Full spoilers follow for Primal Season 3, Episode 7, “Heart of the Undead,” which is available on Adult Swim and HBO now.
What a cool opening couple of minutes we got this week, first with the slow-motion blood rolling off the running Fang, and then the POV shots as the dinosaur hurtles towards Mira’s village with her injured mistress on her back, finally culminating in Mira being carried into a hut where she falls unconscious as the camera fades to black along with her.
Of course, not only is Fang and everyone else worried about Mira here, but they’re also concerned about the health of her unborn child after the attack she suffered last week while battling those hog creatures. While watching “Heart of the Undead,” this actually made me ponder something for a moment – and forgive how morbid this is… what if the child of Spear and Mira who we saw in the final moments of Season 2 isn’t the baby Mira is currently carrying? After all, Genndy Tartakovsky has already undone the death of Spear which occurred in that episode, so what’s to keep him and his team from diverting from what we think we know about the rest of what’s to come as well?
But no, that’s not what’s going on here, and soon enough the medicine woman, after examining Mira, smiles at Fang and the little villager kid: The baby will be OK, and so will Mira. (I mean, come on. Sure, Primal is the type of show where in its pilot episode it killed both of our main characters’ children, but having Mira lose the unborn baby would be a step too far… uh, right?)
Anyway, after that tense opening, what this episode is really about is Spear’s realization that he has become a monster… or at least a monster in the eyes of most everyone around him, even his former best friend, Fang. This leads him on a Frankenstein-ian journey – villagers with torches chasing him out of town, spontaneous moments of literal self-reflection in a mirror of water, and eventually, apparent if transient death. The thing about the Frankenstein monster, as we all know – and now about Spear as well, it seems – is that these guys just don’t die that easily.
The thing about the Frankenstein monster – and now about Spear as well, it seems – is that these guys just don’t die that easily.
Except, Mira and Fang don’t know that, and by episode’s end they think Spear is truly gone again, down that waterfall. They have no reason to think that the connecting river and waterways have taken his unconscious body into some kind of volcanic hellscape, where skulls adorn spears and a weird-AF-looking man-creature awaits him. Why would they ever think that!
Questions and Notes From Anachronistic History
Funny how the villager who’s most afraid – sweat rolling down his face, eyes watering – is the one to make the first move and impale Spear. Ain’t it always the case?
The village child pantomiming to Mira everything that happened while she was asleep is just great.
Notice how Mira is not happy with Fang after the T. rex rejected Spear again and led to his being driven out of the village. Maybe Mira will also be the key to Fang finally accepting Spear again?
That’s a messed up snippet of a flashback that we got to the zombified sauropod dying in lava from Season 1’s “Plague of Madness.” There but for the grace of God, Spear…
Blue and Red Jr. don’t get a ton to do this week, other than be cute and hilarious and ever-loyal to Spear. Their mom could learn a thing or two from them.
Following various delays, Bungie is now ready to open Marathon's doors courtesy of a 'Server Slam' event from tomorrow, February 26, which will run until March 2.
Marathon is a PvP-focused extraction shooter set on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV. Players inhabit the bodies of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries who have been designed to survive the planet’s harsh environments, exploring the lost colony that once inhabited Tau Ceti’s surface.
Marathon's full launch is scheduled for March 5 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, so this is an opportunity to try before you buy. Furthermore, Bungie's also using the Server Slam to test its anti-cheat systems, and is calling on players to report cheaters if they encounter them.
Here's everything you need to know about what content's available, the rewards you'll get for participating, and when the free server test goes live where you live.
