There is so much I like about this episode of Human Target that I’m not sure where to begin. The cast is pure magic and I loved seeing Barnes back as well as Layla (New Girl — love it!). The non-linear storytelling is something that’s been catching on in many shows I enjoy and it worked very well with this story.
I didn’t think we’d be getting the whole Katherine story so soon (along with Chance’s background), but now that we did, we’ve established a Sterling-like nemesis (Leverage … follow along….) for Chance, which is completely awesome. Because you know that dude smoked the agents and is on the loose again, which will have me watching my back — Baptiste is one brutal SOB. Chance wants revenge on someone he used to work with who killed someone he loved, but he’s not going to kill him in cold blood. Will Baptiste win?
Clearly the writers don’t want me to trust Guerrero … he blew my mind a little tonight when he attempted to strike a deal with Baptiste, just like he did back in “Sanctuary.” Baptiste didn’t buy it though, so maybe I shouldn’t either. Probably Guerrero was just trying to get Baptiste to give up his boss, but by Baptiste saying Guerrero wouldn’t turn on Chance “yet,” it left the door open for me to have that little doubt in the back of my mind. And then, at the end when Guerrero says, “Nothing’s ever what you think it is. Nothing’s ever over,” you have to wonder exactly what he’s referring to. I’m sure Guerrero knows Baptiste well enough to know he’ll escape, but is there more?
For some reason, the scene when Chance shows up at Barnes’ apartment gave me Keen Eddie flashbacks. I’m sure Eddie and his roommate, Fiona, found themselves in some similarly absurd position that was misunderstood by someone’s date. Regardless, it was fun to have that memory.
The really fun part of this show is that there’s nothing special about these people, beyond them being good at what they do. Chance has no super-powers, they’ve got no dumb luck working for them (like The Mentalist or Psych) … they pull the jobs off by the seat of their pants because they know the drill. There’s nothing smooth about their operation and there’s lots of risk-taking … all leading to big fun.
Plus, we got a really funny sketch of Barnes’s “mystery man” tonight … Chance is right — the chin was way too big.
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Mar 17, 2010 @ 22:44 EST5EDT
You nailed it. Not depending on dumb luck et cetera is what makes this show so great (re: Psych and those figurines on eBay this season – annoyed me to no end). I wasn’t able to grasp that after the first three episodes but that’s really what’s going on here.
Considering this show airs on Fox I think they really took a chance on revealing the backstory only over time (or better: so late). This is real solid, fun TV. Only the fight scenes were a bit chopped this week, too many fast cuts, but I guess that was all due to two very recognizable actors playing the fighters and the need to make it look very professional. I got a little dizzy watching to be honest :-)
Anyway great post :-)
As far as I’m concerned, if this weeks ep didn’t blow the hatch, then the latch is slipping and it is leaking badly. The backstory/mythology is in place, the team is in place (Barnes, “New Girl” et al), future conflict is in place, critical mass has been achieved and I think it will keep getting better. I just pray that Fox doesn’t decide that they have something good on their hands and that they had better kill it right now.
It would be fun to see Autumn Reeser recur from time to time, but I would like even more if lots of clients from previous cases would show up in bit parts or phone calls to help Chance out with their various skills and fields of knowledge. Sort of like The Shadow, as someone said.
Also not my idea, but I would find it incredibly cool if Christopher Chance stole his name from the “Old Man” himself, the original Human Target, Master of Disguises, in order to do good with the name.
The Beretta that Baptiste field-stripped one-handed really can be taken apart like that without tools. I’ve seen Jet Li and Jackie Chan do it in a few movies.
Quoting…
“I would like even more if lots of clients from previous cases would show up in bit parts or phone calls to help Chance out with their various skills and fields of knowledge.”
Well you see, that is exactly what I meant and what is happening. Chance going to Barnes in this one is a perfect example, and I bet we will be seeing most of the old clients from time to time. I seem to remember either Chance or Winston saying something to the effect “…and pick up the phone if we call…” to one of the past clients. Sort of their own version of the Baker Street Irregulars or the network of assistants that The Shadow had.