The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 21

Dinosaurs in the snow; that's what Connor and Abby had to deal with this time. A Spinosaurus was out on the loose, leaving its large footprints in the freshly fallen snow. Keeping a careful distance, the team approached the out of place animal. 

Abby took the lead and soon the Spinosaurus was under control and contained and sent back to the Cretaceous. 

Connor thought this might be a nice time for making snow angels . . . and so Abby decided that she might as well follow suit. After all, they'd done their work; now it was time to enjoy the snow for themselves. 

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 20

Sometimes time and space reveal amazing things, like four Doctors in the same room (or standing on the same book, as the case may be). 

And sometimes, it all goes one step further, as Connor and Abby found out when they found themselves in the presence of the tenth Doctor. Connor was thrilled; Abby was rather bemused by how thrilled Connor was.

Time for snapshots?

Then behold, along came the eleventh Doctor, as well. Just when Connor thought it couldn't get any better. 

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 19

You know, sometimes worlds collide. Although it technically involves time travel, I wouldn't call Primeval a time travel show. But I was just thinking that perhaps, since the ARC team deal with anomalies through time, they might perhaps cross paths with the Doctor at some point. Maybe their observations lead them to find the TARDIS traveling through time? Let's send Connor and Abby to investigate. 

An example of one of the reasons why, years ago, I had to at least look up Doctor Who to find out what was the deal with different actors as the Doctor and subsequently find out what regeneration was, was because I saw people in YouTube comments nominating Andrew Lee Potts (Connor) for the next doctor. Now that I've met the Doctor, I heartily agree. So let's imagine what that would be like . . . 

Ah, travels through space and time.

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 18

Primeval's Connor and Abby wish to offer you a happy Valentine's Day. 

Connor also gave to Abby a "My Hero" heart, in thanks for the many times she saved his life. 

I think, however, that Abby had Rex in mind when she picked out this green "My Boy" heart. 

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 17

It has been quite a while since we last looked in on the Primeval team. They're gearing up for Christmas now; I have, since last time, brought Rex and an anomaly to join them. The trouble, though, with the anomaly is that it seems to have brought along another critter. A Spinosaurus leapt out to join Claudia Brown, Abby, Rex, and Connor for their Christmas picture. 

I do hope that flashbacks of their time in the Cretaceous, when they were chased by a Spinosaurus, don't take away from the holiday spirit too much for Connor and Abby. Merry Christmas from the ARC team. 

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 16

Usually Primeval showed the ARC team moving around in their government SUV's, except when Connor and Abby had the Mini Cooper. Occasionally, though, they drove something speedier, something picked up from the highway or the test track. Something like a red convertible. 

Here, Connor, Abby, and Jenny take advantage of the quicker speeds.

Judging by the amount of flowers, I think their destination must have been some sort of botanical garden. Perhaps there's a Triceratops there, eating away at the plants?

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 15

Last week, I took Connor and Abby to the beach--in California, of course. 

They hung out on a sand castle/mountain, trying not to get too sandy.

Minus several seagulls, a dose of ducks, piles of tiny crabs, and a critter hiding in a pointy shell, there were no creatures to be found. It was vacation for the ARC team. 

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 14

Jenny, Connor, and Abby were sent to investigate a garden this week. 

The ARC had gotten a call about a strange growth on one of the plants. Since the plant appeared to be a giant sunflower, the team wondered if perhaps it had been infected by something from a future anomaly.

Fortunately, though, the plant proved not to be harmful--it wasn't even an early stage of the fungus from Episode 3.5. The team settled down for a break in one of the garden's chairs, relieved that it had turned out to be a false alarm.

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 13

Sooo, I have been hanging out in California for a few days for Spring Break (What do you think? Should I give more tidbits about where I went later?). One morning went toward the Natural History Museum (not in small part for nostalgia's sake). Connor and Abby wanted to come along to see the dinosaur wing. These pictures, however, are not from there: they're in the Discovery section, where you're allowed to go right up against the displays. 

 I think this picture must have been taken prior to that year in the Cretaceous . . .

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 12

For the second time, the team has come across a miniature Triceratops only to find that it is a cookie, a product of my silly, dinosaur cookie cutter.

Gingerbread cookies have long been a Christmas tradition of mine, one all the more endeared because few people seem to make them. And most of the ones you can buy are too crunchy or just don't taste right. I quadrupled the recipe this year so as to have plenty for sharing; since I was making so many, I thought it wouldn't be too ridiculous to make a few gingerbread dinos, too. I'm sure Connor would approve.

Happy Christmas tomorrow.

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 11

I title this segment "A Primeval Christmas."

Over at the ARC, someone brought in a tree to celebrate the season. I have my own guesses about which one of these three it was . . .

But then someone else showed up. It appears Connor was involved in bringing the green dinosaur as he seems to be quite friendly towards it. It is a little reminiscent of Rex, after all, isn't it?

The only thing is, this isn't Rex--it's my new ornament. After it greeted the Primeval team, it was time for it to find a place on the tree. Doesn't it look so happy, hanging on its branch and smiling? (If you want one--they're also in pink and blue--hurry/scurry over to ModCloth.)

Primeval: My Spin-off Idea

As I have said, my History and Evolution of Food class makes me think about Primeval a lot. Today was one of those days, bringing me to a new idea while I sat in class listening to talk about tubers and millions of years ago and crocodiles (as in Episode 3.1).

With Primeval: New World coming on and the original series probably having taken its last breath, why not suggest a new spin-off that takes off more directly from the British series? A sort of "lost years" series, if you will. A sort of "Abby and Connor stuck in the Cretaceous for a year" series. What fan wouldn't want to see that?

