Human Target – The Series
I wish I had written this a couple weeks ago. The season finale of “Human Target” was on Fox already, and I just didn’t quite get my thoughts together in time. I will say that “Human Target” surprised me by being my favorite new show of the year.
You will notice that this article is titled “Human Target-The Series.” Astute viewers will have noticed a the DC Comics and Vertigo logos at the end of the show. That’s right, like much of what is popular right now, “Human Target” is based on a comic series and graphic novel of the same name. I bet there’s a number of viewers out there that would have snubbed it outright if they had known that in the beginning.
I should have maybe title the article, “Human Target-The Series 2.” There was an earlier attempt of 7 episodes to bring Christopher Chance to the small screen. That one starred Rick Springfield in the title role. I have no recollection of this series, I just happened to find out about it when I was looking up things to write this. I wonder if it will be included with or come out on DVD with Season 1 of this version.
So what exactly did I like about the 12 episode debut of this series? The easiest answer is that the stories are well pace self contained entertainment. Much like the good seasons of “24”, these episodes start with action and end with action. There also isn’t any lull time in any of the episodes.
Except for little bits and piece the “continuity” stories were kept to a minimum until the very end, and even then, they weren’t out of place. They mostly revolved around the history of the central character, Christopher Chance.
I’ve always thought that name sound a little too convenient. SPOILER HERE: It is a made up name. I won’t ruin it all, but let’s just say it’s more of a Dread Pirate Roberts thing.
Overall, the stories were tightly wound bits action. They do a lot of the “Alias” thing where they join a story in progress, then go back after the credits to show you how the characters got in the situation. It draws in the audience, and I really don’t have a problem with it.
The group of characters typically are an “A-Team” group solving problems for those in need. The problems are the sort where somebody is trying to kill the client and they need protection.
In addition to Chance, you’ve got the front man Winston. Winston is an ex-cop and uses his contacts to advance the teams efforts. The other member of the team is Guerrero. Sharing a similar background to Chance’s, Guerrero is, shall we say, a step closer to the dark side.
Guerrero is one of the highlights of the show. You never quite know if he’s trust worthy or not. Or what he’s willing to do. He’s played by ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’s new Freddy, Jackie Earle Haley. He really seem to be perfecting the quirky loner when you consider “Shutter Island” and “Watchmen” are on his list of credits. Yes, he appears to be wearing a rug on the show. I almost suspect that is on purpose, as he’s a character that would want to hide his true identity.
The only downside with the show is the lack of a continuing female character. I suspect if there is a season two, there will be an addition to the cast there.
If you get a chance to see it, check out “Human Target” Ver. 2.0. You might just find the adrenalin rush you used to get from 24.
(PS. Keep an eye out for my review of the “Human Target” graphic novel, coming soon!)
Engineernerd Score: 97/100
Category: Featured, Media Reviews, On TV
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