What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 2, Episode 5 “Bury the Lede” (B+)

This show continues to prove that it has a whole bunch of tricks up its sleeve, making every episode just as intriguing as the last and improving upon what could have quickly become a tiresome presence. As if Maxine Angelis, played by Gloria Votsis, who plays Alex on “White Collar,” wasn’t a strong enough guest character on her own, requiring Reese to conceal his identity from her so that she wouldn’t publish a front-page story about his exploits with Finch added considerable drama and creativity to the whole situation. Finch setting up a dating profile for Reese and even sending in Zoe to beef him up as a partner was entertaining, and the bespectacled Reese found himself the perfect cover. Fans of “The Sopranos” probably recognized John Ventimiglia, better known as restaurateur Artie Bucco, as a similar non-gangster with gangster ties, the doomed Christopher Zambrano. Taking down seventy-five corrupt cops and a politician should have made a dent in HR’s operation, but it seems that they’re evil enough to exist even in smaller numbers. I was surprised to see Clarke Peters, a series regular on HBO’s “Treme,” as Quinn, the newly revealed head of HR, but it’s good to have an Elias-like figure for our heroes to hunt for the duration of the season. I feel bad for Fusco, but he really ought to share the fact that he’s being threatened with his friends, who might lecture him at first but would ultimately help him, rather than protect the oily Simmons.