What I’m Watching: Human Target

Human Target: Season 1, Episode 4 “Sanctuary” (B+)

Though it’s hardly as unserious or colorful, I couldn’t help thinking for the whole of this episode about Chi McBride’s last trip to a place of worship while on a case. That may have been a nunnery while this was a monastery, but there were definitely some similarities. I like the way that this episode started out, with Chance taking off his hood and revealing himself and then freezing while Winston narrated the whole thing. Winston does have a knack for narration, and that’s really great, especially since his demeanor contrasts well with the two other main characters on this show. Chance is marvelously subdued and always cool under pressure, eager to take risks just for the thrill of it. I was impressed at the bravery of Abbot Stevens, especially since he should have been furious at John Grey for betraying his trust. Though we didn’t see very much of him in this episode, it’s always great to have the reliable William Mapother (Ethan from “Lost” and Gunneson on “Threshold”) on board, here as the uber-villain. This episode also provided us more of a glimpse into the awesome and crazed personality of Guerrero, who engineered a seemingly malicious break-in into Winston’s apartment while ignoring countless calls from the man himself. He might have done better to turn his cell phone off, but he ultimately proved slightly helpful when Winston panicked since Chance kept mistaking Guerrero’s role in multiple bomb diffusions for Winston’s. It looked for the whole of the episode that Guerrero was a bad guy, but his big move to protect Winston and Chance at the end was a nice twist.