'Human Target' - 'Salvage & Reclamation' Recap

(S01E07) 'Human Target' returned to the tube with a fun episode packed with big explosions, clever gags, an exotic locale, and some femme fatale hotness. The hotness came courtesy of guest star Leonor Varela, the latest in a string of babes we've seen pair up with Chance during the show's freshman season (according to star Mark Valley, she definitely won't be the last).

Varela did a fine job playing Maria, one of Chance's old flames – an old flame who could've turned out to be "the one" for Chance, if only he would've stuck around to find out. But, as our boy explained midway through this ep, he left her because everyone he's ever gotten close to "has been taken away."

Was Chance making a reference to Katherine Walters here, the woman we found out about a few episodes ago? The woman he was in love with? The woman whose death he might be responsible for?

Yeah, probably. I hope the show really dives into this plotline soon. Tonight's episode didn't explore that story at all. The focus was on the mission – to save an anthropologist (Kris Marshall) and his valuable find from a group of corrupt soldiers – and its many twists and turns.

"Salvage & Reclamation" gave us a great bad guy in the form of Kim Coates' Bertram. He was cocky, smart, and sleazy, and he was sporting a great '80s bad guy hairdo. Coates' performance was definitely intense, but he wasn't too wild or over the top. I hope he returns to go toe-to-toe with Chance on another one of his "salvage" missions. Coates has created the creepiest and most memorable villain on the show so far.

The opening scene with Bertram introducing himself to Doug was slow but suspenseful, and it had me dying to know exactly what Doug had discovered out in the jungle. Sadly, it turned out to be a boring ol' hunk of gold -- $40 million worth, to be exact. I was expecting something darker, stranger, or supernatural even, but I guess 'Human Target' isn't ready to go there just yet.

The ep lacked any real hand-to-hand combat scenes. Most of the fisticuffs happened off screen, which was a little disappointing. We did get a pretty decent gun battle (good thing Doug Slocombe is not a pacifist), and there were plenty of explosions, especially during the pre-credits teaser. And speaking of the teaser, I loved watching Chance trying (and failing) to misdirect the sergeant by critiquing his leadership skills.

Winston and Guerrero's comedy routine was funnier than ever this week. We already know that Winston hates hanging out with Guerrero. Sticking them together on a cramped and creaky "flying vending machine" only made things worse for the poor guy, leading to his loud freak-out over "La Boca del Diablo." Guerreo's response was classic: "For the record, I think you coulda handled that a little better."

Like with every episode of 'Human Target,' I had to work overtime to suspend my disbelief more than once (How the hell did they hook the net from the plane? Why did the non-English speaking pilot agree to fly the guys around for hours, going in no particular direction?). But not everything has to make perfect sense, especially with a show this fun and entertaining.

Next week: Emma Barnes (Emmanuelle Vaugler) returns to help Chance take down a badass named Baptiste (Lennie James).

(Watch free episodes of 'Human Target' on Slashcontrol)