Abandoned, sad, withdrawn and overlooked - and what with the only person who had expressed interest having pulled out, no time left on the clock for her.
Thankfully the CDS decided I should step-in at the very last minute, and now this lady of leisure with her very fine whiskers has been with us for five years ❤️🧡❤️
Okay, it’s a pure number of the week episode, that is a pseudo Oceans 11 heist plot that tried a little too hard for the teenage boys audience… but before you move on the following are worth a watch:
o A toast to the fallen;
o A true terrible fake moustache; and
o Finch’s toyboy gag (check out his raised eyebrows and rare smile)
But yeah, the pickings are a bit slim otherwise, and even Fusco had to remind Team Machine he’s there.
S3E14 Provenance Watch Notes
“I see your time in Italy was a sartorial success”
“I’m a sucker for watered down booze and a mini-quiche”
“It appears the storm has yet to pass, Mr Reese”
“I can field strip a .45 upside down in the dark Finch, I think I can handle a bow tie”
“I see you’ve updated your arsenal Shaw” as The Machine flags John and Finch for a mutual respect in the workplace training refresher.
“Sounds like a bunch of hippies and art nerds to me”
Shaw assaults an old man on her war on shrimp puffs
“Charming, casually evasive.. who doesn’t want to put a bullseye on her” as Shaw is on the prowl
“Oh my, he’s gorgeous” as Finch smiles knowingly, at the appreciation of his toyboy 🤣
A girl after Shaw’s heart, as she unnecessarily backflips away
A little sudden brief rain so some assets can glisten
“Anywhere this woman goes, bodies follow”
Generic Czech baddie pulling the strings
Ex-Olympian gymnast, forced to perform tricks
Shaw experiences deja vu “Looks kind of like my place actually”
Shaw doesn’t do single moms
“Oh, we’ve made a terrible mistake”
“That’s right, I know people too” as Fusco reminds them he’s a team member too
Finch gets a new toy
Inspector Clouseau falls “hook, line and sinker”
Let’s Oceans 11 this joint
A criminal moustache
Shaw lost the coin toss
“I should start charging fares”
‘Lick my fingers Shaw’ “Excuse me?”
🎵It’s so hot in here, so take off all your clothes
Sure, just rub your sweaty body over the priceless ancient Bible
“You have to realise you’re property”
You didn’t need your ankles anymore did you?
“Don’t know how I did that but I’ll take the credit”
A drink for the dead, as Fusco wants an Oceans 12
Bing Bong Ladies and gentlemen, please stow your tray tables and put your seat in the upright position as Person of Interest takes off, and fasten your seatbelt as the forecast is for multiple knockouts, child endangerment, multiple druggings and electrical stimulation.
We learn Reese will do anything for an upgrade on commercial flights (even when brooding), and that flattery about his hair finally lifts him out of his funk, leading him to explore a career as an air hostie before deciding he rather much fly private.
Finch realises he can fly by the seat of his pants (which might need a change) and that John still has a bone to pick with him, but it’s nothing a free suit can’t fix.
And Shaw isn’t forgotten as she gets to reconnect with old friends (and put up her own tally on this season’s drugging scoreboard, where it is a very popular sport).
We also see The Machine continue to flex its own plans, perturbing Finch.
Samm Levine, the actor who plays our number Owen Matthews, is superb and it’s a shame his character did not reappear as he would have made a great returning character (especially with his skills, handy for the upcoming Samaritan war).
A fun enjoyable episode, with some easter eggs included, even if our flight attendant is rather too casual for a post 9/11 cabin crew member - must be John’s hair 🤣
S3E13 4C Watch Notes
Opening titles are back
John’s going one way, but probability determines a first class upgrade will get him back on track
“Holly, on second thoughts, scotch rocks would be great” as John gets the chatty seat mate, the arsehole across aisle, and kids in his cabin as economy bag checks him on their way to the back
Cabin crew be bitchy
John yawn checks dickhead on the phone
The Machine puts John to work, as curiosity gets the better of him
John jumps the toilet queue
“I did not send you on a mission Mr Reese” something that disturbs Finch as much as John
1 in 4 chance of death, almost certain mass casualty event - not great odds John
“I guess your Machine didn’t get my letter of resignation Harold”
“How do you plan to control the situation?” “I don’t, because I’m not accepting the mission”, but this ain’t Mission Impossible John…
Season Three sure has a lot of drugging 🤣
Holly is surprisingly cool with an increasing number of unconscious passengers - less work for her I guess
“Who the hell are you?” “A concerned frequent flyer”
“What tipped you off, was it my word or the violent psychopath who stabbed me with a syringe?”
“Whatever’s going on here, I’m irrelevant”
“Would it be too much to ask you to snap a twig?”
“I assure you I had nothing to do with it … which presents us.. another troubling situation”
“I fear the number Mr Reese received is relevant”
“You have all the information.. you just won’t share it”
Probably shouldn’t have given him your joy buzzer
“You seem like an angry guy, do you want to talk about that?” 😆
“Department of International Homeland Security” … “What?” geez John, not smooth
“Just hit this button, it’ll summon me”, you’re a bad man John 😆
North by Northwest
Just not this guy’s day
“I guess the honeymoon’s over” [Clang] “Oops”
“Say It. I’ll wait”
The toilets are getting rather full on this flight
“Something about the price of ecstasy and then they stuck a fork in me”
“Tall, dark, badass in a suit. Sound familiar?”
