Coven of the Damned

**Coven of the Damned** is the eighth episode of *Primal* and the eighth episode of the first season.

## Synopsis

A tribe of mysterious and primitive women seek to sustain their group, by using black magic on Spear and Fang.

## Plot

Spear and Fang are traveling through the jungle at night attempting to reach a bright green, sky-high flame. They arrive at the edge of the scene and witness a bearded caveman suspended above the green flames, screaming in agony as a group of witches intensify the fire. The witches then perform a chant that summons the Pteranodon-riding head witch to the site of the ritual. She makes her way down to the fire, raises her staff and shapeshifts into a tall, black demon with light green highlights.

The bearded caveman has a magical snake travel down his throat, which causes all the markings painted on his body to shift towards his stomach. The snake emerges from his throat and sucks the life force out of him, mummifying him. The snake slithers into the head witch, forming a baby in her stomach which she plucks out and hands to the eager witches. The Pteranodon spots Spear and Fang and alerts the head witch, causing the witches to pursue them into the jungle. Spear and Fang lose each other and whilst Spear is fending off *his* pursuers, Fang is mind-controlled by the small witch (Lula).

Spear awakens the next morning and finds himself tied above the fire pit. Lula returns on Fang's back to which Spear becomes incredibly distraught, screaming and thrashing around. His cries temporarily break the mind-controlling spell until Lula pauses time and travels into the memories of Spear and Fang. She visits Fang's memory first, where we are taken to her original home and witnesses her offspring hatching. Lula fast forwards to the events of the first episode where she watches Spear defending Fang's offspring and their subsequent deaths. She returns to the present, gives Fang a hug, then goes into Spear's past. Lula arrives at Spear's cave shortly before his daughter is born, watches as he takes her outside, then fast forwards to when they are eaten by the horned theropod pack.

Lula unfreezes time and returns to her hut where she parts a hanging cloth, revealing a wall drawing of her and a child. Lula travels into her own memories of the day the child was born. Her memories take her to a field of flowers, where Lula and her daughter are spending time together when a scream is heard. Past Lula goes to investigate and finds her daughter has fallen off a cliff, sending her into tears. She returns to the present and prepares Spear's markings for the next ritual.

Upon nightfall, the head witch returns to perform, but Lula sneaks up to the Pteranodon's perch and kills it, then sets Spear free using a mind-controlled Fang. Infuriated, the head witch shape-shifts into a giant wolf and attacks Fang. Lula transforms into a huge raven and distracts the head witch long enough to allow Spear and Fang to escape deep into the jungle. Lula is eventually overpowered and killed by the head witch, severing the bond between her and Fang.

We then see Lula, along with her daughter, in a field of flowers in a heavenly vision. They run towards each other and share a hug as the vision fades into white.

## Characters

* Spear
* Fang
* Fang's Offspring (flashback)
* Spear's Mate (flashback)
* Spear's Daughter (flashback)
* Spear's Son (flashback)
* Tyrannosaurus pack (flashback)
* Alpha Tyrannosaurus (flashback)
* Lula
* Lula's Daughter
* Head Witch
* Unnamed red-haired caveman

## Trivia

* A preview of the episode first premiered at the 2020 New York Comic Con X MCM Comic Con Metaverse.
* The tragic events of Spear and Fang are brought up during this episode, complete with footage from the first episode showing Fang's and Spear's respective families being devoured.
* The titular coven of witches of this episode shares some commonality with the Cult of Aku from *Samurai Jack*'s fifth season. Both factions are an all-female order serving a shapeshifter that provides them with offspring via a magical and asexual means of reproduction. Subsequently, the Head Witch's slender, horned form resembles that of Ashi's after Aku had corrupted her in the penultimate episode of *Samurai Jack*.
	+ Furthermore, the red butterfly that briefly appears at the end of the episode to symbolize Lula's daughter has a parallel role to the ladybug that appears to comfort Jack in the final episode of *Samurai Jack*.

## References

1. ↑ Adult Swim The Making of Genndy Tartakovsky's 'Primal'

 "Sea of Despair" • "Shadow of Fate" • "Dawn of Man" • "The Red Mist" • "The Primal Theory" • "Vidarr" • "The Colossaeus, Part I" • "The Colossaeus, Part II" • "The Colossaeus, Part III" • "Echoes of Eternity"