Person of Interest – A More Perfect Union

By: Alex Steele

Does anyone else not want “Person of Interest” to end? Does thirteen episodes feel like too little? I, for one, cannot stress enough how powerful this last season has been. Not to mention we are half way through and the episodes continue to build on the previous, with more action, with more psychological and technological drama as well as emotion and humor. The entire team at “Person of Interest” needs to be applauded for the caliber of episodes that have graced our screens so far.

This week’s triple-threat instalment kept the pace up, although the first one in the group, titled A More Perfect Union saw Team Machine crash a wedding. Yes, that is right people, crash a wedding. Three of probably the most unfortunate people in love crash a wedding and boy was it a combination of love and war. The episode; however, starts with a black screen and the sound of a heart beat (we’ve seen this before). As the heart rate increases, we open on monitors and screens and doctors. Shaw (Sarah Shahi) is being taken through another simulation again and again pulls the gun on herself. She comes to reality to be greeted by none other than Greer (John Nolan) who seems increasingly annoyed that she just isn’t adapting. We further learn that it has now been 7,053 failed trials. That’s right, people, Sameen Shaw killed herself 7,053 times to save Root (Amy Acker). We get a glimpse of the snarky, sarcastic Shaw we adore just before Greer suggests a field trip. It will be field trip though that will once and for all show her that Team Machine are in fact, the villains.

The mission this week starts at a hotel with Reese’s (Jim Caviezel) number being Phoebe Turner and/or Will O’Brien (Daniel Abeles). They are due to be married and she is the heiress to a big, famous racing family so there might be concern that he is marrying her for the money. Reese arrives at the room to find a police officer already stationed there. Talking to him just like any other cop on the job, the officer and Reese alike seem a little confused by the whole situation. And we soon know why. As the door opens, we discover it is a Bachelor’s Party. Oh the awkwardness of Reese is absolutely hilarious you cannot help, but fall the ground in stitches. Meanwhile, Finch (Michael Emerson) attempts to reach out to Fusco but they fall flat as the detective still doesn’t want anything to do with them until they tell him the truth. Root this week arrives at the subway somewhat dejected, her cover ID has her playing a meth head and she needs a place to crash. Finch says that is no worries as he and John are crashing a wedding. Root looks so disappointed that she wasn’t invited, so much so she lists all the good things that come with weddings. But no sweet talk is getting her a ticket. However, she could always try the stripper route – John was successful in scoring an invite from the sister of the bride at the bachelorette party. Smooth Reese, smooth.

We check back in on Shaw and she is seen sitting on a park bench with Greer having lunch… Oh man, he is trying his hardest to break this woman, but it’s not going to happen. He directs her attention to two men – frequency traders whose work has cost millions of people water and their livelihoods – who, without Samaritan would get away with what they’ve done. It is obvious he is trying to show Shaw just what his machine is capable of. Back at the wedding (Finch as a long lost Irish Uncle and Reese as sister-date), Finch sets up temporary headquarters as the pair of them do some recon. They discover that the father-of-the-bride is accused of doping his horses to win races and not only that, his horse is the latest champion. Could this be the reason their number came up? Or is it the fact that the groom was caught by the bride kissing his ex-girlfriend? Meanwhile, Root and Bear are enjoying their alone time when the phone rings, they have a new number. We next see her though sneak up on Fusco (Kevin Chapman) at the precinct where she hands over this most recent number (and Bear) to Fusco to take care of. She lets Lionel know that this latest number may have something to do with his “missing person” case.

Back at the nuptials, the wedding is a success, but not before Finch and Reese notice a suspicious looking man holding a gun at the back of the ceremony. Before Reese can get close, he disappears and the threat seems to have disappeared, too. Reconvening after the ceremony, Finch discovers that Becca (the ex-girlfriend played by Natalia Kiriya) was paid $10,000 earlier that day [maybe to kiss Will].

