Take Three: Human Target

Human Target: Season 1, Episode 3 “Embassy Row” (B+)

This show just keeps getting better and better. It did take me up until there were only two minutes left in the hour to figure out who the brother was before it finally clicked and I recognized Sean Maher, better known as Simon Tam from “Firefly.” It’s not as if I wasn’t completely drawn in by the episode’s central plot, but I couldn’t for the life of me identify him, though I was positive I would be hitting myself in the head once I figured out who he was. This is the first episode that deviates from the traditional notion of Chance needing to protect someone and instead uses his personal connections and desire to avenge his friend’s death as the instigating force for his latest mission. It was great to have Emmanuelle Vaugier, in her best role since her “Smallville” days, on board as someone who Chance initially thought was a prostitute but actually turned out to be a pretty awesome FBI agent. The rip-roaring action on this show truly is spectacular, and the most exciting moment was definitely Raven’s entrance into the room when he boasted about what Raven had done before revealing himself to in fact be Raven. The fact that the security guard ultimately took him out was cool too. I love all of Chance’s lines, particularly declining the “invitation” to show his identification and confirming that he hadn’t said his name. The music is truly appropriate and excellent, and I also very much enjoyed the fact that Chance’s cover identity was C.C. Baxter, also known as Jack Lemmon’s classic character in “The Apartment.”

In case you missed this episode, it's available on FOX.com. It aired on Tuesday night at 9pm due to the State of the Union address, and it moves to its regular timeslot of Wednesdays at 8pm this coming week.