“Put it in his sippy cup, one finger” 🤣 John obviously a fan of Go the f*ck to sleep
“I could have been a teacher.. but no I wanted to see the world …. you know what this job has taught me.. that people are horrible”
Knockout punch count: 6 and rising (and one case of child endangerment)
“I didn’t like my bosses’ boss”
“Meeting up with an old friend for coffee” as Shaw hustles a side gig
“Dude, your hair looks fine - that salt and pepper thing is like catnip to soccer moms” 🤣
“You computer guys, you build something you can’t control, and when it backfires you won’t accept responsibility … have you really made anything better?” John having some transference issues, but with Finch on the line, couples counselling beckons
“I thought you got rid of that walking steroid” this number is cool
Shaw doesn’t want to miss out on all the drugging this season
“Shaw.. your new employers, are they treating you ok?” “They haven’t tried to kill me yet”
Dirty deeds to cover up dirty secrets
“Fore” 🤣
It’s always the butler
“Mr Reese, who’s flying the plane”
“You hear that Finch, that’s for you”
“What is it you do again?” as John fulfils his cabin crew dream, “I help people”
“Next time, just throw a garbage bag over my head and stick me in a casket”
“You almost say that like it’s your job”
“I would always rather a human element remain in determining something so critical as someone’s fate”
“I’m not quite ready to fly commercial yet”
Aletheia is ancient Greek for truth, and in this episode truth will be spoken along with some unlicensed surgery, the demonstration of a really poor performance rewards scheme, and there will be the speaking of words people really will regret later (not to mention more brooding from John).
Speaking of John, not being satisfied with just literally rubbing Fusco’s nose in the dirt, he does so figuratively as well in that cutting way he particularly subjects Fusco to - but luckily Fusco’s grown to be the better man.
Our shadowy British bad guy has finally got his wish list fulfilled, Control has had the tables flipped on her, Root gives Finch the receipts for not trusting The Machine, and John’s off to brood some more… and oh yeah, soon it won’t be a single player game anymore.
S3E12 Aletheia Watch Notes
Control has a Type A personality
“Trying.. It’s corrupted” “We’ll need some enhanced methods”
“Agent Shaw, it has been a thrill watching you work”
“Sorry about the blood spray”
And that’s why you don’t put Root in the corner (locked up)
Double Trouble
Sacrificial Lamb
MIT had a grand theft auto class?
“The world spins on dreamers like you”
“A rebel and a skirt chaser”
“Samaritan is our best chance to ensure you safety”
“Call me Root” “Of course, and you can call me Control”
“[Chuckles] I’m more of an independent contractor”
“Seems everybody wants to lock me up”
“It’d be like giving a five year old keys to a jet.. irresponsible and stupid”
“Hey, rise and shine Wonderboy”
“This is fun”
“You think you’re in charge? It’s adorable just how wrong you are”
“Lasers”
CCTV bank security observers asleep at the wheel
“The cavalry has arrived” …err
Finch vaulted
“Some of the best vacations I’ve had have been behind bars”
“We weren’t helping people, we were delaying the inevitable … It’s entropy Lionel.. decay … And I know that now, same as I know you’ll probably go back to be a corrupt piece of garbage. Water finds its level”
“Tell Finch I tried”
“I urge you to consider what Mr Reese would do” “Brood?”
Finch says Shaw=Hammer, Reese=Scalpel
“Well I’ve got finesse coming out of my ass Harold”
“Harold.. meet Samaritan”
“The world breaks everyone, and afterwards many are strong at the broken places”
“I wasn’t talking to you”
“She uses me” “You view The Machine as your superior?” “No.. much more”
Control engages in some unlicensed surgery
It’s alive! (Mary Shelly, eat your heart out)
Halt and Catch Fire
“Humans are broken from the moment of conception … we fail, we learn, we fail”
“So that’s why you saved it” “Protecting my child”
“It’s hammer time”
“You’re too old”
“I’d call that a fair fight”
“End this - destroy the drives” “No, this is life or as close as us mortals come to saying ‘Let there be light’ ”
“It was you”
“In the end, I’m afraid we’ve only given the deck a shuffle”
“Your child, it’s a dancing star” “It’s not my child, it’s a machine”
“That was better than skydiving”
How many times can you have guns turned on you
“I heard you might need a hand”
Explosive
The tables are turned
“What do you want me to tell this bitch?”
“The Machine belongs to me” “No I don’t belong to anyone anymore”
“Isn’t she the best”
“I wish you listened.. we were supposed to help Claypool together, then the drives never would have fallen into the wrong hands”
“Do I know you young man?”
“We trusted blindly”
“John, you can’t go”
“I was able to swap out the drives”
The Decima rewards scheme sucks
“My Samaritan.. you are destined for great things”
One war dusted, but another on the horizon as Lethe begins (Lethe being a river in Hades, so suggesting it’s only getting hotter from here on in). Team Machine is split, half ignoring numbers, half wanting to get back to work, and Root still under lock and key by Harold (although she still has a trick or two up her sleeve).
We get a Finch backstory, a loving wife who might not be, an MIT reunion, a bad Chinese meal, two blockheads going at it in the rain, some light drugging, Hersch and some pretty unfortunate odds for Shaw in particular, but we do get more than the hand of one puppet master this time.
The warning shot is well and truly across the bow now, so prepare as there won’t be any rest stops ahead.
S3E11 Lethe Watch Notes
“I don’t do quiet”
Reese is on leave of absence in Colorado, and not even a plate glass window can tempt him to care
Finch is ignoring The Machine
Finch is still keeping Root in the corner
“You really shouldn’t take it out on her” “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about”
“Must you do that?”
Shaw back in the white coat
“Finch.. who the hell is this guy?”
