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REVIEW: ‘Prime Target’ is a Promising Thriller but Less Than the Sum of its Parts

John C.



Prime Target, an eight-episode Apple TV+ conspiracy thriller, is a pleasingly glossy and sufficiently engaging watch - though, like its central characters, seems to have something of an identity crisis in terms of what it wants to be.


Apple TV+
Apple TV+

Following a dynamic opening sequence of a gas explosion in Baghdad, we are thrust into the world of the Cambridge postgraduate Edward Brooks (played by Leo Woodall), who is on the verge of a major breakthrough involving prime numbers - though naturally, he is unaware of the chain of events which his discoveries will put into motion.  That is, until his path intersects with the US National Security Agency, who has been surveilling the brightest mathematicians in case they unlock the next seismic discovery.  Edward’s professor (David Morrissey, always a pleasure to watch) learns of the puzzling that his protégé had been keeping secret and attempts to deter his endeavours, to no avail.  A rogue NSA agent, Taylah Sanders (Quintessa Swindell) breaks protocol and teams with Edward to uncover a conspiracy which they unexpectedly found themselves at the heart of.


Apple TV+
Apple TV+

Edward cuts a lonely figure, largely disinterested in social or romantic interactions - or frankly, anything that potentially impedes on his research.  Although it is not anywhere near the showcase of his talents as One Day, Woodall delivers a pleasantly assured, if understated performance as Edward here.  Swindell, as the cool co-lead, tries her utmost to make the most of the material provided by showrunner Stephen Thompson and his team.  However, like the rest of the characters in this show (supporting cast includes some engaging turns from Martha Plimtpon and Harry Lloyd), Taylah lacks any satisfying interiority, making her relationship with Edward remain squarely at arm’s length.  The globetrotting and twist-turning we are treated to make for pretty scenery and shallow shocks - but the style could do with more substance to accompany it.


Apple TV+ has developed a reputation as a purveyor of quality over quantity, being considered by many to be the closest to HBO in being deserving of the label of ‘prestige TV’.  However, such a label holds less potency in this day and age than it once did - especially when money is frequently lavished upon shows without proportionate considerate of inconsequential aspects like script or pacing.  Prime Target may pass on the surface as ‘prestige’ but does not hold up to closer inspection.  It could have benefitted from a more definitive commitment to a tone - whether a serious, more cerebral tack that truly sought to interrogate the knotty themes it presents, or a schlockier, unpretentiously breezy airport thriller.  The latter approach would have likely been considerably a more effective approach for Thompson, who cut his teeth working on the BBC’s Sherlock.


Apple TV+
Apple TV+

Nonetheless, although Prime Target is no match for Apple TV+’s top-drawer output, it makes for a pleasant way to spend 8 hours if you are in search of an international escape (or just fancy seeing more of Leo Woodall).


Rating: 3/5




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