Summary: The crew notices the financial crash and are forced to directly infiltrate the stock exchange to reverse it. Shaw is sent to get the code to open the door while Reese, Finch, Root and Fusco get into the stock exchange, however they realize it is a trap set by Samaritan. Martine and over 20 Samaritan operatives are down there with them. The four get trapped in a room and The Machine starts running simulations to come up with a strategy to get them out alive. Several simulations are scrapped due to either Root or Finch dying which is undesirable to The Machine. Eventually The Machine sends everyone together to increase odds of survival. They fix the financial crisis and fight to get to the elevator alive, but they are trapped. Shaw arrives in the nick of time to save them and they get to the elevator. They aren't able to leave and Shaw sacrifices herself to get the others to safety.
The Good: I think creativity is such an important element in TV shows. Without creativity, TV shows run the risk of feeling familiar, dull, or even boring. Some of the worst episodes of this show suffer from being unoriginal and they desperately require some inspired storytelling to become memorable. My favourite episodes from shows like "Lost", "The Leftovers" and "Friends" are ones that aren't afraid to do something different. How does this all tie in to "If-Then-Else"? Well I have to say, this must be one of the most creative pieces of television I have ever seen. The unique concept of seeing a story from The Machine's point of view was an incredible idea and the execution was nearly flawless. Add in the necessary emotional beats and character development, and we have the best episode of the series so far. This concept was so wonderful to watch and it was executed perfectly. The soundtrack, visual effects, editing and cinematography were on a whole new level compared to what we usually get from the show. There was clearly extra effort put into making this episode and it paid off in a big way. This episode was brilliantly able to bring The Machine to life by giving us a look at how it really works. It was so unique actually getting to spend a lengthy period of time watching how The Machine functions as it attempts to get the crew out of the stock exchange alive. The actual storyline of the episode is quite simple. The main crew has to save the world by infiltrating a location and escaping alive. That's all there is to it, and I think it's brilliant. The simple plot allows for more focus on The Machine in this episode, which I think is more than complex enough to carry this episode. The simple plot has another big strength because it allows the episode to have a very clear focus on life and death. There is no funny business in this episode; the lives of the main characters are in genuine danger and that ramps up the tension by a lot. Then we get to the meat of this episode, the simulations. Most of this episode consists of The Machine running through various escape simulations in an attempt to get the crew out safely. It's so enjoyable to watch this and there are lots of really clever bits of storytelling that aid the story. At first, the simulation reveal is a bit of a surprise. When Finch died, I was shocked and I couldn't believe that a character would die so suddenly. Then the clock suddenly reset and I was pleasantly surprised when I realized what was going on. We were simply watching projections of what was happening, and the tension came from the fact that The Machine had to work quickly and whatever deaths occur in the final strategy would be permanent. The focus on The Machine is seconded by the flashbacks. These flashbacks gave us a good look at what motivates The Machine in making these decisions as it learns about choosing between strategies and making some of the necessary sacrifices. Furthermore, we got some outstanding dialogue from Finch as he goes over the mechanics of chess while teaching The Machine how to function and how to have morals. I really loved the lessons he taught, especially since they were all touched upon in the present. Speaking of the deaths, they actually added a nice amount of emotion to the episode. Character work is so important to TV shows, and it's added in this episode by showing us some theoretical deaths along with the interactions between characters. We get to see things like Reese's brave and badass response to his own death, as well as a better look at Root's character when she is faced with certain death. While it isn't particularly powerful, it's pretty strong stuff, and it is the perfect icing on the cake for the episode. The most emotion hits us at the very end of the episode with Shaw's death. The episode had built up major consequences for a long time, and it seemed certain that somebody was doomed to die. In this case, Shaw was the unlucky one and her death is heartbreaking to watch. After a season and a half of seeing all of these characters working together and developing relationships, it's devastating to see the group torn apart, and losing Shaw has a real weight to it, equal to (if not more than) Carter's death, which was another pivotal moment of the show. Root's screams in particular were hard to watch and Amy Acker really nailed what I would expect Root's reaction would be. The episode nailed the little details, and there was so much to love here. The brief side story with Shaw trying to convince a man to stop his attempt to