Prime Target Review: Does not hang

Prime Target starts with a fascinating premise: Edward Brooks (Leo Woodall) is on the verge of unraveling the mathematical secrets that protect every computer system in the world. The intriguing puzzle that underpins Edward’s work sets the Apple TV+ drama for shine, but when the doe-eyed prodigy is drawn into a dangerous web of intellectual espionage and conspiratorial intrigue alongside NSA agent Taylah Sanders (Quintessa Swindell), Prime Target begins to lose its footing. While the opening episodes establish a sharp and engaging story rooted in a cozy Cambridge milieu brimming with tweedy charm, its later international spy-thriller portions begin to feel like a Dan Brown novel, mixing egghead mysteries with grand conspiracies. The race to crack the pattern within the primes that underlies most modern cryptographic security stumbles into the same pitfalls as the film versions of Brown’s Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, as its embrace of big ideas is accompanied by boring information dumps, uneven tempo. , and an over-reliance on scenes of people doing research, pointing at screens or reading old notes with intense gazes.

As Prime Target progresses, the journey begins to feel less compelling than the destination. It stretches thinly over eight episodes, relying on filler and exposition that undermines the story of its momentum. The tight construction and engaging question marks of the opening chapters are overtaken by repetition as Edward and Taylah move from one cryptic clue to the next, interspersed with vague, ominous warnings about the importance and apparent danger of numbers that can only be shared with 1 or themselves. These warnings become the show’s awkward mantra, introduced in nearly every episode, as if to remind viewers that the plot is still moving forward. I found the concept of an apocalyptic mathematical discovery undeniably cool, but the execution lacks the spark to make it feel truly exciting or believable. There is too much self-seriousness on screen to allow for a full embrace of the fun of the concept. Instead: a hateful melodrama that mostly feels undeserved.

The characters are drawn just as flimsily. Fortunately, both leads deliver strong performances: Woodall plays Edward as the quintessential genius whose intellect seems almost too big for the mundane concerns of everyday life, capturing a mix of youthful brilliance and stinging, too-smart-for-the-world hostility. And Swindell brings a calculated intensity to Taylah, tempered by moments of subtle, grounding warmth. They’re intriguing protagonists, but their arcs still feel underdeveloped, with motivations shifting without much explanation and arguments seemingly blowing up out of nowhere. The supporting characters fare less well, often reduced to shallow vehicles for exposition and plot. Any attempts to move up the energy levels through globe-trotting site changes come across as artificial distractions rather than meaningful progress in history.

Eventually, Prime Target begins to buckle under the weight of its ambition. The tension dissipates as the story meanders, weighed down by shallow drama and a lack of compelling new plot points. While there are moments of genuine intrigue—especially in the way the writers weave Edward’s work into the main story—those moments are too fleeting to sustain momentum. Ultimately, the show is undermined by a lack of confidence in its own ideas. While it shines in moments – especially in the early episodes – and remains fairly watchable throughout, it ultimately falls short of the great spy-thriller potential its opening episode teases.