HUMAN TARGET 1.7 - "Salvage & Reclamation"

WRITERS: Jonathan E. Steinberg & Robert Levine
DIRECTOR: Bryan Spicer
GUEST CAST: Kris Marshall, Leonor Varela & Kim Coates

[SPOILERS] Human Target's a comfortable watch, but not much else, which I'm fine with. I'm not sure the show can (or wants) to evolve into a deeper, more complex series -- but even if it's just content to provide an hour of lighthearted action, there's nothing wrong with that. "Salvage & Reclamation" reminded me a great deal of the Indiana Jones saga – it took place in South America (Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull), featured a stricken old airplane flying over mountains (Temple Of Doom), involved a sassy woman who runs a remote bar and had a relationship with the hero (Raiders Of The Lost Ark), and even revealed that Chance (Mark Valley) has arachnophobia where Indy had ophiophobia...

This week, Chance had been hired by an old flame called Marian Ravenwood (Leonor Varela) to retrieve a young British anthropologist called Doug (Kris Marshall), who had discovered $40 million of gold bullion in the South American jungle, but had been kidnapped by a ruthless gang of mercenaries who are after the fortune for themselves. Adding to the peril, a corporate "pirate" called Bertram (Kim Coates) had arrived to partner with the local army's leader, to help sell the gold to the highest bidder internationally, and he wasn't very happy when his plans were spoiled when Chance managed to spring Doug from captivity and go on the run with him.

Elsewhere, Winston (Chi McBride) and Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley) were waiting at a local airstrip to whisk Chance and Doug to safety aboard a chartered jet, but had to make other plans when their operation was exposed, forcing them to takeoff in a rickety heap of junk that immediately hit dangerous turbulence in amountainous region known as "Devil's Mouth."

"Salvage & Reclamation" was a perfectly functional and occasionally very appealing episode, which I've to expect from this show. Human Target's not overeaching, it just wants to offer some escapism and does a decent job at that. This episode's more exotic locale worked very well to give the show a more international feel, and I hope Coates get a chance to return as this week's villain, because I think the show could do with a recurring bad guy. The downsides to this episode was seeing Doug reduced very quickly to a bland sidekick role who inspired a catchphrase ("shut up, Doug"), and the situation with the discovered gold somehow didn't feel all that central to proceedings. It really became another spirited cat-and-mouse game in the jungle, with Chance trading quips with his ex-lover, before eventually being extracted to safety in a manner that felt stolen from The Dark Knight.

Overall, despits its fresh location, harefooted pace, some fun banter and a decent villain on Chance's tail, "Salvage & Reclamation" grew increasingly predictable and ultimately wound up feeling a little forgettable. But for all that, I'm still enjoying this show's old-fashioned nature, and its cast are certainly responsible for half my enjoyment. The show knows how to do action sequences, it doesn't take itself very seriously, the guest casting has been marvellous, and the regulars are all very likeable. I just feel that Human Target's a little too content with itself, and episodes are becoming too fun-but-disposable.

Asides

-- The show's proclivity to cast sexy ladies continud here with Chilean actress Leonor Varela, whom you may recognize as Nyssa from Blade II. There was also some amusement for British viewers to see Kris Marshall (My Family, those BT adverts) as this week's "sidekick".

-- Best moment? Chance subverting action movie tradition by evading an enemy soldier not through violence, but by trying to convince him he's not been informed of a change in plans because his colleagues don't feel he's approachable. But yes, when that didn't work, he turned to violence.

14 MARCH 2010: FOX, 8/7c