On Jan. 17, 2010, at 8 p.m. FOX will air the pilot of an exciting new show called “The Human Target,” and based on the first episode, I expect that the show will do moderately well. The basic premise isn’t entirely unique — there is a man with a checkered and dangerous past who only knows how to live on the wild side and is always getting into life and death situations to save the innocent – but there is a twist.
This man, the titular “Human Target,” takes on clients whose lives are in danger, and impersonates someone important in the client’s life in order to get close. Then he attempts to draw the fire of whoever wants to kill the client, in essence becoming a “human bulletproof vest” to protect them from harm.
“The Human Target,” aka Christopher Chance, debuted as a character in “Action Comics” in 1972, and since then he has really been getting around. He has appeared on and off in various DC series since then, and most recently was the title character in the DC/Vertigo series “Human Target” written by Peter Milligan. Chance has been the subject of a television series once before, played by Rick Springfield in 1992, but this Sunday, the character goes higher profile than ever before in his own FOX television series.
In this 2010 series, Christopher Chance is played by Mark Valley, who has had roles on numerous television shows throughout the past decade. Most recently, he starred in FOX’s hit show “Fringe,” as well as “Boston Legal” and “Keen Eddie” in significant roles.
Valley’s take on Christopher Chance is refreshingly non-stereotypical, and his performance is one of the few bright spots that save the show from being rote and by the numbers. Although it is not revealed in this first episode, Chance’s past is hinted at on multiple occasions, and I predict that this first season will primarily address the question, “What makes a man put himself in this kind of danger?” This is a good thing, because episodic television is always so much better when there is continuity from episode to episode.
The main focus of each episode, however, will be a single case for Chance to solve which introduces a new client to protect each week. In the premiere, the client is an attractive super train engineer who is about to unveil an $80 million project to the world before someone tries to blow her up with a car bomb. The episode, which is about forty minutes in actual length, can be split roughly into three parts, each accomplishing a certain goal.
The first ten minutes or so serve to introduce us to our main protagonist, showing Chance disarming a hostage situation with significant style and swagger. Chance is sharply sarcastic, as well as smoothly operational, demonstrating the duality of personality necessary to be effective under fire.
The next ten minutes set up the current case, introducing the client and her predicament. We also see Chance assume his new role, which, in this case, is as a translator. We see Chance spout Japanese with impossible skill, and when his client asks him if he knew Japanese before this case, he says no. I understand the need to show Chance as superhuman in his abilities, but his speaking perfect Japanese off the cuff stretches disbelief too far. This steals credibility from the scene, and in a show like this, credibility is all-important.
The remainder of the show fares a bit better, showing Chance unmasking the killer and defusing an overall explosive situation. I didn’t guess the killer’s identity before it was revealed, and in a prime-time television show, this is a rare and desirable occurrence.
The action scenes are top notch and fully believable, and are the best thing about the show. We see Chance going way beyond the call of duty, betraying both his own body and the laws of gravity to get the job done. The explosions are big, the fights are fast and furious and each moment is more thrilling than the last. The show continually ups the ante throughout its duration, making the climax of the action ridiculously intense and crowd-pleasing.
The supporting cast is roughly average so far, but my opinion may change on this subject as they are more fully fleshed out in upcoming episodes. Jackie Earle Haley – who I absolutely loved in “Watchmen” last year – plays Guerrero, a bad-guy-recently-turned-good who ends up in Chance’s employ. So far Guerrero seems rather wimpy, but according to an interview with Haley, this wimpy exterior is a front intended to throw the bad guys off guard. This remains to be seen, but Haley’s performance in this episode left a lot to be desired.
Chi McBride rounds out the regular supporting cast playing Winston, the conservative straight man in Chance’s world. Winston is there to keep the show grounded in reality, constantly pointing out just how insane Chance’s methods are. McBride’s performance is passable, but certainly not memorable. His presence adequately fills the father figure role, but it doesn’t do anything more than that.
Overall, “Human Target” is a fun thrill-ride of a TV show that will surely inject a shot of adrenaline into FOX’s spring lineup. While I was watching it, I kept having flashes of “Burn Notice,” a show I like a lot better. Both shows execute on the modern-day spy genre adeptly, but “Burn Notice” has a certain charm that transcends a somewhat tired genre. “Burn Notice” also has those addictive “spy tips” that keep me coming back for more, and I’m still a little unsure of just what hook “Human Target” is going to have.
That said, I expect the show to do quite well, especially given the strong P.R. campaign that FOX is placing behind it. So far it’s no “Burn Notice,” but I didn’t love that show after the first episode either. I recommend that fans of action shows give “Human Target” a shot this Sunday.
