The most boring Person of Interest ever?

19 Comments on “The most boring Person of Interest ever?”

1. I liked the episode and didn’t get bored. I’ve truly watched it once, but watched it less and less closely numerous of times. I keep watching it because I think I am missing something; I’ve been reading other blogs trying to figure what I am missing and was waiting for you, An, and you kinda blew it for me. I think you are kinda hard on this episode. I think it shows how much Reese needs Carter. I mean at first I could understand why people do not think the series needed Carter, although I do not agree. She is thorough and smart; I like that she wasnt ready to jump to conclusions and even though Reese was focused on Hannah being Root; he refused to totally run with it until Carter signed off on it. He wanted to know what she thought. The first episode of the season showed how Fusco could be a goof and this episode basically showed how we shouldnt underestimate him…it shows how Fusco has two-sides to him…he’s like Tony on NCIS, a screwup who shows his range in dire times. I believe from the moment Finch begged Root to stop torturing the “white house lawyer,” that he was onto her; I believed that he knew he was going to get captured and wanted to be captured, so he could size her up. He needed to get close to her to know his enemy. Finch is a genius and just like I think about Sherlock Holmes, who thinks 3-5 times ahead; so does Finch and Root–so Finch had to think like Root to outsmart her and at the same time he had to make Root think she understood his thinking pattern, that she was smarter, ie the knife and the “white house lawyer” who couldnt kick a nerd’s butt and Finch trying to make a phone call on a disconnected line. Plus, Reese and Fusco couldnt track Finch (successfully) so how in the hell did McCormick do it.

   There are some things that is starting to annoy me and I hope it stops…In the first episode of the season, Carter was on the McCormick case, which at the time was less dangerous and Fusco was on the person of interest case (leon), which was more dangerous and the higher ups corrupted the files on the McCormick case, but Carter wasnt asked to investigate who was tampering with evidence, why?…on the second episode, she was scurried away with Reese to Texas to help with a cold case, less dangerous and Fusco was given the assignment to figure out who was tampering with the McCormick case, which had become more dangerous because Reese knew national security was covering up. So national security decided Fusco wasnt on their radar, because he was a goof ball, but we all know if Carter was still there on the case–she would have been on their radar, because she is anything but a goof ball. So what is annoying to me is how some divine intervention is keeping Carter out of harm’s way, or is Reese strategically maneuvering–and the audience nor Carter is catching on. I want Carter to get into harm’s way, because the show is so much more intense when she is in trouble.

   This episode kinda helped me lean more towards Reese breaking into Carter’s home because he wanted to be near her and thats why she was on the trip too. The second time he broke into her apartment, I thought they were leaving immediately for Texas…but no, they had a meetup at the restaurant to involve Fusco, so why did he break into her home again? He couldnt ask them to meet him at the restaurant. He told her again she was leaving for Texas as if that was the first time he mentioned it; she already knew she as going to Texas and of course, Fusco does not know anything about Reese breaking into Carter’s home.

   Plus, did you pick up on Carter’s tone when she asked Reese where are you going when he was trying to dash out of the room headed to Virgina and did you see how flustered he became answering her by explaining the credit card evidence he discovered….or the look on Carter’s face when Reese told her to “stay here” with the librarian and sheriff. She looked like she didnt like being ordered around. I hope to see more of that and her to start verbalizing it.

   Okay: Root calls Reese at the end of the episode thanking him for giving her friend a proper burial…Uh, Carter solved the case, so Reese trying to keep Carter off the national security radar, kinda put her on Root’s radar. Come on, Reese did not know Hannah was dead until Carter told him so she found Hannah’s remains… and Root mentioning Detective Carter’s name would have been oh so sweet and more menacing. “Hopefully” Root and definitely Elias and CIA have Carter on radar. When her life truly becomes in danger, because of the cases she work for Reese…then her quest for more info about person of interests would also increase.

   I will also like to add: I felt sorry for Root; I mean yes she is a misguided genius, but she and the guy in Texas with one eye looked up to Hannah like she was their God…so when your inspiration dies or is taken from you (who do you become), then to fill that void –you become her and launch an invincible war against the government??? I still do not know her plan or true motive.

   • Hey Pseudo, Wow awesome to read your comment here again, what is going on, Boring and Person of Interest, very wrong attitude, really An!!, but it was great to read friends comments here again like old time, and Ones again POI is very interesting SHOW, AWESOME story line, for me as PERFECT as the Machine, I am a BIG fan< I CANNOT HELP it,

     and Pseudo Excellent observation my friend,
     I have been visiting
     https://www.spoilertv.com/search/label/Person%20of%20Interest
     for the past four months, Pseudo visit the site and share your thoughtful comments there too.
     An I did not like your recap, I do respect your opinion but it was not FAIR.