Greer and Shaw are continuing their field trip as he shows her individual after individual whose crimes are so evasive, but he assures her Samaritan is the only ASI capable of putting a stop to it. Elsewhere, Fusco tracks down the number just to witness him in an exchange with none other than Bruce Moran (James Le Gros). With no give from Bruce Moran in regards to what it was about, Lionel tracks for the address and goes about business himself. The wedding mission seems to have so many options as to which way the threat is headed that it is possible that the gunmen seen during the wedding want to put Turner (Tom Wiggin) down for animal cruelty. Reese and Finch decide that they need the photographer’s camera for evidence and luckily Root has perfect timing – she has the (drugged) photographer and taken her camera.

The camera, unfortunately, doesn’t give them much to go on and they are summoned back to the ballroom where Finch is asked to sing – a request from his nephew, the groom. And who knew Finch could sing? Root and Reese certainly didn’t and the pride and shock across their faces is enough to prove it. The gunmen show themselves again, only for a short time before disappearing, but this time Root and Reese track them down. With Finch wowing the wedding audience with his voice, Root and Reese make easy work of the two gunmen. Even if she did bring a knife to a gun fight. What they discover after they subdue these men is that number, in fact, is Maggie (Purva Bedi) – the photographer! She has woken from her drug-induced state and is running for her life. On the scent, Reese tracks Maggie down just in time, but not before it looks like he’s about to be in trouble himself. Luckily, he bought back up in the form of Root on horseback. I’ll be honest, Amy Acker as Root on the back of a horse, my heart did flutter a little bit. Talk about an entrance! Also, it should be noted, that it wasn’t Turner who was doping his horses, but his daughter. Twist! Greer and Shaw have happened upon another location, an underground card playing ring, whose main intention is to start a nuclear event. Shaw seems genuinely concerned that this could end badly and as she questions Greer as to what he is going to do, no sooner had she asked the question has Samaritan operatives broken in and killed the suspects, encouraging Shaw to see that Samaritan in the hero here and the Machine is just too slow.

With the threat taken care of, Team Machine can somewhat take the opportunity to enjoy the festivities. Root is the first to do so with a cheeky smirk, the perky psychopath we love asks Finch to dance. This scene between Amy Acker and Michael Emerson is so poignant for both of their characters as the evolution they’ve both experienced has lead them to knowing the other better than they probably know themselves. Root knows he’s being lying to her about the simulations and she knows it is because he wanted to protect her. She knows that she might not be able to take it or worse, do something drastic. The ability of Amy and Michael to bring such genuineness to this relationship, but not without little moments of humor and sarcasm is effortless. It’s a chemistry that has grown from strength to strength over the course of the series. Root encourages Finch that with this new evidence of weakness in the Machine, that it is time to give her to tools to act. It is time to teach her to strategize, to be proactive and autonomous. Root has a good point and Finch agrees, but it isn’t the Machine he’s concerned with. He is worried they won’t be able to control themselves. With a very smooth change of subject (nice one Harold) he questions why Root is at the wedding. Did the Machine send you? And for the first time in a long time, we start to see the smallest cracks in Root’s armor start to appear. She wasn’t scared by herself at the subway, she was lonely. Although Root and Finch have different opinions on how to fight this war, what they do have is a mutual understanding and respect for the other. The love there is what makes them the stronger opponent. The heart. Speaking of heart, ours break when we leave Team Machine with a shot of them all, looks of yearning and brokenness written across their face, watching the happy couple and the wedding party celebrate. It’s so telling that words don’t do it justice (see picture above).

Elsewhere, Greer introduces Sameen to the Samaritan interface – remember that cute, but oh too cocky and creepy kid from the classroom with Root? Yeah, he’s back. And he is still talking a big, BIG game. Not to mention, he is now in possession of the detonator they apprehended earlier and he uses it to blow up pretty much the entire city. However, it doesn’t take Shaw long to realize this again is just another simulation. Another game. Another ploy to breakthrough to her. Is it working? Could she finally be giving in? One person that doesn’t give up is Fusco. Following up that address from earlier on in the episode, he and Bear come across body upon body in the basement. The bodies turn out to be all the missing people on his list. With this stark discovery, he calls Finch and fills him in. Unfortunately, it is not quick enough and Fusco gets caught in the demolition. Oh no Fusco, they did warn you.

Other key plot points:

• Bruce Moran is dead.
• Is Shaw seeing Samaritan’s side now? Or she is remaining strong?
• Reese subdued someone with a horse shoe. Favorite move ever.