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Series: Human Target

Human Target is the story of Christopher Chance, a bodyguard and private detective for hire who impersonates his clients in order to draw out whoever is threatening them and 'eliminate' them. It has its roots as a comic book, and has been adapted as a TV series twice: once in Summer of 1992 on ABC, and another that premiered in January 2010 on Fox.

The 2010 series was cancelled after two seasons. A DVD and Blu-Ray release of Season 1 is out. Season 2's release is in the work, because of supposed problems in clearing music rights prior to DVD and Blu-Ray production.

The 1992 series provides examples of:

The Other Marty: The pilot was originally filmed in 1990 and costarred Clarence Clemons and Frances Fisher. By the time the show was picked up, both of their roles were recast and their scenes reshot.

The 2010 series provides examples of:

Action Girl: Ames is suppose to be one but currently she's on a fast track into Faux Action Girl territory; perhaps justified in that she has a background as a thief. Ilsa, on the other hand is, judging by the fight she puts up in "Communications Breakdown" most definitely an Action Girl... though given that she lacks even the rough and tumble past of Ames, being an Action Girl means a Heroic BSOD since she's forced to kill someone and most of the fight is less her fighting and more her basically being unwilling to be killed quietly.
Actor Allusion:
- Chi McBride gets to use his Catch Phrase from Pushing Daisies in "Salvage and Reclamation."
  Winston: No. Aw, no. Hell no!
- To an extent, Jackie Earle Haley seems to be very much a mildly more reasonable version of Rorschach. Considering that Human Target is a DC Vertigo comic...
  - In "Tanarak", he tells someone "leave the info at the trash can, next to the diner", he breaks into people's houses a lot, he's constantly eating...
  - And of course in "Imbroglio", the only way the mooks are able to capture Guerrero is literally just jumping on top of him until he's trapped under their bodies.
  - In "Cool Hand Guerrero", he brings up laws and civil liberties (mostly, people infringing on his) with the same ready knowledge and pointed tones of voice as he does with various bad guys the team encounters.
Affably Evil: Baptiste has this in spades
Affectionate Pickpocket: Ames
Air Vent Passageway: They try to use this to escape in the pilot, but meet the guy they're fleeing, who's trying the same thing.
- And they fight there!
- Done again in Lockdown.
- Completely subverted in Taking Ames. Ames is only able to maneuver through an air vent after she stripped and covered herself with oil. Even then, it's a tight fit.
Almost Kiss: between Chance and Ilsa.
And Starring: Jackie Earle Haley gets it for this show.
Anti-Hero: Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley) again. He lies, steals, breaks in, hacks, and performs a library of other acts of questionable legality, but in the name of the greater good. He even shows he has a sense of loyalty and standards. When it comes to bad guys though, he can be surprisingly villainous down to threatening their families - threats the villains (those who know who he is) know he's willing to carry out.
- To put it simple, Guerrero is a psychopath that luckily is on the good guys side.
  - Well, maybe just a sociopath...he seems to have a bit of a conscience, after all.
  - Which means he became the way he is over time. Which means there's an origin of Guerrero. Yes!
  - A heavy dose of it seems to be loyalty to Chance. Which is probably a good thing as most episodes show sequences where he's not with Chance and those instances usually involve him being, well, Batman with far less moral standards on what it means to be a good guy. Where Chance is happy to simply protect people that come to him, Guerrero actively goes out and terrorizes people.
- Ames from Season 2 is also a good example
Arch-Enemy: Baptiste is this to Chance.
The Atoner: Chance. He was an assassin, and now he saves people from assassins.
Badass: Chance and Guerrero often, though Winston has his moments too.
Badass Bookworm: As shown in "Imbroglio", Guerrero's encyclopedic knowledge of things isn't limited to the criminal underworld.
Bad Guy Bar: Winston lampshades a meeting place as this in "The Wife's Tale".
Backstory: "Christopher Chance"
Beleaguered Childhood Friend: Guerrero in "Cool Hand Guerrero" before his buddy wanting out of the drug business gets killed by a corrupt warden and his prison guard cronies.
