Although the plot is high-end, main goal It’s the kind of show where you can turn off your brain. The show combines international intrigue, government intrigue and some action-related scenes to create a serviceable but predictable thriller. There’s no doubt you’ll see worse TV this year, but the bad ones will almost certainly be more memorable.
main goal It starts with an interesting enough concept: Cambridge graduate student Ed Brooks (Leo Woodall) is a brilliant theoretical mathematician whose research is attracting attention from a number of interested parties. Basically, his paper on prime numbers and their relevance to emerging technologies could upend the world as we know it. Despite Ed’s insistence that math is just math, many are interested in weaponizing it. Luckily, that doesn’t include NSA agent Tyra (Quintessa Swindell), who steps in and teams up with Ed to piece together a growing puzzle.
Some of these include Tyra’s superiors at the NSA, her godmother Jane (Martha Plimpton), and her boss Andrew (Harry Lloyd), who have a vested interest in all mathematical advancements. Ed’s professor at Cambridge is also involved, with mathematician Robert (David Morrissey) actively discouraging him from undertaking potentially dangerous research. Meanwhile, Robert’s wife Andrea (Sides Barbet Knudsen) will investigate an unearthed medieval library in Baghdad that may hold the key to Ed’s work. This is all overseen by James Alderman (Stephen Rea), the Dean of the College, who is passionate about keeping his legacy and that of Cambridge intact.
main goal is a globe-trotting adventure that makes the most of locations. The scenes that take place in the Channel Tunnel between France and England are memorable and creative, and Cambridge can’t help but be visually striking. It’s an Amazon-like attempt to take the show global fortress Or any number of Netflix original movies, although posh venues don’t always mean high quality. This is not a Jason Bourne work, nor is it Mission: Impossible sequel (although the finale does see Woodall do a rather pathetic Tom Cruise dash), but spy intrigue seems to be what the series is going for at times.
The story is messy and formulaic, in the sense that it’s obsessed with twists and turns you could see from a distant continent. This is a show where 75% of the characters end up evil, and with such evil proportions, it’s no surprise when someone betrays our heroes. The series’ “big bad” inevitably gets a big twist, and as expected, it ends up being pointless – a reveal for the sake of reveal, rather than an organically developed villain with clearly written motivations.
Ed and Terra’s ever-increasing number of enemies quickly become bland, and unfortunately, the two also make for some pretty boring leads. Woodall has been captivated by his work on television before. white lotus and one daybut he’s as slow as Ed. The character is a socially awkward genius who sometimes borders on being socially incompetent, a familiar archetype that is rarely used by actors. Of course, anyone would be angry if multiple secret organizations were after their research, but Woodall’s performance never really sheds this moody mood. Swindell (who uses they/him pronouns) fares slightly better; they have more emotionally over-the-top scenes to chew on, but Tyra’s consistently told rather than shown backstory results in a lot of clunky line delivery. Arguably, experienced support players like Plimpton and Rhea don’t have much to do.
Math used to be fun on the screen, but main goal Yes or no beautiful mind. With this theme being its only meager difference from every other dramatic thriller currently available on streaming, the series fails to stand out or carve out a niche among the masses. It’s not particularly boring, and some of the story beats get silly enough to be quite entertaining, but it doesn’t make for a worthwhile miniseries.
The first two episodes of “Prime Target” will begin streaming on AppleTV+ on January 22, 2025.
