Person of Interest 3x21 Thoughts
Aug. 15th, 2015 10:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaBeta
I loved it. There was a great tension to the episode and I really loved the sense of team that permeated it.
• Truly excellent Reese/Finch episode. Reese's absolute and unshakable belief in Finch was all over this episode. Basically everything he had to say about Finch was delightful. There were so many I'm not even sure which was my favourite.
+ "Keep yourself alive Harold. I'm coming for you." - Reese. ♥ Okay, maybe this moment complete with Harold telling him just before this - "There wasn't another way." which felt like Finch trying to reassure Reese that he hasn't failed.
+ "This is a life. Finch would tell us to save it." - Reese. Or possibly this one where Reese chooses to continue to save people even with his life on the line because every life is important and it's what Finch would do. Also in a way it feels like lessons from the past paying off. Finch's journey began when he ignored the Numbers, and all the lives they represented, and in consequence Nathan died. It changed everything for him and set events into motion that brought everyone to this point. So it feels like it's all coming to a full circle to have Reese choose to answer Grace's Number as a result of all that Finch taught him.
It also ties into this exchange between Shaw and Reese:
"Who died and made you Finch?"
"Eh, it's a role I've got to play until the real one comes back."
Finch once had Reese set up as his contingency and I love getting to see Reese embracing that role and doing exactly what Finch wanted him to do. So much love. Also for Reese being so certain of Finch's return.
Other lines:
+ "He'll reach out to us when he's good and ready."
+ John pleading with Finch not to turn himself over to Decima - "Don't do this, Harold. echoing Harold's words to Reese in the last episode.
+ "We've lost Finch which means we've lost everything." ! Oh, Reese. ♥
+ "Whatever you want Finch we'll be there." - Reese. I loved this. I love that Reese understands, right from the beginning, because of course he does.
• For an episode with so little Finch it really packed in a lot of substance in every second of his screen time. Last week, Finch was forced to face the choice of killing a semi-innocent man to protect themselves and the Machine and it was not a step he was willing to take. Now he's faced with the consequences. It's forced him to finally stop running and it's also pushed him a little closer to the line he's drawn in the sand:
"I’d like you to avoid violence if at all possible, but if they harm Grace in any way, kill them all." That isn't about protecting anybody, it's all revenge. And because it's aimed at Reese and Shaw this isn't him simply saying something in anger - he meant it and he knew that they would do it.
The bridge scene was great. I loved Harold's whole speech about it being inevitable. I also liked how it was shot with Harold and Grace slowly walking towards each other and Harold's expression when he steadied Grace and she thanked him.
• The team! This was such a great team episode. Reese/Shaw carrying on in helping Irrelevant Numbers, Reese/Shaw/Root trying to evade Samaritan and then rescue Grace, Fusco helping at the station and then acting as backup/caretaker to Grace - all of it worked for me.
• We got not only Reese's deep loyalty to Harold this ep but Shaw's as well. I loved her telling Finch that they weren't going to give him to Decima because "we just got you back" and the way she turns to look at Reese for support for the three of them working for a different solution. How far she has come. Also Root once again decides to poke at Reese/taunt him with how he's still "a faithful dog" even after Finch left him but if this episode shows anything it's that it's true for Reese and Shaw.
• I loved that in the end neither Reese nor Shaw demanded to know where Finch had been because, while I want to know, the level of trust it showed makes me ridiculously happy.
• Root, as always, was delightful.
• Fusco didn't have a lot to do but he was also great as always. I loved his interactions with Root ('coco-puffs', heh), his wince outside interrogation while listening to Reese beat the Decima agent unconscious and his gentleness with Grace.
• Shaw's exasperation with everything this episode was a delight. I loved her headshake/eyeroll when Reese started critising her take down at the store robbery and her irritation at being critised by Reese and Root after taking out the Decima agent. I liked her pleasure at getting to do some "good old fashioned recon" and her "I'm sick of hiding let's make some noise."
• I love the new Samaritan camera scenes.
• Virgil killing himself at Greer's order was a bit of a 'wow' moment in that it was a level of dedication and loyalty I wasn't expecting.
• How exactly did Samaritan come up with a connection to Grace? And why not say Nathan's son?
• I'm assuming that Finch wasn't just in hiding while missing this episode and instead was laying the groundwork for some way for them to get out of this mess.