Flashcard opening title instead of the usual one
“If they don’t want you to get inside they ought to build them better” precocious short-stuff
First time we meet the true Control (and not a stand-in)
“You know, not everything that’s broken is meant to be fixed”
Fusco in flannel
“What do you think, I won my detective shield in a poker game?”
“Unpleasant? [chuckles] Oh you service boys are so polite”
Bit too much MSG for Agent Dudley
Vigilance returns
“Harold? Finally somebody I recognise”
In this room, one speaks the truth, everyone else lies
Hicksville, USA, where an overseas phone call is Friday night entertainment
“Two young turks at the dawn of the Information Age”
First mention of Samaritan
“John’s gonna be sorry he missed that”
Deja vu
“Sounds like quite a project”
“I know you always said artificial intelligence was a fool’s errand Harold but I was this close … someone else got there first.. and built it”
We learn Fusco has been doing AA
“What do you think, you’re the only one that is hurting? My partner got shot, so tell me how your old man’s watering hole is going to fix it”
Fusco knocks some sense into John; John uses Fusco as a punching bag
“The truth fears no questions”
“I remember Diane”
“I suppose those was inevitable”
“Hersh”
“I assume you always wanted to meet me” “Control”
“One of you is going to tell me what it is I want to know, and whoever does will be the one who gets to leave here.. alive”
If you haven’t watched The Crossing and The Devil’s Share from Season Three before, turn back.
This THR article written around the time these episodes first aired is an interesting insight into these episodes, especially as it is contemporaneous.
A recently updated Screen Rant article provides even more insight, describing the decision to write the character off as due to the actor’s growing feeling of creative staleness at the time and wanting to move on for creative reasons - to explore new roles, while she was fielding multiple offers. As a supporting cast member of Person of Interest it is understandable that she did not want to miss the opportunity to take on more prominent roles while the opportunities were there.
If you haven’t seen The Crossing, turn back now.
When an episode starts with no titles and Cash’s “Hurt” you know this ain’t no story of the week episode. Everybody is hurting and the repercussions are seismic.
Shaw’s got a blood-stained photo and John’s out of his private ICU to raise insurance premiums everywhere, as “The Dirtiest Cop in New York” is not unsurprisingly the number of the week.
Harold finally puts aside his hurt to let god mode fly free again, but there is not much enthusiasm to break into a round of Bohemian Rhapsody on the car ride to save John from himself.
John, meanwhile, has a hotel owner repeatedly asking “whose paying for this?” as the parties converge to find Simmons.
Meanwhile, for the first time we get a four person backstory of Harold, Shaw, John, and Fusco rather failing their respective psych evals, with Kevin Chapman (Fusco) giving a stellar performance here.
Ultimately Team Machine get their man, but you have got to watch the run-time in PoI because if things look wrapped up and there is still more than a couple of minutes on the clock, you know a Nolan rug pull is incoming…
S3E10 The Devil’s Share Watch Notes
Cold open on John, with Bear and Finch bedside
🎵I will make you hurt
Farewell friend
“The Dirtiest Cop in New York”
The numbers don’t stop
This is one time you absolutely want to have no knowledge of Simmons as Shaw and John go no holds barred
“It can work any way that you want, Mr Wren”
“Have you lost someone?”
“There’s a false sense of lucidity that often accompanies grieving”
“I’ve been thinking about doing something radical…”
“Otherwise you’d have to face a very painful truth … that you are not God, you don’t control who lives or dies”
“Does survivor’s guilt pass when everything that has happened actually is, in fact, your fault”
“I offered before, let me help you” “It’s a little too late for that, don’t you think?” (whose fault is that) … “I don’t want to sound unsympathetic Harold but we have much bigger problems at hand. Whatever your machine was trying to prepare me for.. it’s coming”
“Guy in the back might make a good bag of charcoal”
“Which one?” “You mean both your stray dogs are off the leash?”
“tall, dark and deranged”
“But the scorched earth campaign is only gonna make Simmons harder to find, not easier”
John got there first, Shaw does the follow-up
“Why? One less dirty cop-killing cop sounds good to me”
Left him hanging
“We found what’s left of him, someone used him as an ashtray”
The mafia are still in play
“We need Root”
“This place is filled with doctors who don’t care if their patients live or die”
“I’m in. Are you?”
You can’t keep a good Root down
Did you miss me?
“You know if you told me about the carpool arrangements I would have driven separately”
Driving in the dark, with a back seat driver
“In your right pocket, you have 85 cents…”
Lionel learns the origin of his name from the Oracle of The Machine
“Just when I thought life with you people couldn’t get weirder, one of you takes it to the next level”
“Just between us, not my first time”
“Are you sure the big guy is here” That’s an affirmative Fusco
“You’re about to join men, living out on the ragged edge…”
We learn Shaw and John share yet another connection
“If only you had just done your damn job”
“Who pays for the damage?”
Claim denied
More flares than a Balkans soccer match
“Loyalty, that’s why Simmons came after you and Carter, Loyalty”
“Now, everything you do is an abomination, but your word.. your word is your bond.. to your godson, to Carter, you do what you say.. So do I”
“No bargaining”
“I’ll make the last three minutes of your life last forever”
“Can I have a second one please?”
“Okay, that was kinda hot”
Remember what she wanted
“That’s not our purpose - we save lives, you save lives” “Not all of them”
“No”
The hard choice
“The Machine never said Reese was the only one planning to kill Simmons”
“He got the devil’s share” (Kevin Chapman giving a stellar performance here)
“Carter got you good, huh?”
“I got lucky. I had a partner. She was good for me … Carter saved my life. She saved me from myself”
“Where’s Root?”
