Person of Interest – “Synecdoche”, rounding off the numbers by threatening the POTUS

I guess “Synecdoche” is it. This episode is the last proper number-of-the-week the show will ever have. So it makes sense to go all out and threaten someone with the stature and gravitas of the President of the United States. Like similar episodes that find their place in the flow of a season of Person of Interest, this does quite a bit of work as the show rounds into the final two episodes that will end the show forever. It is an episode that concentrates equally outward and inward, as it unfolds more about our characters – because in the final two episodes, it is inevitable the show will be as such – and presents to us almost a consolation prize. A could have been – a spinoff show, or a look into the Person of Interest Expanded Universe™.

Person of Interest – “The Day The World Went Away”, but maybe there’s something on the other side too

“The Day The World Went Away” opens with Finch pondering and reflecting on what is the last five seasons of the show, and whether or not he is, or will be the catalyst for the death of his friends. He surmises that his intervention might be the one thing that will directly lead to all of their demises, and by the end of the hour, he is proven right, twice.

It is interesting that this episode revolves around Finch, but also at the same time does an incredible job with sending off what are essentially two vital pillars of the show. These were two characters who were on a bad path until they intersected with Finch, and found themselves entangled in his cause. The past, present, and presumptive future all collide in the 100^th episode of the show, both as a plot device and as ways to stir character and emotional development. The show never fully relies on the parallel narratives employed in shows like Lost and Once Upon a Time fully, choosing to employ it sporadically, but treats it with much care when they do. But they also have five seasons of character development and history to fall back on and loyal viewers know every thread running underneath every interaction.

Person of Interest – “Sotto Voce”, in which imminent danger is always a good teambuilding exercise

I believe this is the last time the show might be truly happy. Not hopeful mind you, because I still hold out hope that the finale ends on an optimistic note, even if evidence and likely fact will point to the contrary as the weeks continue. The final shot of the episode harkens back to the pilot, where Reese meets Finch in the exact same spot, to start his new job and find his new purpose. And now all our heroes have returned home, ready to face the ever-present danger that awaits them in the coming future. This is it. This is their calm before the storm.

“Sotto Voce” is one of the few episodes that never touches directly on Samaritan, sitting in a shortened season building up to the final conflict. It also does the unthinkable, in bringing back “The Voice” (or as I know him, Two Phones) and tying off his previous appearance from season 3 in a way that helps propel many of the characters moving into the finale. The immediate danger he faces helps pair off Reese and Fusco, and Finch and Elias, who are seemingly at odds in some manner.

For Reese and Fusco, it’s relatively simple. The growing animosity between the two over the course of the season finally bubbled up, but when they find themselves trapped in the police precinct in some dastardly plot-ception of Two Phones to kill a former gun for hire, they end up engaging in a shootout with some gang members. Nothing like a good team building exercise than being outnumbered by violent gang members and having to shoot your way out, right? And the thing that comes out of it is Fusco being keyed into the entire ASI war playing out behind the scenes. Any more entertaining value I hope is mined now that Fusco is clearly playing the new guy to all of this insanity.

With Finch, who has to recruit the help of Elias, it becomes a different matter. Elias has warned Finch that he might be the darkest of them all, and that in order to win this war they’re fighting, he will have to make use of everyone. And here we have Finch, in different situations, wielding Elias like a tool, and by the end of it, a weapon. At first it’s to obtain information to work towards discovering Two Phones’ plan, and then finding his lair; simple information gathering with a liaison who is an expert in the field. But when it comes to the final confrontation with the perpetrator, Finch plays judge and jury, and wields Elias as the hooded executioner. The kind with a love for car bombs. It’ll be interesting to see how much further Finch seems to be heading, and what else about his humanity he might be willing to sacrifice for the greater good.

And while Root and Shaw don’t have much screen time together compared to everyone else tackling Two Phones, there is a moment of elation that couldn’t be matched when they reunited, and arguably, Shaw realizes she’s not in a simulation, because Root proves she’s the real deal, insane enough to promise a suicide pact if Shaw thinks it’s not real and a shot to the head will just be nothing more than an end to another numbered simulation. Samaritan could never quite match the real Root’s utter unhinged side.

Person of Interest – “QSO” and “Reassortment” double feature

Watching both episodes one after another brings a lot of the threads into much starker relief. It is curious to wonder what a 22-episode season would have produced, and what if any unrelated numbers-of-the-week would’ve slotted inbetween and what those episodes would have possibly dealt with. Or maybe they’d be more simple distractions, a way to turn the viewer away from the threat of Samaritan if only for a brief moment before it reared its head up again and we were met with a glimpse of its plans for humanity.

