Despite having American Idol as a lead in a few times last season, Human Target simply couldn't keep its audience as the ratings dropped each week. I would attribute that to the general repetitiveness and predictability of the plots. Still, Fox gave the go-ahead for a second season, one retooled so much it's barely recognizable beyond the three core characters.
The biggest difference is the change from Bear McCreary to Tim Jones as composer. McCreary brought a grand sense of epicness to the show and was often the only reason to watch the show. Jones, however, who also composes for Chuck, has a much different vision of the show. Instead of a symphonic score which isn't afraid to show some muscle, he opts for the playful plucked strings, and the result is a show that seems more like Leverage than the pure action drama it was last season.
Let's talk about the other big changes this season. First of all, the cliffhanger at the end of last season is resolved almost instantly. Forget the bible and the Old Man--the first season seems to have been whitewashed. Second the cast has two new women, Ilsa Pucci (Indira Varma) and Ames (Janet Montgomery), whom I assume are there to draw in a bigger female audience.
From a plot standpoint, the episode is standard. Chance, Winston, and Guerrero protect Ilsa, who decides to fund the operation at the end of the episode. Ames is a thief who is caught but is grudgingly let onto the team. While most of the changes can't draw an immediate opinion, I do like how the plot doesn't have some relation to Chance's past, a tired plot device which, if I remember correctly, annoyed me to hell last season.
Score: 8.7/10
