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

Person of Interest: Season 5, Episode 13 “Return 0”

I’m so sad that this show is over, and also that I wasn’t as focused as I should have been as it was ending. For most series, a five-season run with just over 100 episodes would be huge, but I feel like this show was cut so short and then burnt off during the early summer when it deserved a far more formidable sendoff. Considering the time allotted, this final season was certainly impactful, and this finale was haunting in a lot of ways. Starting with the machine speaking with Root’s voice to an audience of no one was eerie, and catching up with the four surviving members of the cast proved informative and immensely dramatic. Finch hallucinating Root being there on the rooftop with him was fitting since she and the machine really were so similar, and it was helpful to have the machine’s counsel in everyone’s ear, including Shaw, as they fought their final battle. Reese making the ultimate sacrifice and thanking Finch for giving him the opportunity to save people was a great way for him to go out, and how nice that we saw Finch returning to see Grace now that the danger he faced was nonexistent. Shaw and Fusco’s last stand was equally important if a bit less epic, and Shaw cleaning up the loose end that was Jeff was equal parts vengeance and prevention of any future resurgence of Samaritan. I like that the episode ended not with Samaritan making a comeback but instead with Shaw answering a phone and looking at a surveillance camera before disappearing into the crowd. This show took a decent concept and ran with it like crazy, and I can’t wait to go back and revisit some of my favorite from this show’s awesome run.

Series finale: B+
Series grade: A-
Season MVP: Amy Acker as Root
Season grade: B+
Series MVP: Amy Acker
Best Season: Seasons 2 and 3
Best Episode: “If-Then-Else” (I hope to do a top ten soon)

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest (Penultimate Episode)

Person of Interest: Season 5, Episode 12 “.Exe” (B+)

It saddens me greatly that this is the second-to-last episode of this show, and it’s even worse that it’s ending while I’ve been very busy with work and haven’t had a chance to properly give it the attention it deserves. Rest assured – I will watch the finale undisturbed and give it my all, but I’ll admit that this review is being written at least a full week after I watched the episode. What I do remember is that it’s most powerful to see Finch embracing the machine as an all-seeing ally in the way that Root used to, working alongside it to move through impossible situations with ease and grace and even show up to save the day for Reese and Shaw, two heavyweights who tend to do that more often than the bespectacled engineer. Though they weren’t nearly as awesome as the simulations that the machine went through when Shaw got caught by Samaritan operatives last season, it was definitely compelling and eye-opening to see how each of the team members could have ended up, particularly Shaw as a conscienceless assassin and Root as a willing Samaritan proponent. Greer sacrificing his own life so that he could kill Finch was his downfall, as the machine was able to save Finch and help him to take that final step to bring down the system. I’m so excited to see where the final episode goes and how it ties up this show’s threads, and I’m definitely going to miss this show for a number of reasons.

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 5, Episode 11 “Synecdoche” (B+)

On any other show, I wouldn’t categorize the main characters having to save the president as irrelevant, to use a loaded word. Though it was such a grand task, I couldn’t help but feel that it wasn’t the best use of time within the span of the final three episodes of this show. Unsurprisingly, this episode managed to come through in a way that was better than I could ever have hoped. I’ll confess that I only remember one of the three numbers who appeared in this episode, though I did recognize Jimmi Simpson from his many other antiestablishment roles, like on “House of Cards” and “Virtuality.” What’s infinitely more fantastic than the notion of being tasked with saving the president is the idea that there are other people out there who are being sent numbers by the machine explicitly because they benefited from being numbers and being saved. Fusco said it well – “You guys do what we do? How many more of us do you think there are?” Reese and Shaw always made a good team, and I think he’s sufficiently shown that she’s not in a simulation anymore. Saying goodbye to Root at her funeral was very lonely, and it was haunting to hear her voice just seconds later as the machine spoke to Finch. Noting that she knew Root best rang true, and Finch settling on her voice as a continued and meaningful comfort felt right. When Samaritan has decided that the life of the president is no longer relevant, it’s a good thing that there are many people fighting on the right side. Bring on the last two episodes! I can’t wait.