Berserk Button: Guerrero is ready to rain hell in "Cool Hand Guerrero" on the people who killed his childhood friend and framed him for the murder. Winston and Chance can barely get him to stay in prison and take a prison beating.
- Do not call Guerrero a "freak" or threaten his son or there will be hell to pay...
Bilingual Bonus: Occurs in the Pilot when Chance demonstrates his mad Japanese skills. And again a few episodes later when he speaks perfect Russian (to a Russian government agent). In another episode, he speaks Spanish to rebel forces.
- Do note that his Japanese pronounciation/accent is absolutely atrocious. Other than that, it's fine.
- Also note that both his Russian and the Russian agent's Russian is similarly, atrocious in both accent and pronunciation. The same is true for the woman who also is apparently fluent. Basically, no actual Russian speaking people were harmed/consulted during the filming of this episode...
- Guerrero is Spanish for 'warrior'. Ironically, he doesn't speak the language.
Blasting It Out Of Their Hands: Guerrero does this in the season two premiere. Unfortunately for the person in question, Guerrero was using a shotgun so it's less 'out of their hand' and more 'take off part of their hand'.
Bottle Episode: About all of "Rewind" takes place aboard a plane.
Break Out The Museum Piece: Happens in episode 11 of season 1, "Victoria". A gunfight turns into a sword fight. And guess what? It happens in a museum.
Bullet Proof Vest: Chance wears one in the pilot, and takes two shots in the back. Outright called attention too in "Imbroglio" where we get a scene (played for laughs!) involving Chance in a catcher's mask and wearing new body armor they just got in the mail and him asking Guerrero to shoot him at close range. Fridge Logic points for not thinking about what might happen if the body armor didn't work.
Butt Monkey: Harry in "Communications Breakdown"
Cable-Car Action Sequence: The climax of "Sanctuary" is a fight on top of a gondola.
California Doubling: Human Target was filmed in British Columbia, Canada.
Caper Crew: Ames (acting as The New Kid and The Burglar) gets roped into one of these; her job is to snake her way through the airducts & disable the security system. Chance goes in too, taking the place of "Mr. Chicago" - who he later discovers is the "cleaner." It's his job to kill everybody involved with the heist so the Mastermind doesn't have to pay them anything.
Cast Calculus:
- Power Trio: Chance (Ego), Winston (Superego), Guerrero (Id).
- Five-Man Band:
  - The Hero: Chance
    The Lancer/The Smart Guy: Winston
    The Big Guy: Guerrero
    The Chick: Ames
    Mission Control/Team Mom: Ilsa
- Guest Star Party Member: Emma Barnes, originally introduced in "Embassy" returns for "Baptiste", opening the doors for other one-shot characters to possibly return.
  - Layla from "Lockdown" is also present in the same episode.
The Cast Showoff: Jackie Earle Haley has a black belt and has used his martial arts skills in a few episodes.
Catch Phrase: Guerrero likes to say 'dude' a lot.
- Subverted in the season finale, wherein he wakes up on the floor after being knocked out by Chance. Baptiste greets him, and he returns the greeting with "Hey, mate". Baptiste is British/Australian/South African.
- Winston is fond of the term, "Wiseass".
Chekhov's Gun: The water cooler in "Lockdown" among many others.
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: In the first season, Chance had a rottweiler named Carmine.
Conservation of Ninjutsu
'Mook': "Now there's four of us!"
'Chance': "Well that's not fair, there's only two of us."
(commence ass-kicking)
Crazy-Prepared: Chance. It's a Running Gag in many episodes that somebody asks him a question or puts him in a situation that his character should know but a casual faker wouldn't. Chance looks very uncomfortable for about five seconds. Right before his client tries to step in and take the hit for him, he proves he knows his stuff, even down to the deep and obscure facts.
- Also, when he shows us the importance of home-base advantage in the first season finale.
