that the only way an antivenom for the Arthropleura venom can be found in time is if they get a pure sample of the centipede's venom. When Claudia dryly comments about achieving that by asking the Arthropleura to fill a specimen jar, Cutter states that they are going to gain the sample through a similar means. Connor knows what Cutter means and is against it, but Cutter believes it is the only way of saving Stephen. Cutter then contacts Ryan over the walkie-talkie as Ryan and his men continue to clear out the bunker by forcing the spiders back through the Anomaly with their torches. Cutter tells Captain Ryan that as the team need the Arthropleura to save Stephen, Ryan and his men must ensure that the centipede does not at any cost go back through the Anomaly. Cutter then instructs Connor to get him something effective for his plan; when Claudia asks what Cutter intends, the latter reveals that he plans to get the Arthropleura's venom by getting the creature to try and bite him.

Cutter, Abby and Claudia head down into the Underground bunker, which Captain Ryan's men have secured and finished clearing of the spiders, and meet up with Ryan in the area where the Anomaly is located. Ryan explains that there is no sign of the Arthropleura in the bunker, and thus the centipede must either have already returned through the Anomaly before Ryan and his soldiers cleared out the bunker, or the Arthropleura is in the dead-end empty tunnel where Cutter was trapped earlier. Cutter and Ryan then head into the tunnel with Ryan's men, followed by Claudia, and begin searching in the tunnel for the Arthropleura. Cutter and the soldiers scour the tunnel until they reach the dead end, with no sign of the Arthropleura. Cutter realises that the centipede must have escaped back through the Anomaly and thus they have lost any hope of getting its venom in time; leaving Cutter furious and upset over his seeming failure to save Stephen.

Shortly afterwards, Cutter and Claudia are standing by the Anomaly, staring at it; Cutter is lamenting over their failure to save Stephen, and blaming himself for Stephen getting bitten, as Claudia tries to comfort him. Connor then comes in and reveals to Cutter that he has just remembered that Arthropleura were burrowers, and thus there is a possibility that the Arthropleura is still in the present and has evaded being found by burrowing through the walls. This gives Cutter hope, and Connor and Captain Ryan's soldiers then begin searching the old Underground shelter for holes in the walls left by the Arthropleura, until Connor finds a hole behind a small stack of crates; confirming that the Arthropleura is indeed still in the present. Connor calls Cutter over and shows him the hole. Cutter decides that the only way to find where the Arthropleura has burrowed to and get a venom sample from it in time is if Cutter himself goes into the hole and follows the creature's tunnel. Claudia is reluctant about this, and Connor offers to go with Cutter. Cutter agrees to let Connor come, and as Cutter goes to get a bottle of a liquid, Connor tells Abby that his Star Trek: The Next Generation Top Trumps cards are hers if he dies (but then changes his mind and asks Abby to just have the Top Trumps buried with him). Cutter tells Connor and Ryan to put the liquid he has gotten on their clothes, revealing that it is turpentine and will repel the Arthropleura from them. Afterwards, Cutter crouches and heads into the hole and through the cramped Arthropleura tunnel. Ryan then goes in behind Cutter, and Connor looks over at Abby before following as well.

Cutter, Ryan and Connor crawl through the cramped burrow (with Connor trying to calm himself), until they come out into a large electrics area of the Underground. They look around the place, and the trio think that the Arthropleura may be on a very high up level of the area above them, and Cutter decides that they should go up to investigate (with Connor quipping about how he is going through claustrophobia and vertigo both in one day as the team head up). At the top of the stairs, the team come to the cage mesh door to an electrics room which has been chewed through, and Cutter and Captain Ryan go in followed by Connor (with Cutter leading in front as they want him to be the one the Arthropleura attacks). The trio cannot see the Arthropleura anywhere in the electrics room as they search around for the creature, but unnoticed to them, the centipede is stalking them from above. When Connor accidentally knocks over a stool, the trio notice the Arthropleura, as the centipede descends towards them to attack. Cutter walks up to and confronts the Arthropleura, and when he urges it on, the centipede attacks Cutter and bites him directly on the arm. The Arthropleura then releases Cutter, and Connor grabs a stool and tries to use it to physically beat the centipede back. Captain Ryan opens fire on the Arthropleura, but his bullets just bounce of the centipede's body, until the creature swipes Ryan's gun out of his hands. Connor then charges at the Arthropleura, using the stool as a battering ram, and jams the stool in the centipede's mandibles. As the trio recover and watch, the Arthropleura crazily tries to get the stool out of its mandibles, until the caught stool catches on a fuse box; electrocuting the Arthropleura, which then falls backwards off the electrics level and to its death on the bottom floor. As the trio laugh over their victory, it is revealed that Cutter was wearing a protective armband when the Arthropleura tried to bite him, and thus he wasn't poisoned and the team now have the venom sample. The trio then leave to get the venom to Stephen.

