Person of Interest 5×03: “Truth Be Told” Review

Person of Interest continues to push forward as John’s past comes back to haunt him

Unfortunately for fans, this quick burn off of the last season of Person of Interest leaves us with very little time to comprehend and understand each moment of the episodes before the next one airs. It feels like only yesterday we were treated to the hilarious, thought-provoking, and incredibly interesting “SNAFU’… Luckily, however, “Truth Be Told” was a more traditional episode in the sense that it somewhat resorted back to the number of the week driven episodes of seasons past. It was another Reese centric episode that showcased that although he may try, a normal life just isn’t for him. In this latest episode of Person of Interest, John’s (Jim Caviezel) past catches up to him as he attempts to move forward with his life and find happiness.

Alex Duncan (Stephen Plunkett) was the number of the week in “Truth Be Told.” He wanted to find information about his brother who had mysteriously died while on active duty in Afghanistan. In a flashback to 2010 featuring the one and only Kara Stanton (Annie Parisse), Reese’s former CIA partner who fans seem to actually miss, we see Reese and his partner interrogate a man who happens to be Alex’s brother. While we don’t find out this information until later in the episode, everything comes to a head when in another flashback, Reese coldly shoots and kills Alex’s brother. As Reese fights to save Alex in present time, his guilt over what he did to Alex’s brother visibly eats away at him. Bottom line: John Reese can’t have nice things.

Elsewhere, Root (Amy Acker) and Finch (Michael Emerson) hilariously dealt with Roots latest undercover job as a delivery woman. They discovered that Samaritan has been using infected technology to spread virus’s through the delivery service.

Reese’s struggle

It’s an ongoing story line in Person of Interest; John Reese just can’t seem to find happiness. While the same could be said for any of team machine, it’s brought up time to time in Reese centric episodes like, “Truth Be Told.” The consummate hero, Reese is constantly putting innocent people and even the lives of the rest of the team ahead of his own. While he attempted to live a normal life with Iris (Wrenn Schmidt), he just couldn’t shake his responsibilities to the machine and more importantly, to Harold. Meeting her parents wasn’t even reason enough for him to not save a random stranger and beat up a would-be assassin in a bathroom. Reese is the kind of character that will go down with guns blazing in a blaze of glory in order to save those around him. When Harold calls, he will always respond:

“I’m on my way.”

because that’s the kind of man Reese is. Does this set up the rest of the final season? Will Reese sacrifice himself for those around him?

Root continues to bring the levity

Episode after episode we’re reminded just how perfect the character Root really is. She’s strong, smart, funny, resilient, loyal, and maybe most importantly, intriguing. When she’s on the screen, you know you’re in for the most compelling moments because the only thing you can expect from her is, the unexpected. In ‘Truth Be Told” we get see Root in one of her many cover identities. This time, she’s undercover as a delivery woman, because why not? Amy Acker plays Root with such a complexity that you’re always drawn into whatever character she may embody. In moments of pure comedy (and apparently at the suggestion of Acker) we see a fellow delivery man wink and shot a little “hand gun” motion at Root in an attempt to be flirtatious. She looks at him with a grin and gives him a little head nod as if to say, “Nice try dude, I belong to Shaw.” Later in the episode, when Finch hops in the delivery truck, Root knocks out the delivery man from earlier in the episode. When Finch stares at her in shock, she comically says:

“What? The guy’s been laying it on thick all day!”

In a show with a lot of heavy moments, Root brings a much-needed breath of fresh air.

Iris, why are you even here?

Person of Interest fans were introduced to Iris last season as she came in to be Reese’s job appointed therapist. From day one it felt as though the relationship between the two came from out of nowhere and seemed a little out of place. No one was really ever on board to watch this ship sail. Reese constantly made excuses in his sessions with Iris for his behavior in regards to being a little too liberal with the bullets he used while on the job, and she would continue to try to pry into his life in order to come up with some logical reason for him being the way that he was. They were forced together time after time until Iris felt confident in returning Reese to field work. Their entire bond was formed with a version of Reese that wasn’t real. John is a man who isn’t meant for normalcy. Iris is nice enough, but it never really felt easy or comfortable like the relationship he shares with Zoe or the bond he had with Carter. So, in “Truth Be Told” when Iris is waiting for Reese at the restaurant with her parents, as he beats someone up in the bathroom, we know right away that it’s going to go down hill. He had to lie to her about where he’s been and what he does. While we so desperately wish for Reese to find happiness, their break up in this episode feels like it was supposed to happen. We should be sad for him that this short-lived romance doesn’t work, but we’re not. This fifth and final season deserves a spark that certainly won’t come from the lack of chemistry between these two characters. Reese thrives when he’s able to be honest about his life and his past like he does with Team Machine. Here’s to hoping Zoe comes back into the mix and gives Reese a much-needed energy boost before the series is done.

Final Verdict: While numbers of the week are interesting, they pull away from the larger story

Person of Interest has become a show about dueling AI’s and character driven episodes. So, while “Truth Be Told” is an excellent episode in an of itself, the final season should be more about the larger picture; The machine vs. Samaritan. Numbers of the week were fantastic, but now is the time to showcase what the team can really do when their back is against the wall. As Root said in the narration of the premiere episode:

“See what we did to fight back.”

And that’s exactly what the fans want to see.

Comments/ Questions:

• Are they setting up for one or more of team machine to die?
• Will we see Iris again?
• Amy Acker needs to be praised for her terrific comedy skills
• SHAW IS BACK NEXT WEEK