Person of Interest – Reassortment

By: Alex Steele

The third instalment for this week comes as the audience is holding their breaths waiting for the imminent, real life escape of Sameen Shaw (Sarah Shahi). As we saw last episode, Root (Amy Acker) succeeded in relaying a message to captured Shaw, giving the missing member of Team Machine some much needed hope as well as reigniting some of that fire in her. “Reassortment” began with a doctors hands, pulling a pair of gloves on, preparing a needle. She reminds Shaw that there is to be no fast ones today and Shaw in all her witty glory ensures that it won’t happen like that. In fact, she walks the nurse through step by step how she is going to attack and disarm her. Add to that the humor at the end and there is no doubt that the Shaw that Team Machine recruited all those years back still lives. She smashes the camera and breaks the key card lock system all before any Samaritan operative can get inside. She is stealth as ever, a fact Little Greer realizes when he enters her hospital room with no trace of Shaw having been there. Yet, before he completely gives up, a little piece of dust and a thought later, Greer demolishes the sink to reveal a hole in the wall. Touché Shaw.

Team Machine this episode are tracking a new number for James Ko (James Chen). He is an international businessman on a layover in New York on his way back to London. Reese (Jim Caviezel) is following him, but the reason as to why is still a little grey. But when Reese witnesses James swap out his sim card and we hear James talk to someone on the phone about an errand, the mystery heightens. At the subway, Finch (Michael Emerson) is checking in on the simulation war, but it is not surprise that the Machine has still not won a single bout. Root questions him about this, going as far to say that it may be time to alter one of the variables at play. This suggestion is met with super attitude and shade from Finch who still won’t budge when it comes to changing the Machine and its capabilities. Ignoring Root and checking back in with Reese, Finch discovers that James Ko is now in the emergency room sick. Reese keeps a close eye on him, encouraged to by Finch, and overhears James lie about being out of the country recently to the doctor. There is definitely something shady going on.

Elsewhere, we check back in with Jeff Blackwell (Remember the recently recruited Samaritan operative?) who is enjoying a nice, expensive lunch with his ex-girlfriend. They share a simple exchange where he wants to give it another go, but she does not. She knows what the statistics are as most people who have been in prison before usually reoffend. She doesn’t want to take that chance. Speaking of familiar faces, Fusco arrives at the safe house (apartment) to catch up with old friend (not really) Elias. He catches Elias (Enrico Colantoni) up on the missing person’s case as well as the fact his friend, Bruce Moran, were among the bodies found in the basement. This is enough for Elias to put his reluctance aside and give Fusco the contact he requires to track down the company or individuals responsible for driving the trucks involved in the demolitions. Anyone else feel as though Elias could slowly becoming more of a player in this war? Back at the hospital, James Ko, after receiving a needle for the flu stumbles and passes out on the floor. He has blood coming from his mouth, a symptom fairly extreme for a normal case of the flu. The doctor thinks so too and soon, after attempts to revive him, James is pronounced dead. Obviously, whatever he was infected with was more severe than the flu.

Sending the hospital into lockdown, Reese is stuck at security while Finch shows up just in time to also find himself stuck inside. The doctor informs Reese that what James Ko had may possibly be extremely contagious but they aren’t to know exactly until his blood tests return. While Team Machine seem stuck, elsewhere, Shaw has dug her way out of the Samaritan holding facility into a South African prison cell. Interrupting a bashing by saving the prisoner being assaulted, Shaw asks for assistance in how next to proceed. We discover through this scene that she is in fact in South Africa, more specifically Johannesburg. Meanwhile, on US soil, Fusco has a visit from the contact Elias gave him where he hands over files of all truck drivers he contracts out as well. Going through the files, Fusco recognizes the name Jeff Blackwell (Josh Close). And so the conspiracy continues. Speaking of Jeff, he meets with his handler to raise his concerns about the true nature of his employment, what type of company it is and why him. We further learn that one of his jobs has been to tail Detective Fusco – it is really starting to make sense. Before he can turn his back on Samaritan altogether, his handler tells him he has one more job.