Later, at the hospital, Abby is sitting quietly at the bedside of an unconscious but now peaceful Stephen (who has apparently been given the antivenom), when Connor comes in to see how Stephen is. Abby notes that Stephen is showing signs of recovery, and Connor notes that despite the fact Abby barely knows Stephen, she fancies him. Connor confesses to Abby that he himself once had a similar crush (namely Buffy the Vampire Slayer - despite the fact that she is fictional - until she began "hanging out with this badly animated dog"). This makes Abby laugh. Stephen then begins to wake, and Connor calls Dr. Lewis to inform her as Abby smiles at Stephen. Later on, Stephen is reading a book in bed by himself, when Claudia comes in to see how he is (with Stephen admitting he feels unpleasant). Claudia asks Stephen about what he was saying about seeing Helen when he was poisoned, but Stephen has no idea what she means as he has no memory of what happened after he was poisoned; Stephen assumes he was just hallucinating, but Claudia has noticeable doubts about this, though she dismisses it and leaves. Abby comes in and asks Stephen about his short-term memory loss. Abby asks Stephen if he remembers talking to her in the ambulance, but he doesn't; when he asks her about it, Abby dismisses it as unimportant, and Stephen accepts that. Stephen thanks Abby for looking after him.

Back in the Underground, Cutter is sitting alone in the area by the shelter, staring at the Anomaly, when Connor arrives and heads over to Cutter. Connor asks if what he did today with the Arthropleura incursion means he is now back in the Anomaly operation; and Cutter first cynically declares he seems to be unable to keep Connor out, before admitting to Connor that he did a good job today. Connor seems thrilled to hear this, and he then confesses to Cutter that he has always wanted to be in a crime-busting gang, and that dream has now partially come true with the Anomaly operation. Connor asks if Cutter will give him a cool nickname, which Cutter flatly declines, and Connor accepts this and leaves the area happy. Once Connor is gone, Cutter looks back over at the Anomaly, and gets up and walks over to it. Staring into the Anomaly and thinking to himself, Cutter puts a hand to the Anomaly, and wonders where Helen is and what she wants.

Cast[]

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  • Rat (first appearance)

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Continuity[]

  • Though not explicitly stated, dialogue in this episode indicates that it takes place 1-2 days after Episode 1.1.

Trivia[]

The Carboniferous Giant Arachnids are never formally named in the show or extended media. The Arachnids' appearance shared similarities to Camel Spiders, a family of arachnids that first appeared in the Carboniferous era, and likely inspired the design of these fictional creatures.

Cut/deleted scene[]

  • A possible cut or deleted scene was in the non-canon novelisation of Episode 1.1 and this episode, called A Rip in Time. The scene would have had Abby in the Wellington Zoo Elephant enclosure searching for parasites in their dung after she left the Reptile program. Embarrassingly for Abby, Stephen visited her and on behalf of Cutter, and gave her the Helen Cutter Educational Trust from the Central Metropolitan University so she can continue to work with the Reptile program and help with the Anomaly-investigating team.

Errors[]

  • In the recap of Episode 1.1, the scene of Nick Cutter talking about the Anomalies is from Episode 1.3 and had not aired yet.
  • The scene showing the outside of the Central Metropolitan University is actually unused footage from Episode 1.1; as if one looks very closely, Connor is visible sitting on a wall then following Nick and Stephen, despite the fact that they are all inside at the time.
  • The scene just before Nick Cutter enters the Arthropleura tunnel, Connor is seen putting his bag on the bunker leaving his possessions to Abby. Moments later, he has bag on again. And just as he turns around to look at Abby one last time, it's off again. The very next scene shows Abby with the bag on the bed.

Story connections[]

  • References to Episode 1.1.
    • Claudia mentions that Captain Ryan was clearing the Forest of Dean.
    • Claudia mentions Ben Trent and the teacher's encounter with the Gorgonopsid.
    • Claudia also mentions that she believes that Helen Cutter was lost 250 million years ago.
    • Connor mentioned meeting the Gorgonopsid to Tom and Duncan. Later when Connor and Abby were investigating a possible Anomaly, Connor told Abby to run like crazy if they encountered another Gorgonopsid.
  • In Episode 1.3:
    • The Underground Anomaly is briefly seen.
    • Stephen still has amnesia at the start of this episode.
    • Tom and Duncan reference their fake dinosaur prank on Connor.
  • Arthropleura returns in Episode 2.6 and 2.7.

Filming Locations[]

The Home Office (original timeline) returned in this episode: the exterior of the building is the Parthenon EY building, Southbank, and the interior is filmed in Victoria House. The Central Metropolitan University features this episode, filmed at the Toyota GB Head Office, Epsom. The New Forest was also filmed in Black Park, the same location used to film the Forest of Dean. The hospital that both the pest controller and Stephen Hart were brought to after being bitten by the Arthropleura was filmed at the Royal Free Hospital, London. The exterior of the Underground Station was filmed at Arsenal Station, however the outside area in which Nick Cutter and the Home Office team strategize is filmed in the Boundary Estate, Bethnal Green. The Underground tunnel itself was filmed in the Aldwych Underground. The Underground power station was likely filmed in one of the Qinetiq facilities, discussed during several audio commentaries throughout the show, however this is unconfirmed.

References[]

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