Summary: John Reese is a former soldier who has become an alcoholic after his love died while he was gone. Reese is brought in to the police for a scuffle he had with some teenagers on a subway but is secretly whisked away by Harold Finch who gives him a job offer. Finch has a resource that provides him with SINs that correspond to people who will be involved with crime in the future. Reese's first task surrounds a prosecutor, Hansen who is linked to some crime. She is discovered to be the perpetrator of a corrupt police scam and Reese uses his skills to shut it down, gaining the loyalty of another cop, Fusco. Finch reveals that he gets the SINs from a secret back door to a government software that he created called "The Machine". Reese agrees to continue working for Finch.
The Good: This was a decent pilot that started the story nicely. The opening story immediately built up some intrigue and questions were raised and answered at a good pace throughout the next 45 minutes. The standout here was Michael Emerson who is terrific. His character, Finch, immediately piqued my interest and desire to learn more about his past and The Machine. I think the concept of Finch's machine is pretty good and can lead to some fun drama if used correctly. I really liked the brief montage of Reese preparing his operation and surveillance of Hansen. As a huge "Death Note" fan, I thought this was really entertaining as it helped piece together the investigation, allowing me to understand the significance of what's happening. The idea of POIs is really clever. I like the idea that they can be either innocent or guilty and we would have no idea. This can be a really useful plot device as it opens possibilities for some devastating reveals of either innocence or guilt. It was used nicely in this episode with the twist that Hansen is the perpetrator which I wasn't expecting. The Bad: This episode left me breathless. So much happened in such a short amount of time and very little had the chance to stick with me. The task of this pilot isn't one to envy though and that could explain why it feels so breathless. This episode has to introduce characters and story while providing a taste of what the show can do in an exciting storyline all within the usual 45 minute limit which is pretty difficult. Had there been an extension of time for this episode, it may have fared a little better as the characters and story would have time to breathe. While I really enjoyed the initial montage, I was disappointed to get very little of that from the rest of the episode. All of the investigation results felt rushed and flew into each other way too quickly with little impact. Allowing storylines like these to last multiple episodes is a must with this show's format and I hope they do make the decision to do this. Because of how quickly this plotline went down, nothing felt memorable and I wasn't impressed by the logistics of the investigation at all. Instead, I was only treated with a few "cool" action moments. While they can be fun, it isn't practical to base a show off of these. I wasn't a fan of the episode's climax happening offscreen in favour of the twist that Hansen plays a tape confessing her guilt in court. I've had enough of writing about unnecessary surprises after finishing up "Game of Thrones". It was a needless twist and I think it would have been better to actually see how Reese got out of his predicament so he doesn't feel like as much of an invulnerable and perfect protagonist who will always find a way out of impossible situations because... just because. The Unknown: Who is Reese exactly? What is his past and why is there so much concern when investigating his past? What happened that resulted in Jessica's death? Why is Reese believed to be dead? Does it have something to do with him killing the person who killed Jessica? What about Finch's past? What are his government connections? Why is he believed to be dead? Who was the woman he loved? How did he accumulate so much power, including a bank that he bought and forced into bankruptcy? I look forward to getting to know these characters better. Best Moment: Finch was the best part about this. I greatly enjoyed his reveal of "The Machine". Character of the Episode: Finch. Conclusion: This was a solid pilot that opened up the show on an enjoyable if unspectacular note. There are already some worrying signs, but with the compact nature of this pilot, I'm not going to make any major judgments from these first impressions just yet. Score: 63
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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