- Don't forget about Baptiste. As Chance put it, "He's planned for every contingency you could imagine, and probably some that you can't"
- Guerrero also counts. When he isn't helping on a case or doing a side job? He's doing surveillance on the rest of the team (save Chance) in order to collect blackmail information.
Cultured Badass: Guerrero is an opera enthusiast.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Chance's forte.
Curse Cut Short:
- "You can take that flight attendant uniform and shove it up your—!"
- "I swear to—" Said while in the presence of about thirty monks.
Dark and Troubled Past: Everybody!
A Day in the Limelight: Guerrero is the client in "Cool Hand Guerrero".
Deadpan Snarker: Guerrero defines this trope.
- Crosses over into Hypocritical Humor when he remarks that Ilsa left "...without any hugs. Cold if you ask me."
Death Seeker: Winston believes Chance to be one, as does Baptiste.
Determinator: Hector Lopez and he's got a good reason to be.
Die Hard on an X: Bullet train (Pilot); embassy (Embassy Row); monastery (Sanctuary), the agency warehouse (Communication Breakdown)
Dirty Cop:
- Winston's arch-nemesis Broward.
- The whole problem his client faces in Run.
- Same deal in "Dead Head"
- Technically, the Royal Princess's entire Protection Command bodyguard detail (except for one) turns on her in "Victoria" due to her desire to marry a non-royal man. This pisses off some factions in the British Royal Family and British government.
Disturbed Doves: Inverted in "Marshall Pucci" when Guerrero does his Unflinching Walk. Instead of the traditional flock of white doves symbolizing good and purity, we are treated to a single black raven or crow. Either of which being symbols of death, secrets, and darkness.
Dramatic Gun Cock: Salvage and Reclamation. What makes it hilarious for tropers is that the guns keep getting re-cocked (without firing) over and over within the same minute span.
- In the season one finale, Jr. gives Katherine a gun tentatively, which she snatches up, checks the chamber, cocks, and points at his head in under 2 seconds. And he says "Apparently, you know what you're doing."
The Dreaded: Rare example that's on the good guy's side; Guerrero's reputation alone is enough to get information out of more than one person who would have every reason not to talk.
- Demonstrated in episode 1 of season 2, when a captured Ames is defiant and cocky towards Guerrero and Winston, as she's under the impression she's being held by cops, ...until she hears Guerrero's name. The Oh Crap look on her face is priceless.
- Happens again in "Imbroglio". Even heavily restrained, the mere mention that Guerrero is Guerrero, is enough to give some of the Faceless Mooks a Oh Crap moment... enough so that even with their masks, you can see their fear.
Easily Forgiven: Averted at the end of "A Wife's Tale". Despite Chance saving her life and showing he was literally willing for her to kill him to earn forgiveness, Rebecca still loathes and doesn't forgive him for killing her husband back when Chance was an assassin.
- Though she does forgive him enough not to call the police on him. There is no statute for murder after all.
- While Ilsa Pucci thinks that Rebecca is being an Ungrateful Bitch, both Chance and Winston feel that she is right to still hate him for it.
Embarrassing First Name: Winston's first name is...wait for it...Laverne.
Everyone Knows Morse: Or at least Chance does.
- So do Guerrero and Winston, and FBI Agent Vance, in "Imbroglio."
Fake American: Ames is played by British Janet Montgomery.
Fake Brit: Most of the Brits in episode 11. But who cares if Todd the Wraith really sounds Irish? He (the actor) also played/plays Bigfoot, and Druitt (Jack the Ripper) in Sanctuary.
Faking Amnesia: Inverted. A client who has amnesia takes part in a sting to trick the bad guys by pretending not to have amnesia. To do this he has to convince them that he was faking it. It makes sense in context.
Fan Nickname: G-Man - Guerrero.
Fanservice: "How am I supposed to fit through that [vent]?" "Strip down. Oil up."
- I think, after the "underwear sun-bathing/distraction" scene in "Communications Breakdown", we can just say: Ames, and that'll about cover it.
- Shirtless Guerrero doing chin-ups FTW! Heck, Even the Guys Want Him in that one.
