Warning! This article contains spoilers for Prime Target’s episodes 1 & 2.Prime Target‘s portrayal of a dangerous math equation makes it hard not to wonder how realistic its story is. In episodes 1 & 2, Apple TV+’s Prime Target introduces a set of characters who get embroiled in a massive conspiracy surrounding a math equation. While the show avoids delving into the details of what makes the equation dangerous, it establishes that all characters who know about it are in deep danger because of the harm it can potentially cause to the world.
Main characters in Prime Target, like Professor Mallinder and Edward Brooks, also become the targets of mysterious organizations determined to ensure that no one accesses the forbidden equation. The seriousness with which the 2025 Apple TV+ show handles this subject raises many questions about what makes the central equation so powerful and destructive. Does it serve as a key to unimaginable technological advancements, or does it unlock something far darker than Ed anticipates?
Why Ed & Other Mathematicians Are Being Targeted In Prime Target
They Possess A Dangerous Tool
As Taylah explains in Prime Target‘s early episodes, the organization she works for, the NSA (National Security Agency), hires agents like her to watch mathematicians from elite institutes because they are considered global threats. Since everything in the digital age, including power supply and confidential government deals, runs on complex mathematical codes, brilliant minds in the field have the power to control or even disrupt critical systems. According to the show’s lore, the secret pattern between prime numbers is one such code and serves as the key to untapped potential.
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What Really Happened To Prof. Mallinder & Safiya In Prime Target?
Prime Target’s first two episodes raise many questions about Professor Mallinder and Safiya after revealing the similar conditions around their deaths
If a mathematician cracks the forbidden knowledge surrounding the link between prime numbers, they could potentially access all digital devices across the globe. Therefore, to ensure that the ability to control the world does not end up in the hands of one person, organizations like the NSA are determined to catch mathematicians before they dive too deep into their prime numbers research. When a mathematician starts getting closer to cracking the code, they are eradicated to prevent them from accessing the forbidden knowledge.
Is There Any Realism Or Accuracy To Prime Target’s Math Equation?
The Show Seems To Riff On Existing Conspiracies
While the show’s portrayal of mathematical conspiracies is undoubtedly over-the-top, it seems to draw from some existing conspiracies and theories. For instance, the Black-Scholes equation was believed to be one of the leading causes of the financial crash (via The Guardian), though the accuracy of the deduction is still debatable. Given the random nature of prime numbers (numbers only divisible by 1 and themselves), many mathematicians also continue researching them, finding new ways to determine some semblance of order in their randomness.
Prime Target Key Facts Breakdown | |
Created By | Steve Thompson |
Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score | 43% |
Running Time | 8 episodes |
Streaming On | Apple TV+ |
However, the Apple TV+ show may be inclining more toward a fantastical domain with its portrayal of a mysterious mathematical equation that holds the potential to control all computers and disrupt societal systems. Despite this, it is commendable how Prime Target‘s creators tried to make it seem more realistic by having a real mathematician as their advisor. As reports confirm (via NorthEaster.edu), Northeastern University’s London campus’ math lecturer, Tim Davis, worked closely with the show’s cast and crew to help them understand what they were working with and ground the show in realism.