Person Of Interest Series Finale Review

Sorry for the delay.

I should have known it wasn't gonna be so easy to kill off Samaritan. But I didn't expect it to be such an emotional ride.

S5E13 'Return 0'

 

CBS 

The episode begins with Harold having a chat with The Machine while in pain because of a gunshot wound. He asks The Machine about the meaning of life, which to his surprise had forgotten it,(I found his reaction rather humorous) Ice 9 due to its deterioration thanks to Ice 9. She then tells him that to understand the meaning of life, she first had to understand human beings for which she needed to form connections.

The episode then shifts to the point before Harold gets shot, where Reese and Fusco are captured by the police after they get in trouble, but Harold rescues them. He then takes them to the subway where he tells Fusco to guard the machine with Shaw while He went to destroy Samaritan's backup with Reese at the Federal vault.

After breaking into the vault, Harold gets shot while he tries to implant the Ice 9 into Samaritan but it escapes through his laptop and tries to hitch onto a satellite. Harold then decides to transfer the virus through the same satellite. He leaves Reese trapped in the vault for his own safety and walks away after providing his last words about their long partnership.

At the same time, Shaw manages to get the train running to escape the Samaritan agents but Jeff Blackwell manages to get on board. After subduing him, Shaw looks at his weaponry and realises that he is Root's killer. Before Shaw can act on her emotions, Jeff gets free and stabs Fusco. He then escapes, leaving Shaw to take Fusco to safety.

Harold finally reaches the building where the transmission is happening and has his conversation with the machine about existence. The Machine finally remembers what she learnt and tells Harold what a cop once said on a rough day. Harold then realises that he was at the wrong building since there's no satellite and looks up to see Reese at the actual building. Reese reveals that he and The Machine had a standing agreement to save Harold at any cost. Reese convinces Harold to leave the transfer of Ice 9 to him and bids Harold farewell. In the end, Reese is killed but he manages to also take down Samaritan as well. Harold goes back to be with Grace in Italy and Fusco survives but remains injured while Shaw hunts down and  kills Jeff Blackwell for Root. The Machine manages to restart itself with its remaining copy and calls a phone line near Shaw who answers it, giving us hope that she will continue the good work started by Harold and Reese.

I felt that this was a good way to end the series. Even though they weren't given a full season, Greg and Jonathan did the best they could in their situation. I feel like this has been the best season overall, as the stakes were high and it ended in a satisfying manner. It may not have been a happy ending for everyone but they got what they deserved, especially Root and Reese, who died for something they believed in. As someone who has been a fan since the first season many years ago, I'm happy to see the show end on its own terms. I feel like the ending was perfect and there is no further need to continue with the story. As far as I'm concerned, I got the closure I needed to move on. It's been a good 5 years watching this show for me and it will always have a special place in my heart. May it one day get the recognition it deserves, and may the cast and writers find more good work. I look forward to their future contributions.

Quote of the finale: "Sure. Everyone dies alone. But if you mean something to someone, if you help someone, or love someone. If even a single person remembers you. Then maybe you never really die at all"

Person of Interest S5E12 Review

At this point we can all agree that Harold is a badass

S5E12 '.exe'

Harold continues on his solo quest to stop Samaritan. He steals a software program named Seltene from an American traitor, steals his car (obvious Tesla advertisement) and hops on a plane to Washington DC to infiltrate the NSA where Reese and Root also go to, after receiving the number of Greer's alias.

Harold goes deep into NSA without The Machine's help to activate Ice 9, knowing full well that it would destroy both Samaritan and The Machine. But before he can say the activation code, he is apprehended by Samaritan agents who take him to see Greer. Greer gives the whole 'Samaritan is better than The Machine' speech and then tries to kill Harold by trapping Harold with him in a room and removing all the oxygen. Greer dies but Harold manages to survive thanks to Reese and Shaw setting up The Machine within the NSA building with a wireless modem. With the NSA in panic mode thanks to The Machine making a fake emergency, Harold helps Reese and Shaw escape while he goes to shut down Samaritan. Samaritan tries to convince Harold to stop killing his own creation but Harold refuses to listen to it and activates Ice 9, thanking The Machine for all it has done before its demise.

