Artificial Intelligences Battle it Out in a Brave New World
The stunning Season 4 premiere of Person of Interest is appropriately entitled Panopticon, which means “a circular prison with cells arranged around a central well, from which prisoners could at all times be observed.” My biggest question following the Season 3 finale, in which the villains took over US Intelligence gathering and sent the heroes (or in this case, anti heroes) into hiding, was could season 4 sustain the gripping story telling, brilliant acting, stellar writing and wonderful ‘characterization of previous seasons? I am happy to report that the answer is a resounding YES. Season 4 started with a bang, threw in just a touch of humor, set up the mission for the season, answered some questions and raised even MORE questions. Let’s discuss!
“You Have to Pick a Side Because This is War”
Root, one of the greatest anti heroes of all time, giving Harold Finch (Michael Emerson), usually the heroic cheerleader, a pep talk in doing the right thing because all of us “matter” is one of the best moments of the episode. In season 3, when Carter was killed, Reese (Jim Caviezel) gave up. Finch was instrumental in getting him to come around. But in the last few episodes, Finch’s faith was shaken when “his” machine, Northern Lights, told the heroes to kill a Congressman (to prevent the rise of Samaritan). Finch refused and decided right then and there that he would no longer be involved in the machine and it’s numbers.
In this episode, even after Northern Lights gives Reese a number, Finch refuses to get involved, telling Reese it’s too dangerous and cynically declaring to Root that saving one or two lives doesn’t really matter in the long run. After separate talks with Reese and Root, who basically tells him to stop wallowing in the imagined futility of fighting Samaritan and get his act together, Finch finally comes around and it’s a good thing too. By pursuing the number, the heroes saved a boy, got the boy’s father out of dealing with criminals, undermined a drug running gang, and discovered a relatively “lo-fi” method of communicating with each other while staying under Samaritan’s radar.
The fact is that it IS a war. Samaritan is in complete control and has already started eliminating “undesirables” who “might” pose a threat to national security. Problem is, there’s no accountability and the only people with any hope of beating Samaritan are Finch and his team. It’s a daunting task but, as Reese and Root both point out, there really is nobody else.
That’s the beauty of the characters on this show. Not a single one of them is one-dimensional and even when they do something unexpected it makes perfect sense in the context of the story. In 65+ episodes I have never ONCE thought “but so and so would NEVER do that”. That’s just great story telling.
Which is not to say that it’s all doom gloom and darkness for our heroes….
“Just Promise Me John’s a Barrista”
In the aftermath of Samaritan’s victory, Northern Lights has created new identities for the team and, hilariously, Shaw, one of the deadliest assassins in the world, is stuck selling cosmetics. She kind of sucks at it too. Spraying perfume into customers’ faces as if it were pepper spray is not really a good sales technique. When Root catches up to her, all Shaw wants is for Reese to be stuck in an equally sucky job (no dice, Reese gets to be a cop). Shaw (Sarah Shahi) and Roots (Amy Acker) “Sismance” (The female version of Bromance) is one of the best things about the show and is always good for adding just the right amount of levity to otherwise often grim proceedings.
Equally hilarious is the “positivity” seminar Reese and Shaw find themselves attending at Northern Light’s request. It’s actually a good way to give them an opportunity for some face to face but I cannot think of any two people LESS suited for that kind of thing. When Reese turns to Shaw and says “This sucks”, you can just tell that she’s thinking “True Dat”. I love that the show maintains a charming sense of humor. Few shows do such a good job of being grim, serious, and charming all at the same time. I have to say, though, I’d have paid good money to see John Reese filling orders for half caff, half nonfat, double mochachinos with a shot of vanilla.
Gone but Not Forgotten
Last season, in a twist of no holds barred story telling, Person of Interest killed off Joss Carter, the beloved co lead since the beginning of the show. This broke many hearts, including mine and I’ve missed her ever since.
The end of this episode provided some payoff and closure when Northern Lights moved Reese from Narcotics to Homicide to be Fusco’s new partner. His new desk? Carter’s. There was a moment in the episode where the camera panned to Carter’s desk then back to Fusco and Reese and you could tell, although they didn’t say a word, that they were both thinking about her. A quiet but beautiful moment. Poignant and also…right…in a “full circle” kind of way. When the show started, Reese was a bitter disenfranchised former assassin and Fusco was a corrupt cop. Joss Carter (Taraji P Henson) showed them both how to be heroes. Reese and Fusco’s new partnership is in a very real sense Carter’s legacy. What a beautiful way to honor her memory.
Final Verdict: The AI’s Have It
Panopticon was written by producer and writer Erik Mountain & Executive Producer and Writer Greg Plageman. Mountain and Plageman have been with the show from the beginning and it shows. Writing has two components, script (dialogue) and story telling. This one had a red hot script that featured great moments for all the main characters, whether it was Shaw and Root bantering at the cosmetic counter or Reese attempting to convince Finch to fight. From a story telling perspective, the episode was internally consistent but also moved the overall arc along and left audiences eager to find out what happens next.
Four time Emmy nominee and Co-Executive Produce Richard Lewis directed the episode. The outside shots were gorgeous, particularly those in the park. The close up of Carter’s desk brought tears to my eyes. These writers and directors, intimately involved with the big picture and nuts and bolts of the show are instrumental in delivering what I believe is hands down the best show on television.
One final note on the story: Northern Lights had one last bit of information for Finch. It was a code hidden in (of all things) the typos in a dissertation Northern Lights prepared as part of Finch’s cover. Now I ask you, on what OTHER show are you going to see a code hidden in TYPOS. The code led Finch to an underground chamber which as it turns out, is the PERFECT location for a new headquarters. So….
The board is set. The heroes have a new HQ and a new communication network. But the odds remain steeply stacked against Finch and the team. The best part is that, even if Northern Lights somehow defeats Samaritan, there is still an AI out there that spies on everybody all the time. It’s the same problem only it’s, what, the lesser of two evils? I have no idea how this thing will play out. What I do know is that I want to be along for every single moment of this wild and wonderful ride.
Comments, Concerns and Questions:
- If Samaritan targeted all of Reese and Finch’s associates, why didn’t it target Fusco and Elias?
- Through the episode, the readouts on Samaritan indicated it had located Finch and Reese and yet no move was made against them. Why? Does Samaritan have a different agenda? Is this the result of Root’s tinkering last season? Is Northern Lights responsible? Are Northern Lights and Samaritan working together?
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