Prime Target Review: Insane Possibilities But Sort of Disappointing?

In this Apple TV+ series, brilliant young mathematician Edward Brook realises that there are forces at play who want to destroy his life’s work – research into finding a pattern in prime numbers that will give him access to any computer in the world. Together with NSA agent Taylah Sanders, who has been tasked to keep an eye on the post-graduate student, they try to uncover the conspiracy that threatens everything that Edward has worked for, including his own life.

The thriller miniseries has 8 episodes, each with a runtime of around 40-50 minutes.

Prime Target Review

In Apple TV+’s Prime Target, a genius mathematician cracks a shocking prime number code that puts some shady people on him to put an end to his research. Leo Woodall plays Edward Brooks, with the brilliance and naivete needed for his character and it’s easy to follow him and the passion which he pours into his research because he portrays his character with a lot of honesty. The series paints a vivid picture of his predicament and pulls out several interesting threads for viewers to mull over and pulls you into its spider web before you realise it.

In the midst of the prime number conspiracy is NSA agent Taylah Sanders, who finds his partner executed as they were keeping an eye on Edward. Taylah and Edward then join hands to get to the bottom of this mess, unearthing several shocking twists and turns. I think this entire prime number thing is kinda kooky, but I guess that’s what sets it apart from other shows. You don’t expect some secretive prime numbers decoding to be the undoing of the world but here we are with this series and although it seems a bit fantastical sometimes, I like the twists and turns that the series brings.

I think the merit that I found with this series is that it brings something unique to the table. I am a little bored of watching the run-of-the-mill thrillers involving secret agents and government secrets and the twin prime number theorem is quite an interesting addition with vast possibilities. The series showcases these possibilities well, with some interesting tangents that had the possibility of being something memorable. The conspiracy is delicious and will make you sit on the edge wondering what lies ahead and how everything comes together.

However, I will say that the series’ last episode feels lacklustre and half-baked. I don’t mind the open ending, but the way the situation plays out and how the different characters end up feels unfinished and unsatisfying. It left me with many important questions and also made made wonder what the point of many things in the series were. For 8 long episodes, we go through several minutes of twists and turns and conversations but the ending doesn’t reflect these many leaps and leaves you a bit annoyed for making you sit through so much.

That being said, Leo Woodall is fantastic in the show and leaves you hooked on his character. There’s a ton going on for this young mathematician with lofty ideals whose world gets shattered when he faces the realities of the world and Woodall showcases the confusion and pain of facing the reality so well. Plus, his ‘Eureka!’ moments are equally exciting to watch and make you root for him throughout. On the other hand, Swindell’s Taylah has her moments of brilliance but I feel like her character feels a bit out of place sometimes. I think Taylah needed some more backstory and skin in the game to give her character more weight in the story.

Final Thoughts

Prime Target is an interesting series that has its moments of intrigue. The storyline itself is quite lucrative to miss out on, but I think the execution could’ve been better. Several sequences throughout the runtime feel so unnecessary after watching the last episode, which will leave you annoyed more than anything. But, the strong performances are definitely a plus. This one was sort of a hit-and-miss watch for me.

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