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Jurassic World: Chaos Theory season 1 premiered on Netflix on May 24, 2024, serving as the much-awaited sequel to the events of Camp Cretaceous. Across its 10-episode run, Chaos Theory not only made several callbacks to the events of its preceding series but also provided satisfying screentime and individual storylines for most of the Nublar Six.
While reintroducing familiar faces, the series also introduces several new characters, most prominently the members of the mysterious organization bent on hunting the Nublar Six. Set six years after the events of Camp Cretaceous, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory follows Darius, Ben, Kenji, Yasmina, Brooklynn, and Sammy as they try to re-adjust to normal human society.
However, what counts as "normal" is further complicated by the fact that dinosaurs now roam freely in their world. To top it all off, their past returns to haunt them even more after one of their own tragically dies. As the gang attempts to figure out the identity of the person (or group of people) responsible for their friend's death, they realize that their search has also put a target on their back.
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Jurassic World: Chaos Theory season 1 reinforces the franchise's longstanding theme that while dinosaurs are scary, they are just animals following their instincts. The real antagonists are the humans who exploit them and act with ill intent.
Disclaimer: The following article will contain spoilers for Jurassic World: Chaos Theory season 1.
Dinosaurs are the "new normal" in Jurassic World: Chaos Theory season 1
When Jurassic Park was first released in the 1990s, the sight of the first dinosaur - a gigantic Brachiosaurus ambling majestically across the landscape - evoked wonder in moviegoers and characters inside the film. However, over the years, both the characters and the audience have grown accustomed to the presence of dinosaurs, though the majesty of these animals still remains.
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory is no different, and season 1 portrays a world set after the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom when dinosaurs have been released into the wild. The events of the show do justice to a "Jurassic" world where dinosaurs have become the new normal. Across the ten episodes, many dinosaurs appear, often as regular wildlife.
The idea is further punctuated in the scene where the protagonists drive to Kenji's RV in the wilderness and spot a "deer crossing" sign in the woods. Soon, however, not deer but a herd of Parasaurolophus dinosaurs with bioluminescent stripes gallop across the road.
In another scene, Ben and Brooklyn stare up into the sky while standing on the terrace of Ben's college building to witness a flock of Pteranodon flying across. One of those Pteranodons had even eaten a freshman student's homework! Dinosaurs have become a part and parcel of everyone's life in this new world; however, some relationships are more exploitative than others.
While traveling to find Yaz, Sammy and Ben come across a theme park where the owner chains up Stygimoloch dinosaurs who are half-starved and ill. After Sammy and Ben free them, the Stygimoloch go on a rampage that is very reminiscent of a similar scene from The Lost World and, on a smaller scale, foreshadows a similar situation in the final episode where the dinosaurs are released from the DPW's hold and cause chaos.
On the flip side, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory also explores the other side of human/dinosaur relationships through the bond between Bumpy and Ben. Having known Bumpy since her time as a hatchling, Ben assumed the role of a de facto parent for the dinosaur in Camp Cretaceous, and his protective instincts remain strong. In one heartwarming moment, he even assists Bumpy in laying her own egg, following which another character jokingly replies that Ben has become a grandpa.
The DPW is hunting the Nublar Six in Jurassic World: Chaos Theory season 1
In Jurassic World: Chaos Theory season 1, the Department of Prehistoric Wildlife (DPW) is introduced as a benevolent force, with protagonist and resident "Dino Nerd" Darius Bowman having previously worked for them. While there are several good guys in the organization, many are unaware of the corruption at the top.
The series subtly hints at the DPW's darker side in several scenes. In one scene, Bumpy the Ankylosaurus, a recurring character from Camp Cretaceous, is seen being captured by them. Additionally, when Ben, Yaz, and Sammy are stuck between two predatory Becklespinaxes, a DPW vehicle approaches.
However, instead of helping them, the DPW guards step out and shoot the tires of Ben's van, causing it to plummet into the waters below, where the characters are left for dead. The final revelation, of course, comes with the arrival of Matteo, who rescues Ben and Darius from a pack of vicious Atrociraptors who are being commanded by a mysterious woman with a whistle.
