TV Review: Human Target (2010): Season 1, Ep.1: Pilot

Human Target (2010): Season 1, Ep.1: Pilot starts the series off on multiple good notes. First ,the casting of Christopher Chance (Mark Valley), Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley), and Winston (Chi McBridein) make the show watchable. Guerrero’s subtle, borderline menace was intriguing as well. I get the sense he and Chance were in the same bad line of business before Chance went good. Now it seems that some of that is rubbing off on Guerrero as well. “Are you joking?” “Was it funny?” It’s too bad Tricia Helfer, who guest stars in the pilot episode, isn’t a show regular.

Second, the action. Its quick and deliberate. The pilot episode contains one of the best hand-to-hand fight scenes that I have ever scene on a television show, far better than I ever saw on Alias or Dollhouse, two hand-to-hand heavy combat television shows. The two characters going at it on a moving train really know what they are doing with their counter-moves and deflections. The fight gets better as it goes on. It was really impressive and it ends well too (bloody). As Tsang Sung would say: “Flawless victory. Fatality.”

The parachute train sequence, which I thought would be laughable, actually came off pretty well, especially the hard landing.

Its anyone’s guess what mysterious past Chance is hiding but I am guessing it has something to do with the military. Since the show is based on a comic book, the source material can always be read to find out sooner rather than latter.