   • You know, Psuedo, maybe I was slightly too hard. Last year, every single storyline related back to the Machine, how it was made or to the history of one of the core cast WHILE balancing the weekly person of interest with WITH the overarching plotline of that season’s baddie (be it HR, the mob, SNOW or any combination thereof This is the only storyline that only focused on one person: Root,’s backstory and her current craziness WITHOUT any of the other items attached.

     However, when I talked to my co-worker who I coerced into watching, she found it incredibly confusing. She didn’t understand the relationship of Root to her younger self, let alone her friend. She didn’t understand why Root kidnapped Finch and didn’t understand why Reese and Finch worked together. Then, I realized that Greg and Jonah might need to introduce a new crew of viewers to Person of Interest; hence, the slightly slower episode concerning action. However, I think you might be giving Greg and Jonah too much credit for Finch’s capture.

     All the same, I agree that Fusco has improved greatly. Both Carter and Fusco have their strengths and weaknesses, Carter is arguably the better investigator, but Fusco (equally arguably) is the better spy. Carter believes everyone until proven otherwise (come on, she trusted Fusco 100% until MULTIPLE people told her about his past). When it came to crime scenes, Carter always dotted her Is and worked every angle for witnesses, while Fusco gave up. But, concerning internal office politicking, Fusco is like a rabid dog. If anything raises his red flag, he’s all over it. Reese did the smart thing in taking Carter with him. She would notice more on the case itself while Fusco would pay more attention to anything happening in the office.

     Yes. I agree that Carter solved Root’s case, but Reese solved Finch’s. I love that Root credited Reese for her friend, while Fusco credited Carter and Reese for Finch. I guess it balances out. I also love that Reese took the time to explain himself. But, I almost miss the old days when he’d just disappear

   • Well maybe I was giving Finch more credit than due…but I was sticking with what I knew about him already, so maybe someone new to the show wouldnt know how smart he is from this episode. I think it was less action in the story because Reese was with Carter a great deal and we know she would have challenged every kick and punch. About Carter asking unnecessary questions, think its because she was angry and the librarian wasnt offering answers; she was prompted. Did you see how depleted Carter looked on the bed at the end? I wonder if the case hit closer to home.

     An, I respect your opinion and review. I was hoping for something different and I think that was what you were expecting with this episode. After Flesh and Blood, I wanted the writers to run with more episodes about Carter and her backstory and of course, I didnt get what I wanted. My point is I never know what the episode is about and which kinda fuels my obsession; plus, I like to view the episodes the way the writer intended. I still think I am missing something, but maybe I will find out in episode 15 or something. Thanks for responding.

     • Thanks, Pseudo, I respect your opinion and everyone’s opinion here as well. I love it when people disagree with me. It makes the discussion board all the better And, if I always turned in positive reviews when I felt uncertain about an episode, I wouldn’t be doing my job

       It’s funny, last year, I couldn’t stop pushing for more character development when the show overtly focused on the Machine. This year, as it focuses more on the characters, I want to see more of the Machine. Truthfully, my favorite episodes last season and my favorite episode this season (the premiere) incorporated a balance of both. It’s a delicate act, but the producers have done so in the past and I trust them to maintain it in the future!

       And, yes, I do believe the Machine might reside in Oregon. Good catch!

   • It was the Corwin case. Alicia Corwin.

2. Oh, I wonder if the machine is in Oregon. You know Hannah said she is going to Oregon; I thought that game was chosen in this episode for a reason…

   • It was the game The Oregon Trail. My kids played that game. It was one of the first computer games.

3. I would like to add that, Reese and Finch are not super heroes, Reese was frustrated, angry and clueless in the beginning, the look on his face was Obvious, the same goes for Harold, who was totally shocked, Not that he has not seen violence before but the way Alicia was murdered by Root was traumatizing enough to cause him being not very focused, and fear of Root killing others, You know Harold, So give him a BREAK, they were acting Normal in a way, Harold has been the one who usually reminded John to take it easy, and when he is gone and John is angry and tired some EXTRA fighting would not be surprising,

4. An, I have to disagree with you on the computer science references in POI. Hackers, and folks who protect networks against hackers, can sometimes recognize other hackers’ software. Every time Finch uses a strategy to break into a network and deposits a software payload to gain information, his method of attack says something about him. Finch may not have written hundreds of thousands lines of code recently as when he wrote the software for the machine, but he writes code when he launches attacks into networks. So POI wasn’t so off-base with Root’s comment about Finch’s software. Plus Root clearly crushes on Finch, so her use of the word “elegant” in reference to his software wasn’t unusual to me.

   Wasn’t this episode similar to Flesh and Blood where the story really wasn’t about the person of interest, but was more about the backstory of the villain? And yes, Reese was unconcerned about his open interaction with Carter in the episode but his number one priority was to get Finch back safely as soon as possible. I do think that both Carter and Reese will pay a price for being seen together, and the urgency to get Finch back was the excuse for the change in behavior.