Checking back in with Team Machine, the hospital is now in panic as news stations have broken the story of an “outbreak.” Root is running recon from the subway to search for anti-viral origins and packages. Not to mention, she admits concern over the wellbeing of her significant others, reminding them to wash their hands and Bears’ paws. Oh Root, the protectiveness that continues to grow within for others is one of your most endearing qualities. Her advice is sound though, especially as the nurse receives the blood test results shortly after highlighting that James was suffering from Avian Flu. To make it worse though, the vaccine they injected him with turned out to be live human flu virus. This combination makes a super flu strain; a highly contagious, lethal form of the flu. For every person that gets it, ten more people become infected. Shaw is having better luck; however, with the help of her friend and an axe. She has now managed escape another barrier where she shares a sweet moment with the prisoner and is genuinely thankful to him for his help.

At the hospital, the civilians begin to get restless and agitated, especially when the news coverage continues to leak information about the severity of the outbreak. Finch, Bear and Administrator Garcia (Mark H. Dold) make their way to retrieve the anti-viral. Unfortunately, in a turn of events, Garcia destroys them and holds Finch at gunpoint. This sets off a chain of reaction that bring greater understanding: Garcia is working for Samaritan. Root, thankfully, is in Finch’s ear and guides him with the help of the Machine to disarm and subdue Garcia. Finch and Root realize that Samaritan has been manipulating the health care system and has been using its power to produce a lethal strain of the flu. Seems as though they are succeeding. In the meantime, Fusco has arrived at the hospital to now become involved in the drama. Not to mention, Jeff Blackwell is also there and has been given two syringes to complete his last mission. What’s his mission you ask? To inject the Doctor and Nurse. Week after week, episode after episode, the lengths that Samaritan is going to continue to leave me speechless. It is ruthless and brazen in its plight to change the world.

Shaw is moments away from a successful escape when she is confronted with none other than Little Greer. He has a gun drawn and she has an axe. It seems like this could be their final stand-off, but he isn’t giving up that easy. He starts to talk a big game, encouraging Shaw to see this is all just another simulation and that the simulations have been responsible for her memories. He taunts her with particular moments and experiences, and for a second, we see a confused Shaw. She possibly starts to believe Little Greer and when she drops the axe and says, “Okay, it all is just a dream,” the audience gasps. But in a split second, we learn it is only just a strategy because no sooner had she got him feeling relieved than she shoots him. She steals his key and assures him that if this is all just a simulation it will reboot and he’ll be fine. She runs and with the camera trained on Little Greer, we watch him die. So it was real? She is really escaping?

Coming back to the States, Jeff Blackwell makes his move running towards the Doctor and Nurse. Reese and Fusco attempt to stop him, but what ensues is an all-out brawl. Fusco gets jabbed, as does the Nurse. but Reese manages to disarm and beat Jeff. Not before he legs it out of the hospital though! In the meantime, Root and the Machine have tracked down a solution. Arriving at the hospital, dressed as a doctor from the CDC, Root comes carrying a box with antivirals inside. The Machine, herself, diagnosed the new flu strain and tracked down the address of a lab that had the antivirals. Root uses this win by the Machine as an example of the advantage an open system can give. Yet there is still one problem, Jeff Blackwell is still missing. But we do see him as the episode ends, meeting his handler once more and discovering he was chosen for this job as he is immune – an elite controller they call him. The aim of the mission was to collect everyone’s DNA and personal data as a way of ensuring everyone’s safety from disease. Regardless of whether Samaritan sees this as working towards the greater good, the way in which this villainous ASI goes about it is questionable.

Closing out a big week of “Person of Interest,” Finch confronts Elias about helping Fusco, warning him never to do it again. But Elias doesn’t take it, instead calls Finch out on not waging this war very intelligently. Stating that a leader enlists all his resources and that war require sacrifices. Finch doesn’t budge. But Elias mentions that out of everyone Finch, underneath all the genius, is in the fact the darkest of them all. This hits a nerve. And in good news, or should I say the best news yet, Shaw successfully escapes the confines of the South African prison. In typical Shaw style, she’s dressed in a guard’s uniform and steals a jeep. She’s out people. She’s out!