There is a film and TV critic in all of us who consume entertainment and when we realize that we have already heard the story a thousand times, we have to choose: do we let ourselves go or destroy the film/series? Prime Target, the eight-episode series from Apple TV Plus, fits this choice. It seems to be the new strategy of the platform that four years ago fooled me as the “new HBO” and today is the bland of all, but I will talk more about that later.

Prime Target, created by Steve Thompson, presents four stories that will converge into a great conspiracy. From the explosion in Baghdad to Cambridge, passing through the South of France, something suspicious is moving the black market of information. The series invites us to embark on this adventure full of clichés to have a few hours of fun with a revisited espionage thriller.

The “hero” of the plot is Cambridge University Ph.D. candidate Edward Brooks (Leo Woodall), the (autistic?) genius fixated on prime numbers who are about to develop a prime number finder that could decode every digital key on Earth. What he doesn’t know is that his advisor, and several other people, are being watched by the National Security Agency (NSA), which wants to prevent mercenaries from appropriating the discovery. That’s more or less the story, which brings twists, beautiful scenery, and a cast of beauties too.

Agent Taylah Sanders (Quintessa Swindell) takes on the responsibility of saving the socially awkward Brooks, and keeping him safe. As the New York Times sums it up perfectly: “Don’t think too much about the premise. Just enjoy the constant moments of suspense and the beautiful people.” That’s because the adventure that unites an unlikely duo is a repeated sequence of races, scares, and impossible escapes.

The reversal of the idea that it is the woman saving the man is in line with the new times, the fluidity of the characters is also there, and the inclusion… everything is perfect and also contributes to predictability. That said, it is great to see the construction of new stars, having new blood on the screen is something we should always appreciate and Leo Woodall has been gaining momentum since he caught the world’s attention in the second season of The White Lotus on MAX and the remake of One Day on Netflix, not to mention that he is also in the latest Bridget Jones. In fact, he reminds us of a young Matt Damon and, curiously, the series is a mix of Good Will Hunting and Jason Bourne.

Of all the clichés, the one that bothers me the most is that every genius is neurodivergent. I had this problem with another Apple TV Plus series, The Chemistry of Love, with Brie Larson: as if every exact science profile didn’t have humanities in it. It would be like putting anyone good with words necessarily bad with numbers. It is not that simple and even less accurate. But that’s what we have, and with that, just like all productions about mathematics and chemistry, there are long, accelerated dialogues to talk about numbers and formulas in a way that makes the audience feel incapable of questioning what is being done or said, being called and treated like an idiot, so that the story works. Thus, Prime Target is fixated on numbers. Overcome the resistance and put yourself where they want you (without understanding anything about the calculations) and you will have a suspense without compromises.

Critics are crushing the series (an irony that puts the algorithm down), but if you are on Apple TV Plus you have had difficulty finding such brilliant things as Ted Lasso, the main and best content on the platform. And Ted Lasso is also only “all that” because it was on air at a unique time – the Covid-19 pandemic – when the positivity of the series was essential for many of us to maintain hope and focus on the future. The platform has great stars, and luxurious productions, but in terms of content, it is increasingly lacking in originality. What a shame.

Oh, and Prime Target? The aim is similar to the craziness of The Diplomat or other adventures that have been praised. Of course, it’s fun! It’s just not great at all…

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