Walking With Beasts: Episode 4 - Next of Kin Retrospective

[@speedracer2008]

Damn, you and Hodgepodge put Robert Winston through the wringer. I personally like him as a host, but the jokes you guys make at his expense are entertaining. I definitely agree that the CGI in this episode hasn't aged as well as in the others, especially with regards to that Deinotherium. If there is one thing I wish they had done in this episode, I wish they had shown niche partitioning between Megantereon and Dinofelis, with the former being the main terror Australopithecus have to deal with and the latter hunting ungulates, like antelope, since stable isotopic analyses have indicated that this is what they were eating.

[@exalt2674]

Yeah I'm personally unfamiliar with a lot of the references.

[@speedracer2008]

Just so you know, this episode wasn't just shot in Ethiopia. It was also shot in South Africa.

[@elsakristina2689]

In the scene where Grey and Hercules get in the fight with the stick over the zebra, when it’s on the closeup shot of him taking that big swing at him it’s so chilling to see the rage or even hate in his eyes. Even for early 2000s CGI it really amazes me how they were able to add that detail.

[@smashers6971]

I do think WWB handles the idea of these being our humble beginnings as it treats our ancestors as just another group of Animals with small indications of what’s to come for our species. The ending line still shows we have a long way to go. As for the next episode.. hoo boy it’s probably the most mixed episode of the series in both accuracy and story. (I think it’s on the higher end of the shows episodes, but still.)

[@ek9509]

Another mistake I noticed on this episode’s latest rewatch is that when Kenneth states “They won’t be scavengers, but predators,” what looks like Blue appears to be missing his fur. It’s as if the animators forgot to put the fur on Blue for that 1 shot only.

[@OwlEye2010]

18:28 This is the first time I've seen this uncut. Both the VHS and DVD releases here in the US always blurred this moment out.

[@ARCtheCartoonMaster]

Apparently, when the episode aired here in Australia, the scene was blurred out, so… win-win, I guess?

[@speedracer2008]

21:34 To be fair, the Dinofelis might have spotted Blue before it could consider this option.

[@TheGreatUnwashedThing]

While I do see why they would want to show early hominids, I can't help but think that hypothetical episode on Riversleigh in Australia would have been more interesting.

[@HodgePodge7]

22:14 Nuff said. Excellent work as always!

[@speedracer2008]

I like that you reference the naming of Lucy the Australopithecus after the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”

[@thenerdbeast7375]

Uncanny valley might explain why the animation is off and not just for the Australopithecus. The environment looks too much like modern Africa, something we have seen many times in wildlife documentaries over the years, so unnatural animals like the cgi prehistoric fauna stand out a lot more.

[@tristynperez2445]

18:47 sounds sort of like a dolphin call to me mabye

[@albatross4920]

18:43 I think those are stock dolphin sound fx (in the Ethiopian Savanna for some reason) 🤔🐬

[@s.b.7987]

ah yes the african savanna dolphin

[@plukovnik-skvelous]

Great video, I'm excited for your retrospective on the next episode.

[@Toshiro93]

In fact, I think this was the episode I least liked when I saw the series for the first time...either for creatures that I found less interesting, or perhaps for the setting which, in fact, was very reminiscent of a normal documentary on 'Africa...anyway, I really appreciated your video, especially for the scattered gags...poor Walking with cavemen!😂

[@tyrannotherium7873]

I like how you mention some humans have a decent conversation which are the flat earthers which is funny. Overall I really like the soundtrack. The great Journey.

[@MrDodo19]

Finally. Great job guys!

[@CharlieBuckBuckets-Of-Awsome]

I remember when the Australopithecus were detering the Dinofelis away, one of the Australopiths flips the bird at the big cat.

[@j.m.marshall669]

Just watched your Land of Giants retrospective, I always feel bad for the calf Paraceratherium when he gets chased off by his mother, however it is softened by the knowledge that he was now big enough to take care of himself and wasn't the vulnerable young calf anymore- that he would have less and less to worry about with his growth over the next few years. I agree with you that Next of Kin is my least favourite episode as well, I've never seen Walking With Cavemen but it hasn't drawn me in from what I've seen. The music in this episode as you mentioned is great, especially the establishing shots of the location and the river where we first meet the group. I also like some of the musical scores used in Whale Killer when the Basilosaurus decides to try her luck in the mangrove swamps and in the next episode when we get the location name provided. I'm on to that one now, will see if you mention it 🙂

[@ARCtheCartoonMaster]

3:25 Also, their faces remind me of Mike from _The Room._

[@tm43977]

My fav doc of Australopithecus and Dinofelis part

[@naturegnatiggy]

3:03 for some reason that shot has aged the worst out of all shots in the show imo. It looks like something out of jimmy neutron.