   I have to agree that I was surprised when Carter started searching the house after Mrs. Russell said no. That was out-of-character for Carter but as Finch once noted, Reese has had an effect on her! I didn’t think the episode was boring because I learned more about Finch, the machine, and Root. However I do enjoy reading your recaps and analysis of the show.

   • It was not out of character for Carter because she made sure that the SHERIFF arrived BEFORE she started searching the house. She told John that it had to be done the right way.

     • Carter asked Mrs. Russell if they could search her house. She said no and asked Carter and Reese to leave. Carter ignored the woman’s request and went further into the house. Reese went to the garage to search. Only after Reese found the car did Carter insist on calling the sheriff. Carter and Reese began the search against the property owner’s wishes before the sheriff arrived. If there had been a trial the evidence probably would not have been admissible. The rationale for the behavior may have been only to uncover the truth rather than to bring a criminal to justice. But once Mrs. Russell said she didn’t want the house searched and she asked for them to leave, both Reese and Carter were in the wrong by not leaving the property immediately.

       • I think the confusion is the definition of the word search and because a police has probable cause to search without a warrant and the bank statement was probable cause…The librarian told Carter that she “thinks” Carter should leave now. FYI, if you want the police to leave you better be affirmative. Most detectives know how far to push things; Mind you, the point of the investigationw was to find Finch…not to solve little Hannah’s disappearance. Carter cared for Hannah disappearance and maybe in the myst of searching for Finch, she realize the parents, friends, and community to which this little girl belongs to deserve to know the truth…to find the truth so it could be accepted then she had to incorporate one of the community’s own. Maybe I am giving the writers too much credit, but I think understands Carter’s character.

   • Hey Klj,

     Thanks, Klj, I enjoy reading your comments and everyone’s on the board!
     You’re right that hacking can have elegant attacks and that software developers aspire to generate ‘elegant’ code. But, when Root kept describing Finch’s code as elegant, I kept wondering ‘um, when has she seen it’
     I would call BC different from Flesh and Blood. Flesh and Blood had 5 persons of interest, it featured backstory on moretti, it featured Carter and Reese’s friendship, it featured Finch trying to get out of the box on his skills by offering to pick up a gun _and it included a focus on Carter’s family. Bad code just focused on Root with a side of Carter and Reese.
     My favorite episodes last year and this year (the premiere) included a balance between development of the characters (or one of the characters and their relationships) alongside further investigation into the Machine and the week’s POI. I know the writers can do it, but it’s difficult. However, Greg and Jonah definitely have the skills. I just can’t stop crying when they don’t do it all the time How have you enjoyed the Carter and Reese relationship developments this far?

     • I tend to keep my expectations low when it comes to Carter and Reese because I hate disappointments! Maybe this is why I didn’t have a problem with the Bad Code episode; I watch the show with few expectations. However generally I like the slow development of the relationship. I can understand why Carter puts her career on the line to help Reese – and Finch – after they saved her life and Taylor’s life. Reese is such a sphinx when it comes to his motivations it’s hard for me to draw any conclusion about his feelings for Carter. But telling Carter she wasn’t alone and giving her that humongous shotgun for protection show that the guy truly cares for her. Reese has no problem with calling Finch his friend. Now that Finch is safely back it will be interesting to see if the interaction between Reese and Carter remains 100% professional (IMO) or if they will at least acknowledge a friendship. If Reese shows up at Carter’s apartment again without it being an absolute emergency it won’t matter what they call the relationship.

       Thanks for having a blog where people can agree to disagree. I rarely watch TV and enjoy reading other people’s opinions about POI.

5. Ann,

   Carter did NOT search the house until the SHERIFF arrived. She insisted to Reese that it be handled properly.

6. I just seen Person of Interest cast on TV guide cover…well except for Fusco. Taraji had on a purple dress that fitted like a glove; she was definitely not channeling Carter. I was thinking at the end of the episode when Carter made it back to the station. Why? She asked Fusco where is the dog? uh why, again? Asking about Reese’s dog, is basically asking where is Reese…maybe she came back to the station hoping she will see Reese again when he picked up his dog. I maybe over-reaching but I’ve crushed on a guy before when I didnt want anyone to know and I would have asked about the dog too, when I really wanted to ask about the dog owner. I think Carter wanted company and thats why she came back to the station and since Fusco was still there she offered the drink to him. They need to hurry up and find Carter a love interest.

7. Must disagree with you An. This episode showed just how good a detective Carter really is. And her ability to solve a case is just as good as Reese’s observations. Carter breaks the rules for Reese but one day it will catch up with her and place her in danger especially in the masquerade episode. loved it when she offered to buy Fusco a drink. Anyone one noticed the way Reese calls her Carter and she calls him John. Nolan knows exactly what he’s doing. both may have different love interest during the season but will eventually recognize that they belong together.

   Hey An where is your take on Masquerade and Triggerman

8. The tech talk annoys the crap out of me. And calling this chick “root”? ARGH! It’s stupid and lame to anyone who’s been dealing with the relevant operating systems…