Fiction 500: Ilsa Pucci, among other things, buys up surplus military hardware without batting an eye; in an early appearance, she casually asks if the team will need a tank.
Fragile Speedster: Guerrero to an extent. It's suggested that he may actually be a more skilled fighter than Chance (or at the very least, considerably more ruthless). His small size makes him (arguably) more vulnerable to larger opponents (as demonstrated by the cleaner, Chicago), or multiple opponents, as shown in "Imbroglio" when a group of mooks literally dog piles on him compared a similar fight scene in the same episode where Chance is able to toss mooks around more easily and thus allow him to face one or two standing opponents at a time. On the other hand, in "Marshall Pucci", we get a sneak peek at how Guerrero probably typically operates which is not straight up fist fights. As Mr. Weston noted, "Spies aren't trained to fight fair. Spies are trained to win.". Guerrero is more the Cowl to Chance's Cape.
Genre Savvy: The moment Guerrero is thrown into jail, he starts making a shiv out of a spoon (among other tools). And the moment, he gets a cellmate, he politely asks the guy to come back in five minutes since his isn't done yet (cue a show of the half-shaved spoon). Guerrero wins regardless.
Genre Throwback: To the TV adventures series of the past like The Fall Guy or Six Million Dollar Man.
Girl of the Week
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Guerrero's back has both kinds.
Great Escape: "Lockdown"
Hannibal Lecture: Baptiste loves delivering these to Chance
Heel Face Turn: Notably Guerrero, Ames, and Chance. The last definitely, the first sorta, and the second oddly. As Winston noted, Ames has started paying taxes since joining the team.
- Because, unlike Guerrero, she's willing to take a check. Nevertheless, being that she was a notable thief before joining the team, paying taxes was probably something she conveniently forgot to do.
Hey, It's That Guy!: Way, way, way too many to actually list. Let's just say that if you've ever seen any episodes of Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, or LOST, you'll recognize a lot of the guest stars.
Hidden Depths: Guerrero is a big fan of opera. Big enough that when he misses a show in "Imbroglio", he's ready to dish out pain with as much grumpiness as when, say, 'retrieving' information from an uncooperative captive. He's also initially smitten with Ilsa's sister-in-law despite the rather obvious differences between the two of them; credit to Jackie Earle Haley for slipping in just the slightest bit of excitement over getting to join Ilsa and her sister to the opera as well as just the slightest bit of politeness to her compared to the way he normally talks to people. And then he goes and gets a date to Venice with her...
Hidden Villain: The man known so far only as "Chance's old boss".
Hitman with a Heart: It's revealed in "Baptiste" that Chance used to be a hitman. Not just any hitman but the equivalent of Keyser Soze; a hitman so skilled, it doesn't even look like murder and the hitman is non-existant. Unfortunately, he also trained other hitman to be as good as him. Guerrero is the more obvious example though it's debatable how much of a heart he has versus just loyalty to Chance and the pragmatism to not just go around killing everybody.
- In "Tanarak", we learn that Chance prefers the title "Death Retardant Specialist" over this.
- Guerrero is the more obvious example. Heck, he took his first job in 3rd grade for a friend. And gives said friend a 'friends and family' discount.
Hollywood Acid: In "Tanarak", an evil corporation is storing an illegally toxic solvent in a mine shaft, poisoning the miners working there. The solvent is naturally a bright flourescent green.
How We Got Here: In "Rewind" and the very beginning of "Lockdown".
- And in "Baptiste"
- And in "Corner Man"
- The season 1 finale is this for the entire show.
Improbable Aiming Skills: Natalia shoots her husband so that the bullet passes harmlessly through his body "within a centimeter of his heart". And then Chance pulls off the same shot, while involved in a joust with SUVs!
Improbable Weapon User: The main trio does this most of the time.
Improvised Parachute: Unusually, to stop at high speed, rather than to survive a fall.
Indy Ploy: "You know Chance. He prefers to... wing it."
