So started “Human Target.” Not bad, but what’s the relation to DCU.?
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Christopher Chance, the Human Target, used to lurk around DC backup stories, mostly, with occasional crossovers and I believe a mini-series or two, at some point. His traditional deal is that he disguises himself as the target and lives that person’s life until the attack happens, but (as Bilson and De Meo proved with Rick Springfield…) that doesn’t really work on television, where you need to pay a leading actor.
There’s a brief nod as to why this version of the character is different, near the end of the run.
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He has worked with Batman.
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They also had Chance on a couple episodes of Arrow, albeit a different actor.
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Thank you, all! I had never heard of him somehow. I appreciate the responses.
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I loved it when they used Christopher Chance on Arrow, he’s exactly the kind of grounded yet comic booky DC character that fits in with Ollie and friends. In a perfect world, it would have led to a spin-off show based on Peter Milligan’s excellent Human Target Vertigo series.
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Don’t forget DC/Vertigo had their ongoing as well. It lasted like 2 years or so. You’re 100% right though, there were 2 minis, I think one was Vertigo and the second was DC itself. I absolutely loved the character in all incarnations. He, Nemesis, Jason Burr and Roy Raymond were DC’s attempts at the non-superhero, Cop/Spy normal man with mad skills sort of hero. They were always fun to read.
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Literally just starting this show today and hope to finish it before DC Universe goes away…for now…on January 20th. Have never heard of this show or these characters and am looking forward to discovering a new part of the, ahem, DC Universe.
Enjoyed the pilot episode and Guerrero is fantastic. The cameo at the end combined with the callback to an earlier scene was phenomenal. My biggest complaint is the score - the music in this show is distractingly bad.
The second episode was very good. Loved the episode for the Chi McBride character and the tension was well done and executed. This seems like a show that will benefit from being on a streaming service like this or on DVD to avoid commercials and keep the mood, momentum of the show going.
Jackie Earle Haley is terrific and I love every scene he’s in so far.
Third episode done and I’m hooked. This show is great at building tension and drama by putting our heroes in unique, life-threatening situations.
This show is a combination of James Bond, Magnum PI and MacGyver and seems to take the best from each of those franchises. I’ll be binging the entire first season today/tonight and expect to love it along the way. More to come!
Episode four and we get a roundtable discussion of DC Crisis among monks including references to Superman, The Flash and the Anti-Monitor? Love it.
The montage recap coming back from commercial (seems to have been added this episode) is a little annoying when you’re watching it without commercials but at least they’re over quick.
Eagle eyed viewers may recognize the villain in this episode from episodes of both ‘Supergirl’ or ‘Constantine’.
This was the weakest episode so far for me but it also did the most to move our characters beyond their beginnings in the pilot. We may finally have a storyline that carries over beyond a single episode. Winston is quickly becoming my favorite character and he’s by far the most versatile - you never know how he’ll be used/needed in any given episode.
Oh, Guerrero…
Episode five…getting a gorgeous woman to take her clothes off is never a bad idea if you want men to enjoy your show.
This was the first episode to make San Francisco a visual part of the show and I hope they do it more often going forward. Beautiful city that lends itself to shows like this.
The stunts/action sequences in this show have been solid throughout and this episode was no different.
There was no carryover from episode four and I still really don’t understand what Guerrero was doing in that episode. That’s been a main weakness for this series so far, for me, as I’d like to see some storyline carry over from one episode to the next to give us a feeling of a larger story.
Weak plot in this one compared to the others and less peril/suspense but still not bad. On to episode six!
Episode six had a Mission Impossible feel to it and I liked it. Good mix of humor, thrills, suspense and action. The show is hitting a good stride and the characters are showing their strength and teamwork.
Our hero makes reference to his former boss and the final scene references him as well…are they talking about Bruce Wayne/Batman? I hope we find out soon!
Episode seven…I cant place the actor that plays Bertram (the villain) but he’s familiar and he always plays a bad guy. Does it well, too.
Our hero has now shown us he speaks English, Japanese, Russian and Spanish fluently. Impressive!
The credits for this episode came 10 minutes into a 43 minute episode. That’s absurd. When we’re that far into an episode its intrusive to drop the credits in. At that point just let it go.
Somewhere in the middle of a remote South American jungle our hero just happens to know a smoking hot lady that can help him? Ok…
Guerrero was really wasted in this episode. It didn’t play well to his strengths and he didn’t seem to help in any way. Poor writing - should have given him more to do.
This one had an Indiana Jones vibe to it complete with the ex-lover who now runs a bar in enemy territory who then becomes an accomplice.
This one would have been a great episode for a Swamp Thing cameo!
Filming in the Pacific Northwest and trying to pass it off as the jungles of South America or Central America is distractingly ineffective.
Seven episodes in and I’m starting to get punchy. Five more to go tonight!
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Season 1 of Human Target is pretty fun. But I gotta warn you it takes a real nosedive after that.
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In due time…
For now, episode eight! The absurdly gorgeous federal agent is back and she’s a sight for sore eyes! We have our first real callback to an earlier episode and I like that right off the bat. Plus this villain seems formidable and that should be fun.
This episode is great so far - Barnes is a solid character and the love/hate relationship between her and Chance is a lot of fun. Adding Layla is interesting as Guerrero is already a computer genius.
Much less action in this one and a lot more exposition about Chase’s past. The espionage, though, was top notch. I’m a sucker for spy stuff, secret operations and high priced assassins.
I didn’t like the bouncing back and forth between present time and the past, especially since it was all one story, but that’s something they do a lot in this show so far so I guess I should expect it.
The directing of the fight scenes was so fast it made it tough to follow the action. That’s a shame because otherwise this was well done episode and even with the dodgy directing of the fight scenes it was still a fun episode to watch. (Watch, get it? If you watch this episode you will.)
That’s going to have to do it for me tonight. I can’t make it through another episode without falling asleep. Until another day.
Back for episode nine!
Our hero Christopher Chance is now a competitive kickboxer?!? Come on.
I like the variety of assignments that this show allows Chase to take part in but competing in a kickboxing championship against men 20 years younger than him? Come on.
That out of the way, I love these kind of episodes even though they’re very predictable and formulaic. An underdog sports story, a gorgeous woman, double crosses, high stakes gambling - I always like these.
Finding out that our hero is afraid of something and trying to figure out what it is, and how he can overcome it, is half the fun. The scene in the pool was creative and rewarding. Overall a good episode even if the motivation behind helping the client was muddled.
Episode 10 and boy does this show deliver the eye candy! Moon Bloodgood is GORGEOUS and they show her off in this episode. Wow.
This felt more like MacGyver and Bond than some of the other episodes. I liked the scenery, the plot was straightforward and there was plenty for Guerrero to do. Winston? Not so much.
Our hero does his usual amazing stuff and comes out looking great in the end. This was a fun episode to watch and to see how he saved the day. Very satisfying ending and was fun to see Guerrero in a professional work environment for once!
Episode 11 and we get a good, lighthearted episode with genuine suspense and tension. An international plot, the fun antagonistic relationship between Winston and Guerrero, a great action sequence with British Royalty and archaic weapons (was that Hawkman’s mace?!?) and some truly despicable villains.
This is the episode where the show hit their stride. Guerrero is a very entertaining character in every episode and Winston gets better and better. Too bad it’s the penultimate show of the first season.
The last scene finally gives us a bit more insight into Christopher Chance and I hope we learn more in the remaining episodes.
Time to finish season one!