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 5, Episode 10 “The Day the World Went Away” (B+)

This was a darker episode than usual, starting with the one character we’ve never seen indulge in any violent behavior talking like he was suicidal, ready to give up on his principles to ensure that Samaritan didn’t win – or even that the machine wouldn’t survive since it too was too dangerous. Finch being identified as the new number because he went back to the coffee shop where he first took Grace ten years earlier put this team on edge, and even if Finch was the perpetrator rather than the victim, the fact that the machine let loose six hundred inmates so that he could escape is extremely worrisome. We’re at that point where irreversible things happen with just three episodes left in this show’s run, and some of them are truly devastating. Elias getting shot in the head in front of Finch was a shock simply because he seemed so in control of things and then went down with just one bullet. Finch being too valuable to be killed also made the death of those around him all the more resounding since anyone he knows is expendable. Root made a terrific point to Shaw at an inappropriate time about how they’re technically all simulations, and that kind of talk should have been a warning that something bad was going to happen to her. The machine calling Finch and choosing her voice was the most heartbreaking way to find out that she was dead, and even though it’s just for a few episodes, I’m really going to miss her. Over the course of the whole series, Root transformed from a fearsome villain to the most dynamic hero, and Amy Acker’s performance was truly fantastic. Now that she’s gone and Finch has gone rogue, I’m sure the final three episodes – now airing just once a week – are going to be incomparably intense.

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 5, Episode 9 “Sotto Voce” (B+)

All this talk of the Voice brings up bad memories of the stupid villain of the same name on “Quantico,” but fortunately the writing here is substantially more sophisticated. Reese shooting everyone in the leg rather than killing them has always been a somewhat comical element of this show, but it’s an important thing since it distinguishes that our heroes don’t kill people. Those they come up against, however, are sometimes so nefarious that they have to decide whether it’s worth crossing a line, and an ally like Elias can help them make that decision very easily by pressing a button to blow up a perpetrator’s car after it seemed that he was going to walk away, at least without killing anyone else at the moment. Easton was quite the foe, hiring someone to play his kidnapped wife and taking a pre-recorded phone call with his disguised voice to dupe Detective Riley, who managed to stay alive thanks to the loyal quick thinking of one Detective Fusco. I’m glad to see that Fusco has now officially been brought into the loop, and I think he’ll do good things with the information. The best development is the return of Shaw who, so destroyed by her thousands of simulations, was ready to kill herself until Root found the perfect antidote and threatened to kill herself too. The gang is finally back together with just four episodes left on the clock, and I couldn’t be any more excited to see how this storyline plays out.

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 5, Episode 8 “Reassortment” (B+)

We’ve waited so long, and now Shaw is finally making her escape. Having her casually shoot a scientist because she thought it was a simulation was an unfortunate moment, but that reality helped to make Shaw realize that she wasn’t experiencing a simulation anymore, which enabled her to stage one hell of a prison break, tunneling through the wall a la “Shawshank Redemption” and ending up in a prison in Johannesburg of all places. The way that her storyline was presented with the map confirms that she is actually experiencing this, and I can’t wait until she reunites with Root and the rest of the group. They could sure use a pick-me-up, especially since a lot more of their numbers are dying lately than they should be. Finch and Reese ending up in the middle of a contagion outbreak was certainly different, and I like that things never got too serious or intense for a bit of light humor, made possible especially by the overeager security guard. Jeff questioning his orders helps to humanize the Samaritan side of things, though it seems like he’s been lured enough to the dark side if only by the threat of negative consequences. Fusco is coming into his own as a character after so many years of being a punching bag, and cutting off Reese and Finch - not to mention asking for a new partner - means that he’s done with them not trusting him. I’m sure he’s still going to be a part of the story, and with just five episodes left in this show’s run, I can’t wait to see where it all goes. Just two more episodes and I’m caught up to where we are, though I can’t imagine I’ll watch both by the time tonight’s eleventh episode of the season airs.

