Contributor: Edmund B.
Written by Greg Plageman and Patrick Harbinson
Directed by Jon Cassar
When a TV show sets up mysterious characters, the proof of its success is in the revealing. “Person of Interest” has already established its bona fides in serving up satisfying, yet intriguing back stories for its main characters. It’s a trend that continues as Reese and Carter dig up Root’s past in “Bad Code.”
Sticking your characters in a fish-out-of-water situation is another ploy that can be hit-or-miss. Reese and Carter in Texas works because they stay true to the characters. Carter gets nowhere with the authorities, faced with the triple whammy of being a black, female, Yankee cop. Reese faces down the local hunters his usual way, by being a bigger bad-ass than they could ever hope to be.
It doesn’t look like the best recipe for investigating the missing girl they believe is Root, but, thanks to Reese’s light fingers, they still find their way to the town librarian with all the answers. I liked the misdirection of casting the girl as a Felicia Day look-alike who games. Her inability to avoid dysentery on “The Oregon Trail” is a bit of a giveaway, but it makes Samantha’s touch-typing sprint to the finish a nice capstone.
Leaving Lionel behind also makes for some nice misdirection as he lulls the Machine’s Washington handlers into a false sense of security. Watching him try to corral Bear with the Dutch phrase book is a welcome bit of comic relief in an episode that is very tense otherwise.
Much of that tension is found with Finch and Root, not least the Palestinian Hanging position she left Weeks in after last episode’s abduction. She ratchets up the pressure on Finch slowly and deliberately, but always with that coy, knowing smile playing over her lips. She’s sure she can convince Howard he’s given the Machine to people who are “bad code.” If there was any doubt about her capacity to anticipate and manipulate, it’s erased by the very cunning situation she engineers to expose Weeks.
The wind-up of this mini-arc, with Reese prioritizing Finch’s safety over pursuing Root, promises a return to the status quo for a while. However, with Root still out there, and given her surprise that he found them, I wonder if she’ll seek out some help when she returns. After all the work to set them up individually last season, it would be very interesting to see the team face a grand alliance of Root and Elias.
Acting: 2/2
Writing: 2/2
Directing: 2/2
Style: 3/4
Total Score: 9/10
