- Title: Human Target – Baptiste
- wiki: link
Throwback Tuesday takes us back to another episode from the First Season of Human Target. “Baptiste” may be my favorite episode of the series, although the final episode of the show’s First Season does give it a run for its money. As the title suggests, the episode marks the first appearance of Christopher Chance‘s (Mark Valley) old friend Baptiste (Lennie James) who arrives in Washington for a high-target assassination. The episode also marks the return (and sadly final appearance) of my favorite recurring guest-star as, needing all the help he can get, Chance turns to FBI Agent Emma Barnes (Emmanuelle Vaugier) to stop Baptise from murdering the delegates of a secret Chinese/Taiwan summit in Georgetown.
Opening and closing in a D.C. subway station where the wounded Chance and Baptiste throw barbs at one another, the events of the previous hours are revealed during flashbacks. The tension ratchets up over the course of the episode ending in our hero faced with a choice whether or not to exact vengeance on the killer he trained. Added to the list of supporting characters is the return of “new girl” Layla (Autumn Reeser) offering support by hacking the FBI mainframe.
The scenes between Chance and Baptiste are great, and the villain’s plot is well thought out. However, for me the episode’s highlights are the scenes between Chance and Barnes (beginning with her straddling him during her dinner date). And her frustration of needing Chance’s help is palpable (as is the obvious attraction between the two which she dismisses out of hand). Had the show not taken such a drastic turn in the show’s Second Season, I would have loved to see more of the FBI agent. Baptite, however, will return for a pair of future appearances in the flashbacks of the First Season finale and once again in Season Two.
