‘Prime Target’ Chases an Airless Mathematical Mystery That Gets Lost in Its Formula 

Alci Rengifo

Apple TV+’s “Prime Target” is the kind of thriller that starts with a neat idea. Mathematics, like medicine, works as the kind of plot device you can use to make everything sound more archaic than it should. Only real experts will be able to decipher much of what is being said in this show, which should be part of the fun. Alas, the dominance of streaming now makes something that might work as a tight brain teaser get needlessly stretched out. For the most part, the cast in this show is very strong, walking around images that look ever so slick since this studio always delivers high quality. 

Math-based thrillers all require a big brain at the center. For this one, we get Ed (Leo Woodall), a postgrad at Cambridge (naturally) who is obsessed with a theorem to uncover prime numbers. Ed is basically trying to find the key to the universe, of course, and figures prime numbers could be some code from God in nature. Like all TV geniuses, he is so consumed by his work it makes him a spaced out jerk to friends and hook ups. Professor Robert Mallinder (David Morrissey), a mentor of Ed’s, is clearly unnerved by the younger man’s quest. Could it be jealousy? Does he feel threatened career-wise? No, it turns out the professor might be connected to a deeper knowledge of dangerous things Ed is close to discovering. This is confirmed when Robert apparently kills himself and NSA agent Taylah Sanders (Quintessa Swindell) comes into the story to close in on the young mathematician.

Shocker of shockers, whatever Ed’s formula is, it has the potential to destroy the world. No wonder he references J. Robert Oppenheimer in the season premiere. Yet, for something so urgent, “Prime Target” struggles to generate tension. Some of the fault lies in the acting choices. Leo Woodall never makes Ed truly engaging or intriguing, playing him like the most confused, mopey postgrad ever. He delivers his lines sounding bored, not driven by the desire to find answers or evade threats. Woodall pales next to Quintessa Swindell, who brings a bit more life to her NSA agent, mostly because her scenes do at least require more energetic moments involving looking up names, running around locations and demanding answers. Unfortunately, there’s little chemistry between both actors. Much of the blame can go to the writing, which never develops their relationship as anything beyond a cog in a slogging storyline. Martha Plimpton as Taylah’s superior, Jane, is probably the best performance overall. She’s strong-willed and warm, becoming likable in a series where it’s hard to invest in the characters.

The formula of “Prime Target” eases into the familiarity of car chases, close calls with pursuers and arguments about what’s wrong or right about the rise of technology and deeper forms of surveillance. Characters like Professor Andrea Lavin (Sidse Babett Knudsen), Robert’s widow, pop in from the background to add side storylines about newly discovered ruins in Baghdad, which connect somehow to Ed’s dangerous equations. The production design tends to tease us Hitchcock-style, purposefully featured in shots with designs meant to evoke Easter eggs for math junkies like the Fibonacci sequence. Fun paranoia stalks the writing, such as the idea that if you master prime numbers at Ed’s level, then you can hack into any digital space and grab someone’s passwords or infiltrate banks. This is why Taylah has the potentially mind-numbing job of spying on mathematicians all over the world to keep track of any explosive discoveries. Ed insists he has no grand aims. He’s an adventurer of the mind just wanting to crack a major code in nature. 

Skillfully shot and staged, we’re still left wondering half-way through the season what “Prime Target” is actually about beyond its superficial plotting. Good brainy thrillers can make something intricate feel accessible and clear. Since Ed is not the most compelling hero, he is left in dire need of a compelling reason for us to keep following him. Leo Woodall is a good actor from shows like “The White Lotus” and “Citadel.” Some good actors are simply not the right fit for certain roles and this is such a case. Sometimes the story can overcome certain casting choices. The antisocial genius here drags down the rhythm while getting loaded on dialogue that’s hard to crack. “Prime Target” might have served better as a movie, where it would have little time to waste. Instead of feeling like fun, it just ends up feeling like homework.

“Prime Target” season one begins streaming Jan. 22 with new episodes premiering Wednesdays on Apple TV+.