Anomaly Research Centre
Register
Advertisement
Anomaly Research Centre


Episode 2.5 is the fifth episode of the second series of Primeval. It was broadcast as Silurian Sands[1] in North America, Nur ein paar Käfer (Only a few Bugs)[2] in Germany and Au milieu du désert (In the middle of the desert)[3] in France.

Summary[]

When rescuing a young girl trapped in the Silurian era, Cutter and Stephen find themselves in serious trouble - giant scorpions are terrorising them, and the Anomaly has closed.

Full synopsis[]

A young girl called Taylor Craig runs through an Anomaly in pursuit of her dog. She arrives in the Silurian era where her dog has disappeared. She emerges from the Anomaly in a star-lit desert landscape: but her wonder turns to terror as strange shapes begin to move beneath the sand...

Back at the Anomaly Research Centre, Connor's Anomaly Detector registers the Anomaly. Suddenly there is a power surge, which disables the Detector but by the time Connor reboots it, it now registers zero anomalies. Cutter tells Connor to talk about it to no one, telling him that he suspects someone has tapped the power and stole the location of the anomaly using spyware. He is right; sitting in his car is Oliver Leek with a laptop signalling an Anomaly. Leek dispatches a group of mercenaries, led by the Cleaner through the Anomaly for unknown reasons. On the other side of the anomaly, the mercenaries sight Taylor but decide not to save her. Before they can go any further, an unknown creature emerges from the sand and launches an attack. The mercenaries open fire with machine guns but cause no damage: Taylor covers her ears as the sounds of fighting gradually fade away.

Meanwhile, Stephen Hart returns to his flat to find Helen Cutter in the shower. After she emerges, she discusses the fact there is a traitor in the ARC, though she twists the information to make it seems that Cutter and Lester are involved. While Stephen is distracted, she makes a phone call to Leek, demanding a report as soon as the mercenaries get back. Meanwhile, the team have discovered the anomaly's location and Cutter, accompanied by a well-dressed Jenny (having just left an engagement party held by her future inlaws) go to investigate. Leek flees the scene, having alerted Helen to the fact Cutter has arrived and the mercenaries have not returned. A furious Helen then hangs up, after warning Leek of the consequences if Cutter finds out what they're doing.

Cutter and Jenny find the anomaly when a small dog runs out. Realising its owner may be on the other side, Cutter calls in the rest of the team. As they arrive, Connor has a private discussion with Stephen regarding the things he and Abby said to each other while under attack from the Mer previously: namely the fact Connor told her he loved her. Stephen advises him to do what he feels is best, but reminds Connor he will have to dump Caroline if he wants to try for a relationship with Abby.

Connor sends his latest invention- a remote control camera buggy- through the anomaly. The arid desert landscape leads Cutter to deduce the anomaly leads to the Silurian. On the screen, they see Taylor: reasoning she may be injured, Cutter and Stephen decide to go through the anomaly to investigate. On the other side, they come across the remnants of the mercenaries' battle with the unknown creatures, including weapons and night vision goggles carrying footage of the carnage. Stephen points this out to be evidence of a traitor's presence in the ARC: when Cutter shows no surprise at this revelation, Stephen accuses him of withholding the information and comments they are supposed to be working as a team. Cutter simply remarks to Stephen that "You sound like Helen". Moving on, they head in the direction of Taylor and narrowly reach her position on a rocky outcrop, just ahead of a mysterious creature pursuing them beneath the sand. They reach her and she reluctantly agrees to be taken back through the Anomaly.

On the other side of the anomaly, Abby and Connor debate over whether he should dump Caroline. Connor eventually settles on dumping her by text: though Abby points out this is cruel and humiliating, even for Caroline, Connor does it anyway. When Caroline gets the text she is not happy and prepares to leave, when she finds Rex and decides to take her frustration out on him. She throws plates and eventually hits him with a tennis racket, knocking him unconscious.

Meanwhile Abby and Connor sight a bug that has escaped from the anomaly: they pursue it to a cafe and eventually find it in a ball pit (Abby recaptures it, while Connor seems more interested in having fun). They then return it to the anomaly, mere seconds before it closes. On the other side, Stephen, Taylor and Cutter realise the anomaly is closing, but unable to reach it in time, they are left trapped in the Silurian.

Connor and Abby return to the ARC and tell Lester the bad news. Connor is put in charge, much to Lester's chagrin (he mockingly comments "Daphne and Scrappy here will have to take charge of the anomaly operation"). Connor explains that Cutter and Stephen may be able to survive for several weeks if they find a water source: Lester orders a watch to be set on the anomaly site, with the intention of going in after them if it reopens. When Jenny asks what she is expected to tell Taylor's step-father, Lester regretfully replies "Tell him we did our best" implying that she has died before she could be rescued. In the Silurian, to Stephen, Nick and Taylor's relief, their hand-held Anomaly detector registers another Anomaly but then, unfortunately, are caught in a sandstorm.