In Love with the Mark: What got Chance out of the hitman business. It didn't end well, though.
In Name Only: The concept of the comic is that Christopher Chance, a bodyguard who saves people by impersonating them, using brilliant disguises, makes himself into a human target. Guess what Christopher Chance on the show doesn't do?
Institutional Apparel: Sanctuary includes the orange jumpsuits.
Ironic Echo: From "Corner Man": "There are consequences to one's actions. Some people learn the hard way."— Hugh Prentiss's line implicitly confirming Chance's accusation that he'd had the father of Eva Khan, his fight handicapper, killed for refusing to throw a fight. It's later paraphrased by Eva after she reveals that she's heard a recording of Prentiss's confession and as a result has decided to bet everything he owns on Chance's fight.
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Guerrero's method of choice. Though being Guerrero, he turns it Up to Eleven with extreme doses of psychological terror via threats of outright torture. Threats which are -not- bluffs.
Janitor Impersonation Infiltration
Lady in Red: Done by an FBI agent who is trying to remain inconspicuous, go figure. Chance takes one look at her and determines that she must be a prostitute.
- a forty-dollar prostitute, which is what really pisses her off.
Last Name Basis: Winston, by virtue of an Embarrassing First Name. Guerrero, too, except that's probably not his real name.
- It isn't as, ironically, Ilsa Pucci gives him his paycheck with his full legal name on it. He is less than pleased though more at getting a check rather than someone knowing his legal name.
Legacy Character: Christopher Chance, as it turns out.
Make It Look Like An Accident: Baptiste's method of taking his targets out.
Married to the Job: Back when he was a cop, this is what ended Winston's marriage.
Meaningful Name: Guerrero means "warrior" in Spanish. Though he does come across as laid back, he's not one you want to get into a fight with.
- And Chance is usually his clients' last chance to live another day.
Meganekko: Layla.
Mission Control: Winston though he occasionally shows up in the field.
Mook Chivalry: Averted in "Imbroglio", after several minutes of getting their asses kicked, three mooks manage to take down Guerrero by dog piling on him.
Morality Pet: It seems like Guerrero might have a kid.
Ms. Fanservice: Ames. She spends a large part of "A Problem Like Maria" complaining about her dress covering up too much skin, and the next episode features her in a bikini as a distraction.
Mugging the Monster: If you try to rob Baptiste and insist on doing so, might as well call yourself stupid.
Mystery of the Week: Usually "Who's trying to kill the guy" rather than "Who killed the guy", but the structure down there is the same.
Myth Arc: Averted. With most shows trying for things like this, Human Target keeps it fairly light and episodic.
- The only thing close to it is the "Old Man" storyline.
Nerds Are Sexy: Layla
Nerd Glasses: Guerrero's glasses vary from this and Scary Shiny Glasses depending on whether or not he's contemplating how to kill you. Or whether or not he's engaging in a violent or non-violent hobby of his.
No Name Given: Inverted; Guerrero rarely, if ever, calls anyone by their names when talking to them. When he does have to address specific people, he'll usually use some sort of consistent nickname ('boss lady' for Ilsa for instance or 'the girl' for Ames) or his generic 'dude'/'bro'. This isn't so much due to him not knowing people's names so much as not really caring unless it's relevant (the name of an arms dealer); the few people he's talked to and used their name tend to be people like Chance, someone he is loyal to a fault to. As far as Ilsa, by episode 12 of the second season, she gets upgraded from 'boss lady' to 'dude'.
Non-Idle Rich: Ilsa Pucci, who's getting increasingly involved in Chance's business much to his annoyance and her horror at how illegal it is.
- And apparently working with Chance is just one way she does this. More than once she has mentioned trying to take down one other their targets before, though probably not the way they do.
The Obi-Wan: Suggested as the way the name Christopher Chance gets passed from one to the next.
Offscreen Moment of Awesome: The first season finale left us with Winston kidnapped, the headquarters shot to hell, and Chance's old boss finally finding him so they can form a temporary alliance. The season two premiere opens with Chance and Guerrero rescuing Winston from the bad guys and completely skips over how they ended up there. Even for a show that regularly uses Noodle Incidents it's a little frustrating.
