Summary: Flashbacks show Finch preparing the Machine for the transfer to the government. Ingram decides to make a back door into the Machine as a backup. Reese continues following Finch and discovers that he gets the POI numbers from a payphone. The next POI is a man named Peck who is being targeted for asking too many questions about something. Finch eventually realizes that he has uncovered details about the Machine and it is going to get him killed. Reese attempts to save him without revealing himself but it proves to be tougher with government assassins hunting him down. Peck arrests himself for safety and eventually realizes that the Machine is real. Reese gets him out but Peck escapes. Finch meets with Peck and confirms that the Machine exists and in exchange Peck goes off the grid. Reese discovers that Finch had a woman in his life but he had to leave her to protect her.
The Good: This was another really strong episode. While not quite as good as the previous episode, this one told a great story with a combination of plot and character development. First, we got some really important plot developments. Now we know where Finch gets the numbers, and the answer was not what I was expecting. The idea that a payphone provides the numbers is really interesting and it also provides a good reason for how Finch is able to access the Machine without being detected. I'm interested to learn more about this (see: The Unknown). The flashbacks were also quite good. We got some key information regarding the confidentiality of the Machine, while also getting more information on who Alicia Corwin was. Additionally, there was a nice reveal about the creation of the Machine's back door. It seems set up for the back door to cause some trouble and I'm unsure if this trouble is what led to Ingram's death or if the trouble will be coming in the present day. The character aspect of the episode was also really good. This episode seems to have concluded the storyline of Reese following Finch. The story ended on a high note as we got the surprise discovery that Finch had a woman in his life who he was forced to leave. Finch's story at the end was pretty tragic and it made his character a little bit more human by giving us a glimpse into the life he had lived outside of the Machine. The POI story in this episode was good, helped by its connection to the Machine. I liked the idea of Reese having to save Peck without revealing himself since it created a different sort of tension than the usual. Of course it didn't last very long, but it did lead to the funny moment of Reese immediately revealing himself as Finch tells him not to. The action sequences in this episode were some of the strongest in the show. By having other professional assassins challenge Reese, we got some of the best choreographed action sequences in the episode. There were a few other details I liked. I really loved the idea of Peck getting himself arrested to ensure his own safety. I thought that Fusco dismissing Peck's very correct guesses about the Machine was hilarious. The ending provided a great cliff-hanger. I'm very interested to see what Alicia does now that she knows that Finch created the Machine. The Bad: Some bad clichés in this episode. Reese following the guy only for him to vanish when the truck went by was pretty stupid and improbable. Where could he have gone? Also, the running away cliché featured again, though it made more sense this time. Still, it's present in nearly every episode which is laughable. Also, it's really dumb for both Reese and Finch to follow Peck so openly, especially when he is looking around for people following him. The Unknown: How does Finch get the numbers through a payphone? Was that the contingency plan? Or is this something else? How are the numbers sent through payphones? Is it only that one specific payphone that provides the number? Is it any payphone? Is there a set time that Finch needs to be there? Did Ingram or Alicia tell somebody about the Machine? If so, who? What will result from Ingram's contingency plan? I imagine the government could find out which would lead to trouble. Who is the boss of the assassins? Was it that man at special counsel that Finch mentioned? What does Alicia plan to do? Best Moment: Finch's speech at the end about Grace was wonderful and it provided more insight on the show's most mysterious character. Character of the Episode: Finch. Conclusion: "Person of Interest" remains consistent. The show has found its groove and it has delivered another very enjoyable episode that provides a lot of suspenseful action mixed with insightful character development. Score: 69
3 Comments
Joe Y
3/19/2023 07:16:17 pm
Yeah, this one rocks. Probably one of the top 5 uses of the case of the week format because of all the details and twists added in, along with a great guest performance by Jacob Pitts, who played Tim Gutterson in Justified. So the episode's well constructed and exciting. It's fun to see Reese have to work for his victories a little bit. The flashbacks deliver the emotion that was sometimes missing in Season 1. Michael Emerson's real wife is perfectly cast as Grace, and their relationship feels authentic. Imagine if the show had opened with a run of episodes like this.
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Aaronic
3/20/2023 09:07:45 am
This is a case-of-the-week that always stands out to me. It doesn't have much major plot significance, but it does so much in terms of world-building and expanding on our main cast while simultaneously telling one of the more interesting POI character stories in the whole season. So few episodes in season 1 managed to nail that perfect balance between procedural and serialized drama, and this episode nailed it, getting the best out of both formats. I agree that had the early episodes of the series been more like this one, I would have come to love "Person of Interest" much sooner than I originally did.
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Joe Y
3/20/2023 02:30:05 pm
It does, on the other hand, provide closure on the 'Reese follows Finch and investigates him' story and tease out his S2 backstory. I'm generally not a fan of adding in backstory, (Lost is the exception, not the rule). Generally speaking, I always prefer for a story to stay in the present, where the story is. I have to say though, POI did it really well. By only using them sparingly and by just making the backstory really compelling and relevant (lol) to both the main story and the Machine's attempts to understand our main characters more, along with the audience. There were a few times where I felt they were probably unnecessary but none of the flashback scenes in the show are anywhere close to bad either. And yes. The one off case here is really engaging and tied in very well to the show's main characters and larger world. Procedural tv isn't always bad. It just requires a lot of care and craft to make it worthwhile. Hard to get invested in someone that we'll never see again, but "No Good Deed" definitely pulls off the trick. 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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