Summary: Reese sets Finch up on a new POI case following a girl named Claire. Claire is playing a sort of mysterious game investigating some Nautilus signs. Others are playing the game too. Finch is noticed by Claire who thinks he is playing too. Finch discovers that the military is after Claire for stealing some documents. He also discovers that the game is run by Samaritan as a recruitment process. Finch confronts Claire and tries to get her to stop but Claire is determined to continue. Claire finishes the game but is confronted by the military. Samaritan kills them and allies itself with Claire. Finch completes a new base in the New York underground.
The Good: This episode was better than the last. I thought there was a better focus on staying hidden from Samaritan in this episode as opposed to the last. Scenes like Reese indirectly setting Finch up on a mission were perfect in fitting with this theme and I thought it was a suitably intelligent move from these two. The concept of the episode was really engaging. I thought the nautilus game was a very interesting concept (it reminded me of "Black Mirror" in a way), which provided the episode with stakes, mystery and an engaging plot. I was consistently intrigued watching Finch and Reese attempt to discover the nature of the game that Claire was involved in. But I got fully engaged when the staked were increased later in the episode. The Samaritan reveal was so good because it makes the episode feel that much more important, and even adds the extra layer of enjoyment when you realize that we may be seeing the birth of a new villain in Claire. Claire was a more interesting POI character than what we usually get. She had a sad backstory, good motive and genuine dedication which was admirable to see. Having her stand her ground against Finch who tried his best to help her stay away from Samaritan was a load of fun, and their dialogue was well written for the most part. Furthermore, I'm interested to see if Finch's will to help save this young girl is actually what causes him to be discovered by Samaritan if Claire is able to somehow inform Samaritan that she met Harold Finch. Finch's arc in this episode was also quite good. We are shown early on that he is still skeptical about doing POI missions again. The events of "Death Benefit" and "Deus Ex Machina" still haunt him. This episode nicely shows Finch slowly regaining his personality as he just can't help himself from saving innocent people, especially those who he can understand and relate with, like Claire. I thought the final scene was really strong as the formation of a new base nicely ties with the return of Finch's desire to save innocents. The side scenes in the episode are fun too. Shaw's new job was hardly shown, but what we got was good. Root's involvement was tons of fun as per usual. The Bad: Nothing that I would call bad. This was a solid episode from beginning to end. The thing that prevents this from being special is the fact that it took so long for me to get fully invested in the episode. I understand that the structure of the episode is intentionally made to be that way and I don't have a problem with it. It's just that I believe that episodes which get me emotionally engaged in the first few minutes ("Prisoner's Dilemma", "Relevance", "Endgame" and many others) are much better. The Unknown: Who shot the military men at the end? Was it Samaritan's men? Or does Samaritan somehow have the ability to control weapons? Also, did that switch do anything in particular? What will come of Claire joining up with Samaritan? Will she be able to reveal that she encountered Finch? What does it mean when Samaritan labeled her as an "asset"? Best Moment: I really liked Finch trying his hardest to save Claire on the rooftop. It was a powerful scene that shed a lot of light on Claire's character while also showing Finch's desire to save people surface once more. Character of the Episode: Finch. Conclusion: This was a really strong episode that got the show back on track after one weaker episode. The central story of this episode was really good and it nicely nudges the plot along by setting up some importnt plot lines. Score: 68
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
February 2024
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