Prime Target

Somewhat slow, everything is explained to the viewer at every stage so carry on with playboy or as background, you won't miss anything that won't be explained later. For example if the character uses an Apple computer then they're on the good side. If they don't, then..., we'll you get the point. It's an Apple+ (not sure what the+bestowes) production therefore anyone on planet earth who does not use products is defacto bad or misled. So much of this shallow drama is superficial and misleading it beggers belief. Time for a reality check, especially if you have to pay for this simplistic drivel. It gets 5* from me because the subscription is free!

Alfred Hitchcock said that Maguffin shouldn't be revealed because it shows how silly plots are. This series tipped it's hand very early and sure enough, Hitchcock was right. A driven but maverick PhD mathematics student is working on prime numbers but the security services don't want that. Cue mysterious deaths and ancient artifacts. A kind of Indiana Jones and the Lost Integral.

There's a bit of really shallow exposition about prime numbers and the preposterous idea that all the university library books have been deleted. Protagonist gets upset rather than going to Amazon next day delivery. I just kept yawning.

It's not quite clear who the audience is for this series. Is it trying to appeal to people wanting to engage with intriguing scientific theories? Or is it trying to appeal to Gen Z feeling misunderstood for their genius?

On the one hand teasing intriguing questions on the nature of science and mathematics. And how archaeology may unearth interesting new theories.

And then, a supposed math genius who in the Cambridge library system searches for "prime numbers"... And then doesn't find anything in the library catalogue about prime numbers because it's been deleted.

I mean... it isn't consistent to its own universe. And that is very disrupting.

Just 3 episodes in the viewer senses that the number of people out to murder the protagonists is uncountable. Starting with a belief that a unique prime number generator exists the argument postulates prime numbers used in cryptography are not random. If that is true then the financial foundation of the economy would be on shaky ground. Even without a degree in math that is hard to swallow. Everyone knows there is always a bigger number than any number you can think of. Just add 1. In a nutshell the movie is about 2 very pretty people evading the hoard after them while knowing the danger will never end.

The basic idea is great: the notion that a gov't might kill to keep a possible math shortcut, that would instantly render useless modern cryptography, from being discovered isn't totally ridiculous.

Though I'm sufficiently interested to finish the series, what sank this for me, as already mentioned by others, are things such as the "check-list" attributes assigned to characters and thus the selected actors. Consequently, I found the casting was hit and miss. That may have also been a result of the direction. E.g. In episode 5, particularly, one veteran actor may well have been given direction to "imagine Matthew Goode in the role and act like him".

And the script wasn't great.

6/10 means interesting enough to watch it through but prioritize other, much better, viewing options.