Upamanyu Biswas
Apple TV+’s thriller series ‘Prime Target’ centers on Edward “Ed” Brooks, a gifted mathematics postgraduate student whose life is upended after his research into prime numbers sets a chain of complex events into motion, engulfing him in a conspiracy of massive proportions. In the first two episodes, titled ‘A New Pattern’ and ‘Syracuse,’ viewers are given a glimpse into the mystery through the eyes of Ed, who struggles to make sense of the hysteria surrounding his work, particularly from his supervisor, Professor Robert Mallinder. As the narrative progresses, the growing sense of paranoia reaches a tipping point as the protagonist tries to figure out the details of the mystery while a shady plot to stop him unravels. The series opener raises numerous burning questions, some relating to academic secrets while others confined to the interpersonal bonds between characters! SPOILERS AHEAD.
A Secret Research Project Spirals Into a Cryptic Game of Trust Between Edward Brooks and His Supervisor
‘Prime Target’ begins in Baghdad, Iraq, where a woman and her daughter are caught in a massive gas explosion underneath a local ice cream store. The explosion reveals a secret historical chamber lying underneath the city’s foundations. Meanwhile, in Cambridge, England, postgraduate student Edward Brooks is working on a thesis project that he has kept hidden from his supervisor, fearing that it will be rejected. Ed is looking into patterns in prime numbers and how they dictate everything about reality. His mentor, Professor Raymond Osborne, suggests the protagonist bring the idea to his supervisor, Professor Robert Mallinder. Osborne has Alzheimer’s disease, a condition that has left him mostly confined to his home. However, Ed is reluctant to listen to his mentor’s advice, mainly because of his fraught relationship with Mallinder.
In the meantime, Mallinder, who is married to Professor Andrea Lavin, expresses his frustration at not being able to work with Ed in a more wholesome and collaborative manner. Andrea has been given the opportunity to travel to Baghdad to investigate the historical chamber revealed by the recent gas explosion. After discussing the idea with his wife, Mallinder invites the protagonist for dinner at his house. They welcome him but realize his passion for mathematics surpasses ordinary expectations. Ed talks about his concepts with Andrea and fixates on her Baghdad project. He gleans a mathematical formula from one of her images of the site. She allows him to write it out on his tablecloth, much to the bemusement of her husband. However, the information is incomplete, and Ed leaves the house with the picture.
Mallinder collects the tablecloth and begins working on the formula on his own. He soon realizes that Ed is working on prime numbers. Unbeknownst to him, someone is secretly surveilling him through the CCTV cameras in his office. The following day, Mallinder questions Ed about his interests and asks him to come clean about the subject of his thesis, insisting that the latter should “trust” him. The student subsequently reveals the truth, stating that prime numbers could be the “golden cipher of God” and have a deeper meaning embedded in reality. Instead of being impressed by the concept, Mallinder angrily tells Ed that the committee will not approve his work and that he should immediately abandon his pursuit. Later, a mysterious online figure contacts the professor and asks him why he is working with prime numbers again. Clearly, someone is keeping tabs on him.
Long Shadows Are Cast Over Proceedings Following a Tragic Death and Government Involvement
Soon after showing his research to Robert Mallinder, Ed returns home to find that his place has been ransacked. He discovers that his precious research diary is the only thing that has been stolen, making him head downstairs to find out who the culprit is. The security officer tells him that Mallinder had gone into his room earlier in the day to collect something he left behind. Ed immediately heads for the professor’s home, seeking answers. Meanwhile, Andrea finds a fire pit outside her home, where she finds the tablecloth on which the protagonist wrote his formula. Mallinder has burned everything down with no explanations concerning his actions. Later, Ed and Andrea receive a phone call from the professor, who states that he “wished” he could have done more for his wife. He is then found dead by authorities in his car at a remote location.
As Ed and Andrea deal with Mallinder’s death, the former begins questioning why the latter stole his research in the first place. The protagonist discovers a message left behind by the professor in his room, which contains the drawing of an icosahedron diagram. He tries entering the late academician’s office, hoping to recover his research diary. However, security personnel intervenes. Later that night, he sneaks into the university and breaks into the office. He is devastated to learn that his diary has been burnt to a crisp in the trash bin. Unable to control his frustration, Ed destroys the office, which catches the attention of the security guards outside. He is called in for a disciplinary hearing, and the panel asks him to apologize for his gross misconduct. When Ed refuses, he is kicked out of the university and has to leave the premises immediately.
Meanwhile, in Cassis, France, a team of NSA agents are surveilling academic professors around the globe. They have been tasked to keep an eye on the latter group’s research, expecting the next big “weapon” to be developed via such academic projects. A few days prior to Mallinder’s death, Agent Taylah Sanders is tasked with monitoring the professor’s life and work as he goes about his day-to-day existence. She becomes increasingly alarmed by his agitated presence and his odd behavior. Eventually, his death causes her to stop monitoring his presence. However, Taylah becomes obsessed with Mallinder’s erratic behavior just before he dies. She also suspects that Edward Brooks has something to do with it after realizing that the latter is the one who authored the prime number work that got the professor interested in the first place.
A Shady Organization Rears Their Head as Ed Finds Himself Drawn Deeper to the Conspiracy
Ed takes the icosahedron diagram to Professor Osborne, hoping that his mentor may have some answers regarding Mallinder leaving behind such a cryptic clue. He states that the icosahedron was an important geometric figure in ancient Greece and denoted the nature of the universe for the Greeks. Ed holds the note paper against the light and discovers the initials “KI” etched into its corner. Earlier, he and Andrea had a discussion about Mallinder’s strange behavior and why he might have burned the former’s research work. Ed believes that it may have been a warning sign from the professor. Andrea tells Ed that some time ago, another student of her husband, named Safiya Zamil, was looking into the same mathematical patterns as him. He looks into her origins to find out what came from the ordeal.
Ed breaks into the college library using Mallinder’s ID. Subsequently, he tries to get in touch with Safiya but discovers that she passed away three decades ago. With every lead hitting a brick wall, the protagonist focuses his attention on the strange KI initials on the professor’s secret note. Through a quick internet search, Ed discovers that a research institute known as Kaplar Institute matches the logo on his note. His search is halted when a mysterious visitor knocks on his new apartment door. When he refuses to open the door, the person outside introduces himself as Stephen Patrick Nield and pushes a business card through its bottom. He works for Kaplar and tells Ed that the organization is interested in helping him develop his work further. The student watches Nield leave the housing complex from his balcony after the latter asks him to reflect on the institution’s proposal.
Back in Cassis, France, Taylah probes deeper into Mallinder’s death, turning every piece of evidence inside out in an effort to get to the bottom of the shady affair. She is eventually rewarded for her persistence when she deduces that the professor did not die by suicide but was rather murdered. She reports this to Olson, her senior, who reluctantly reports the case’s misgivings to his higher-ups. However, nothing comes of it, and Taylah is frustrated. She and Olson argue over their next move near the beach area. However, their heated exchange is cut short when the latter is sniped down in cold blood by an attacker. A shell-shocked Taylah escapes a motorbike gunman and jumps into the bay, hiding underneath the waves while the sniper tries to find her.
With so many intriguing plot points already in motion, it will be interesting to see how the mystery of Mallinder’s death and Ed’s research progresses in the upcoming episodes. Additionally, Taylah has to survive a seemingly impossible situation and find the truth behind who her attackers are and why they are nonchalant about gunning down NSA agents.
Read More: Where is Apple TV+’s Prime Target Filmed?
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