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Human Target Episode 4: The Return of Baptiste

By Beth Davies-Stofka
December 10, 2010 - 20:42

Baptiste, a colleague from Chance's former life, returns in an episode set in the dangerous South American region called the "Triple Frontier," where the borders of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil converge, and organized crime flourishes.  

Before Chance embarked upon his quest for redemption, Baptiste and Chance both worked for "the old man." That was until Chance fell in love with a woman he'd been sent to kill and ran away with her.  The old man sent Baptiste after them.  Chance escaped, but the woman died.  When Baptiste again came after Chance, he wound up in FBI custody.  We haven't seen Baptiste since his arrest, but he returned this week when Chance found himself facing a task so difficult that Baptiste was his only hope.

You'd think Baptiste would be a bad guy, a heartless killer who has justifiably earned Chance's implacable and remorseless hatred.  But it's not that way at all.  Guest star Lennie James infuses Baptiste with an extremely attractive combination of raffish charm, deadly menace, and haunted loneliness.  And we could listen to that South London accent, the one with the Trinidadian inflections, all day.  So we don't hate him.  We root for him!  And we can see that Chance does, too.

This episode had some of the worst plot holes and laughably implausible moments of any episode to date.  But it just didn't matter.  For one thing, plausibility is overrated!  We're watching this for escape.  If we wanted a realistic window into satellite technology or U.S./Paraguayan relations, we'd watch C-SPAN. 

But more importantly, Human Target has repeatedly shown itself to be formidably strong in three areas: stunts, humor, and fascinating characters.  That's why I watch!  And the story of Chance and Baptiste is one of the best explorations of character and relationship that the show has yet achieved.

Do you know the story of Cain and Abel?  We all think we do, but it never hurts to revisit a story that's a little too familiar.  Cain was the first son born to Adam and Eve (the ones that were expelled from the Garden of Eden).  Abel was their second son. 



Cain was a farmer, and Abel was a shepherd.  "In the course of time," as Genesis 4 says, both men brought offerings to God.   They brought the fruits of their labor.  Cain brought produce, while Abel brought prime meat from his flock.  Do you remember what happened next?  God "looked with favor" on Abel's offering, but not on Cain's.  (What's with playing favorites?  The Bible doesn't say.)

Cain was so upset, and so angry, that he killed Abel.  And God said to Cain, "Where is your brother?"  And Cain replied, "I don't know.  Am I my brother's keeper?"

Baptiste relives this perennial story while making it his own.  The "old man," for reasons we don't understand, looks with favor on Chance, upsetting Baptiste and incurring a jealous wrath.  At the same time, Baptiste is, for all practical purposes, Chance's older brother.  What does he do?  He seems to vacillate between wanting to kill Chance, and wanting to watch out for him.

And now, sent into exile by the old man just as Cain was sent into exile by God, Baptiste is willing to admit the affection he feels for Chance.  He even admits that he clings to their old bond.

I almost would have preferred that Baptiste become a permanent member of the cast instead of Ames, but it's probably better this way.  James is so good at the role, and Baptiste is so exciting as a wild card, that I think we'll be far better served by a sparing use of him.  I will always look forward to seeing him again, whether he and Chance are cooperating or once again at odds.  The epic rivalry of brothers is one of the Bible's favorite themes, and for good reason.  It will always grab us, right in the gut.  Who isn't, in some way, personally invested in what happens next?

On another note, Ilsa Pucci is just not working for me.  I'm wild about Indira Varma, and I really want Mrs. Pucci to succeed as an awesome female character, but the little-girl vulnerability and helplessness has got to go.  We get enough of that with Ames.  If the show runners truly expect us to buy a Pucci/Chance relationship, they have got to work with Valley and Varma to find the right note.  Right now, every note is a false one.

Rating: 9.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12