Not forgetting Fusco, he gets himself into a pickle when he gets kidnapped by an FBI agent who was an agent of Samaritan that was responsible for the tunnel bodies Fusco uncovered. But Fusco manages to capture him after the guy shoots him without knowing Fusco was wearing a bulletproof vest. For all the crazy that happened in this episode, Fusco's story felt rather out of place.

Lastly, let's talk about the alternate scenarios. At first I found it strange that the Machine was showing Harold just a few possible scenarios but then I realised that The Machine was showing him the most likely scenarios had it not existed. The Machine was also trying to reassure Harold that its creation was beneficial for the world, a smart move considering how Harold is always worried about its potential for destruction.

I felt that the end was poetic. Harold killed what he loved to save his friends and the world. He knew it would hurt him, but he did it anyway. The funny thing about this season is that this season has provided the most episodes which deserve to be in the top 5 episode list, which makes it very hard to maintain my personal list. This episode was really exceptional. For his directorial debut, Greg Plageman did a great job. I only hope the last episode is as epic as this episode.

Quote of the week: "Who am I? I'm just like you Mr. Barnett, A man who sold the world. Only I charged them a dollar."

Person of Interest S5E11 Review

Despite many tragedies throughout the season, one sad thing is that even though this episode was filmed many months ago, the topic of compromising privacy for security is still relevant.

S5E11 'Synecdoche'

With Root and Harold gone, the rest of the team is busy working to save POTUS from the threat of an anarchist movement against the President's surveillance laws. While all this was swell, the most interesting part of this episode was towards the end where it is revealed that Reese & Friends aren't the only ones working numbers for the machine, as they are rescued by former POI's, Logan Pierce, Harper Rose and Joey Durban. (Sadly, Leon Tao was not among them)

I found this revelation quite pleasing as it acts as a sort of message given by the Machine to let the team know that the numbers are being taken care of so they could focus on Samaritan while also letting them know that their various efforts are not in vain. At the same time it also gave the fans a little nostalgia before the big finale

Shaw's had it rough this season but Root's death must have been the icing on the cake. Despite refusing to attend her funeral, Shaw showed that she cared about Root through her frustration during the mission. At this point I really hope she gets some form of peace at the end of this show.

Harold's story was interesting as it showed him dealing with his guilt over Root's death and being disturbed by the Machine using Root's voice. In the end the episode shows him taking action against Samaritan. Y trying to use a risky virus named Ice9 against it and even utilising methods he wouldn't normally use such as violence and blackmail on its operatives, letting us viewers know that he is extremely serious in his desire to stop the rogue AI.

Quote of the week: "Rest in peace Cocoa Puffs, God knows you deserve it"

Person of Interest S5E10 Review

Episode 100 is always a special moment for any show and I'm glad the writers and producers pulled out all the stops on this one.

S5E10 'The Day The World Went Away'

Fortunately this time, the episode did not begin with Reese following a POI. The episode starts with Harold talking to the machine in a café, one which is significant to his history as he used to come to the café with Grace. When he goes back to the subway, Harold is told that he has been identified by Samaritan and is now a Person of Interest. The gang take Harold to the safehouse where Elias takes Harold to a safer location while Root and Shaw take out some Samaritan agents who have a company card for an organisation which Reese and Fusco investigate. Unfortunately for the cop boys it is a trap but they manage to leave the office safely

At the shoddy neighbourhood Elias hides Harold in, they are discovered and attempt to escape but sadly Elias is shot right in front of Harold, who is then taken to see Greer. But after meeting Greer, Harold is rescued by Root and Shaw who engage in a shootout with the operatives. Shaw tells Root to go and take Harold while she would handle the enemy.

