Chimp Empire

Characters

Central Group Jackson, a 31-year-old male, holds the alpha position in the Central Group and commands respect and honor from the others. Miles, at 41, is the largest chimpanzee ever recorded at Ngogo and serves as Jackson’s closest ally, ranking second in the group. Abrams, 21, is the third-highest-ranking member and has his sights set on overthrowing Jackson to become alpha himself, constantly seeking opportunities to gain power and show off. Gus, a 14-year-old who recently left his mother, is socially awkward and often solitary, but like most chimps, he is ambitious and power-hungry, and he is also highly observant.

Christine, 21, is fiercely protective of her newest infant and is one of many Central females trying to survive amid the group’s conflicts. Isobel is known as “Christine’s baby” until the final episode, when she gets her name; at the series start, she is just six months old but developing quickly, even by chimp standards. Nadine, Christine’s 9-year-old elder daughter, feels jealous of the attention her mother gives her new sister and has started spending time alone.

Pork Pie is low-ranking but well-liked, avoiding violence and often keeping to himself. Bartoli, a high-ranking 38-year-old female, is an ally of Jackson, who is the father of her son, Herzog. Herzog, six years old, is very protective of his mother, though this sometimes puts him in danger. Peterson, 26, is an ally of Jackson, ranks fourth in the group, and plays a key role in patrols. Wilson, 21, ranks eighth and is known for being short-tempered and irritable.

Western Group Hutcherson, 27, is the younger brother of Richmond and the current alpha male of the Western Group. He is much less assertive than Jackson, largely because the Western Group has a culture of power-sharing. Garrison, at 44, is the oldest male in the Western Group, wise and knowledgeable about their territory, and often leads others to food sources. Rollins, 35, is the patrol leader for the Westerners, and along with his brother Damien, he is eager to expand the group’s territory to support their growing population.

Damien, Rollins’ 15-year-old younger brother, joins him at the front of patrols and supports him in everything. Garbo, 65, is the oldest chimp at Ngogo and the mother of both Hutcherson and Richmond, who care for her in her old age. Richmond, 34, is Hutcherson’s older brother and the former alpha; he lost his right hand to a poacher’s snare when young, but he still thrives in the Western Group’s supportive community. Bergl, a 10-year-old orphaned male going through puberty, is lonely and wants to show his strength; in episode 3, it is revealed that he is Rollins’ son, though neither knows it.

Joya, a 10-year-old orphaned female also going through puberty, is eager to help other females care for their infants. Carson, a strong 27-year-old female, is both a good mother—serving as a role model for young females like Joya—and a fighter who joins males on patrol and hunts. E.O. is Carson’s three-year-old son.

Episodes

1 - Paradise This episode introduces Jackson's Central Group. Jackson performs a display of dominance in order to rally the group to him and make them respect him, though Abrams is reluctant to do so. Christine's baby is eager to explore and socialise, but, when Jackson displays, Christine must protect her. Nadine comforts the baby, the first sign of a developing bond between the two sisters.

During a rain storm, Abrams performs an unusual dominance display known as the "rain dance". Jackson watches on, but does not yet intervene. Gus, having noticed Abrams' rising position, attempts to groom him to initiate an alliance, but is rejected. Abrams moves off to groom a much more important ally - Miles.

Jackson, with Miles by his side, leads a patrol group of adult males to defend the territory's northern borders from a rival group. Abrams joins the front of the patrol. Gus also joins, as does Pork Pie, though reluctantly. When the patrol reaches the border, Pork Pie abandons the group and heads back alone.

Gus watches him go, but elects to stay, as patrolling can be very beneficial to an individual's social status. They charge, and eventually the northern group retreat. Christine, taking advantage of the large males' absence, assists her baby in learning to climb trees. On their way back, the patrol encounter a group of red colobus monkeys, and successfully hunt them.

Jackson shares the meat with Miles and some of the other males, but purposely excludes Abrams. Fruit is the forest's most valuable resource, and so the fruiting of a large ficus tree is cause for celebration. From its branches, Gus notices a shape on the ground. It is Pork Pie - dead, and killed right in the centre of the territory.

2 - Others This episode introduces a second group of chimpanzees at Ngogo, the Westerners. Led by alpha male Hutcherson, the Westerners have a more egalitarian society than the Central Group. Here, power is shared, and each member has a role. With far fewer males than the Central Group, the females also patrol and hunt.

Garrison leads the group to a honeybees' nest. Rollins and Damien lead a patrol to the borderlands, where most of the group feeds in a fruiting fig tree. Rollins and Damien however, take a small group of the adult males into Central territory. They find Pork Pie, and, seeing him as an outsider and therefore hostile, they attack and kill him.

Some time later, back in the West, Bergl attempts a dominance display. He angers Buckner, another adult male, who attacks and beats him, injuring his hand. Bergl moves off into the forest to recover. Joya attempts to learn mothering skills by playing with the infants.

Carson joins a hunting party, who successfully catch a black-and-white colobus monkey. Richmond, who didn't take part in the hunt (as he finds hunting difficult due to his missing hand), nonetheless gains a share of the meat, which he shares with Garbo. Bergl, having spent a long time alone and missed out on vital grooming, is weakening, and his face has become infected with parasites. His weakened state is such that a duiker no longer sees him as a threat, and approaches and smells him, and Bergl does not react.

Garrison eventually realises that Bergl is missing, and goes to comfort and care for him. On a foraging trip, Damien comes across a chrysophyllum fruit. This tree only comes into fruit occasionally, and when it does, it produces more than the chimps can eat. This discovery prompts the Western Group to venture further into Central territory, where most of the chrysophyllum trees lie. It is revealed that the Central territory used to be theirs, and they are ready to take it back.

3 - War The third episode begins with a short prologue using archival footage to relate the history of the Ngogo chimpanzees; how the group grew, and how a small group eventually split off to form the Western Group. Back in the present, the effect that Pork Pie's death has had on the other Central chimps is explored. Nadine and her younger sister are now best friends. Under a chrysophyllum tree, Jackson displays his dominance; while Abrams and a group of other males are stationed at the western border, awaiting an attack from the Westerners.

Jackson and Bartoli court, and mate; and Herzog, who must stay close to Bartoli at all times, tries to stop them, not knowing what is happening. Full of energy thanks to the ample supply of chrysophyllum fruits, the chimps are hunting often, for a variety of prey, including colobus, guenons, galagos and duikers. Jackson, having caught a duiker, uses the meat to initiate an alliance with Peterson. Wilson, on the other hand, is left out.

Christine approaches and manages to procure some meat, but Wilson takes out his frustration on her, and she, in order to protect her baby, must give up the meat. She moves into a quiet area of the forest, away from the group, where she finds Gus. He comforts her, and plays with the baby.