Person of Interest – Sotto Voce

By: Alex Steele

I can’t remember the last show, in its final season, that had fans feeling this hyped and this sad all at once; delivering one of the most action-packed, dramatic and fulfilling final seasons. The first episode of this week, entitled Sotto Voce, opens on a vast shot of the desert with a lone truck driving along. As the camera moves in, the truck comes to a stop with two men exiting the front cabin. Coming to the back, three immigrants are instructed to get out of the truck. And when all seems to be going pear shaped for this family, we hear that raspy tone from behind. Oh Shaw (Sarah Shahi), the hero streak you’re on right now has got us all kinds of excited – can anyone else attest to the humanity and commitment to others than Shaw has shown since she returned to our screens earlier this season? Talk about full circle. With a little bit of shade, as well as knock-out ass kicking, Shaw gives the immigrants the keys to the truck, tells them to drive and she sets off for the border (of what we only assume is Mexico/America). She’s coming home, Team Machine.

In the city this week, we meet Reese (Jim Caviezel) trailing a new number; Terry Easton (Neal Huff), a locksmith initially seems like no threat, that is, until he starts to break into the building. Finch (Michael Emerson) is doing his best to keep busy, attempting to clean the subway, but is constantly challenged by our beloved Bear. Root (Amy Acker) enters the subway, perky as always. Root’s cheekiness is laugh out loud brilliant and Amy Acker gives it such a unique spin.

Reese has been given her own number, Matthew Stone, possibly helping Samaritan spread their coded messages or has accidently stumbled upon them. Either way, Root is on the case. Her and her big arse gun. The humor is next level; the perky psychopath whose evolution has seen her find a family and discover loyalty is the only one who can look innocent and bad-ass all at the same time.

Back with Reese, he has followed Terry inside the building to find Terry crouching down holding a bomb and when Reese confronts him, Terry threatens to detonate it. Luckily, Reese is as smooth as he looks, cautiously approaching, cutting the wire and saving the day. Weirdly though, Terry seems relieved.

Reese brings Terry back to the precinct for questioning, but has no luck in getting him to open up the story behind his bomb plan. He avoids questions, but when asked “Who sent you?” Terry glances upwards to the surveillance camera. Reese, taking notice, turns the camera off and exits. He checks in with Finch to catch him up and asks, “Why would someone use Easton?” That certainly is the million dollar question. While Finch does his technological magic, Fusco (Kevin Chapman) and Reese have a heated run in. Fusco is still giving his old partner the old shoulder. Finch has perfect timing when he passes on information regarding a self-deleting text on Terry’s phone which reveals a photo of his wife being held hostage. He goes on to admit that he doesn’t know who it is behind all of this, it’s just a voice and with that his phone rings. The voice informs Terry that he has failed, but Reese recognizes the person on the phone. Remember that episode where the voice was taunting a 911 operator with a young kid tied to bomb? That voice.

Finch, needing assistance, heads back to the safe house to get Elias’ input. Elias (Enrico Colantoni) knows him. He’s a ghost, but he does have a contact that could help them out. The catch? Elias wants to go with. Meanwhile, Reese has tracked the address to a warehouse and with SWAT in tow breaches the premises, but quickly after the team enter the building, Reese receives a call. It’s the voice. He begins to taunt Reese and it doesn’t take the suited man long to realize it’s a trap. He’s too late because as he goes to run back in and warn the SWAT team, an explosion occurs. This explosion starts a cascade of bomb threats and 911 calls. Back with Elias and Finch, the two have arrived at an old school. Elias’ contact is a bomb maker, an individual that is known to supply to the voice. With a little bit of persuading in the form of a gun Elias’ contact, Raul (Teddy Canez), offers up important information.

Checking in with Root, she is sitting pretty with her sniper as she scopes out her number. I have to say Root talking to the Machine are some of my favorite scenes. When she notices a scuffle and gun shots being fired, she follows. She discovers Samaritan operatives hiding in bushes, but before she can get off a shot, someone from the shadows shoots first. Root can’t even make a move to see who the shadow figure is because she’s thrown to the ground. Looking up, she sees the face of her long lost love (yes, I just wrote that and I’m not even going to change it). Shaw! Can anyone say reunion take two? Shaw is a weird combination of relieved and happy and scared. Standing up, Root can barely keep her hands off her, cupping her face not believing that it’s her. She embraces Shaw in the most protective, shrouded with strength and love hug that could ever be delivered. And Shaw embraces back, but only for a second. She pushes away, lying to Root about the simulations – she says that they didn’t fail, that she’s still a danger and that she still could kill them all.

