What a Treat
Inspired by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino’s DC Comics comic book Human Target, Jonathan A Steinberg offers us a variation of this series. In his show, Christopher Chance’s job is to protect his clients from any threats (direct or indirect) not by taking the identity of his clients, but instead by using a fake identity which will allow him to immerse in his client’s life. Along with his colleagues, which consist of Winston, an ex-detective, and Guerrero, a hacker-hit-man from Chance’s past, each episode involves a different client and a new identity to adopt during the course of this twelve episodes season. Although some people complained about such a short season format when they would have preferred sixteen or twenty three episodes, the chosen length didn’t bother me at all. As long as the scripts and visual effects were great quality, I didn’t mind watching a short season action show.
The only things that did annoy me however were the times I managed to glimpse Canada Post trucks and letterboxes in episodes that were happening in San Francisco or in New York. Not only that, at the beginning of the fourth episode, there is also a helicopter shot of that french-Canadian monastery, and by judging the architecture of the building and the mountains, it was evident that shot was done not in Canada, but in a Californian location. So that simple detail reminded to me that this adventure hadn’t been shot in that province, and it broke the illusion of the episode. Apart from that, I am amazed how the Vancouver visual artists did a good job in their computer graphic effects, especially in the second episode with that airplane and in the sixth episode with that skydiving introduction. As for the orchestral soundtrack, it is excellent and makes the opening credits, and Chance’s missions, epic and unforgettable.
Meanwhile, the scripts’ plot lines and dialogues were well written and had enough suspense to keep you in your seat and make you wonder how Chance and his colleagues would get out of their mess. I also appreciated the interactions between the three main characters and I can say that of all the three characters, my favorite is Guerrero. His character is so unpredictable that you are never too sure what he will do if you provoke him. Kudos to Haley’s performance which allowed the character to not be a pilot appearance, but an essential character for the series. His interactions with Winston were funny and uplifted the mood of the show. Of the twelve episodes, my favorites would be the second, the eight episode, and the finale. Which concludes in the opening of the second season. Second sseason which unfortunately hasn’t been released on Blu-Ray or DVD and will only be available on Amazon Streaming Services. A shame as the show was really good and introduced great actresses like Indira Virma, who is very funny and talented. Other characters that brought more dynamic and chemistry to the show.
In the end, If I ever get the chance to review the second season, I will do so. For this show really stands as proof that you can do action shows with both high production values and excellent scripts.
Omnes's Oasis 