Let slip the (painted) dogs of war

Dynasties, thus far, has given us some fascinating new insights into some very famous species. But not so this time. When asked to rattle off some of the world’s most iconic animal species, I doubt many would remember to include Painted Wolves amongst the Lions, Chimpanzees and Emeperor Penguins. However, that is exactly what we have in Dynasties episode 4, an entire hour dedicated to a lesser-known species that is not exactly helped along by its lack of previous representation, history of being persecuted by humans and an inability of anyone to once and for all decide if we should call them wolves or dogs. An unconventional episode then, but how does it stack up?

Well, if you were expecting something similar to the Lions episode of last week, you would be wrong. This one’s even better. The Lions episode felt like a close, personal and intimate struggle for survival, but this feels like an epic thriller featuring a war between two mismatched armies; complete with invasions, ambushes, retreat, exile and a lot of casualties. Also, this is set against a very different backdrop. In a land where Lions are the apex predators Painted Wolves are very much the underdogs, with the average wolf weighing in at barely even a quarter of the average lion. And it’s a lot more than just Lions that these featherweights have to contend with. Hyenas, Elephants, Crocodiles, Baboons, Buffalo, there are myriad of things that can quite easily take a single wolf out. The production team does a fantastic job of conveying this place that the wolves occupy. They also expertly convey the other major thing about this episode, which is the greater sense of scale than the show has attempted so far, with larger areas, more action and many more characters. If this analogy means anything to you, its the Batman: Arkham City to last week’s Batman: Arkham Asylum, only with less time brooding on rain-soaked rooftops and more time trying not to be eaten by something. And not a single bat in sight.

Once again the camerawork here is masterfully done, it is amazing to see how far the filming of Painted Wolves has come! To see what I mean check out Planet Earth (2006), another amazing BBC series. Back then the best they could do was follow one successful pack hunt from miles up in the air, but today we can follow them up close, on the ground, right in amongst the pack thanks to new technologies, talented trackers and 5 whole camera teams working together across a huge area from both ground and air. This was a highly ambitious project for even the BBC, and it paid off wonderfully. Slow motion aerial tracking shots convey the great distances travelled by the animals, on-the-ground close ups make the audience one of the pack, and the frenetic camera movements as they try to follow the action give everything a fast pace and unpredictable feel. The super detailed infra-red photography returns, although I have to say I wasn’t as much a fan of it this week as last- there were times when it was more difficult than it should’ve been to identify who was who during a scene where the wolves come under a night attack from a clan of hyenas.

Shots like this do not come easy

One feature that I really loved this time around was the graphics! Oh yes, I’m a sucker for a well done graphic especially the kind in this episode. That is, highlighted maps showing the ever-shifting territorial boundaries of the various groups of wolves, lions and hyenas. It looked like something lifted straight out of a strategy game, and this pleases me greatly. These graphics were coupled with some buttery-smooth transitions back to the action, and my only complaint was that there weren’t more! They are a fantastic way of getting more information across, especially in an episode so heavily focussed on the geography of things.

Add a few markers, army icons etc. and you’ve got yourself a solid campaign map right here

In fitting with the grander scale of this episode, the soundtrack contains some action-packed and dramatic moments. The combination of movie-quality music and tense, life-or-death struggles from the natural world is always a win. It’s also nice to hear the sounds of the pack itself during the quieter moments, where the music steps back and lets the natural ambient sound transport you all the way to Africa. Old Dave provides his typically brilliant narration, but it does occasionally feel melodramatic and a bit detached from what’s actually going on. It doesn’t feel too out of place considering the tone of this series but I definitely noticed it a couple times.

One nice touch was to see the lions, last week’s heroes, recast as one of the antagonists this week.

Finally a bit about the storytelling. I said before how it feels like a thriller and a war movie? Well that is all thanks to some really great narrative design. The episode immediately sets the scene of rising tensions between two neighbouring packs of Painted Wolves. As populations increase with no available space to expand war seems inevitable, and the very next scene is a devastating surprise attack by one pack on the other. It leaves little doubt about who you’re supposed to root for, which could be seen as a weakness or a strength depending on how you look at it. As the episode goes on, we follow the changing fortunes of the two packs as they pursue each other through hostile terrain and it really is compelling stuff. The plot feels like it could fit into any number of movies and every aspect of it is delivered brilliantly. The amount of casualties the wolves sustain is really emphasised and I respect that a lot. Many documentaries refrain from showing off the uglier aspects of a predator’s life- the blood, the injuries, the killing- but not so much here. There’s even one blood spray that would fit right into a Tarantino flick! That said it’s not gonna spoil your dinner, no guts hanging out or anything crazy like that. It’s still a BBC one primetime show after all.

So judging by the amount I’ve written you may well guess that this was a great episode for me. Standout of the series so far. I suspect it will be my favourite, but we’ll have to wait until next week to find out…

9.5/10

Images © BBC