Despite its high plan, Prime Target it’s the kind of show that can turn your brain off. The series combines international intrigue, government intrigue and a handful of action sequences to make for a serviceable, if predictable, thriller. You will undoubtedly see some bad television this year, but that bad TV will probably be the most memorable.
Prime Target begins with an interesting enough premise: Cambridge post grad Ed Brooks (Leo Woodall) is a brilliant theoretical mathematician, and his research is watched by a few interested people. Basically, his thesis about prime numbers and their relevance to emerging technologies could disrupt the world as we know it. Although Ed insists that math is simple, many are interested in using it. That fortunately doesn’t include NSA agent Taylah (Quintessa Swindell), who steps in to work with Ed and put together the pieces of the ever-growing puzzle.
Some of those pieces include Taylah’s bosses at the NSA, her godmother Jane (Martha Plimpton) and her boss Andrew (Harry Lloyd), who are interested in any mathematical developments. Ed’s professors at Cambridge are also involved, with mathematician Robert (David Morrissey) keen on his potentially dangerous research. Meanwhile, Robert’s wife Andrea (Sidse Babett Knudsen) will investigate a medieval library in Baghdad, which may hold the key to Ed’s work. All this is overseen by the college’s master James Alderman (Stephen Rea), a man determined to keep his and Cambridge’s legacy intact.
Prime Target it is a global experience, and it makes good use of its spaces. The set that takes place in the Channel Tunnel between France and England is memorable and inventive, and Cambridge can’t help but play an active role. It’s Amazon’s attempt to bring the show to a global level The Citadel any number of original movies on Netflix, or luxury locations can mean high quality every time. This is not a Jason Bourne installment or a Objective: Impossible sequel (although the ending sees Woodall do a sad Tom Cruise sprint), but that spy mentality is what the series seems to be going for sometimes.
The story is at once chaotic and formulaic, in the sense that it’s full of twists you’d see from a continent far away. It’s one of those shows where 75% of the characters end up being bad, and with that level of irreverence, it’s not surprising when someone betrays our heroes. There’s a Big Twist for the series’ Big Bad, one as predictable as it is absurd in the end—a revelation made for the sake of revelation, instead of a biologically advanced villain with clearly spelled out motives.
The ever-increasing number of enemies for Ed and Taylah quickly becomes noisy, and unfortunately the two make boring tracks. Woodall has been on TV before about his career The White Lotus again One daybut as unconscious as Ed. The actor is a socially awkward genius, sometimes bordering on the social nepotism, a typical archetype that the actor does very little of. Of course, anyone would be embarrassed if so many shady organizations were behind their research, but Woodall’s performance never gets past that feeling. Swindell (who uses their pronouns) pronounces it a little better; they get a lot of emotional scenes to chew on, but Taylah’s often-told-not-shown story makes for the delivery of a lot of dull lines. Suffice it to say, veteran supporting players like Plimpton and Rea don’t get much to do with them.
The math was made interesting on the screen before, but Prime Target there is none Good Idea. With that story being the only thing that separates it from all the other shows currently airing, the series fails to stand out or stake a claim among the masses. It’s never boring, and some of the story beats are interesting enough to be entertaining, but that doesn’t make up for the miniseries’ importance.
The first two episodes of Prime Target begin airing on AppleTV+ on January 22, 2025.
