According to thefutoncritic.com, FOX has already announced some changes to its TV lineup for the fall, ahead of the network upfronts that are due next week. Among the shows that have been cancelled are HUMAN TARGET. Less than a year old, and with two short seasons under its belt, I was bemoaning the demise of this show when a revamped version came back in November. The first season was a nice 80's adventure show throwback, with a Chandler-inspired "man of mystery" at its heart. Also cancelled, with two episodes yet to air, is THE CHICAGO CODE. While not a noir, this show was developed by Shawn Ryan, the man behind the best TV noir of all time, THE SHIELD. I'll watch whatever Shawn does, including his producing efforts on the criminally under-seen TERRIERS. CODE had started to find its stride, emphasizing the duality of the undercover work in the series, so it's sad to see it go. It's very possible I may not pick up any new (non FX) shows this year. I find it may be easier to go back and watch them on DVD...
Okay, well, if this show hasn't already jumped the shark, several rows of teeth are nipping at its heels with this episode. The team is hired to protect a family threatened by computer hackers. Unfortunately, it's Christmastime (ooohh) and the family lives in Suburbia (Hell on Earth) and they all lead lives like 11th-tier AMERICAN BEAUTY knockoffs (oooohhhh boooyyyy). How will our fish out of water fare? With groan-inducing dialogue and situations, and saccharine messages far afield from the dark soul-searching the show began with, this feels much more NCIS than the HUMAN TARGET I fell in love with. Not to mention the shootout at the mall (really?) that ends in a non-ending as the bad guys are defeated, but not, as far as I can tell, caught, which doesn't really seem to solve anything, but the episode needs to end anyway.
Don't worry, I won't be bothering you with this show any more. Instead, I'll be eagerly awaiting the February premieres of JUSTIFIED and THE CHICAGO CODE.
Well, the deterioration of HUMAN TARGET continues as the characters shift from the shadows where they hide to the floor-length windows and paychecks. In this episode, one wonders if the old Chance would even show up for someone who hadn't paid. And I know the old Guerrero would have just walked away when faced with a paycheck, instead of just being ornery and quirky. Oh, I suppose it's not a bad show, it's just not what I've come to expect from the brand.
Oh boy. Of the four episodes this season, only one has been centered around a mission for money, and that was the premiere. In episode 2, the team had to rescue Chance's friend, in the third episode, it was the thief's friend, and now it's Ilsa's friend that needs rescuing, from a South American cartel that for some reason didn't just kill the woman. Where's the Chance we knew and loved? Why is he offering Baptiste a job? What has money done to him?
Uh oh. We're seeing the first signs of strain in the new season of HUMAN TARGET. Remember last week when I said the scenes with the young thief seem forced? Well, now she's the focus of an episode where she gets in trouble and needs Chance's help to get her out. Not only is Chance not protection-for-hire (the concept of the series) for the second week in a row, but this woman he picked up is playing the damsel-in-distress early on. When Chance risked his neck for Winston or Guerrero, it's because he had a long history with them. But he just met this woman! And not only is she a female that needs to be rescued, we also get her stripped-down and oiled-up in her cat burglar capacity (Complete with close-ups of writhing bodies in tight places. Sigh.) I retain hope that this is a momentary blip, but I'm keeping my eyes wide open.
I've made the comparison between HUMAN TARGET and the CW's NIKITA before, and it's no surprise that there may be similar storylines in each, but this is a little ridiculous. Our hero (Chance, in this case), who previously was a professional assassin, assigns himself to protect the wife of one of his victims. The new boss seems to be working out pretty well, but the interaction with the young thief is a little awkward.
In advance of tonight's Season 2, Episode 2, thefutoncritic.com has posted interviews with cast regular Chi McBride and newcomer Indira Varma. This series is called "A Few Minutes With..." and that's really all it is, but there are some interesting points, including Chi's vehemence against a certain baseball team.
I'm cautiously optimistic about the second season. I can deal with a few changes, as long as some things stay. Like the choreography and the stunts. Like Guerrero's dark side. Like Chance's journey of redemption. The new direction is not yet clear, but this episode portends well. Chance is hunted down and found by a billionairess widow who needs protection, which has Chance and his team globe-trotting from Nepal to San Francisco to Switzerland.
In advance of the 2nd-season premiere of HUMAN TARGET tonight (8pm, FOX), thefutoncritic.com has posted an interesting interview with star Mark Valley and new addition Indira Varma. I have to admit some trepidation hearing there is a new show-runner and a new direction, having really appreciated the first season in a throwback kind of way, but the stunts have always been great, which you know is important to me if you were here yesterday, and I have grown to like the characters. So, I may not be expecting the kind of quality you are getting on TERRIERS (are you watching yet?), but I do expect to get a good time for an hour a week, geeking out on my 80s youth.