Papa Wolf: Threatening Guerrero's son is, without a doubt, the last thing you will ever do.
Pet the Dog: Guerrero very reluctantly sets up Ames with a tab at a bad guy bar he visits.
- In a later episode, he's gives Ilsa and her sister time to talk in private over personal matters (though to be fair, he's also smitten with said sister). In the same episode, he also trusts Ilsa enough at this point to toss his earpiece to her before being captured. Considering his generally open disdain or indifference for her prior, this is a huge step in how he thinks of Ilsa. Though some of it may be due to the events of "Communications Breakdown" as it's not out of the question to think that his opinion of Ilsa was improved by her being capable of killing Lopez on her own.
Pistol Whipping: Chance does this to Guerrero in a flashback during in "Christopher Chance".
Please Put Some Clothes On: Lightheartedly lampshaded by Chance, who was the reason she got naked in the first place.
Private Military Contractors: Claypool Security Solutions.
Professional Killer: Chance and Guerrero used to be assassins. Baptiste is a very efficient one.
- Maybe not so "used to be" in Guerrero's case. The nature of his side jobs is left ambiguous.
Psycho for Hire: If Baptiste comments on your watch, run immediately. If you take his watch (or a watch he really really likes)... run faster.
- Guerrero is one to an extent as well.
Put on a Bus: Carmine hasn't really been seen in the second season.
Race for Your Love: In the season 2 finale, Chance does this to catch Ilsa, with the help of software that can control the traffic lights.
Red-Headed Hero: Layla.
Refuge in Audacity: With this show, it goes hand-in-hand with Rule Of Cool. By the time the plane starts flying upside-down ("Rewind") you really don't care anymore.
Remember the New Guy: Harry is an old friend of the gang who is kinda of hanger on, always asking to come along on missions, getting into wacky side adventures and messing things up but generally helping Chance do his job in the end. Oh and we've never heard of him until "Communications Breakdown" in the middle of second season where he makes his first of two appearances in the entire series.
Reset Button: Used shamelessly in "Kill Bob."
A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside an Enigma: Chance once told Winston, "You're like a... mystery wrapped in a riddle wrapped in... cashmere."
Rule Of Cool: The show runs on it.
Rule of Symbolism: In "Baptiste", Chance and Baptiste's episode-long conversation takes place in front of a picture of Lucifer's fall from grace. It's interesting to note that Chance is sitting in front of Lucifer and Baptiste in front of the host of angels tossing Lucifer out.
Sawed Off Shotgun: Used by Chance, Guerrero and Maria.
Scary Black Man: Baptiste
Second Season Downfall
Sherlock Scan: Subverted. At the end of "Tanarak", Chance knows that the girl of the week is leaving the country, and where she is headed, before she tells him anything. He tries to explain how he knows, using his knowledge of her character, then a bandage on her arm that looks like an immunization, before admitting her mother told him.
Shoo Out The New Guy: The appropriately-named Ilsa Pucci. She is introduced in the second-season, and serves as a foil and romantic interest to Chance. Fan response to her has been... mixed, to say the least.
The Short Guy with Glasses: Guerrero to a tee.
Short Range Shotgun: Winston using this from "Dead Head" onward.
Shout Out: In the pilot, Chance and Winston are paid by client Lydecker in Takagi whiskey, and at the end of the episode, the new protectee is Danny Glover.
- In "Sanctuary", the head of a robbery gang's name is Sam Fisher. Looks like the guy decided to retire and be a crook instead.
- In "Lockdown", Layla's username is "Nite Owl". Granted, she's a security guard, but still...
- Carmine, the rottweiler, is named after Carmine Infantino the co-creator of Human Target.
- "Salvage & Reclamation" has several to Indiana Jones.
- "Imbroglio" had a reference to The Dark Knight Saga, particularly 2008's The Dark Knight with the hostages being framed as gunmen by using their disguises on them.
