Broken Frontier

This week’s episode of Human Target, “Princess,” follows self-proclaimed “death retardant specialist” (I still love that) as he rescues the Princess of Wales (Victoria, played by Christina Cole) from an assassination plot. It’s a typical Human Target adventure in that it’s pretty thrilling and tends to not take itself too seriously. But the lack of a compelling villain and the predictable love story prevent it from being among the first season’s best.

In “Princess,” Victoria, heir apparent to the throne, has fallen in love with a New York City ambulance driver named Tony (Ray Valentin). Naturally, this doesn’t sit all that well with her husband, Templeton (Mackenzie Gray). To preserve the integrity of the crown, Victoria’s cuckolded hubby marks her for assassination, turning her own security force against her. Chance is hired to protect Victoria and get to the bottom of the murder conspiracy. Meanwhile, the dynamic duo of Winston and Guerrero must protect Tony from Templeton’s goons.

As great as the strictly platonic but thoroughly entertaining fish-out-of-water exchanges between Chance and Victoria are, the real stars this week are Winston and Guerrero, but especially Guerrero. Who knew this squirrelly semi-sociopath (and enemy of GPS systems everywhere) was so good with a sniper rifle? My one complaint? Guerrero says “dude” entirely too much at this point. I’d be surprised if this verbal quirk doesn’t inspire some sort of drinking game. If I just gave you an idea, you’re welcome.

The fast-pasted action sequences—especially at the end, when Victoria displays some badass fencing skills—should appease most viewers on some level, but Templeton is among the series’ least compelling villains thus far. All he seems to do is snarl and pout. No wonder Victoria left him!

This week, we learn a bit more about Chance’s past, particularly his relationship with Katherine, whom we learn died in 2003. Seeing Chance visit the grave of his long-lost lover makes him even more human. Yes, pun intended.

While “Princess” is suitably entertaining for the most part—and refreshingly nuanced considering the formulaic premise of the show—next week’s season finale should be a real crowd-pleaser. Based on the teaser, fans can look forward to a return appearance by fan-favorite villain Baptiste and a deeper look into Chance’s backstory.