"Christopher Chance is the guy you go to when no one else can help." This is the "origins" episode that at least partially explains how our team came together, and ties in some of the other threads from this first season, which ends in a cliffhanger, and gets us excited for the 2nd Season premiere on Friday, October 1st. Guest stars for this episode include Armand Assante (Q&A), Lee Majors (The Night the Reindeer Died) and Amy Acker (Angel).
As my wife and I were watching the episode, we ticked off several similarities to the first two episodes of the new CW series "Nikita." They both feature professional assassins trained by secret para-military organizations. Both protagonists have escaped and are trying to take down their previous employers, to different degrees. "So why," the wife asked, "do I like this one so much better?" Well, for me, I think it has to do with the fact that this is a much more traditional adventure show, a throwback not only to the television heroes of the 80s (think Magnum or Spenser - and, now that I think about it, to a lesser degree, shows like "The Fall Guy" with Lee Majors), but to filmed heroes of the last 70 years, right up to the symphonic notes that carry Chance off to the unknown in the last shot of this season. While "Nikita" is ultra-serious, "Human Target" never takes itself too seriously, giving us a chance to smile in between the well-choreographed action scenes. Thumbs up to Fox for bringing us more Christopher Chance.
Chance is hired to protect the Princess of Wales from her murderous husband and his footman. The penultimate episode of last season, and the new season is only 16 days away.
Chance has a plan to win the greatest underground fighting championship in the world, save a boxer who wouldn't take a dive, screw a billionaire and rescue a cowed vamp in the process. Can he do it? This is Christopher Chance we're talking about here. Guesting Grace Park (BSG's Boomer, and the upcoming "Hawaii 5-0"), consider it BLOODSPORT meets THE STING.
So, as the new Fall season is coming, I'm catching up on episodes I missed, and that includes the last 5 episodes of Human Target. This looks like a key episode, looking toward the past. The villain is the eponymous Baptiste, an assassin trained by Chance himself. We learn more about Chance's past, and who Katherine is, as well as bring back Agent Barnes from Episode 3 (I toldja we'd see more of her) and Layla from Episode 6 (pleasant surprise). More fun action and fist-play. Enjoy for the next couple of days!
Chance has to break into an impenetrable corporate headquarters to rescue an employee being held hostage by his own company. Mitch Pileggi (X-Files, Sons of Anarchy) guest-stars.
My wife watched this episode with me. She accused me of wanting to be Indiana Jones: that roguish, good-looking, smart, funny, capable but unavailable hero. That, or Magnum. I'll take it.
Chance has to rescue an ex-con from a remote Quebec monastery before his ex-partner (William Mapother) and a band of mercenaries kill him and steal a $4 million artifact. Where else can you find this kind of stuff?
Here is episode number 3 of the Fox show. There's some more fun fight choreography, plus a motorcycle chase and the introduction of a character I hope we'll see more of. One thing I like about this show is that it deals with big things in a very personal way, sort of the DIE HARD effect. Show the large event from the perspective of someone who only becomes a major player by "Chance." Har-har. I crack myself up.
I'm still working on the notes for this week's film noir, WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS. In the meantime, enjoy episode 2 of "Human Target," with more close-quarters hand-to-hand combat and plot twists that make flying fun. And can I just say the Jackie Earle Haley is a revelation in the past few years? After only knowing him from THE BAD NEWS BEARS, he has been great in LITTLE CHILDREN, WATCHMEN, and now this.
According to thefutoncritic.com, FOX has already announced some changes to its TV lineup for the fall, ahead of the network upfronts that are due next week. Among the shows that have been cancelled are HUMAN TARGET. Less than a year old, and with two short seasons under its belt, I was bemoaning the demise of this show when a revamped version came back in November. The first season was a nice 80's adventure show throwback, with a Chandler-inspired "man of mystery" at its heart. Also cancelled, with two episodes yet to air, is THE CHICAGO CODE. While not a noir, this show was developed by Shawn Ryan, the man behind the best TV noir of all time, THE SHIELD. I'll watch whatever Shawn does, including his producing efforts on the criminally under-seen TERRIERS. CODE had started to find its stride, emphasizing the duality of the undercover work in the series, so it's sad to see it go. It's very possible I may not pick up any new (non FX) shows this year. I find it may be easier to go back and watch them on DVD...
