Person of Interest – B.S.O.D.

By: Alex Steele

Is everyone as excited as I am that” Person of Interest” is finally back on our screens? It has been a year after all and by golly has the wait been long. After last year’s heartbreaking finale, which saw the Machine nearly meet its maker, this season picked up quite shortly after as “Team Machine” did their best to avoid pretty much every one (Samaritan has ultimate control).

The premiere, titled B.S.O.D. opened on a black screen and the sound of a phone ringing – a signal synonymous with a message from the machine. But what we hear is Root’s (Amy Acker) voice. In a monologue coupled with a panoramic view of the deserted subway headquarters, Root states “It’s over… Hopefully this will show you who we were. And who you are. And how we fought back.” This most certainly gave us the idea that it’s close to the end, not only for the Machine, but for the show “Person of Interest.” Cue the heart-swelling emotions.

It isn’t too long before we welcome the high-level action sequences we know and love. With Reese (Jim Caviezel) in possession of the suitcase (The Machine) it’s the safest it can be right? Well not necessarily. He does his best “Man in the Suit” to evade countless Samaritan operatives, eventually hijacking a young bystander’s Uber.

Elsewhere, Finch (Michael Emerson) has to do exactly the same, but with a little less fire power. With a swift switch of hats on the bus, Finch successfully gets away. He checks in with Root who is sitting in the driver’s seat of what looks like a family van with a trusty machine gun by her side. She tries to contact the others, but is unsuccessful. Just as this call fails, her stationary car is ploughed by an SVU full of gun-wielding Samaritan soldiers. Oh how we’ve missed a good old gun fight with our main girl Root and all her bad-ass ways. Even when she empties her gun, she manages to get away. The last stop we have to make is checking in with Fusco (Kevin Chapman), who upon arriving at work is greeted with article upon article about the death of Dominic and Elias. As he starts to sweat and fear the worst, two agents – FBI and IAB – show up to question Fusco. With the audience now caught up to the situation, what’s their next move?

Well, even with his successful evasion of the Samaritan cronies Reese is confronted with more just before he hops onto the ferry. In a one-on-one fist fight that sees Reese being beaten quite convincingly, the Machine is thrown to the side in the scuffle. However, with no one probably seeing this coming, Finch arrives to save the day (and by that I mean hitting the Samaritan soldier over the head). With the duo back together, they make their way back to the subway via ferry (note flashbacks for Finch remembering the day he left Grace and his somewhat crippling fear of ferries). But they have no time for Finch to stall as the Machine is losing power and they need to return if they have a chance of saving it. Meanwhile, Fusco is being questioned over the shooting of both Elias and Dominic. His memory is quite clear stating that he pulled his weapon, but it wasn’t him that shot yet the investigators don’t seem to buy it.

Reese and Finch arrive back at the subway to find it relatively intact, which seems like a good thing, but Finch is frantic and full of doubt as he starts to believe the worst. The Machine could be mortally wounded and the process of fixing the battery and decompressing it isn’t an easy task. Feeling like he is getting in the way, Reese leaves Finch to the nerd stuff to go and find Root.

It has to be said, the comradery between the team is something of beauty; thinking of where they’ve come from to where they are now, the growth individually and collectively has been powerful. If any team is going to save the Machine it is this one. This episode offers an insight into the relationship between Finch and the Machine, specifically how Finch faced the dilemma of its increasing intelligence. Stating it could lead to the extinction of mankind, the flashback dealt with Finch’s decision to clear its RAM every night at midnight – putting it simply, erasing its memories. After asking Grace (Carrie Preston) for her advice and a conversation with the Machine that illustrated just how smart this ASI was, Harold made the heartbreaking decision to clear the RAM at midnight. I have to give it to Michael Emerson, his soul-crushing dynamic and devotion to this AI is one of the most complex relationships television explores and he brings the fire.

Back in the present day, Root has a run in with countless Samaritan activated civilians but is there ever a fight Root can’t win? I don’t think so. Yet when she becomes cornered in a warehouse it seems like she may have met her match. We spoke too soon. The warehouse we discover belongs to an old associate of the assassin. His name? Bella. With history, and a favor owed, Root demands a new identity – something Bella (Dikran Tulaine) can give her. It seems as though they have a deal, but when Bella comes back to Root with information of a correspondence between his organization and Samaritan it doesn’t take her long to work out she’s been played. With guns drawn once again, an all-out gun war breaks out. Thankfully, Reese has shown up by this time and they take down both Samaritan and the Bella team. Fusco, meanwhile, is still dealing with the fallout from the Dominic and Elias situation. Yet in a turn of events, he is let off the hook when ballistics return and they don’t match his gun. Also, he is being rewarded for his heroism.

In the closing moments of the episode, all seems pointless when the Machine and its discs are burnt to a crisp. Finch doesn’t see a solution and he is devastated by the thought of failing. Luckily, he has two of the most supportive sidekicks in Root and Reese. The positive outlook that both Root and Reese consistently hold just shows how much they are dedicated to Harold, the Machine and the cause. They have the belief in the Machine and what it was built for. Alerting Finch to the 300+ game consoles she stole from Bella, the team begins to work towards breathing life back into the Machine. As they connect all consoles and the Machine starts to decompress, it seems as though they may have finally caught a break. Finch continues to doubt that it will work, but faith returns with a rousing pep talk from Root – “It will be different this time… It is intellectually and morally superior because it’s a reflection of you (Harold).” I have to say the dynamic between Root and Finch has evolved into something of a beautifully mutual respect and that, my friends, is a testament to the work of Amy Acker and Michael Emerson. Unfortunately, as predicted, the game consoles begin to overheat and the team begin to worry once more. Being as resourceful as ever, Reese steals a canister of liquid nitrogen (anything is possible in “Person of Interest”) and uses it to cool the consoles. With that, the decompression finishes. Did it work? And to black the screen goes.

Other key moments:

• Team Machine are keeping Fusco in the dark, trying to protect him
• The one-liners in this episode are absolute gold
• Who was the sniper that shot Dominic?
• Is the Machine alive?