Root gets the Bear seal of approval
“You were free, why did you come back?” “Like I said.. we have a larger fight ahead of us”
“Thank you” (but still bolts her up)
“It’s just me, officer”
“Well, there remains a debt … you and I are outliers … I offered to kill you for Detective Carter many times and she always said no … I liked her very much, you killed her … I’m just going to watch”
A major episode for Person of Interest, The Crossing sees multiple characters in the crucible as Carter completes her mission to bring down the head of H.R. once and for all.
A controversial episode in more ways than one, but for the controversy of ‘the kiss’ I feel it is not too out of place, happening when Reese and Carter think they are facing the end and emotions are running high. If it had been considered by the characters later in the light of day, without that ‘stealing a last moment’ pressure, I don’t think they’d feel it was a good idea to progress further so consider it was a moment, not a declaration of moving in together.
A little easter egg in this episode to the pilot, which also includes more of Root challenging Finch over the real reasons he is keeping her off the board - even when others could really need an assist. And we see another Oz cast member guest star this season!
Some lovely moments between Fusco and his son in this episode, as Fusco is put through his longest night.
In typical Nolan fashion, we are misdirected and just when you are made to believe everything is in order, he pulls the rug yet again - finishing on a very Nighthawks vibe tableau that will never have you looking at a ringing NY payphone the same.
Team Machine won’t be the same, as the after-effects reverberate into The Devil’s Share. Vale.
S3E9 The Crossing Watch Notes
Harold’s jealousy is on show when he tells Root her relationship with The Machine must have only been because she tampered with it.
“Do you consider a felony murder charge a problem? Because if that bitch cop and her gun-wielding cohort get Alonzo Quinn into federal custody that’s what we’ll all be facing”
“They’ll never make it downtown … We need to come up with a story”
“Bring me Officer Carter and Alonzo Quinn alive”
It’s rarely good news when the payphone rings
“This is my city - there is just two of you”
Fusco provides a turn-down service ❤️
“Nice necklace Dad”
“What kind of cop doesn’t use a vertical dead bolt?”
“I don’t care who you are, you break into my house again, you’ll be sorry”
“You know the dog is the only one that likes you right?”
“What is it about you Joss that makes you want to do everything on your own?”
John gets an uncanny feeling
“Something wrong?” “No more than usual”
“It appears every criminal in New York is trying to kill you”
“That’s a nice suit, maybe we’ll bury you in it”
Kicked to the curb, I mean platform
“Subway, thugs.. kind of reminds me of the first time we met”
“I’m giving you a warning, more than you gave Cal”
A snake that pick-pockets?
“I don’t speak to The Machine, and The Machine doesn’t speak to me Ms Shaw” “Well.. it speaks to her”
“Tell him it’s the last time I chauffeur your ass”
“Something’s wrong with your attack dog” “He appears to be the smart one”
“I saw every digit.. every line of code as I created it”
“You have the relationship with her that you wanted - she respects that. My relationship is more.. intimate”
“I don’t really care for the man myself but.. he means a great deal to you”
“How could I ever let you go when I know with an almost absolute certainty that bad things will happen?”
“Come on Harry, let’s not pretend John is your first helper monkey. Exactly how many guys did you go through before him?”
Harold is frightened of Root as well as jealous, because she clearly knows where his skeletons are buried
Express ride
Beecher! Like a Oz reunion this season
Fusco Assist
“Lionel?”
“Remind me to hire an optimist next time”
“Meet your new best friends”
“It’s my locker at the Y - you’re welcome to my dirty jock”
“Tell your friends what they want to know or they will break you apart limb by limb”
“Mr Reese, where are you?” “Not my final stop, I hope”
“You know that’s not real meat right? … Our police force should be filling up on something more substantial”
He’s going to have explosive diarrhoea if Shaw is disappointed
“You might kill me but I cross Simmons.. he’ll hunt down my wife.. m-my sister.. he won’t stop until everybody I love is dead”
You’re boring me.. bored now “A sedative.. I think”
“That the best you got?” “No, you know us Lionel - it’s going to get so much worse”
“You touch him, and I’ll send you to hell”
Time to share war stories and scars
“When your time is up, it’s up”
“It was the worst moment of my life, followed by the best”
“Lost someone, lost myself”
“You changed me”
“H.R. is moving in for the kill”
Hey, who turned out the lights
“It’s four in the morning”
“I can’t imagine what it must be like for you, after all this time, to have to let go of your creation” “The Machine is still sending us numbers Ms Groves” “I wasn’t talking about The Machine”
“It’s not too late … Please let me help you” “Good-bye Ms Groves” … “I’m sorry for your loss, Harold”
“You tell Fusco I made him a promise and I keep my word”
John vents
“I’m sorry Joss, but I can’t lose you”
“You know what to do”
“Dad” “Lee.. Lee.. it’s going go be okay, I’m right here okay, I’m right here with you”
“It is going to be okay”
“I had to choose”
Fade to black
“Someone was always going to end up in a casket”
“Best you can hope for is someone to hold your hand while you bleed out”
You dumb bastard
“I’m the guy that’s going to catch you when you fall”
Don’t bring a CQB marksman to a shoot-out in a bunch of dark corridors and corners
“Son of a bitch”
Who called tech support?
Arresting
“This used to be your city - not anymore”
Package delivered
One for the scrap book
Everything worked out…
“Congratulations Detective.. It is detective again, isn’t it?”
“Let’s just hope John can stay out of trouble for a long while, or has your computer told you otherwise?”
Carter works it out
“Nice to have you back partner” “Glad to be back, I’ll see you soon”
“Thank you, truly”
“I’m Carter, you didn’t give us a name”
“So.. am I in trouble?”
