Charles

> Of course we have multiple layers masking our true, inner selves; the uniforms of society, education in its highest form, lavish indulgences. We have evolved beyond creation's expectations. But under the right circumstances, facing a primeval threat, I assure you gentlemen that our evolution will revert back to its primal, savage form. Fighting for survival at the very cost of humanity
>
> Charles

**Charles** is a late 19th century scientist and minor character in *Primal*.

## Appearance

Like all the other men present in the episode "The Primal Theory", Charles wears a tuxedo and black bow tie with a popped collar. He sports left-swept hairstyle and muttonchops, both of which are light brown. He has bushy eyebrows and a large nose.

## Personality

Charles is a modest and intelligent man, keeping up with the norms of society. His theory of humans being able to retract back to their primal forms along with the famous evolution theory are shown to be very important to him, as he stresses the other scientists to take him seriously.

When the Mad-Man invaded the manor, Charles displayed a courageous side. Though he initially fled from the intruder, Charles was the first to start fighting back, taking up various weapons against the former. During the fight, Charles showed himself to be a caring individual when Blakely was knocked out by the Mad-Man.

Charles also displayed a boastful side to his personality when his theory was all but proven correct after Lord Darlington had executed the Mad-Man.

## History

Charles attended Lord Darlington's soirée, where he began to lecture the rest of the gentleman on his theories on evolution. As Blakely arrives Charles continues to explain that, despite humanity's high societal standards at the time, their various codes of conduct, given certain moments of desperation they could and would regress to a more primal form of behavior, not unlike their neanderthal ancestors. His ideas are however met with joking opposition, mostly by the manor's owner, Lord Darlington.

The lecture is briefly interrupted by the arrival of the local constable who informs the men of science that a ferocious and homicidal inmate from the nearby asylum had escaped and that they should be on guard and to stay safe. Lord Darlington takes this moment to jest, calling Charles the mad-man, much to everyone's amusement, with the obvious exception of the stoic Charles. As the constable leaves Lord Darlington does agrees that mankind had derived from neanderthals, but rebukes the idea that humans would ever revert to a more primitive manner. A loud knocking sound is heard from upstairs, which prompts the butler, Stevens, to go and investigate. After the butler leaves a second knock is heard and another one of the scientists, the elderly Bertie, begins to recount something he had read. But the dialogue is interrupted by drops of blood pouring from the upper floor.

Charles accompanies Lord Darlington and Giroud to investigate the happening. They are shocked to discover Stevens lying on the floor of the upper room, his corps being devoured by the escaped Mad-Man. As the three gentlemen are chased back into the living room from downstairs the Mad-Man pounces on Lord Darlington, which prompts Charles to help by smacking a chair against the inmate's back. Giroud is knocked out with a punch while Bertie is killed after the Mad-Man bites into the man's neck several times. Charles is forced to flee with Blakely and Darlington throughout the manor, avoiding several attacks by the deranged escapee. Eventually, the gentlemen arm themselves with guns taken from the manor's weapons collection and begin a literal manhunt for the Mad-Man.

Their attempts to shoot the insane man fail to land a hit, and Blakely is also knocked unconscious. Lord Darlington does manage to shoot the Mad-Man with a riffle bullet to his right shoulder and Charles runs him off into the living room with several pistol shoots. They are, however, ambushed yet again and disarmed. Charles watches in awe as Lord Darlington challenges the deranged assailant to a fist fight and how the older gentleman is able to land several punches to the face thanks to his champion boxing skills acquired while attending Oxford University. The scuffle is interrupted after the Mad-Man grabs Lord Darlington by the neck, prompting Charles to swing a sword at the attacker. Charles is also pinned to the ground, but Darlington wards off the Mad-Man with an arrow shot to the left leg.

As the two men chase the inmate into the green-house they are yet again attacked and Charles is thrown across the room. As the inmate begins cannibalizing on Charles's left shoulder, Lord Darlington engages the assailant in one final confrontation. After a tree is knocked inside the room by the storm from outside, Darlington has torn his shirt off, picks up a spear and immediately begins brutally stabbing at the Mad-Man. A severly wounded and bleeding Charles watches in shock and horror as a savage Lord Darlington delivers a killing blow into the Mad-Man's scalp with the splintered shaft of the spear. As the Mad-Man falls to the grown a brief moment of silence breaks, Charles starring at his friend who is disturbed bu his own actions. But the moment is suddenly interrupted by Charles happily exclaiming "AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!", as he points to Lord Darlington having briefly regressed to his primal ancestry do to the Mad-Man's threat. Charles is does left vindicated for his previous claims while Lord Darlington is left perplexed.

## Trivia

* Charles appears to be themed after the famous naturalist Charles Darwin. When he first appears, he is giving a personal lecture to his colleagues about evolution by natural selection, and his appearance closely matching Darwin's just before or just after his famous voyage on the HMS beagle. However, it is unlikely that he is Charles Darwin, since the episode Charles appears in takes place in 1890, eight years after Charles Darwin's death.
	+ Charles Darwin is famous for giving the theory of evolution in animals.
	+ As a further nod to the famed biologist of the same name, Charles displayed a diagram of bird evolution to his peers. Darwin became the namesake of several animal taxa, including the famous Galapagos Islands's *Darwin Finches*.