What I’m Watching: Person of Interest (Season Finale)

Person of Interest: Season 3, Episode 23 “Deus Ex Machina” (B+)

Like its central nonhuman character, the machine, this show just keeps evolving in incredible ways. This is not the first major reboot this show has undergone, and to think that Carter was alive for the first half of this season, which focused on HR and threats not all that related to Decima and Vigilance is mind-boggling. To imagine that Root answered a phone in a psychiatric facility at the end of last season is even crazier. And, of course, now that the team is at the height of their efficiency, even looping Hersh in for a final selfless and heroic act, it’s time for a big, devastating change. Nothing Collier did during his trial, including killing a defendant, was as impactful and mortifying as the look on his face when he found out that his whole trial hadn’t been broadcast and that Vigilance was a creation of Greer’s all along meant to serve his purpose. It’s a lot to take in, but this episode didn’t let up after that, dropping another bombshell in the form of Root revealing that they were never going to stop Samaritan from going online, but rather working to get themselves off the grid so that they could be spared, with some hope of eventually fighting back. Digesting that is going to take some time, and that’s why a summer hiatus is convenient. This season demonstrated that, after a stellar and game-changing second year, this show has so much more left to offer and is constantly reinventing itself.

Season grade: A-
Season MVP: Amy Acker as Root