‘Aquaman: King of Atlantis Chapter Two — Primordius’ Review: Aquaman And Mera Are The Best Couple In The Sea
The first episode of King of Atlantis arrived with a flashy new, fresh style for the classic DC hero. Transforming his journey to become the true and loved king of Atlantis, into an action packed adventure filled with tons of amazing jokes. The second chapter in this trilogy arrives this week and cements Keith Pakiz as one of the most talented new animation directors in the business and someone everybody should have their eyes on.
If Chapter One was about setting the stage for the conflict that is going to play out in the trilogy, then this second chapter is all about exploring that conflict and expanding the universe of the show. While watching this is just incredibly fun, it is also quite, that is all going to be over next week with the final episode. Chapter 2 Primordious, has the same propelling force as the same episode but goes into exploring some unknown parts of Atlantis. Of course, some of these places are totally made up for the show and don’t adhere to the canon, but it doesn’t really matter as they are so full of imagination and a sense of fun.
Pakiz and his team of animators create a whole new universe for Aquaman to play with, and it is fantastic. Most of all, a great deal of what makes the episode, so fun are not only the visual gags and exciting action sequences, but also the characters themselves.
This time, the focus of the story is on both Aquaman and Mera and how they work together as a team. Cooper Andrews as Aquaman and Gillian Jacobs as Mera steal the show and every single sequence, and their couple are both loveable jerks but also tender lovers as they take care of each other throughout the whole episode.
When the episode goes into more of a sentimental vein and goes into a more philosophical place where jokes are not allowed, the performances from both actors help sell the moments to any audience. It is actually quite moving, which is something that comes as unexpected from a show like this and its brand of humor.
Talking about humor, the episode maintains the same level of quality when it comes to jokes and all the funny observations the characters make about themselves and their counterparts, both in the comics and on film. The self awareness though is never played out ad nauseam, so the message is able to reach those viewers who are actually invested and there’s no need to stop the story in order to explain what the episode is about.
The episode also introduces a new villain and while it might not be as creepy and charismatic as the one in Chapter One, our enemy this time is quite strong. So much, that imagining a creature like this being recreated for a live-action movie sounds just exciting and also scary.
This episode more than the first one also has a couple of very good horror elements that make it a perfect release for this Halloween season. Of course, this is still a kids’ show so Pakiz never goes too far on anything and yet, the elements are quite effective.
When looking at the two first chapters as a whole, the episode really comes together as one story, which makes the hype for the conclusion also quite exciting. The ending of the episode gives us another great cliffhanger to push the story forward for what will be an amazing ending next week.
What will happen in the next episode? Will Aquaman finally be able to eat cooked fish in Atlantis? Will he be able to win the support of his subjects? What new quirk will Mera show us? We don’t know yet, but it will be funny for sure.
Who would have thought that an animated miniseries in this style could not only be this good, but also feel like the perfect bridge between Aquaman (2018) and the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in 2022.