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 5, Episode 7 “QSO” (B+)

The overarching storyline and the diatribe on government oversight on this show are inarguably great, and sometimes this show goes a bit beyond that to provide some truly fascinating commentary on what it means to be a hero. Forget Samaritan and its manipulative use of Shaw to take out a target in the service of its core mission of keeping the world safe. What was cool about this episode – and different from most before it – was that Scott Adsit’s Max knew the dangers of what he was doing when he went on air about the code he had identified, and even though no one took him seriously, he still got killed by Samaritan because he made a choice. The notion of exercising free will as an undeniable and incontrovertible right makes everything our friends do so much more complicated, and that ties in also to Fusco’s decision to refuse any more help to Finch and Reese. It’s not that they don’t trust him, but rather that they want to protect him, but those two go together, and he can’t do as good a job saving people if he doesn’t understand what he’s truly doing. In her many different amusing identities, Root is communicating very directly with the machine, and fortunately it’s getting her much closer to finding Shaw, whose realization that she is no longer in a simulation coupled with the message from Root has given her renewed hope to get out of her current predicament. Now on to the episode that aired immediately after this one!

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 5, Episode 6 “A More Perfect Union” (B+)

As I watched this episode, four more hours have already aired, with three more to go in this show’s final season. That’s a lot of this show to watch at once, and I’m excited. I was thrilled to see that this installment started with Shaw but also included our regularly scheduled characters, bringing them one step closer to being reunited. Greer taking Shaw to the park to convince her that Samaritan does good things was an intriguing development, and the show brought back one of its weaker elements, the kid who served as Samaritan’s voicepiece. Fortunately, it wasn’t so bad, and we had yet another reveal that Shaw is still just living a simulation, though this one may have had a more profound effect on her. Pairing that plotline with a much lighter focus for our other characters was productive, as Reese nearly became a stripper when he had to provide security for a police officer whose badge wasn’t so real in order to gain entrance to the wedding. The best part of the whole thing was that Root showed up on horseback to save the day - and the very grateful photographer. Finch putting on an Irish accent and singing a song was a nice treat. Root setting Fusco up to help a number of his own seems to have put him in serious danger, and let’s hope he’s not headed in an irreversibly deadly direction, especially considering the man he thought was the biggest threat to his wellbeing has now turned up dead alongside a handful of other dead missing persons.

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 5, Episode 5 “Shotseeker” (B+)

This show is all about its government oversight storylines and the role technology plays in that. The whole idea of Shotseeker is extremely intriguing and troubling, to think that it’s advanced enough to recognize sounds that appear to be gunshots but faulty enough to misidentify them as something far less serious when the human ear can easily tell otherwise. This week’s number got himself into a sticky situation by being good at his job, and he’s lucky that Fusco was there to act fast and defend him when he nearly fell victim to suicide by cop after being framed for firing gunshots that were never even fired. Fusco gets the most crap of anyone on this show, and it was good to see him rally his colleagues to find the missing Detective Riley and earn the respect of Reese for not backing down when Bruce threatened his kid to get the truth about Elias. The news that Elias is alive shouldn’t be too surprising, but much more disconcerting is the fact that Bruce isn’t going to back down and let go of what he believes should be set right, a precarious position shared by Fusco. The machine losing over and over to Samaritan in Finch’s simulation is not promising, but Root reprogramming their latest number to be deemed only a minimal threat is far more productive and indicative of hope. Jeff is also an interesting new player, since he has no idea who he’s really working for and may now start asking questions after his run-in with Root.

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 5, Episode 4 “6,741” (B+)

I could not be more excited to have Sarah Shahi and Sameen Shaw back. I had read that, now that Shahi gave birth to her twins, she would be returning, but I didn’t know when that would be. I thought that, when that fantastic simulation-heavy episode aired, that was the last we’d see of her, but how terrific to have her back, even if she’s really not in good shape. Her escape from custody was pretty impressive, and her past as a doctor came in handy so that she could take out the chip that had been implanted in her herself. She’s not doing too well, passing out frequently just like she did the very first time we met her. Calling in an intended murder so that her friends could find her was smart, and her reunion with Root was quite legendary. What we saw of their sex scene was rough and surprisingly unfiltered, completed by the affirmation that there was “plenty of sucking.” From there, however, things went very downhill, with Shaw realizing that she was being mind-controlled and shooting Greer in the head before putting a bullet in Reese and then shooting herself in the head. As soon as Reese went down, it became clear that this couldn’t be reality, but the revelation that this is the 6,741th time that Greer’s acolytes have run a simulation designed to get Shaw to reveal the location of the machine is crazy. It’s a shame that Root doesn’t know this is going on, since she would surely burst in guns-blazing to save the woman who clearly reciprocates her feelings. I hope we see Shaw again soon and that it’s when she’s finally found and broken out by her friends.