“Still haven’t been able to locate our pal Simmons”
“John Doe didn’t have a permit - your gun’s property of the NYPD now”
“If my number was up, I’m just glad I was with you.. No-one I’d rather be with at the end”
[phone ringing]
“No, not today!”
“Just stay with me”
“John.. don’t let this..”
[phone continues ringing]
Fade to black, silence
I started this episode of Person of Interest with some trepidation as I wasn’t exactly sure from memory when certain things occurred, but Endgame finds Team Machine overwhelmed and Carter pulling away, after the tragic death of her enemy turned friend, a friend turning enemy, and the continuation of a plan to bring the whole house down without knowing who to trust.
This episode also serves as a Carter backstory episode, and we see the return of her son Taylor who we haven’t seen since episode 19 (Flesh and Blood) of Season One, not to mention the appearance of others from Season One.
As our last episode showed, anybody could get caught in the cross-fire as all out war rages… especially if they are going it alone.
S3E8 Endgame Watch Notes
“I received numbers this morning - 38 of them to be precise” “Maybe the machine blew a belt or something”
“Things are about to get chaotic Mr Reese”
Bear’s going K-9 Ballistic
“Nice badge, you wanna give me a warning next time” “But that would ruin the surprise”
“Yeah, I love using all my favours for you guys”
“So who lit the fuse?”
Carter plays it stone cold “I have to move on”
Not enough Purell in the world for Carter after that hand hold
“I’ll see you soon”
“Tell me you didn’t use the front door” “I never do”
“Everyone needs a hobby”
“Respectfully, I’d appreciate it if you left me alone for a while too”
“Don’t get me wrong John, I appreciate all that you have done for me and this city, but in the eyes of the law you’re still a criminal … No, I’m sorry, I’ve got to finish this alone” “Alright, do what you need to do”
Carter goes full DND
We meet the father of Carter’s son, Taylor
“It’s not always worth the risk to know why”
“You know what crime you are most guilty of Peter? Letting this man cook for you” “Those look heavy”
“He’ll understand soon enough”
“It’s all there?” “Everything but the kitchen sink, tried it, but it didn’t fit … Boys can’t have all the toys”
“Honestly Mr Reese, this looks like something you would do”
“Alright, you’re being weird” as suspicion rises
“Wait, that’s my grenade launcher?”
“I don’t care - if they find Carter’s behind this only one number is coming up.. hers”
“Return my drugs, or your men don’t make it home for dinner”
“This is more personal for Carter than we thought”
“I thought you promised to keep your distance” “That was before I knew you were starting a war”
“Take it from me, revenge isn’t the answer”
Carter stokes the fires
“You’re the last little Indian”
“Look, just because I did it by myself doesn’t mean you have to”
“As long as we got each other, you and I are going to be fine”
“Just show me the damn statement” - it’s always those you love
“Choose wisely, because if you don’t then you, me and my brother are all dead”
“You still don’t trust me.. I get it.. I guess there is a certain stink you really can’t wash off” “That’s not it Fusco … I was trying to protect you” “Protect me? By keeping me in the dark? I thought we were partners”
“You’re the best partner I’ve ever had”
“Sorry Fusco, but I’ve got to do this one alone”
“One question, once we save the bad Russians from the bad cops what exactly are we going to do with them?”
When you pick the wrong horse…
“Lots of people care about you, if you ever need any help all you need to do is ask - you know that, right?”
Never a good sign when there is plastic sheeting on the floor of a room not being painted
“I’ll spare you the Shakespeare quote”
“You know, I think that’s your problem, you see yourself as a protagonist in some great tragedy, determined to face the world alone”
“To be or not to be bitch”
“I called some friends of my own”
Carter flips the table, let the pieces fall where they may
“Where the hell are they? … The man in the suit dies tonight”
This 2024 opinion piece article, which just mentions Fallout in passing, analyses why Person of Interest is Nolan’s crowning star saying “Here’s why Person of Interest is Nolan’s underseen gem and one of the finest procedurals ever made … You’d be hard-pressed to find a more nuanced depiction than Person of Interest’s ‘Machine’, a one-of-a-kind AI created by the secretive Harold Finch (Michael Emerson) for the US government” citing its exponential story growth and that “[t]here have been plenty of good and evil AI in film and TV, but the way Person of Interest balanced the scales between its human characters and the heady AI concepts was executed perfectly … Ultimately, it was written in the same way all the human characters were: problematic, biased, and capable of catastrophic mistakes. The show never stopped interrogating Harold for what he had unleashed. What The Machine could do was given weight and the consequences were always threatening, but the stakes related to the people around it.”
It goes on to say “Its arguments were larger-than-life, but the production stayed rooted in the practical and everyday in a way that made everything feel naturalistic. By the final season, Person of Interest was a smart and beautifully people-centered series. It traded its early parameters for a much rougher, raw outline. That could facilitate refreshing, imperfect, characters and an endless supply of questions about the responsibility of creation, surveillance states, and the value of life. The formerly jaded tone was chipped away until the central thesis became faith, collective action, and encouraging people plagued by past failures to act selflessly for the greater good.”
It rated the rewatch-ability of PoI high saying “It’s easy to revisit because there’s always something new to extrapolate from the deliberate and grand storytelling. Person of Interest rewards your time and investment in its characters, paying meaningful dividends for sticking around through its cocooning stage.”
It’s a very interesting article, well put together, and well worth a read.
The Perfect Mark is largely another ‘number of the week’ story but for its intertwining with the increasing H.R. hot war being waged by Carter, who finally uncovers the puppet master.
It does have some decent Root scenes wedged in, where Root precisely nails Harold much to his disquiet (just not enough for his jealousy to subside), but is otherwise a little light, and largely setting the stage for a major plot change ahead.
