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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Human Target - "Run"

    In this day and age a straight up procedural has to do a lot to impress me. I've seen enough Law and Order for a lifetime. Human Target's main charm comes from its unique tone and disregard for ever making sense. Each week Christopher Chance breezes into a situation with infinite bravado, has more kick-ass action scenes than some movies, and then breezes out with flair. This week was no different. 


"You can't run from who you are"
    The opening line pretty much sets the tone and theme for the episode. The mystery around the D.A. isn't really that important and pretty easily figured out from the first 3 minutes anywho. "Running" is definitely the theme of this episode, and it's very well done. Of course the villains have somehow put a tracking device inside our client and once the fireworks start, in a moving car no less, there's no slowing down. Back to that moving car- in a series that has to-date had about three fight scenes in extremely close quarters, this one was probably the best. Using the seat belts, Allyson jumping over to steer, and going into oncoming traffic... everything worked perfectly. They managed to create a sense of desperation with literally every cop in the city on this nebulous crime lord's payroll. Of course by the end of the episode, Guerrero turned the tables with science and lured the villains to a law library with Chance waiting. The final fight and each action sequence in general remind me of the Bourne series in the best ways with the pacing and realistic, easy-to-follow style of each fight.

"I'm not a cop, I'm not a bodyguard, I'm just here to identify your problem, solve it, and get out with no loose ends."
    Absolutely adored this line. It was very tongue-in-cheek and managed to make fun of the show in a very natural way. The no loose ends part, of course, loomed large in the final two minutes of the episode. I have to admit that I got a little worried when the main crooked cop appeared to slink off into the night. Chance going after him with his own baton was a satisfying little coda even if we didn't see it. I'm not very interested in an arch-nemesis for this show!

"What the hell is he?"
    The show is absolutely static and nothing has even approached changing in five episodes, yet they still manage to tease little parts of Chance's history through his interactions with the clients. His defense of leaving your family to protect them is far too familiar. We still cheer when he rejects her plea to stop running and disappears around the corner to the next client and the next adventure. 

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