Just imagine what a show like this would be. It would have to be a short series, maybe one or two seasons (depending on season length). Connor and Abby could be the only human characters, but who's to say they couldn't meet some other groups while they were there? Groups like the one Emily traveled with. They wouldn't join the group because they wanted to stay at their anomaly site. And if that seems to be wandering too far, no worries: I would have absolutely no problem watching a whole show with no one but Hannah Spearritt and Andrew Lee Potts.

Just think of how filming this show would be. No other actors, per se, but plenty of creatures. So they would either be constantly interacting with thin air or with stand-ins (like "Dave the Lodge"--watch this interview to hear about him). (Unless Andy Serkis came along to play a dinosaur Connor and Abby became particularly attached to--but that would be a whole new topic, wouldn't it?) There would have to be quite a CG budget and something of a location budget, too, but not too many sets (as in buildings, rooms, that sort of thing).

We could see them sculpting tools, building their shelter, recording the plant and animal life, sightseeing the surroundings in fear and excitement. Deciding what was good to eat and what wasn't, helping each other along with different tasks. The difficult thing would be that their spirits would slowly sink lower and lower as the series went on and their situation became more hopeless, and the finale wouldn't really even be able to show happiness restored because that's Primeval Episode 4.1.

Which brings me to naming this show. It wouldn't be bad as Primeval: Lost World, but of course somebody has already taken that, haven't they? Primeval: Forgotten World might work, though it's a little longer. But I like it more than Primeval: Abandoned--and Primeval: Stranded would be an ode to the movie Stranded Andrew was in some years back. Or what about Primeval: Lost Discovery?

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 10

Let's bring our friends back a few steps, to Episode 2 of Season 1, to the time when anomalies were new. To the time before the anomaly detector, when the team needed to carry around compasses to find them--for, yes, I assure you, it is a compass Connor has around his neck, though the sun entirely blanked out the compass design. 

To a time when Connor convinced Abby to go on a camping trip to investigate another possible anomaly site.

To a time when, though Connor liked her from the start, Abby was more interested in learning more about Stephen.

How times do change.

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 9

While I was rearranging my piles of books, Connor and company came over to investigate the Primeval books. Connor and Abby went to stand by their respective covers, and it's no wonder that it was toward Cutter's cover that Jenny gravitated. 

Good match?

I think they were quite pleased at the books. Just don't tell Tolkien that I keep the four titles next to his section--somehow I doubt he'd think much of Primeval. Which would just break Connor's heart, of course (Connor likes the book arrangement: he was impressed that I actually own not just The Silmarillion, but also such things as The Book of Lost Tales 2 and The Tolkien Reader.)

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 8

Among Connor's eccentricities is his perfect willingness and comfort to ride a skateboard around in the ARC in Season 2. You all remember, of course, when he skateboarded over to check on the anomaly detector? 

It may be alright for one person to bring a skateboard into the building, but what if it didn't end there? What if Abby also decided to bring in a scooter?

Or what if Jenny Lewis biked into the building? No, it would never work if everyone acted like Connor. The poor ARC couldn't handle it.

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 7

I wasn't the only one curious about the new fossil piece--Jenny set up an investigation of it right away. After all, the team aren't always hunting down anomalies; a little studying during their downtime will only help them more later on.

I would ask Connor the name of this fossil, but I'm afraid he would launch into an hour long explanation instead of just one or two words.

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 6

There have been a good amount of dinosaur-related items around me lately, which has been confusing Abby and Connor.

First, I had to assure them that this triceratops was, in truth, only a cookie. It took a moment for them to believe me.

Then they caught sight of what seemed a miniature Tyrannosaurus; Connor tried to shield Abby from its sharp teeth.

But once again, it was only my new necklace. Once I had informed them of this, the two started in on an examination of it. Abby was concerned that real dinosaurs had been harmed in the making of it, and Connor wanted to make sure it wouldn't "come back to life."

The Adventures of Connor & Abby: Part 5

It should be assumed by now, but please remember that there are spoilers in this post.

It was all going along so well in the early days, when Connor would pick up an anomaly on the detector . . .

He and Abby would go into the field to deal with any creatures and lock the anomaly as soon as possible.

But then came the day when Jess found that the newest anomaly was in fact in Connor's lab; Abby wasn't pleased to learn that he had created the first man-made anomaly.

Of course, it was just a prototype for a much larger anomaly at New Dawn, which Connor, to Abby's despair, would sadly fall into while trying (finally) to shut it down.

But as we know, that wasn't the end for them, nor, I believe, is this the end of Connor & Abby's Adventures.

The Adventures of Connor Temple & Abby Maitland: Part 4

Somehow, I convinced Connor and Abby to reenact Season Two Episode Four.

A rock stands in for the anomaly that they go through (and let me add that this rock looks more like the anomaly now that I have washed it clean--I think it will be the permanent stand-in anomaly).

But Abby is in trouble; the mer-creatures are just behind her.

Despite the steepness of the cliff, Connor tells her she must climb to escape them.

It's difficult going, but Connor isn't giving up.

Abby begs him to let her go before they both fall; of course, though, he can't, confessing for the first time that he loves her.

Fast forward a bit to Season 3 Episode 9 and the two are busy trying to deal with the herd of Embolotherium (the prehistoric rhinos). Abby sends Connor to keep the bull away so that she and Sarah can control the rest of the herd.

But Episode 10 is tragic again: stranded in the Cretaceous Era, Abby and Connor seek safety for the night in one of the pines, hoping that they will be able to find Danny in the morning and return home.