What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 1, Episode 7 “Witness” (B+)

The parade of decently-prominent and strong guest stars continues with Enrico Colantoni of “Just Shoot Me” and “Veronica Mars” fame, as a schoolteacher who witnessed a mob hit. Or so we thought, as a late-breaking twist reveals that Charlie Burton is actually the new head of organized crime thanks to Reese’s help in escaping those who wanted him dead. That’s not going to sit well with Reese, and I’m sure that, sometime down the road, he’ll refocus on finding Charlie and make him pay for his crimes and his deception. I like the way this episode started, with Carter and Fusco investigating a case which prompted Fusco to call Reese to tip him off, with Reese already on it and surveilling the supposedly innocent teacher. Reese’s preoccupation with trying to protect Charlie enabled an unprecedented communication between Finch and Fusco, which proved about as entertaining and one-sided as Reese’s run-ins with Fusco, with plenty of veiled mentions about “our mutual friend.” I spotted Enver Golkaj from “Dollhouse” early on as one of the Russian henchman and was surprised that he was relegated to such a small role, and then lo and behold he ended up getting left behind and taken hostage by Reese. That’s the risk of being so obsessed with TV; it’s often hard to be caught off guard by a twist if a minor character is portrayed by a more known quantity. Regardless, this show is doing well both featuring good performers and telling interesting and exciting stories on a weekly basis.