Marathon Server Slam start times
Depending on where you are in the world, Marathon's Server Slam is set to go live on:
Thursday, February 26 — Monday March 2, 2026:
PST (San Francisco):
10am
CST (Austin, Mexico City):
12pm
EST (New York):
1pm
GMT (London):
6pm
CET (Paris):
7pm
Friday, February 27 — Tuesday March 3, 2026:
JST (Tokyo):
3am
CST (Beijing):
3am
AEST (Sydney):
5am
NZST (Wellington):
7am
Marathon Server Slam Missions and Activities
Infil into two zones:
Perimeter, an edge-site expansion on the colony's outskirts
Dire Marsh, the colony’s agricultural research hub
Take on the early contracts for five factions: CyberAcme, NuCaloric, Traxus, MIDA, and Arachne
Progress though the early faction levels and progression trees for each faction
Try out five of the six Runner shells that will be available at launch, plus our scavenger experience Rook
Play as a crew, solo Runner, form uneasy alliances with proximity chat, and more
Marathon Server Slam Rewards
Time spent during the Slam will "bank loot rewards you’ll receive at launch, based on how far you progress":
Complete your first mission: Unlock the Standard Arrival Cache
Standard implants (6x)
Standard Runner shell cores (4x)
Standard weapon chip mods (6x)
Weapons: Overrun and Hardline
Reach Runner Level 10: Unlock the Enhanced Arrival Cache (Green)
Enhanced implants (6x)
Enhanced Runner shell cores (2x for each shell, 12x total)
Enhanced weapon chip mods (4x)
Weapons: Enhanced Magnum and Enhanced Hardline
Reach Runner Level 30: Unlock the Deluxe Arrival Cache (Blue)
Deluxe and Enhanced implants (3x each, 6x total)
Deluxe and Enhanced Runner shell cores (1x each for each shell, 12x total)
Deluxe and Enhanced weapon chip mods (2x each, 4x total)
Weapons: Deluxe Magnum and Enhanced Volley Rifle
Backpack: Enhanced Base Backpack
PlayStation Plus subscribers will also be able to nab bonus weapon charms themed around Ghost of Yōtei, Death Stranding 2, and Helldivers 2 at launch. Marathon players on Steam automatically receive the exclusive Crowbar Weapon Charm (don't say Half-Life 3 confirmed!) when Marathon releases on March 5. Marathon players on Xbox Series X and S, meanwhile, get the exclusive Emerald Clutch Weapon Charm and Emerald Catch Weapon Charm.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Christian Bale has told a reporter he is due to start filming Heat 2 in Chicago soon, confirming his appearance in the hotly anticipated sequel as part of an increasingly stacked cast that also includes Leonardo DiCaprio.
It’s the first time the American Psycho star has commented on his rumored appearance in Heat 2, which follows on from Michael Mann’s iconic 1995 heist film starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. However, we don’t know which character Bale will play, nor do we know Leonardo DiCaprio’s role. Mann worked with Bale on 2009 crime drama Public Enemies, so his appearance in Heat 2 would see the pair reunite.
The sequel is an adaptation of the 2022 novel of the same name, a collaboration between director Mann and thriller writer Meg Gardiner. Mann was open about his desire to direct a movie version at the time, and in 2023 was being coy over rumors about Adam Driver taking a role.
"Let me put it this way: Adam and I got along like a house on fire [on Ferrari]," Mann told Deadline. "We have the same work ethic, which is pretty intense. We like each other, and we had a great time working together artistically.”
The Heat 2 novel tells the story of the main characters before and after the events of the first movie, which has sparked speculation about how Mann will tackle portraying younger versions of Pacino and De Niro’s characters.
Speaking in October, Mann said he might experiment with AI to solve the issue. “I don’t experiment with technology gratuitously. When I have a dramatic need or aesthetic need for it, then I go deep into what I need,” he said, adding: “Aging and de-aging may be very important in the next film.”
In 2022, Pacino told The Independent that he would be open to using de-aging technology to reprise the role himself. Star Wars actor Adam Driver is rumored to be playing a younger version of De Niro’s character, while Elvis star Austin Butler is reportedly playing Chris Shiherlis, the late Val Kilmer’s character.
Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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