While Root and Harold on the run, they engage in an interesting conversation about the Machine, but are quickly interrupted by a Jeep with a machine gun on top of it.  Letting Harold take the wheel, Root successfully takes out the vehicle, even leaving behind a cool explosion (I can now understand why Greg Plageman and Jonathan Nolan were so excited about this scene in their earlier interviews. It was pretty awesome). But after all that epicness, Root is shot by  Jeff Blackwell who used a sniper rifle on a rooftop. Root and Harold are apprehended by the authorities where Harold is taken for questioning while Root is taken to the hospital. After a serious interrogation where Harold ends up stealing the spotlight from the interrogator, he gets a call from the Machine, now speaking to him using Root's voice since she had succumbed to her wounds. He asks the Machine to get him out and she initiates a prison break for Harold to escape.

Like I said, they pulled out all the stops. This is definitely worth putting on the Top 5 episodes list. From the actions, interactions and all the pain Harold endures, everything was perfect. While I am sad about Root, I'm glad she died for something she believed in. The same goes to Elias, who has gained my respect over the course of the show. It was nice to see that the show provided him with a meaningful departure. With Root gone I wonder how Shaw will handle herself. I hope she'll be alright in the end. Lastly, this episode was giving me difficulty about the quote of the week, especially since there was a great quote showing up every 3 minutes. But ultimately I settled on the one you are about to read now. I know it is a bit long but if you have seen the episode, you'll understand why I put it here.

Quote of the week:  "I have played by the rules for so long.... No, not your rules. You work at the behest of a system so broken that you didn't even notice when it became corrupted at its core. When I first broke your rules, a sitting President had authorised assassination squads in Laos and the head of the FBI had ordered his men to conduct illegal surveillance on his political rivals. Your rules have changed every time it was convenient for you.

I was talking about my rules. I have lived by those rules for so long, believed in them for so long, believed if you played by the right rules  eventually you would win but I was wrong wasn't I? And all the people I care about are dead or they will be dead soon enough then we will be gone without a trace. So now I have to decide, decide whether to let my friends die,to let hope die, to let the world be ground under your heel all because I played by my rules. I'm going to kill you, but I need to decide how many of my own rules I'm willing to break  to get it done"

Person of Interest S5E9 Review

An old enemy reappears and disappears while an old friend receives some much needed enlightenment

S5E9 'Sotto Voce'

The episode begins with Reese following Terry, a locksmith who has broken into a building with a bomb. Reese dismantles it and takes Terry to the precinct for questioning. Terry reveals that someone had kidnapped his wife and was blackmailing him. Upon hearing a conversation between Terry and the kidnapper, Reese and Harold realise that the kidnapper is an enemy known as the voice, who was previously seen in Season 3 Episode 15. Reese then goes to check on a lead for the Voice with some cops but it turns out to be a trap as the cops are killed in an explosion which leads to a big crisis involving the whole police force looking for explosives in the city.

At the same time, Fusco is busy interrogating a cab driver connected to multiple murders but is forced to work with Reese after a cop blackmailed by the Voice releases some gangsters who start going after the cab driver, who reveals that he knows the true identity of the voice.

Meanwhile, Harold and Elias find the bomb supplier of the Voice and use him to find the Voice's base. After arriving there Harold discovers that Terry's wife was really a hired actress and that Terry was actually the Voice all along, but by then it was too late as Terry had already killed the cab driver. Terry manages to leave the precinct safely, but not before having a chat with Harold and Elias. After Terry leaves, Elias takes out a remote and explodes Terry's car, thus ending the tyranny of the Voice.

After all they had been through, Reese finally decided to tell Fusco about the Machine, which made me happy as the whole "We need to protect him" routine was getting old

Lastly, we finally get our Root and Shaw moment as Shaw arrives in New York and meets up with Root after shooting an ally of Samaritan. Shaw is still messed up and is not sure if the current scenario is a simulation or not. To help Shaw, Root threatens to kill herself. While this encounter ends at this point, at the end it is revealed that Shaw is officially back with Team Machine, as she meets the others under the Queensboro bridge.

An exciting episode indeed. First of all I am glad they cleared up Fusco's dilemma and brought back Shaw as an official member. Bringing the Voice back was smart as it helped tie up a loose end but confusing as I had completely forgot about him, fortunately the writers were kind enough to give us a reminder of sorts within the episode. I think the highlight of the episode was Harold and Elias's day out.

Quote of the week: "What are we doing up here? You're not gonna propose to me, are you?"