- "Kill Bob" despite its name has a huge shout outs to Mr. and Mrs. Smith with more than one reference placed into the very iconic dinner scene from the movie... with the appropriate background "Assassin's Date" score (or an homage score that's very much like it. I couldn't tell.)
Show Some Leg: Ames, quite often since her appearance. Being the resident Ms. Fanservice, this is perhaps to be expected.
Soundtrack Dissonance: "The Wife's Tale" opens with Chance killing a man to Outkast's "Hey Ya!".
- "Imbroglio" has Chance kicking ass to an operatic aria.
Stairs Are Faster: Ames takes the stairs when she realizes Winston is on to her. It doesn't work out for her though.
Stealth Hi/Bye: Chance can swing one in a matter of seconds.
Stuffed into the Fridge: Katherine Walters from the final episode of the first season.
- Subverted, however, with Ilsa Pucci from "Communications Breakdown." She's in real danger and it looks like she actually might be killed when the trigger is pulled but the bullet went into Hector Lopez instead. Though she didn't die, she was badly beaten and suffered a Heroic BSOD.
Swiss Bank Account: In the Season 2 premiere Ilsa has a vault in a Swiss bank which can only be entered with retina scans of both Ilsa and her late husband; the bad guy uses her (in a hostage situation) and her dead husband's eyeball, removed from his body to get in to steal their billions. In another episode she transfers a couple mil from her Swiss bank to a local bank specifically in order to draw out some Dirty Cops who were looking for her; in that same episode the main bad guy has an offshore bank account in Barbados where he stores his ill-gotten gains.
Team Mom: Winston.
Team Pet: Carmine.
Theme Music Power-Up: Astute tropers will notice that whenever Chance comes up with the latest Indy Ploy, his theme song plays. He also tends to get a Theme Song Reveal whenever his Paper Thin Disguises are revealed to the audience.
- Averted in the second season. (Given how many fans hate the music in season two once Bear McCreary wasn't asked back, it's just as well.)
Tranquil Fury: Just because Guerrero isn't raising his voice doesn't mean he isn't ready to throw a homemade knife at your head and bring hell down on you.
Troperiffic: From the soaring orchestral scoring, to the classic 1990's action tropes that pop up in every episode, to the obvious and typically blatantly unrealistic MacGuffins, the whole show is a rolling Homage to action thrillers of the 1990's.
The Troubles: apparently Ilsa grew up in the middle of them.
Unflinching Walk: Guerrero does this in the season two finale.
We Help The Helpless
- Everything else is just for fun.
Wham Episode: From the first season: "Christopher Chance." From the second season: "Communications Breakdown."
Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him?: Hilariously lampshaded in the opening scenes of the first episode: "Word of advice: never make threats. If you wanna do something, don't talk about it, do it."
Wilhelm Scream: Notably in "Sanctuary", when Chase kicks a mook out of a cable gondola.
Wire Dilemma: Played almost too straight in the Monastery episode. Which led to the very obvious...
- Always Close: With exactly one second left.
- Happened again when Ames had to choose between two valves for a gas main. Unfortunately, Winston and Guerrero disagreed on which one to pick. So she turned both off... and it worked.
Working With The Ex: One episode where Chance has to work with his ex girlfriend.
Would Hit a Girl: The Season 2 premiere has Guerrero clocking Ames. In the same episode, he was about three seconds away from shooting off her kneecaps if she didn't cough up the identity of the guy who hired her to steal the ring. He also states that he would either shoot her kneecaps, or rip her fingernails off with hooks.
- Hector Lopez also doesn't have any qualms about brutally beating Ilsa Pucci.
You Have Failed Me: "Salvage & Reclamation". The poor guy even had the valid excuse of being knocked out without being able to react.
- This is why Chance is being hunted by his former employer.
Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Winston to Guerrero.
Winston: See what's happening here? We agree. Imagine how that makes me feel.
Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: Subverted in "Salvage & Reclamation". The rebels are just a bunch of drug dealers without political goals.