S3E7 The Perfect Mark Watch Notes
“So we’ll work on your anxiety and paranoia gradually”
“For $200 an hour Finch, I hope you get more than an expensive nap”
“Does he do birthday parties?”
“But first, I need to look in on our houseguest”
“Harold, your machine called me”
“You can’t fight the future”
“You wonder why it won’t talk to you like it talks to me. Don’t be jealous Harold. Mom still loves us both”.
“It’s more than therapy now. Ugh, look at that”
“I’m so going to shoot this punk”
“This guy’s good”
“So, what’s your story?” “You first”
“I’ll pretend that makes sense”
Fist-bump
“We’ll do a two for one special”
Give that laptop a drink 🥃
That’s one way to clean the windows
Shaw and John FTW
“Who the hell are you?” “The night watch”
Carter goes on a wine tasting with her warehouse friend
“So H.R. gets Russian money for nothing?”
“I’m not on your side”
“Finch, you ever notice how much of our job is like babysitting?”
Classic misdirection
Fusco saves the bacon
“Hey, dragon tattoo”
Fusco doesn’t appreciate back seat artists
“Going for a hollow-point special kind of motif”
$20 for $4.4m, what a deal!
“Maybe the rookie should be handling your end of things - at least he follows through”
“Will you at least let me call Natalie before you kill me or arrest me or put me in a well in your basement?”
“Do I look like I’m taking suggestions from rookies today?”
Carter had been waiting a long while to do that
Take a chair Terney
Shouldn’t have short changed the middle man
“Well, if you love something.. set it free”
4.4 million and a Snapple is an even better deal
Love hurts
Overtime for H.R.
“This.. synchronistic relationship that you’ve developed with The Machine, it can’t be.. I worry about you”
“You can’t stop what’s coming, and neither can I, but we have the opportunity to finally understand things when they change. The future is coming. You started it.. and I’ll finish it”
“When I got started with H.R. I thought it was about loyalty, but I was wrong - it’s about murder and greed”
“NO!”
“Be a cop!”
Blood-marked, in more ways than one
For a relatively recent show I’ve rewatched The Marvelous Mrs Maisel so many times I’ve lost count. I always did a rewatch before each new season and have gone back at least a couple of times since it finished, and it just feels fresh and beautiful each time. ❤️❤️❤️
Like a lot of tv series, Person of Interest spends their first season world-building and setting up what is the main story of the series, so my advice to those new to PoI is “Just keep watching”.
If it still hasn’t grabbed you by the end of Season One, then it might not be for you, but if you eject any earlier you might really kick yourself later.
It’s another crammed to the gills Person of Interest episode in Mors Praematura, which is Latin for ‘untimely/premature death’ (with mors being the feminine noun for death)
This episode guest stars Kirk Acevedo, of Oz and Fringe and 12 Monkeys fame, as this episode’s number and his screen presence is most welcome.
Most importantly, this is a Root episode as well so we get a good serving of The Machine mythology included, plus we have Vigilance and H.R. to add plenty of meat to this episode.
We also learn that Finch’s loss of primacy with The Machine has stoked feelings of jealousy that aren’t being constructively dealt with, as he feels more and more in the dark about his creation.
Plus we learn Shaw never smiles brighter when the tables are turned.
S3E6 Mors Praematura Watch Notes
“We’re going to have so much fun together”
“Put it to a vote”
A return to Oz
“Ms Shaw may be violent and uncommunicative but she is never tardy”
“Have you found anything?” “Nothing unexpected”
Shaw likes her milk cold, and her munitions even colder
“Taser Confetti” … “I suppose it’s too much to hope that she tased herself?” “Knowing Shaw, anything is possible but I’d say she’s in trouble” Harold thinking Shaw may have some very particular kinks
“I had to make sure you’d hear me out”
“Things are evolving and my relationship with The Machine is a little.. different”
“Don’t talk about my father”
“The Machine trusts me, even if you don’t”
“But when this is over, you better hope I don’t remember”
“Would going to a dead man’s apartment in the middle of the night qualify?”
“Find them Mr Reese, now!”
“A thank you would be nice”
“When you see this statue again, think impact”
Shaw’s cooking with spaghetti
“The big picture, that’s hers”
Something, something Apple something, something Temptation
“I am”
The writing’s on the wall
🎵 It’s about to get hot in here
John FTW
Vigilance
“These people value privacy, secrecy above all else”
“Looks like you’ve got a fun one”
“Six feet kid, don’t skimp”
“You say the sweetest things”
“Scavenger Hunt”
“Do you even know my name” - classic misdirect again
“We’re a bit on the clock here so lets dispense with the temper tantrum”
Root takes credit
“Until then Mr Sloan”
“So good to hear your voice”
“Gotta save somebody” “Know the feeling”
“I guess a software omniscience isn’t much help if you’re out of bullets”
“I’m not smiling at you”
“Mission Accomplished?” “Good”
“I’m persistent”
“Six feet. I didn’t skimp”
Ain’t so fun being H.R. after all
“I just wanted to tell you.. thanks”
“If Vigilance wants a revolution, these may be only the opening shots”
Finch starts to realise he is now only seeing part of the purpose of The Machine, and it’s stirring feelings of jealousy
“I found out the hard way what happens when I cross it”
“Can you imagine what a being that powerful will do when she’s angry?”
Nobody puts Root in the corner
Yes it is another largely Person of Interest ‘number of the week’ episode again with Razgovor, but unlike Reasonable Doubt there are lot of juicy nibbles sandwiched in - with this episode also serving as a Shaw backstory episode and the ‘number’ complimenting that as Shaw finds her inner muma bear, despite being called a murder bot by a Harriet the Spy short-stuff.