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 5, Episode 3 “Truth Be Told” (B+)

I suppose it’s not crazy to expect that there’s still plenty to learn about Reese’s past. What’s more impressive is that, so many years into this show, actors like Annie Parisse are still up for an occasional guest spot as a long-dead recurring character. In the previous episode, we were reminded of the many people that Reese has killed and the notion that he didn’t always save people. Shooting a suspect point-blank before he knew for a fact that he was guilty was a cutthroat and brutal decision, and neither he nor Kara seemed remotely disturbed about it. The fact that he told Brent’s brother that he was innocent and that he was killed in action is a sign of a more compassionate and caring person. What I liked most was that Keith David’s Terence Beale didn’t let the CIA know that Reese is still alive since he likes the idea of him being out there. I didn’t realize that Iris was still in the picture, though unfortunately the end of the episode indicates that she’s moving on since Reese can’t fully let her in. Root installing the malware in a not-networked computer was a bold move, but she and Finch do make a great team who should be able to figure out how Samaritan works and help use the machine to take it down and save the world. As Root keeps mentioning, hopefully they’ll find Shaw in the process and bring the much-missed Sarah Shahi back to the show.

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 5, Episode 2 “SNAFU” (B+)

This was a cool episode that managed to recap the entire show so far and attack the question of whether these characters are really good at their core. At first, the machine was being very trippy and comically mixing up the main characters’ faces, which enabled the cast to do great impressions of each other. After that, it was exciting to see the machine start to spit out numbers, but the thirty it came up with all seemed like false positives than showed just how jumbled it really was. Trapping Finch and Root and then weakening Root showed just how dangerous the machine can be, and that was before Finch put it together that it was the machine and not Samaritan who hired the hitman trying to kill Reese. The machine showing them all the awful things that Root and Reese did was intriguing and thought-provoking, and then Finch got grouped in with them because he destroyed and rebooted the machine forty-two times. Root knocking herself out so that she couldn’t be used as a bargaining chip was a smart idea, and ultimately it was Finch showing the machine all the people they had saved that managed to get it back on their side. Now things should be back to normal, with the team having a nice picnic out in the park and Fusco getting commendation for dealing with his number, the one true threat that he was able to stop. Unfortunately, Reese didn’t keep an eye on another number who has now been hired for a foreboding job that seems a lot like it’s going to be to hunt down those who just brought the machine back to life.

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

Person of Interest: Season 5, Episode 1 “B.S.O.D.” (B+)

There are a few things I need to say before I tackle this episode. On the one hand, I can’t understand why this show wasn’t on CBS’ fall or midseason schedule and had to be unceremoniously pushed to just before the summer, ended before its creative forces felt it needed to be, and set to air twice a week on different nights of the week. On the other hand, this season will see the one hundredth episode of the show air, which means it did live a good, long life, and having this show twice a week, while not entirely desirable, is still exciting since it means there’s so much of it to look forward to in a short time. I like the way that this premiere started with Root narrating how they failed while the camera focused in on the abandoned subway car, and this episode was all about a return to normalcy for our friends and the little rebellion they’re trying to keep alive against Samaritan and its total domination of New York City. That they’re all identified as potential threats by Samaritan before their new identities cancel out that suspicion keeps the danger level elevated, and with Elias gone, they seem to be even more marooned than before. Finch in particular is stuck in the past, haunted by recollections of deciding to wipe the machine’s memories every night at midnight to purposely deprive it of a human existence that he didn’t think would be appropriate. What was best about this hour is the way that it firmly established three of its characters and their roles. Fusco still doesn’t have a clear purpose, but I like that Reese admitted his technological incompetence but came through with brute force and smart thinking to cool down the machine, which, so fantastically, is back. There’s a lot of this season in the near future, and while I’m sad there’s only a short season left, I couldn’t be more pumped.

