Who lives in Atlantis under the sea! ARTHUR CURRY! That’s right readers, another week and another Aquaman adventure in the Aquaman: King of Atlantis trilogy of specials on HBO Max. I have to be honest with you and say I am dreading next week. I love the idea of a three part series but this week’s episode made me fall so much more in love with the show. I don’t know how I am going to be able to let go. But just like Rose did with Jack, we will have to let it slip into the ocean when the time comes.
ANYWAY! Aquaman: King of Atlantis Chapter 2 “Primordeus” continues the laughs, heart, and action from Chapter 1. It has been a full year since we have last seen Atlantis as time passed differently where the gang was last time. The throne defaulted back to Ocean Master, again in the lapsed time. This week we find the new king (again) Aquaman and Mera as they chase Ocean Master who has taken Aquaman’s trident. During the chase, the heroes face one of Aquaman’s most dastardly foes… THE FISHERMAN! There are also some very interesting horror elements with some very well designed and goofy sea monsters.
Aquaman is struggling hard with being a good king in this episode. His trident was stolen, he cannot throw Ocean Master into jail, and his subjects think he is a joke. The pursuit of Ocean Master takes the duo of Aquaman and Mera through Atlantis as they have to deal with the destruction that Ocean Master is leaving in his wake. The only thing is though… the citizens keep cheering for Ocean Master. The bit is hilarious especially when Ocean Master causes two shops to crash together and their drivers still cheer for him. But beneath the humor we are seeing the Atlanteans cheering for the former king and a villain rather than Aquaman who is struggling with believing in himself. Atlanteans are the worst even in the comics, I will stick by this notion. But seeing Aquaman trying to prove himself to them to no avail is something that makes you root for him more. I think it’s a reason the character is relatable in general but the show captures this so well.
The art style of this show is on full display in this episode with some very flamboyant Atlantean citizen designs. Each sea creature looks uniquely different from one another that makes the city feel fleshed out where it may not have if it was all copy and paste generic looks. There is a cutaway card with the word clams that made me almost choke on what I was drinking. While a lot of it is goofy and fun, the design of The Fisherman is actually pretty unsettling for as goofy as it is. There are also a number of sea monsters that come in later in the episode that are all extremely cool to look at. I found myself pausing the episode to get a good look at them.
I don’t want to spoil anything for the episode because it really is such a fun romp with a clear love for the characters and the world’s they inhabit. I do need to touch on one thing that all Aquaman fans will see and smile. Topo is in this episode for a brief moment and that is worth the price of a month of HBO MAX alone. Topo is a beautiful musical octopus. Speaking of musical, Aquaman sings in this episode to explain his powers. Any show that has a musical number is an instant classic in my book so I may be a little bias here. This series is very much worth your time. I hope you dive in and check out both chapters that are available. I need more of this so just watch it on repeat. Do it for Topo.
One reply on “Aquaman: King Of Atlantis Chapter 2 “Primordeus” Keeps the Tides Coming In: Spoiler-Free Review”
That art style was definitely a very bold choice