I loved it. There was a great tension to the episode and I really loved the sense of team that permeated it.
• Truly excellent Reese/Finch episode. Reese's absolute and unshakable belief in Finch was all over this episode. Basically everything he had to say about Finch was delightful. There were so many I'm not even sure which was my favourite.
+ "Keep yourself alive Harold. I'm coming for you." - Reese. ♥ Okay, maybe this moment complete with Harold telling him just before this - "There wasn't another way." which felt like Finch trying to reassure Reese that he hasn't failed.
+ "This is a life. Finch would tell us to save it." - Reese. Or possibly this one where Reese chooses to continue to save people even with his life on the line because every life is important and it's what Finch would do. Also in a way it feels like lessons from the past paying off. Finch's journey began when he ignored the Numbers, and all the lives they represented, and in consequence Nathan died. It changed everything for him and set events into motion that brought everyone to this point. So it feels like it's all coming to a full circle to have Reese choose to answer Grace's Number as a result of all that Finch taught him.
It also ties into this exchange between Shaw and Reese:
"Who died and made you Finch?"
"Eh, it's a role I've got to play until the real one comes back."
Finch once had Reese set up as his contingency and I love getting to see Reese embracing that role and doing exactly what Finch wanted him to do. So much love. Also for Reese being so certain of Finch's return.
Other lines:
+ "He'll reach out to us when he's good and ready."
+ John pleading with Finch not to turn himself over to Decima - "Don't do this, Harold. echoing Harold's words to Reese in the last episode.
+ "We've lost Finch which means we've lost everything." ! Oh, Reese. ♥
+ "Whatever you want Finch we'll be there." - Reese. I loved this. I love that Reese understands, right from the beginning, because of course he does.
• For an episode with so little Finch it really packed in a lot of substance in every second of his screen time. Last week, Finch was forced to face the choice of killing a semi-innocent man to protect themselves and the Machine and it was not a step he was willing to take. Now he's faced with the consequences. It's forced him to finally stop running and it's also pushed him a little closer to the line he's drawn in the sand:
"I’d like you to avoid violence if at all possible, but if they harm Grace in any way, kill them all." That isn't about protecting anybody, it's all revenge. And because it's aimed at Reese and Shaw this isn't him simply saying something in anger - he meant it and he knew that they would do it.
The bridge scene was great. I loved Harold's whole speech about it being inevitable. I also liked how it was shot with Harold and Grace slowly walking towards each other and Harold's expression when he steadied Grace and she thanked him.
• The team! This was such a great team episode. Reese/Shaw carrying on in helping Irrelevant Numbers, Reese/Shaw/Root trying to evade Samaritan and then rescue Grace, Fusco helping at the station and then acting as backup/caretaker to Grace - all of it worked for me.
• We got not only Reese's deep loyalty to Harold this ep but Shaw's as well. I loved her telling Finch that they weren't going to give him to Decima because "we just got you back" and the way she turns to look at Reese for support for the three of them working for a different solution. How far she has come. Also Root once again decides to poke at Reese/taunt him with how he's still "a faithful dog" even after Finch left him but if this episode shows anything it's that it's true for Reese and Shaw.
• I loved that in the end neither Reese nor Shaw demanded to know where Finch had been because, while I want to know, the level of trust it showed makes me ridiculously happy.
• Root, as always, was delightful.
• Fusco didn't have a lot to do but he was also great as always. I loved his interactions with Root ('coco-puffs', heh), his wince outside interrogation while listening to Reese beat the Decima agent unconscious and his gentleness with Grace.
• Shaw's exasperation with everything this episode was a delight. I loved her headshake/eyeroll when Reese started critising her take down at the store robbery and her irritation at being critised by Reese and Root after taking out the Decima agent. I liked her pleasure at getting to do some "good old fashioned recon" and her "I'm sick of hiding let's make some noise."
• I love the new Samaritan camera scenes.
• Virgil killing himself at Greer's order was a bit of a 'wow' moment in that it was a level of dedication and loyalty I wasn't expecting.
• How exactly did Samaritan come up with a connection to Grace? And why not say Nathan's son?
• I'm assuming that Finch wasn't just in hiding while missing this episode and instead was laying the groundwork for some way for them to get out of this mess.