Later the group are confronted by the mercenary leader (the 'Cleaner'), who forces the trio to hand over their water and the anomaly detector at gunpoint. The Mercenary shoots the ground as Cutter advances on him, disturbing one of the unknown creatures beneath the sand. It attacks the mercenary from beneath, dragging him down into the desert. Stephen demands the mercenary to tell him who he is working for, but the mercenary coldly refuses with his last breath, before the creature drags him to his death beneath the sand.

The group are forced to cross a series of sand dunes slowly, to avoid attracting the attention of the creatures and reach the anomaly: unfortunately, Taylor falls over, luring one of the creatures which drags down Stephen. Taylor jumps up and down to attract its attention, and the creature emerges: a gigantic scorpion, clutching Stephen in its claws. Before it can attack them, a second scorpion attacks it, forcing the first one to drop Stephen. Stephen gets Taylor to safety while Cutter goes back to grab the night vision goggles: the proof of the traitor's identity. He grabs them just before the scorpion reaches him: its opponent attacks again, allowing Cutter to catch up to Stephen and Taylor. The trio slide down a dune on a discarded shell, followed by the scorpion, which has killed its opponent and is in pursuit. The trio race down the dune and run through the anomaly ahead of the scorpion, which gives up the chase.

On the other side of the anomaly, the group find themselves in a forest that seems to date within the past thousand years. Upon finding a primitive tent and crude stone weapons, Cutter deduces they are in the Middle Palaeolithic and that they need to escape. Before they can, a early human, clad in animal skin clothing and armed with a spear appears, whom Cutter swiftly knocks out with a well-placed punch. However, closer investigation reveals the 'caveman' to be more modern than he first appeared. Abby and Connor then emerge from the forest, having used the anomaly detector to find them (Stephen and Cutter silently berate Connor, who had previously told them there was little to worry about in the Silurian). Lester is also present, who explains they are in a prehistoric-themed amusement park. He welcomes Cutter back, preferring him to be running the anomaly project than Connor, but Stephen and Cutter, wary of treachery, deal with him coldly. Cutter and Jenny return Taylor home, with Cutter jokingly offering her a job at the ARC when she's older.

Connor and Abby return to the flat to find Rex missing and the place wrecked, as there is broken dishes and other items all over the floor. Back at the ARC, Cutter leaves the night-vision goggles in his office for later study when he goes to get a cup of coffee: on his return, he find they have been stolen.

Cast and crew[]

This episode's cast and crew:


Appearances[]

Characters[]

Creatures[]

Animals[]

Locations[]

Objects and technology[]

Organisations[]

Trivia[]

  • The fact that the Silurian scorpion featured is not in the fossil record is addressed, when Connor states that "There's not a lot to injure you in the Silurian" and there are "a few basic plants, some bugs" living on land in this time.
  • Most fans believe that the two Anomalies seen in this episode, were actually the same one, and had just moved along a temporal fault line, as seen in Episode 1.3. However this has never been confirmed.
  • The Silurian Millipedes are believed to be Eoarthropleura, the ancestors of the Arthropleura, which appeared in Episode 1.2. Interestingly the same CGI models were used baring the mandibles on the millipedes.

Filming Locations[]

Taylor's flat was filmed at the Alexandra Road estate, London. The building site where the Silurian anomaly opened was filmed at Battersea power plant while it was being redeveloped. The Silurian era desert was filmed at the Corrajelo Natural Park in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands. The ARC interior was filmed at Longcross Studios. The Lost World Adventure Park was filmed in Black Park.

Errors[]

  • When Caroline checks her phone, it says "Sat 09 Jun 23.01". However it is clearly day time not night when this happens. Also when the date is checked, Saturday 9th of June is in 2007 but Episode 2.6/2.7 takes place before this on 3rd/4th of March 2007. This was most likely the filming date.

Story connections[]

  • Connor talks to Stephen about how he told Abby that he loved her, as seen in Episode 2.4.
  • The fact that Caroline stole Rex is mentioned by Abby and Connor in Episode 2.6.
  • The Silurian Scorpions reappear in Episode 2.6 and Episode 2.7.
  • The Cleaner's death is seen in a flashback and talked about by Nick Cutter in Episode 3.2.
  • Although the Cleaner dies in this episode, some other "versions" of him appear in Episode 2.7, 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3.

Ratings[]

5.8 million (26%)

Gallery[]

Template:Gallery


User Reviews[]

See the user reviews page.


References[]

Advertisement