[@JohnSmith-rk7zy]

Cool I’d completely forgotten about this KZbin series.

[@andythegoatman694]

I think the unidentified infant noise is a bird of some kind just based off the sound?

[@wroggisaurusmarshalli2440]

0:30 i wonder why impossible pictures Prehistoric hominids are always so creepy and uncanny valley

[@frogglen6350]

oh cool. another retrospective of this series

[@anthonyminimum]

18:48 Those are the calls of African Wild Dogs

[@thedragonsterritory2332]

I really enjoy your videos and share your opinions! However, those ''B-rolls'' or whatever they're called by other media are really annoying and takes away the dignity. Witt can be achieved in a much smarter way. As a conservationist, I do appreciate that you included the shot of plastic pollution! Nice touch! And in my personal opinion, the apemen in BBC's The Lost World were absolutely perfect! Even those human-like sounds would arise as a transition to a human sound we know today! I always thought they were the most terrifying thing in any media! A great depiction of ''early'' humans. Anyway, in all respect, I love your videos!

[@AncientRealms1999]

Thank you for the feedback, I just make connections and references to things which don't necessarily need making but it's just how I do it

[@ADRI_a_REAL1]

love this.

[@Garryzilla]

18:48-18:50 those are dolphin noises

[@canonbehenna612]

Think they should have used African bird calls instead

[@Garryzilla]

Yeah totally agree@@canonbehenna612

[@exalt2674]

In a review someone that I know did of this episode, they argued that the only sort of inaccuracy with this particular episode is the emphasis on Dinofelis being predominantly a Hominid Hunter. If that narration had been removed, or Dinofelis had been swapped out for Megantereon, the issue goes away.

[@speedracer2008]

Was that Hodgepodge’s review, by any chance?

[@exalt2674]

@@speedracer2008 I don't know who that is, I'm afraid.

[@speedracer2008]

@@exalt2674 He’s a KZbinr that does reviews of dinosaur documentaries and he mentioned that Dinofelis wasn’t a hominid hunter. Do you remember who did the review you’re talking about? Maybe I can check it out.

[@maciejpatura]

I really wonder, What if Hippopotamus Gorgops appeared in this episode?

[@LizardMan78]

how doe a vid like this only get 4k views !?

[@speedracer2008]

17:11 Machairodontinae is a subfamily

[@P.ilhaformosatherium]

Yesssss finally

[@rewild6134]

Why did they just skip the entire Miocene? Oh to have seen North America then.

[@benpaterson2237]

I'd describe Next of Kin as the "least good" episode. Not bad, just rather lacking in comparison to the other episodes. Most noticeably it's quite disappointing WWB skipped a Miocene setting, a very interesting time of transition in the Cenozoic where most ecosystems began to look relatively "modern".

[@albinoplatecarpus2736]

Framestore captured australopithecus , trained them to use computers and than got them to work on Models to reduce there payroll #Helenwasright

[@maozilla9149]

nice

[@thegreatprimevalshow]

Megatherium isn't even in this episode.

[@AncientRealms1999]

It came through an anomaly

[@thegreatgoldfilms6311]

I hate that the Australopithecus don't have noses

[@toonrex2806]

Yeah, this episode was my least favorite growing up as well.

[@miquelescribanoivars5049]

*Goofy ahhh CGI Australopiths* !!! Deinotherium is also kinda ass.

[@Denneth_D.]

The deinotheres don’t look the best

[@mayrahemmerechts5867]

Is it just my impression or is babbel a bit of a Karen?😂

[@speedracer2008]

Honestly, yes. Let's face it, the creators KNEW what they were doing.

[@maartendj2724]

Didn't like this one and Mammoth Journey as much as the others... the familiar landscape and animals and the presence of humanoids breaks the spell for me

[@CameronKiesser]

Actually I prefer Next of Kin over the bore-fest that is Land of Giants.