Summary: Shaw is a government operative who works with technician Michael Cole and kills people that correspond to numbers supplied by the government. Cole delves into the source of this information and tells Shaw his suspicions, but he is killed soon after by their boss Wilson who works for Special Counsel. Shaw escapes and wants vengeance for Cole. She tracks down Cole's contact Veronica but finds Root waiting for her. Root tries to get information out of Shaw but the government people arrive and she flees. Reese saves Shaw and introduces her to Finch. Finch wants to recruit her but Shaw refuses to go after Special Counsel. After a conversation with Special Counsel, Shaw kills Wilson and Special Counsel lets her leave. However Hersh tries to kill her through an overdose. Carter and Fusco reach the scene of the crime, and with Leon's help they fake Shaw's death. Reese and Finch contact her and Finch gives her his contact information. Shaw leaves.
The Good: What's most fascinating about this episode is how it came absolutely out of nowhere. With "Prisoner's Dilemma" and "Dead Reckoning", I started the episode anticipating what was going to happen. That was not the case here. When I started to watch this one, I was ready for the usual person of the week episode. But what I got instead was a terrific change in pace as a new character gets introduced to us in a story that completely broke the format of every prior episode of the show. Just like "Lost", this show appears to excel when it breaks the format and this was no exception. The moment the episode starts, I could tell that we were in for something special. The normal intro got completely cut off which took me off guard and all of a sudden we weren't with Reese and Finch, but with Shaw and Cole. It's a jarring change of pace and intrigued me instantly (I really enjoyed these "tunnel vision" episodes in "The Leftovers", so I had some expectations that this would deliver). Immediately it's clear that these two are basically another Reese and Finch, getting orders from an outside source. The only difference is that these two aren't aware of what the source is and serve as a simple hit squad. But it's becoming aware that costs Cole his life. He starts floating ideas to Shaw about what this research squad is. Of course, we are aware that the research squad must be the Machine. I've always wondered how the government used the Machine's data, and now we get to see what they are doing. Cole is just casually chatting about what research could be, but we understand that him becoming aware may put him in danger. And it does, and he dies, nearly taking Shaw down with him. This leads to a great action sequence which was directed excellently as Shaw never comes off as an invincible hero, but rather a capable badass. Plus we got an amazing moment as Reese pops up out of nowhere to help Shaw who just shoots him down without hesitation. That was a lovely moment of characterization that let us know who Shaw is. Due to scenes like this, and a few other moments of characterization regarding her dealings with the drug dealer she kidnaps, she has our support now in a revenge quest to learn what got Cole killed. Shaw's mission leads us to three distinct confrontations, and I enjoyed all of them. The first one was my personal favourite (see: Best Moment), as Shaw comes in contact with Root. The two of them have a great conversation which had me on the edge of my seat, waiting for the shoe to drop and for Root to try to turn the tables. When she does, the scene takes an epic turn and is carried by Root's captivating charisma as she threatens to torture Shaw. Unfortunately, Root exits the episode shortly after, but the little bit we got with her ended up being both informative (see: The Unknown) and exciting. Then we get to the second confrontation, Shaw meeting with Reese and Finch. I got a good laugh out of Reese dryly trying to convince Shaw not to shoot him and I was looking forward to Shaw's meeting with Finch. Their scene worked so well because it served as a cool-down in an episode which was so densely packed with drama and action. Yet the cool-down was just as gripping as everything else. The information Finch gives to Shaw may not mean much to her, but we understand the subtext and that makes the scene much more enjoyable. It's also interesting that this is one of only a few scenes where Reese and Finch are present. This episode could have been done from their perspective, but it would have lost something had that happened. This was much more effective. The final confrontation was with Special Counsel. He has been firmly in the background for so long that I found it difficult to care about him, so this confrontation interested me the least. But, it didn't fail because this was the most personal confrontation for Shaw. Her revenge quest climaxed here with her refusing to care about whatever it is that Special Counsel was up to, instead taking cold, sweet revenge by murdering Wilson. The fact that Special Counsel calmly let her go after that, only to kill her when she didn't expect it was a nice bit of character development for him and it ended up being a great ending for the scene. The episode's conclusion was really fun. I was overjoyed to see Leon back (he really should be used more often), and having him, along with Carter and Fusco, assist Finch and Reese in faking Shaw's death to save her life was great. It appears that Reese and Finch want her as a new member of the crew, and I definitely support that decision. From what we have seen from her so far, Shaw is a great new recurring character and I hope to see her in a few more episodes this season. The Bad: It seems that