detonate a bomb was awesome. I loved how Shaw started off aggressive and it led to failure, so the Machine tried various different attempts in order to create a situation where Shaw successfully understands the human heart and is able to talk the man down from suicide. It's a wonderful little detail. I also loved the recurring destruction of the painting throughout all of the simulations. It's a fine little joke for the moment, but it really pays off at the end as The Machine makes a shockingly human call by saving the painting to spare Finch some emotional pain. It was a lovely little moment showing the humanity of The Machine. The simplified simulation was probably the funniest thing I've seen on this show. The self-aware humour was so great, and it had me laughing/smiling for a good while afterwards too. Brilliant. Another standout comedy moment was Fusco randomly kissing Root because "it's a simulation". It was a lovably random moment that injected some personality into The Machine. Apparently The Machine is a Fusco x Root shipper, and I think that's hilarious. The Bad: Shaw suddenly showing up at the end was too convenient and sudden for my liking. I wish it was built up a little more because it was way too much of a deus ex machina. There were a few moments that looks very poor, likely because the rest of the episode had such wonderful effects. The standout was Root and Shaw shooting together. The shot was pretty long so it was very easy to notice that the gun shooting was very fake and none of the shots had any recoil. It looked especially poor. The Unknown: I presume Shaw is dead, but maybe she lived. After all, we didn't actually see her die since the show cut to black before the final gunshot. Best Moment: Shaw's death was very emotional. Character of the Episode: I have to give it to The Machine, who was as much of a character as anyone else in this episode. Conclusion: This was an awesome episode. The budget had been kicked up to level we hadn't seen before on this show, and that helped create the ideal atmosphere for an epic episode. Thankfully the writing was impeccable too and that led to this being a resounding success. High risk yields high reward, and that's exactly what happened here. This was a creative and risky episode to make, but the production crew nailed the execution, making what I believe is the best episode of the series so far. This season has taken off in quality in a big way. Score: 85
8 Comments
Ben
6/4/2019 11:15:55 am
One of the greatest episodes in TV history. It's in my personal top three, along with International Assassins from The Leftovers and the Other 48 Days from Lost. Mizumono from Hannibal and one of the most recent episodes of Barry are also serious contenders. On a side note, Barry is a show I seriously recommend (even if you don't have time to review it). The first season was just above average, but the second season has been the best thing currently on TV (not that that's currently too difficult).
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Aaronic
6/4/2019 03:39:51 pm
Thanks for the recommendation! Considering how long Friends is taking me, I doubt I'll be able to review Barry, but I'll check it out once I have some time.
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Joe Y
8/14/2020 11:31:07 am
I concur with Ben. This is my personal second favorite tv episode of all time, behind episode 8 of 'Twin Peaks: The Return'. So well executed on every level.
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Aaronic
8/14/2020 06:12:53 pm
I can certainly see why so many would rate this episode as one of the best, and I do as well. I have watched it several times since this review and I would score it higher now, much closer to a 90. This is definitely my favourite episode of the show.
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Joe Y
8/15/2020 09:40:19 am
If you did score it at 90 or above (I think it fully deserves such a score, it's absolutely wonderful), then that would make it one of the very best episodes you've ever reviewed. Not bad for a CBS procedural, eh?
Joe Y
4/29/2022 10:28:19 pm
I think the reason "If-Then-Else" works so well is that its gimmick is so much more than that--it's an integral part of Person of Interest's long-form development of The Machine. In this way, the "Rashomon episode" which has been done by other shows before is perfectly in line with the show's aesthetics and themes. That's damn impressive. Creativity and style are great--even better when they're naturally integrated into the show's premise. So much to say about this episode's themes, character moments, action, humor, philosophy, and more. The flashbacks are sublime and even the jokes go all in--like the painting one and the 'simplifying simulation' bit. Just pure genius, and certainly one of my all-time favorites. There's a lot of great tv out there, but not a whole lot that can accomplish all of this in 43 minutes.
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Aaronic
4/30/2022 07:29:10 am
I completely agree! This episode is a masterpiece and I love it more and more every time I watch it. It's in my top 10 of all time.
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Joe Y
5/6/2022 01:33:59 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLau39f6epM
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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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