Prime Target Season 1 Episode 8 Review: The Key

Prime Target Season 1 Episode 8, “The Key,” is an underwhelming season finale. Admittedly, expectations were low to begin with, but the show does manage to wrap things up.

Granted, there are a couple instances of the show simply telling us something without proving how/why this is a known thing, but it’s not the first time Prime Target has pulled that on us before. So while it’s frustrating, it’s not surprising.

One aspect that’s done very well is Ed’s arc of realizing that no matter his intentions, math can be dangerous. We saw him throughout the season hold on to his belief that he can pursue the truth behind the math and not be held accountable for what that discovery brings.

After everything Ed has been through and then listening to James Alderman’s speech, it’s no wonder Ed’s mindset shifts.

That said, Ed killing James feels very out of character for him. Not only did he not hesitate to pull the trigger at all, he shot James at point blank. Ed hasn’t shown any firearms skills (at least that I can recall) during the season, but clearly he knows his way around a gun.

Even if it’s a known fact that Ed knows how to use a gun, it still doesn’t feel in character for him to kill someone.

However, there’s not much the show could have done to make this decision more believable. Perhaps having Ed carry a weapon at various points during the season could have helped, but at his core, Ed still doesn’t seem like someone who would kill another human being.

Grief plays a role in Ed’s actions, as does the concern that James will not stop until he gets the Prime Finder from Ed.

If Andrew, Jane, and the powers at be at Kaplar Institute weren’t also a factor, then you could argue that killing James eliminates the only person (aside from Ed and Taylah) who know about the Prime Finder. But that’s not the case.

The ending of the episode is vague and open-ended.

It appears as if Taylah is going to take the fall for Ed, but considering Andrea stole the murder weapon and the police won’t find any gunshot residue on Taylah’s hands, it’s unclear if she will actually do any time.

It would have been nice to get some kind of update on that, even if it was as simple as seeing Taylah not behind bars.

Her covering for Ed is a sweet gesture, but she’s basically committing him to the same fate she’s been suffering: being responsible for someone’s death and never paying the price for it. The cycle is just repeating.

As for Ed, the implication that he’s going to use the Prime Finder for good like some kind of math vigilante is intriguing. It’s the most interesting part of this finale (and maybe the series) by far.

Granted, his hacking/computer skills are non-existent, so him suddenly knowing how to use the program doesn’t make sense. Taylah had to walk him through doing something on the computer on Prime Target Season 1 Episode 4, “Kaplar,” and there hasn’t been any scene since where he learned NSA hacking skills.

So, while it’s a good idea of an ending for Ed, it doesn’t work. 

Prime Target Season 1 was a letdown overall, but it did manage to surprise us every now and again, so it earns some points for that.

What did you think of this episode of Prime Target? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Prime Target is now streaming on Apple TV+.

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