Person of Interest – “A More Perfect Union” is the calm before the storm

I could sit here and discuss at length what was structurally wrong about how the number number-of-the-week was presented in “A More Perfect Union”, but it’s clear almost from the start that such a thing is inconsequential. As someone who has sat down and deconstructed what makes a middle of the pack or even strong number-of-the-week episode of the show and was only a step from writing the teleplay of my own, I realize I need to put that aside, because this episode doesn’t really demand anything from the viewer but to enjoy its characters in sometimes completely humourous situations. This is a show going out on its own terms and it has decided to have some fun while they still can.

The two POIs are inconsequential. We barely learn anything about them except how they fit into the wider context of the wedding guests who are plotting and scheming in the background. The groom’s ex kissing him on his wedding day? Nothing but a bribe from the bride’s father. The bride getting cold feet? Easily rectified by a speech that it shouldn’t matter. The photo in question? We don’t even see it because there only needs to be a simple resolution to the case; it was the sister who doped the prize racing stallion, with the family photographer being the sole witness to the crime and the true victim.

Most of the setups worked mostly to work to build towards a joke or punchline. Reese arrives after police have been called to a bachelorette party. We know how this will end, but the joke works because of Reese’s discomfort, and the bridesmaid slobbering over him. Root decides to brute force her way into the wedding, passing as a caterer with the help of Bear carrying dead vermin around the kitchen. Finch’s cover is quickly turned against him; the estranged uncle he passes for is asked to sing to everyone. Meanwhile Root and Reese fight a bunch of hired guns while Finch sings Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It”. And then Root literally saves the day by riding in on horseback and dispatching the last set of bad guys. What about everyone’s insistence that Root doesn’t like weddings, and her insistence that she does? Golden.

“Tomorrow their world crashes. But we can give them tonight.”

Having much less fun are Fusco and Shaw, who are separated from the fun of a wedding reception. Fusco is still working on those missing persons while Bruce Moran continues trying to make headway into discovering what new player is keeping the criminal element down. Fusco arguably has some more comedic scenes with Bear as everyone’s favourite dog tows the detective along. It’s not long until Fusco finds all the missing people he’s been searching for, along with Bruce and the city contractor dead in a tunnel, scheduled for demolition at a bad time. The testament to Bruce’s timely and off-screen demise says a lot about how little worth he is to Samaritan, the unknown factor in the dark that he and Fusco cannot seem to grasp.

Meanwhile Shaw is given somewhat of a reprieve from her head torture by having Greer extol the virtues of Samaritan, what it is capable of, and how immeasurably more efficient it is at protecting people. Although it is pretty clear to everyone by now that Samaritan is more than willing to kill a few hundred to save millions if necessary, framing its actions in them most favourable light. It’s certainly not going to convince Shaw or any viewers at all, but I appreciate the change in perspective allowed for us to understand what Greer’s worldview is in a more nuanced light. To him, it’s not reprehensible because of how he little he thinks humanity can go about, fumbling in the dark, doing the best it can when there is a better alternative.

Person of Interest – “ShotSeeker”, in which nearly everyone is left in the dark

As much as we learned about the state of the new world order in “ShotSeeker”, there’s even more that the show leaves in its wake to suggest we’re just at the tip of the iceberg. Lingering questions or doubts are placed in the characters’ heads and while some of them are told to count what few blessings they have and move on, others take it upon themselves to continue rocking the boat, which might be much more dangerous than they could possibly fathom. The truth, in “ShotSeeker”, is very much something you can try to discern from something that reads false – much like how the number of the week Ethan Garvin can tell a gunshot from a firecracker exploding – but digging too hard might rain all sorts of trouble down upon you.

Person of Interest - “6,741” OR, One tough firecracker

There are a couple of impressive feats on display in "6,741". I did not take to the episode initially, but I think the strength of it lies in it being watched again, when you are aware of the twist that comes at the end. For myself, there was something odd about it. The episode felt off, and when you come to the conclusion the episode sets out to make, it becomes all the more clear. It was supposed to be off. This episode of Person of Interest we were watching all along was always going to be a substandard facsimile of the real thing. Call it what you want, but the 'twist' that revealed itself in the end - that this was a computer-induced simulation, and the title refers to the simulation number we saw unfold - helped cement the fact that it took a lot of care and craft to make something seem substandard.

But of course, upon further examination, "6,741" is anything but substandard.