the show is heading towards a government conspiracy plot. It's a pretty generic drama plot so I'm not as interested as I should be in this storyline. There has been a lot of strong build-up so hopefully it won't be a generic storyline and it will have some memorable moments. Special Counsel can use more characterization too. He isn't really doing the job as a big villain for me. I'm much more interested in seeing more of the British representative from "Dead Reckoning". Shaw removing the bullet seemed a bit too easy to be realistic. Just a nitpick though and nothing immersion-breaking. The Unknown: I'm assuming Special Counsel was the one who put the hit out on Cole and Shaw. But could it have been somebody else? With this show, I'm starting to constantly keep an eye out for new players being introduced. Project Northern Lights has to be the Machine right? I assume so. Where is this research facility that was built? Presumably that is where the Machine is actually located. I couldn't help but notice the boxes on the Machine again. Apparently Shaw's box is blue. What does that mean? Does that mean she works for the Machine like Reese and Finch but isn't aware of it? So Root is searching for the location of the Machine, according to what she was saying to Shaw. All she needs is Aquino's contact to get what she needs. Is she going to make contact with Shaw again to get this information? Or will she stay undercover with Special Counsel until another opportunity arises? Are there any others that are aware of Aquino's contact? Best Moment: Shaw arrives to visit Veronica, and to my delight Root answers the door. I was stunned and pleased by this twist (it's a very Root thing for her to just be Veronica). The tension was palpable from that moment on and the ensuing scene was one of "Person of Interest"'s most gripping moments yet. Character of the Episode: Shaw. Conclusion: An episode that came out of nowhere and delivered in a big way. Shaw's story was fantastic and refreshing, providing us another standout episode. This show is really clicking now and I'm more excited than I thought I would be for the rest of the season. The more I watch this one, the better it gets and the higher my score becomes. Score: 80
6 Comments
Ben
3/3/2019 10:31:41 am
This was the episode that changed everything for me. Though it came much later in the series, for me, this episode did to Person of Interest what Walkabout did to Lost or what Two Boats and a Helicopter did to The Leftovers. I really think the episode's that good and ground-breaking. It completely changed my perspective of what to expect from the show. I had never given much thought to the relevant numbers, but this episode opens up so many exciting possibilities. Admittedly, before this episode, I didn’t watch the show religiously. I tuned in most weeks on TV to watch, but I wasn’t too concerned if I missed an episode here and there. After seeing this though, I went back and rewatched the whole show online, knowing I couldn’t afford to miss a single second. I think Shaw is an excellent character, both acted and written well, and that it's also an interesting casting choice. How the government utilizes the Machine is probably the most fascinating part about the show for me, though I agree that Special Counsel isn’t the most engrossing character. Shaw's confrontation with Special Counsel, her scene with Root, and the ending are all great, but her scene with Finch is probably my favourite about the nature of "research" and with Finch's "invisible struggle" speech. Overall, this episode is like a mini-movie, focusing on Shaw, with Finch and Reese as background characters, and it's one of my absolute favourite TV episodes, one that I never get sick of watching.
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Aaron
3/4/2019 05:28:41 am
While "Prisoner's Dilemma" was the one that sucked me in, this episode confirmed my faith in the show. I completely understand your feelings about this episode; it just works so damn well. I've already rewatched this one twice, and it has gotten better with every rewatch, so much that I've bumped its score up from 76 to 78 and now to 80 after a third time through. Well written episodes with self-contained stories like this one really are special.
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Ben
3/4/2019 11:06:38 am
Also, well spotted with the Machine's boxes. It's not something I ever gave much thought to, but I looked up the different meanings of the various boxes on the Person of Interest Wikia.
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Joe Y
10/13/2020 08:13:56 pm
Man, I love thrillers that have no fat on them whatsoever. Nolan has a real talent for thriller writing here--I enjoyed this hour of television more than most of his brother's movies, no joke. It blew my mind in the way that not even "Lost" could. Excellent story-telling on every level! Master class at how to introduce a character 30% of the way through the show and actually have the audience get on board with it.
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Aaronic
10/17/2020 03:50:52 pm
I completely agree. Even bumping up the score to 80 wasn't enough since my opinion of this episode has risen even further since my first time watching it. One of the all-time great TV episodes.
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Joe Y
6/17/2021 06:48:17 pm
The funny thing is, I'm not sure the 'tunnel vision' you mention is always a recipe for success. You have to actually be talented enough to pull it off. But they absolutely did. This is a 90+ for me. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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