Shaw is feeling restless, after dealing with run of the mill numbers jobs, but despite being no fan of kids finds meaning after a little KGB with curls girl steals her heart (and shows her up).
We also have Carter and John kicking back some cold ones before kicking the figurative and literal crap out of H.R. (and boy does she have their number)
But where is The Machine mythology you demand? Well, don’t blink, and you’ll be rewarded but I won’t spoil the surprise (still good even on rewatch).
S3E5 Razgovor Watch Notes
“Here’s your liver”
“You just saved my life” “Ugh” 🤣
“You paid me to save him, not to listen to him talk”
“John, one of these days I’m just going to shoot you” “I get that a lot”
“No deals”
It’s an alien!
A badge for every occasion
John’s looking out of place
“Shouldn’t you guys already know this stuff?”
Short stop calls out Shaw, but Shaw catches the bluff
“What kind of weird-ass kid uses counter-surveillance tactics?”
“Fine with me, I hate kids” as Finch is the one with egg on his face
We see The Machine make a threat designation from monitoring in real time
“Whoever this girl is Finch, she has a very grown up problem”
Shaw backstory episode
“I thought you might be a robot” (Shaw, the original murderbot)
Kids, always with the questions
Little girl cracks Shaw like a walnut
“To be honest, I’m only in it for the dog”
“My listening station, we should be safe here”
“Well, I know that now”
“My grandfather taught me, he was in the KGB”
“Why are you like this?”
“I do.. angry, okay, but that’s about it”
Somebody called pest control
We learn Shaw was a military brat
“Maybe clean out your trunk next time dumbass”
“A girl after my own heart” but not AT&T’s
Carter going all Veronica Mars
[GROSS!] “Read the labels Harold” 🤣
Shaw leaves a negative caregiver review
Snap!
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s not polite to spy on people, little girl?”
“I’m hungry, can I have a sandwich?”
H.R. is taking a bath
“Relax, it’s just corn syrup”
[thud] Nurse Shaw at your service
“Cops might kill a kid, my people have standards”
“I need blood” 🧛♀️
Shaw’s show
Snake in the grass
“Acknowledge.. Acknowledge One.. Acknowledge Two..”
‘Officer, I’d like to report a kidnapping”
It’s personal (tape measure time)
Shottie Shaw
“Armies fall, one solider at a time”
“Hey Finch, how much do you know about chemistry?”
Snake says what?
Oh no, you didn’t
“You want to play Billy Badass, you go right ahead”
“You work for me now” like a deer in the headlights - dumb indeed
“I think there is something wrong with the kid”
“It’s just like the volume is turned way down”
Mama Shaw
“So I disobeyed some, pretty much all, of your orders - am I fired?”
“Did you miss me?” Electrifying
This 2015 opinion review article of Person of Interest is worth a read, with some interesting commentary and analysis. I certainly agree with the author that you remember the mythology way more than any case of the week.
We are spoiled a bit more now with the dominance of streaming services, providing other avenues to make tv outside the constraints of traditional broadcast networks, so the challenges were higher then (but not insurmountable as other shows also demonstrated) - and thankfully PoI took them on to give us something lasting.
This all ‘number of the week’ episode would, if not for a few things, not typically deserve its own rewatch post but for:
o John and Shaw tussle for Bear’s affection, John grins, Shaw makes her feelings clear
o Yes, it’s the episode of that meme
o And Shaw demonstrates her ineligibility for a role in elder care
Also John returns to his darker past vibe.
But yeah, otherwise, the lack of any The Machine mythology content does make this episode feel like a flashback to early Season One (very much a network episode), especially as it’s mostly a Double Jeopardy type plot.
S3E4 Reasonable Doubt Watch Notes
Don’t worry, it’s a ruse
“We’re merely a couple of concerned dog owners”
“She’s beginning to remind me of you Mr Reese”
“Think I’d be standing here in uniform if the system always worked?”
“Bad guys always run”
Shaw is very unimpressed she lost the love tug of war, but John’s all smiles
“We really don’t wager on whether our numbers are victims or perpetrators”, so louche Shaw
“Are you sure you’ll fit in?” “Of course, I have a secret weapon”
Bringing books to book club is passé - a purse of full of Chardonnay bottles however…
Does anyone who asks where the toilet is in tv shows and films actually go to the bathroom?
“Bunch of pseudo-intellectual, glorified trophy wives”
NSFW texts ahead
“Up to me, I’d shoot your sorry ass” Shaw really doesn’t like cheaters
John needs to talk to a man about a boat
“I’m sure Ms. Shaw has had enough Chardonnay and Nabokov for one afternoon”
“We need to figure out which flawed plan is best”
“Over-ruled”
“They do things a little slower here in Greenwich”
“I gotta go.. Even for you, stabbing a senior would be a new low” “You don’t know that”
“You thought one romantic dinner on a yacht would fix your problems?”
Double Jeopardy
Classic misdirect
“I was merely doing my civic duty”
A scorned woman
Things are turned upside down
“You what!”
Snakes, everywhere you turn
“You know I still love you, right angel?”
Lovers’ tiffs and “a concerned third party”
“Who can blame me for doing something everybody says I already did?”
Just let your problems float away
Awwh, they were a match
As Nothing to Hide is a little light for a full post (apart from the first appearance of Vigilance and Shaw sucking down quail eggs at pace) I’ll mostly be focused on Lady Killer, where Finch’s Angels (and a spoiled for choice John) are the main ‘number of the week’ network required plot and Root’s graduation from the funny farm is the B-plot (although as we have seen, often the B plot is the real PoI story now).