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

Person of Interest: Season 4, Episode 22 “YHWH” (B)

This show has done a fantastic amount of rebooting in its season finales each year, and while this one certainly commands that, it wasn’t as effective in terms of truly overhauling the show and how it works. The machine typing out an apology to its father Finch for failing to survive was a very sentimental moment for a show that rarely has that for its nonhuman elements, and Samaritan summarily taking out its more revolutionary elements and typing out its own report to Greer was an intense way to show who had very clearly won the war for now. Fusco was never going to die but I didn’t think that both Elias and Dominic would get taken out too, as would Control’s only ally, Shaw’s former partner. It’s sad to see Control get caught and imprisoned after she had such a change of heart and was actually trying to do the right thing. Finch and Root appear to have saved the machine in the most minimal way they could, but it’s going to be very difficult for them to stay off the grid while they’re rebuilding it and getting it ready for a revenge match against Samaritan. This season was definitely good, turning Reese into a cop and everyone else into chameleons, but I think that the rest of it didn’t quite live up to the high expectations set by seasons two and three. This is still one of the stronger and more consistent shows on television, and I’m extremely excited for wherever season five may go.

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Sarah Shahi as Shaw

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 4, Episode 21 “Asylum” (B+)

This was a pretty packed episode, and it makes much more sense given the fact that the season finale airs next week. This finale got back to the large cadre of recurring characters we’ve known for a long time, including Greer, Martine, Dominic, Elias, Harper, and Control. We also got a shot of Shaw in the side view mirror of a car, and though I’m pretty sure that she’s left the show, I’m so hoping that she’ll show up in the season finale (or be kept alive so that she can come back full-time once she gives birth). Root being threatened with a lobotomy and forcing the machine to give itself up for her freedom was inarguably intense, and her casual snapping of Martine’s neck came as a surprise. I’m not sure how exactly Control fits in to all this since the mole she interrogated and executed was working for Samaritan and she’s sort of trying to stop it, whether or not she’s really on the same side as Root, Finch, and everyone else. Reese and poor Fusco always manage to go visit either Elias or Dominic at just the moment that the two volatile crime bosses come together. Obviously, we’re rooting for Elias since he actually likes Reese and isn’t constantly trying to kill him, but it’s definitely clear that Elias is a superior boss since Dominic executed his loyal number two simply because he heard from one source that he was a traitor. I’m eager for the season finale and to see what new direction this show heads in once Samaritan makes its next giant worrisome move.

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 4, Episode 20 “Terra Incognita” (C+)

I’ve always liked this show and found it to be much better than it should have been given the nature of its procedural premise. Yet I do think that it got markedly better as it grew, and the addition of Amy Acker and Sarah Shahi in regular roles definitely improved it even further. I wasn’t fond of Taraji P. Henson’s Carter throughout the first two seasons of the show, and found her to be most compelling in season three right before she died. If I had a choice between Carter returning or Shaw returning, it wouldn’t even be a debate, and as a result this episode didn’t feel highly relevant, especially since a good portion of it was imagined. It did feel strange to see Reese and Carter having such an intimate conversation, and it’s an intriguing introspection on Reese’s part as he’s bleeding out that he falsely remember how close he got to her before realizing that he never let anything get mildly social or emotional. It’s obvious that he wouldn’t die, and so this episode felt a bit like a waste of time, with Root showing up in a wedding dress as a punchline and not much else being accomplished there. The featured case was disturbing to be sure, and the casting of Zachary Booth, who played Patti’s son Michael Hewes on “Damages,” as the lone surviving son of the murdered family was dead on as it pertains to both characters’ coldness and creepiness that make them seem much older than the young men they are.

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 4, Episode 19 “Search and Destroy” (B+)

When someone’s life is being destroyed by an unexpectedly and impossibly specific hack, is anyone but an artificial intelligence to blame? It was interesting to have Khan as a guest character in this hour since he was actually capable of understanding what both Samaritan and the machine are, even though he didn’t live long enough to be able to do something to stop one or both of them. It was funny to see the team eating Chinese food and debating the idea of bringing him in, something that never would have worked out, mainly because he has the technical prowess possessed by Finch and Root but not the heart or do-gooder nature that guides them in their pursuit of helping ordinary people. It’s disconcerting to learn that Samaritan was pretending to search for viruses and instead searching for the machine, meaning it is one step closer to overtaking the good side. Greer shooting Khan for his arrogance and smoking in celebration means that he’s getting cocky, but for good reason. Martine getting permission to kill Root is troubling, but fortunately Root is just as set on killing her, so the score is about even right now. Root stealing the briefcase by smoking out the restaurant with no help from the machine was impressive, and it’s a relief to see that her temporary feud with Finch has been resolved simply by the nature of the circumstances in which they find themselves. It was a pleasure to see Zoe again, swooping in to be eyes and ears in a meeting and commenting to Reese about his new romance while flirting off the charts with him.