In the final moments of the episode, Team Machine are all, but scrambling to handle their collective business. Fusco and Reese successfully disarm the Templario gang members in the evidence lockup and discover that their target is none other than Amir (Rupak Ginn), Fusco’s multiple murder suspect. They set out to retrieve Amir from lock-up who confidently states that he knows who the voice is, more so even, that he knew that he’d be coming for him. Fusco is tasked with taking Amir back upstairs to the interrogation room while Reese goes off to get Terry. Fusco has police officer Chin with him as back up and instructs the officer to guard Amir; however, as Fusco turns away we see Chin turn to enter the room. Samaritan has now employed him take out Amir. Don’t worry though, Reese in all his swift gun-wielding goodness comes from the shadows to take out Chin’s kneecap and stop the hit from taking place. Unfortunately, though, a gun fight soon breaks out and Fusco and Reese are forced to work together now for the greater good.

Elsewhere, Root and Shaw are continuing their back and forth. Root is doing her best to calm the nerves of the once unbreakable sociopath. One of the most significant changes to note with Root and Shaw is the physicality of their interaction. Never before would we have seen Sameen let Root touch her, let alone stroke her face or hold her close. But times have changed. The trauma of Shaw’s time with Samaritan has left her a little shattered and completely out of control. Even assurances from Root that this is “real” and she is safe now, don’t help Shaw’s current state of mind, so much so, she breaks away and pulls her gun on Root. Flashback to earlier this season in the simulation and we as an audience wait on bated breath. Shaw admits to Root that as long as she’s alive she’ll never be safe, that Shaw could turn on her at any moment. Amy Acker and Sarah Shahi are eloquent in this exchange; such a removal from the flirtatious, witty, snarky banter we’re used to. Recanting her lie from earlier, Shaw continues on to admit that for over 7,000 simulations, the only person she couldn’t kill was Root so she killed herself, over and over again. Make note of the simple, but heartbreaking response Amy Acker illustrates through Root. Nuanced people, nuanced. What happens next we’ve seen before, but we still aren’t ready – Shaw turns the gun on herself and says she’d rather kill herself now then risk you. Sarah Shahi, you’ve layered Shaw this season so unbelievably fluidly it’s utter art.

Thing is, Shaw didn’t expect what comes next. She didn’t expect Root to take this admission and react by turning her gun on herself. Root changed the variable. And in what will be one of Root’s most memorable lines she states, with every last fiber of her being, “You can’t live with me. I can’t live without you. So if you die, I die.” Talk about a love written for the ages! Talk about writing and slow burn; a feat achieved by the creative team at “Person Of Interest” and a testament to their storytelling and the chemistry that is Sarah Shahi and Amy Acker. Shaw listens, takes it in and in typical fashion replies “Damn it, Root.” The sweet thing with this scene is that Shaw underestimated the depth of Root’s love, her commitment. The reciprocity is so genuine and true to these characters is incredible.

Back at the precinct, Fusco and Reese are slowly being beaten as they are running out of bullets, but working together as a team. Elsewhere, Finch has found the base of the voice’s operation, has further discovered that they have been tracking Team Machine. Add to that the discovery that Terry Easton’s wife is actually an actress hired to play his wife. With that, Team Machine realizes this is an elaborate plan by Easton. He’s the voice! Cut back to the precinct and while Reese and Fusco continue to fight off the gang, Easton makes his move. Confronting Amir, all he has to say is “cleanliness is all.”

It all snowballs from there…Finch tells Reese it is Easton who is the voice. Fusco gets shot saving Reese and Amir is dead. As we see Easton escape and walk away from the precinct, he receives a call. It’s Finch. Finch is congratulating him on pulling off such a plan and the shade and attitude are real. Sneaking up on him; however, is very unlike our Finch and within moments both are face to face. Easton pulls his gun on Finch, feeling like he has the upper hand, yet we all know Finch isn’t that dumb. He’s got someone there and that someone is Elias. After exchanging more snarky remarks, Easton lowers his gun and asks “Truce?” And when Elias and Finch both don’t make a move or a sound, he walks away and gets in his car. Wait for it though…as he gets 50 meters down the road Elias blows up his car, killing him. Oh boy!

Reese and Fusco have somewhat made up. A gun fight will do that to you. And it seems as though Reese is ready to tell Fusco what’s been going on. Taking him up on the roof, Finch asks one more time if Reese believes this is the right thing to do, it is. Well, after that happens there is an “urgent matter” that requires your attendance. As we hear Reese begin to tell Fusco, the camera cuts to them arriving at a park. Finch has already arrived, with his two team members walking to stand beside him. Soon joined by Root, who turns to draw their attention to none other than Shaw. This reunion, no words but just looks. It is so viscerally effective! Root is bursting that Shaw has finally returned and Finch looks relieved and overwhelmed in the subtlest of ways. The closing shot, remember it, because it is the figurative and real calm before the storm. Team Machine is back together, people.

Other key plot points:

• Amir was employed by the voice and ended up as a murder suspect. That is how Fusco and Reese ended up working together.
• Does Samaritan have anything to do with this?