Anomaly (Primeverse)

Anomalies are fictional phenomena which occur in the science fiction television series Primeval and are a type of time portal. The anomaly is shown as an area of fractured reflective or refractive triangles in the air. One character stated that he could see a Permian desert through it. These time anomalies act as a plot generator for the series, as they are what allow the extinct species that make up the basic plots of the show to travel through them for the show's team to investigate, in a manner similar to the Rift in Torchwood, or the Hellmouth in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Occurrences

• Indian Ocean anomaly. Linked to the Cretaceous (70 million years ago).This anomaly is only alluded to in the first episode and was not seen. It's also the only evidence for anomalies occurring outside of Great Britain.
• Forest of Dean anomaly. Linked to the Permian (250 million years ago). This anomaly first opened eight years before the main events of the series and then closed. It re-opened twice eight years later.
• London Underground anomaly. Linked to the Carboniferous (300 million years ago). Interestingly, this is the only anomaly that didn't close for reasons that have yet to be explained.
• Swimming pool anomaly. Linked to the Cretaceous (75 million years ago). This anomaly was unstable and moved along a "faultline" from the swimming pool to a reservoir and then finally to the basement of a local house.
• Jurassic anomaly. This anomaly is only alluded to in the fourth episode and was not seen.
• New Den Stadium anomaly. Linked to Spaghetti Junction, a Wood between the Worlds like location, with at least 10 anomalies in one area.
• Mauritius anomaly. Opened to the Spaghetti Junction and linked to 17th century Mauritius.
• Golf course anomaly. Linked to the Cretaceous (70 million years ago).
• Future anomaly. Opened in Permian and linked to an unspecified point millions of years in the future (i.e. some point after the relative present that much of Primeval takes place in).
• John Lewis shopping center anomaly. Linked to the Cretaceous (70 million years ago).
• Thorpe Park anomaly. Linked to the Pleistocene epoch.
• M25 motorway anomaly. Linked to the Pleistocene epoch.
• Bournemouth beach anomaly. Linked to an unknown epoch.

Attributes and effects

Nick Cutter describes them being somewhat like an earthquake in time which occure along temporal fault lines.^[1] They resemble glowing shattered pieces of glass floating in midair, through which people, animals and objects can travel. It is also stated in Episode Two and Three that atmospheric gases and liquid can also pass through.^[2][1] The anomalies are highly magnetic, they can draw ferrous objects — for example keys, and pens — into them, they also render compasses useless near them. Connor proved this multiple times by throwing metal objects into the anomalies (once accidentally throwing his front door key into the first one that was found).^[3] However it is shown in Episode Four that the magnetic field is not strong enough to penetrate through the metal of a stainless steel fridge door.^[4] An anomaly can either have a fixed location at both "ends" of the anomaly or one end may be unstable and thus move location, for example the present end of an anomaly moves in the Third Episode while the past location of the anomaly was fixed.^[1] It is also possible to enter only partway into an anomaly without being sucked in, for example a person can take a look through an anomaly simply by poking their face through without travelling all the way through.^[3] In Episode Four it is shown that dozens of anomalies can be open at the same time and all lead to different eras and locations.^[4] They can cut across distance as well as time, as creatures which were never native to Great Britain, nor the area which Britain has passed through in its geological past, have passed through the anomalies into modern Britain. For example the Dodo was only found on tropical islands around Mauritius,^[5] and Scutosaurus were located in Russia and parts of Europe.^[6] Also the team encountered Dodos at one anomaly^[3] a bird which did not evolve until well after the time of the Dinosaurs ended (the Dinosaurs became extinct at the end of Cretaceous period 65 million years ago^[7] whereas the Dodo had not separated from its common ancestor with the Rodrigues Solitaire until around 25 million years ago).^[5] This would indicate that the anomalies can be linked to any period in the earth's history. In Episode Six it's demonstrated that interference with the past can alter the future in unspecified ways. Also, the ending of the sixth episode ended with a cliffhanger where the anomaly appeared to start to expand for reasons unknown.^[8] It has not yet been established how many time anomalies have occurred nor where they originate from, though the capture of an extinct form of Sarcopterygian suggests that there have been others before the Forest of Dean anomaly seen in Episode One.^[3] The strength of the anomalies weaken over time. They slowly lose their magnetic power, shrink in size, and eventually collapse in on themselves.^[3] Although they can be re-opened such as the Permian Anomaly, which has closed and reopened at least three times, and the Carboniferous anomaly which never closed at all.^[1]

Spaghetti Junction

Main article: Primeverse#Spaghetti Junction

An anomaly network.

In episode Four the viewer gets a brief glimpse of an anomaly network in a strange world, named a Spaghetti Junction by Connor Temple.^[4] This world appears to act as like an airport terminal linking the different worlds and allowing travel between them. The exact nature of this "network" or how it relates to the temporal fault lines is unknown as all of the other anomalies gave straight access to the other worlds without the need to go through this terminal. Helen Cutter appears to know the details about this network as she was able to travel through without getting lost. Co-creator Adrian Hodges stated that "Calling this network a "major factor would be inaccurate, but it’s certainly part of the way we’re developing the anomaly mythology".^[9] The anomaly to this world appeared in the Matchroom Football Stadium's fridge and later closed, whether the other anomalies in the network closed as well is unknown.

Control

Helen Cutter as claimed its she knows the locations of the anomalies before they open and has hinted that she can control them. Yet the evidence she's provided for her claims has proved contradictory. At the end of the first episode, Helen — who is presumed to be trapped in Permian era after having passed through an anomaly — is seen from a distance and leaves Nick Cutter a living specimen of an ammonite,^[10] while in the second she is encountered by Stephen Hart.^[2] This implies that she can create them as there is no other explanation as to how she can get from period to period. This is underlined in the fifth episode, where she appears and disappears, presumably through another anomaly,^[10] as she clearly couldn't have come through the sky anomaly.^[10] It is revealed in the third episode after she is tracked down by Nick that she was staying away because she did not want to reveal the secret of the anomalies to the world, something she knew Nick would be compelled to do.^[1] In the same episode she claims that she has the "the key to time". She later tells Lester that she is aware of where the anomalies will open before they actually do.^[4] However, in Episode 6, she 'used' the team to find the Permian anomaly that leads to the future, suggesting that she can't control them or locate them after all. Currently the British secret service, with the help of Professor Nick Cutter, are experimenting with methods for locating the anomalies, although their work is still only conjecture.^[8]

See also

• Primeverse

References