Brave (Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous)

"Brave" is the fifth episode of the second season of the streaming television series Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, and the thirteenth overall. Written by Lindsay Kerns and directed by Eric Elrod, the episode was released on Netflix on January 22, 2021.

"Brave"
Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous episode
Ben stands by Bumpy after defeating Toro. The choice of developing the character in a single episode was seen as a "smart, structural decision" by Colin Trevorrow.[1]
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 5
Directed byEric Elrod
Written byLindsay Kerns
Produced by
  • Aaron Hammersley
  • Scott Kreamer
Original air dateJanuary 22, 2021 (2021-01-22)
Running time24 minutes

The series, which is also referred to as simply Camp Cretaceous, takes place during and after the events of the 2015 film Jurassic World. It follows a group of six teenagers who are left behind on Isla Nublar after various dinosaurs escape their habitats.[2]

"Brave" takes place entirely in a flashback and features the return of Sean Giambrone as Ben, a character that was presumably killed in the first season of the show. In its initial release, the episode received mixed reviews from critics, with some criticizing the storytelling techniques used throughout the episode, and others lauding the story that brought back a beloved character.

Plot

Shortly after falling off the monorail train after failing to grip to the hand of his friend Darius Bowman (Paul-Mikél Williams), Ben Pincus (Sean Giambrone) is flown away by two Pteranodons who drop him on the ground, knocking him unconscious. The following day, he wakes up to the sight of Bumpy, a young Ankylosaurus who he has been taking care of. Concluding that the rest of the group might have already gotten off the island, Ben decides to search for the emergency distress beacon located on Main Street. After finding a road, the pair are chased by Toro, a Carnotaurus who had been injured by the group a few days prior. After managing to escape, Ben and Bumpy decide to find a place to rest.

Several days later, Ben becomes annoyed of reliving the same daily cycle without finding a way off the island and eventually yells at Bumpy, scaring it away. Regretting his actions, Ben begins to search for Bumpy, with a group of Compsognathus (Compy) dinosaurs beginning to terrorize him. After being alone for several moments, Ben manages to scare the Compy dinosaurs away, having developed a bit of courage. The next day, Ben decides to fight Toro and reunites with a now-grown Bumpy while doing so. Catching a glimpse of smoke from a campfire, Ben hears Hap (Angus Sampson), Mitch (Bradley Whitford), and Tiff (Stephanie Beatriz) talking about a secret "plan" to deal with the rest of the group.

Production
"We put a lot of love into that one. Both, the writer, Lindsay Kerns, and our story editor, Josie Campbell really got into that. And then on the art side, the director, Eric Elrod, and especially the other executive producer, Eric Hammersley, really rolled up their sleeves and dug deep into that episode. Even before we started, I knew I wanted to do a survival episode, [as] a departure. Putting as little dialogue in an episode as possible, just really telling a survival story. Ben coming back just lent itself perfectly to that."

—Scott Kreamer[3]

In separate interviews following the release of the second season of Camp Cretaceous, showrunner Scott Kreamer said that the idea of having an episode focusing entirely on the survival of a single character with little to no dialogue was initially brought up during production of the first season.[3][4] On October 9, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a second season,[5] with DreamWorks Animation revealing that production on eight episodes had already been completed, and that Sean Giambrone would be returning as Ben, a character that was presumably killed in the first season's finale.[6][7]

"Brave", the fifth episode of the second season, was written by Lindsay Kerns and directed by Eric Elrod, with Josie Campbell serving as a story editor, with Aaron Hammersley and Scott Kreamer working as showrunners.[3] According to Kreamer, an early draft of the episode had Ben die due to injuries caused by the fall, but the crew found the ending "too dark", stating that for a children's show, the death of one of the characters would have "been pushing it too far."[8] When asked about the season, executive producer Colin Trevorrow said that "Brave" was his favorite episode, as he found the idea of using an entire episode to bring back a character a "smart, structural decision", and that Ben's character development throughout the episode was a "great transformation".[1]

Additionally, the episode, along with the rest of the series, was executive-produced by Hammersley, Kreamer, Lane Lueras, Steven Spielberg, Colin Trevorrow, and Frank Marshall, and also features music composed by Leo Birenberg.[9][10][11] Following its renewal, all eight episodes of the second season of Camp Cretaceous were released on Netflix on January 22, 2021.[12]

Reception

Following its release, the episode received mixed reviews from critics. From Comic Book Resources, Jenna Anderson gave "Brave" a positive review, stating that the episode fully explained what happened to Ben after his fall, and called the episode "incredibly emotionally resonant".[3] However, on the other side of the spectrum, Brooke Bajgrowicz, writing for Mashable, said that the episode felt "unnecessary", as it didn't contribute to the main story of the series, and only focused on a single character.[13] In a mixed review, Sci-Fi Bulletin journalist Paul Simpson gave the episode a 2/10 rating, and said that the episode was one viewers could "skip without any major problems" to the narrative of the season.[14] Meanwhile, in a positive review from Den of Geek, Alana Joli Abbott said that Ben's character arc in the episode "makes [his] journey one of the best in the series so far."[15]

References
  1. Jenna Anderson (January 24, 2021). "Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow Talks Camp Cretaceous Season 2 and Dominion". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  2. Rafael Motamayor (January 31, 2021). "'Jurassic Park' Timeline Explained, from Isla Nublar to 'Camp Cretaceous'". Collider. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  3. Jenna Anderson (January 28, 2021). "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous Producers Break Down Season 2's Big Return". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  4. Tara Bennett (January 30, 2021). "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous showrunner breaks down Season 2 and that dino-sized cliffhanger". SyFy Wire. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  5. Jake Kanter (October 9, 2020). "'Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous' Renewed For Season 2 By Netflix; Teaser Trailer Dropped For DreamWorks Animation". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  6. Hoai-Tran Bui (October 9, 2020). "'Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous' Season 2 Teaser Confirms More Dino Destruction in 2021". /Film. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  7. Apeksha Bagchi (October 9, 2020). "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous - No, [SPOILER] Isn't Actually Dead". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  8. Brandon Zachary (February 5, 2021). "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous EP Scott Kreamer Explores Season 2's Biggest Twists". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  9. Christina Radish (October 4, 2020). "'Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous' Showrunner Scott Kreamer on Working With Spielberg & a Potential Season 2". Collider. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  10. Todd Spangler (August 19, 2019). "Original 'Jurassic Park' Trilogy Will Leave Netflix After Two-Month Window". Variety. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  11. "Leo Birenberg Scoring Netflix's 'Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous'". Film Music Reporter. September 12, 2020. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  12. Nick Romano (December 16, 2020). "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous season 2 sets January premiere with new trailer". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  13. Brooke Bajgrowicz (January 22, 2021). "Netflix's 'Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous' Season 2 gets more exciting as it goes". Mashable. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  14. Paul Simpson (January 27, 2021). "Jurassic World: Review: Camp Cretaceous: Series 2 Episode 5: Brave". Sci-Fi Bulletin. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  15. Alana Joli Abbott (January 27, 2021). "How Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous Season 2 Addresses Ben's Fate". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
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