Prime Target: Season 1 Episode 2 – Recap and Review

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Recap

With holding strong to the accusation Robert stole his work and destroyed it, Ed finds himself in deep trouble as Cambridge sides with Robert and punishes Ed for his multiple outbursts. Undeterred, Ed still uses the school’s resources and looks further and further into Robert, even being given an assist by Andrea who points him in the direction of Robert’s college crush, Safiya Zamil.

From what is presented, she too had ambitions like Ed regarding prime numbers, and like Robert, her fate was sealed when she reportedly committed suicide. However, an NSA surveillance officer, Taylah, has a different take. She, alongside the rest of her team in France, watches over mathematicians, assuming they will be the next great threat to the world, and Robert was on her list.

His death leads to noticing some discrepancies, from his suicide voicemail to how he died. She brings this to her boss, Olson, who kicks it up the chain. However, when his bosses decide not to press forward, this conflicts with Taylah’s need for a resolution.

Though with bullets flying by her, killing Olson in the process, maybe she’ll give up this journey? It’s hard to say but what is known for sure is Taylah does discover Ed is someone of interest as does the Kaplar Institute, which was paying Robert, maybe to keep secrets. But with him dead, it seems they have set their sights on Ed.

Episode Details

Episode Title	Syracuse
Originally Aired	January 21, 2025
Network	Apple TV Plus
Director(s)	Brady Hood
Writer(s)	Steve Thompson
introduced ACTOR(S) NAME	Sofia Barclay, Quintessa Swindell, Tom Stourton
Previously Established Actor(S)	Leo Woodall, David Morrissey, Sidse Babett Knudsen

New Character Descriptions

Safiya Zamil (Sofia Barclay)

Safiya was a brilliant mathematician, one of Robert’s peers, who committed suicide approximately 30 years ago.

Taylah (Quintessa Swindell)

Taylah is an NSA surveillance officer who spends her day watching mathematicians worldwide, documenting their progress, and sending them off to analysts.

Olson (Tom Stourton)

Olson is Taylah’s supervisor.

Review

Trajectory (76/100): Decline

It’s hard to say whether the slow burn of “Prime Target” may ultimately be worth it. Yes, the episode ended with a bang, with Olson being killed and Taylah getting shot at, but I would submit it was on a decline up to that point. Despite watching Ed battling with the faculty of Cambridge, Andrea giving up her position to consult in Baghdad, and even revealing that Robert may have stolen from his college crush Safiya to build his career, something felt off. It felt like something was missing.

Which is why we’re on the fence about how things ended with the episode. Having to pull out a violent death, it did give the episode a welcome shake up and push the idea things could get exciting, but there is a need to worry about a pattern eventually forming regarding things being uneventful till the end. For at this point, Ed is losing his luster, the story doesn’t seem to have much of a hook, so the long term value is certainly worth questioning.  

On The Fence

• Things Picking Up At The End Of The Episode
• How Mysteries Are Unraveling

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