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 4, Episode 18 “Skip” (B+)

I don’t think I can accurately call something my favorite thing about this show anymore since there are so many things I love about it on a weekly basis, but its use of recurring characters is truly tremendous. We got to see Harper, Beth, and Iris again, all taking on much more significant roles in the scheme of things. On the new guest star front, Ato Essandoh, who plays Alfredo on “Elementary,” was Ray, the big man in everyone’s sights, and Katheryn Winnick was Frankie Wells, the private investigator with more than a passing resemblance to a female version of Reese. Their coordination while handcuffed together was extremely impressive, and she was all about the flirtation with her talk of handcuffs and overt kissing of one Detective Riley. Harper wins the prize for most daring and effective move, standing up in the middle of a three-sided group gunfight to propose a deal in which nearly everyone wins. Reese just letting her go means that she and Frankie will inevitably be back at some point. It’s good to see Iris finally make a move with Reese after awkwardly tiptoeing around him all episode, and let’s hope that doesn’t put her in danger. Obviously fraternizing with one of our dependable team members can be problematic, as was the case with Beth when Root decided that she had to kill her so that Finch wouldn’t end up dead. Drinking the poison she was planning to use to kill Beth was an extreme move, but it got the message across and saved her life. Unfortunately, Root still sabotaged any hope of a friendship Finch could have had with her, and while it’s good to see them both still alive, it looks like we’ll be seeing less of Root in the immediate future until her assistance becomes vital when things start getting crazy before the end of the season.

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 4, Episode 17 “Karma” (B)

It’s strange to see flashbacks featured in this show that depict Finch as a vengeful person seeking to harm someone else. Everything we’ve seen of him up until this point, from his time with Nathan to his present setup, suggests that he wouldn’t want to hurt anyone, let alone plant a bomb in their car to kill him. His tormenting of Alicia Corwan, who died long ago on this show, seemed out of character and very much unlike him, even if it was to prove the point that killing is never the way to go, no matter how bad you may think someone is. Patrick Kennedy’s Dr. Edwards went to great lengths to set up the man he was convinced had killed his wife, ready to take his own life so that he could be punished and imprisoned for the murder. Fusco wanted to let him take out the garbage for him wasn’t so shocking, but I’m surprised that Reese seemed so willing to let him go through with it. While Finch was pretending to be one of his patients, Reese also got closer with his own therapist, using Iris as a way in to the gala where Dr. Edwards presented his passion project and then got threatened by Wyatt. They’re undoubtedly getting closer, which is a good thing for the usually stoic and lonely Reese, but as they’ve learned, having attachments also means having vulnerabilities and places where those with malicious intentions can really get to you when they most want to.

What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 4, Episode 16 “Blunt” (B)

It’s good to see the team functioning relatively well together, though I’m still not quite as enticed by some of these installments that don’t directly involve Samaritan, even though the end did indicate that Root is up to something big. The return of Dominic was inevitable since he and Elias really have a stronghold on criminal enterprise in New York City, and it’s so interesting to see how much he knows about Reese, now Riley, and the rest of our friends, yet he never really poses a true threat to them. I’m surprised that Reese didn’t break the news about Shaw to him since the two of them spent some personal time together and she’s surely his favorite out of the crew. It was funny to hear Finch catch himself while talking to Harper, about to reference Mr. Reese before quickly correcting to Detective Riley. Harper was the most difficult kind of number, one fully intent on getting into trouble with no concept of what consequences there would be, and who still wouldn’t have done anything differently had she realized. Fusco is proving to be an asset lately, no longer a punching bag after affirming his commitment to the team and the cause. I liked the scene in the club because it had a nice rhythm to it that wasn’t the same familiar, albeit excellent, musical meter of this show. I’m very intrigued about Root and what she’s doing, and I’m eager to see where her plan takes her and what her endgame really is.