Matteo reveals that several DPW employees, instead of safely transporting the dinosaurs to their designated location, were involved in illegal transfers for a few extra bucks. He recounts being tasked with transporting a half-blind Allosaurus into the middle of nowhere. Matteo's conscience is finally pricked when he sees the Allosaurus attack Brooklynn and chase her off into the distance, thereby presuming her to be dead.
The last two episodes of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory season 1 delve into the true intentions of the DPW as they introduce their director, Dudley Cabrera, who is capturing dinosaurs to sell them to foreign countries. That is hardly surprising, as a corrupt businessman using live animals for his own benefit is the franchise's favorite kind of villain.
However, even he is revealed to be a pawn for the organization's true criminal mastermind, the aforementioned mysterious woman who is using the Atrociraptors to hunt the Nublar Six. Jurassic World: Chaos Theory season 1 does not reveal the real reason the Nublar Six are being hunted, as the mysterious woman escapes after the protagonists outsmart and beat her. However, it is likely that future installments would provide a deeper look into the woman's intentions.
The Nublar Six's interpersonal loyalties are tested in Jurassic World: Chaos Theory season 1
Most viewers of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory have likely been following the Nublar Six since August 2020, when Camp Cretaceous first premiered on Netflix. Throughout the five seasons, these six children faced adult negligence, dinosaurs, and bad luck, yet they managed to fight and emerge victorious.
In one heartwarming clip shown at the beginning of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory season 1, the Nublar Six are shown together after their first rescue, interviewed about how they had managed to survive on their own after the fall of Isla Nublar:
"[Reporter voiceover] And here with me live are the improbable survivors of the Jurassic World incident, the Nublar Six. These teens were tragically left behind while attending camp and presumed dead after the fall of Isla Nublar... then managed to survive all on their own for nearly a year. How did you do it? Darius" ... I guess to answer your question, we survived because we had each other."
However, as they escape from the island, what happens when the entire world gets overtaken by dinosaurs and the children have to face their harrowing experiences again? Jurassic World: Chaos Theory accurately portrays a realistic depiction of trauma, where one of the characters, Yazmina, undergoes PTSD and needs immersion therapy to overcome her fears.
However, in doing so, her own relationship with her girlfriend Sammy is affected. Their pasts never leave them, and this is underscored, especially when Brooklynn seemingly dies. Her death hangs forebodingly over the rest of the characters, with each poignantly reminiscing about the last moments they had spent with her.
Furthermore, her death impacts the friendship between Kenji and Darius, with the former blaming the latter for not being by Brooklynn's side. While they eventually reconcile, it is revealed that Darius is also grappling with guilt over not being by Brooklynn's side, while Kenji struggles with the fact that he had broken up with her before her death.
Trust issues, both old and new, crop up as Ben suspects Sammy's involvement in Brooklynn's death because of her former involvement with the evil organization Mantah Corp. Additionally, when Darius and Kenji discover a wad of cash in Brooklynn's apartment, suspicions arise about her involvement in shady activities before her death. While these issues are resolved and the Nublar Six... or rather, the Nublar Five band together to discover a threat that is plaguing humans and dinosaurs alike, it is clear that many issues are still left unresolved.
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory season 2 sets up the return of a familiar face
Brooklynn's death serves as the catalyst and tipping point that sets the events of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory season 1. Initially, the exit of Jenna Ortega, Brooklynn's former voice actress, seemed to reinforce this theory, but the franchise's restraint in killing off characters and the addition of Kiersten Kelly as Brooklynn's voice actress had subverted such expectations.
The theory that Brooklynn may still be alive is finally validated at the end of the series. Darius's former boss at the DPW calls a mysterious person before the camera pans to a slender figure typing on a computer in a dark room. When the person turns around, it's revealed to be Brooklynn.
Her supposed death was a red herring, and it is likely that she has been secretly working undercover to throw off her assassins. It's highly likely that Brooklynn will reunite with the rest of the Nublar Six in season 2, shedding light on the identity of the mysterious woman and the Atrociraptors who have been hunting them.