Lady Killer is a fun episode with good gags and easter eggs, and a homage to Charlie’s Angels, while also seeing the return of the lovely Zoe Morgan who has been missed. More importantly it’s another core Root episode, as we learn The Machine is diverging from Finch, in that he was unaware of The Machine’s plans. I like this episode in particular in that Carter gets to smile and have a little fun, by its end, and you can see future events are being anchored in this episode (even though some still consider later events a turn).
S3E2 Nothing to Hide Watch Notes
“He does that. The man likes his privacy”
Beware of snakes in the grass, even at cemeteries
“People who say they have nothing to hide almost always do”
“Want to go to a party Shaw?” asks John, to which Shaw replies “Only if you promise to wear something pretty”
Shaw likes truffled quail eggs
Powerpoint slide shows aren’t very romantic
Going down?
“Rookies …. Just suck on the ice”
Beware of scumbags bearing from behind
First appearance of Vigilance
S3E3 Lady Killer Watch Notes
‘I’M THE CAPTAIN NOW’ 🤣
“Our guy just went from blue blood to hipster faster than you can say ironic facial hair”
“Organised, efficient, sociopathic - not that there is anything wrong with that”
“God doesn’t need AT&T”
“It’s not a condition, it’s the future. By the time you have figured out what is really happening I’ll have transcended this reality”
“She has a plan” “Which is what?” “I don’t know yet but I can’t wait to find out”
“Seems Bear has a stalker of his own”
“Just what kind of job is this Finch? … Not bad, considering the last time I saw you, you were in a body bag”
The return of the delightful Zoe Morgan to add some sizzle
John feels like a kid in a candy store
“Really, a yoga instructor?” “You prefer trained killer?”
“You’ll have to use your charm Shaw, not your sidearm … you just always look.. angry all the time” John’s about to get cancelled permanently for telling Shaw to smile more
“Sorry girls, my system only runs on diesel”
“This place is a rip-off, club soda cost me five dollars.. nice view though” maybe not the best choice for overwatch 🤣
Carter FTW
“That woman has got a guard of steel, you two have a thing or something?” … “We’re just friends”
“Relationships are for amateurs, guys these days have so many.. emotions”
“I go above and beyond, try it some time”
A warning sees things escalate, doubly
“Alex is an heir, not the help”
John and Shaw tolerate no snobs
“You still have my number” finally a little joy for Carter
“So, you see, sadly I need to be moving on”
“She sees everything, but there’s very little she can do about it. That’s where I come in, she tells me what to do and I do it”
“Are you excited about this as I am?”
Bear FTW
“Shhh! … Even this guy?”
“I think I am really much better now”
“Mr Reese, we have a problem”
Apart from introducing Fusco’s terrible fake beard (no, not that type of fake beard) in the opening episode of Season Three of Person of Interest, Liberty, we find Shaw now part of Team Machine officially (well, as much as Shaw is willing), Carter in reduced circumstances, and John still dealing out cool quips (although Shaw hands them out faster) - while Root is off-line having been committed by “Uncle Finch”.
The network insisted on a number of the week apparently, which may be why the B-plot feels more like the main plot in this episode (even if jokes can be made about John surrounded by seamen in what is the main plot), and it is good to see Fusco back after not getting any face-time at all in the Season Two finale.
This episode is in someways a selah, with Finch again foreshadowing a bad feeling, and we learn The Machine has plans for Root—but only if the methodology is right.
And that God is a 11 year old…
S3E1 Liberty Watch Notes
New Season Three opening titles
“Who the hell are you?” “Tonight, hostage negotiator” [tires screech] [gunfire]
“They never say thank you”
“You’re looking kind of bad ass in that uniform”
Fusco moonlights, as Shaw has a dud date
“Perhaps in the future you might try to complete your assignments without quite so much violence”
“I’m not a human shield” as a beard makes its escape
“I like this guy Finch”
Squids do not like their lemon squeezers used for disposing of ice
“I have a direct line to a higher power. It speaks to me”
“It wants me to stay here, to work through some issues” “And what issues would those be?” “Methodology. We’re discussing how I go about things”
“Caught this one flashing his junk in the park again”
Carter knows all the good places to party
Sorry bad guys, go get a taxi
Who knew you could mine sea diamonds?
“On the contrary, I’ve been completely honest” “Please, excuse me” “Well, maybe not completely.”
“For a psychiatrist, you’re really a terrible judge of character”
“Ah, but it’s a shame to waste a rifle like this on kneecaps”
“What do you know, you’ve made a friend”
“Hup to, Lionel” “What!” 🤣
Time to just casually stroll into a Mexican stand-off
“I’m sorry, are you guys closed?”
“I’m not really seeing a future for you in conflict resolution”
“You gonna ambush somebody, use a muzzle suppressor losers”
“In the arm, through a brick wall, in the dark - you’re welcome [thud] Oops”
🎵“It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me” 👍
I’d be whistling too (very nice crumb)
“You know if you ever needed help, you just need to call me, right?” - damn that’s some gaslighting
We learn John joined the military by unconventional means
“I have a feeling things are about to get more complicated”
“The truth? The truth is a vast thing, I see that now. Just how much truth there is, where would we even begin? The truth is you are not very smart.”
“The truth is God is 11 years old and that she was born on New Year’s Day, 2002, in Manhattan. The truth is that she has chosen me, and I don’t know why yet, and for the first time in my life I’m a little scared about what’s going to happen … Would you like to know the truth doctor? About what we’re arguing over? Whether or not I’m going to kill you.”