Contributor: Henry T.
Written by David Slack
Directed by Stephen Williams
Now that the writers are finally figuring out what to do with Detective Carter, they have to jettison the government agents who are trying to find Reese. They have replaced Carter as the ones who are operating on the outside of the plot. They are so easily outsmarted and discarded, not only by Reese and Finch, but now Carter has also gotten into the act. The trail may be a dead end in Connecticut right now, but I get the feeling this isn’t the last we’ve seen of these guys. Really, this episode argues that they aren’t really necessary for the show’s overall plot to move forward. So the faster the writers can go on without them, the better off the show will ultimately be, should they decide to get their act together.
Everything in the episode seems to demonstrate also that the Machine is infallible, yet I got the sense that this was a bit different. The Machine pointed to Trask’s social security number, but it turned out that he wasn’t the perpetrator in the end. It was the psycho stalker “boyfriend” of the girl in the building and actually, Trask was a very small part of that confrontation. It would seem, at least to me, like the Machine missed the boat on this one. The Cuban Mafia/witness protection story gives credence to his wild stories and traits, and Reese missed that so the Machine isn’t alone in making terrible judgments.
I like that there are hints that the Machine is operating as if it were alive and thinking by watching everything all the time. It doesn’t lessen the creepy tone the show seems to be actively embracing with every aired episode, but does hint that it may have had something to do with Finch’s partner’s mysterious death. That would mean the Machine has the capability of turning against its master, thus demonstrating artificial intelligence in a primitive manner. All of this is conjecture of course, but one can’t ignore what’s being presented on the screen these days.
The case also presents an interesting reversal of roles. With Reese incapacitated and reduced to being a high-tech version of Jimmy Stewart in “Rear Window”, Finch is out in the field for much of the episode. He’s uncomfortable with it (as is Reese in his limited role), but makes do with what he can. It’s a good opportunity for both characters to see how the other operates. Finch is more capable than he realizes, even finding time to demonstrate to Detective Carter what they do as a crime-fighting unit, and Reese is in the same boat. Even as he’s recovering from a potentially fatal gunshot wound, he’s still capable of taking on another man of equal build and throwing him out a window.
The show had to have Reese do that, but I like that it’s taking Finch out of his own comfort zone little by little. The show needs more of this. It also needs more of Carter getting in the loop. Now that she has seen what Reese and Finch do on a daily basis, she can perhaps be a part of their team. She doesn’t have the benefit of their anonymity, but I think her being a part of the largest police force in America might have some advantages that Reese and Finch do not currently possess.
They should play with that a little more. The show, up until now, is still brimming with potential. It’s potential that hasn’t been used to its fullest extent. If the cases in the episode’s current time are a dud, the backstory behind Finch and Reese (and even the Machine) can give the show some juice. There’s commentary on the road blocks of governmental bureaucracy, as only hinted here. How Finch ultimately secured the Machine for his own private use, probably breaking several dozen federal laws, but all under the idea of saving lives and catching the really bad guys out there.
“Person of Interest” is, like many shows in its first year, still trying to figure out what its identity is from episode to episode. They’ve integrated Carter much better now so that demonstrates that the writers recognize the problem and is taking measures to correct it. Now, they just have to realize the full potential that the show has. It’s there, and all they have to do is run with it.
Grade: 8/10
