All posts by TJlive800

<p>This is the best positive appraisal I've ever seen of this show; I'm keeping it saved and rereading it if I ever need a reminder of why I love POI so much. I suggest everyone here reads it too. </p><p>https://www.reddit.com/r/PersonOfInterest/comments/4p6x6k/person_of_interest_5x13_return_0_episode/d4ik8bg </p>

<p>I actually entirely agree with what Claire is saying, to the letter. Although I did love John's exit and the fact that Finch did reveal he was alive to Grace. </p>

Perfect.

<p>@Leverage THANK YOU! I was just gonna suggest Mr. Robot here, such a brilliant show.  </p>

I'm going to miss this show so much

What a fucking riveting episode. Greg Plageman is a great director.

<div class="quote"><i>LeverageGuru wrote:
It's not the end of Root; it's the last stage in her transformation. </i></div>
<p>Brilliant. </p>

<p>Completely agree with LG on this one; Root's conscience is preserved in the Machine, and her death was in a way, an evolution. I know that it only goes so far to share her sentiments that death doesn't sacrifice who you are as a piece of information, but it more than compensates for her loss because she achieved her goals, went out a hero, and of course, is still there in a way. Samantha Groves may be dead, but the essence of who Root is as a character is very much alive and perpetually omnipresent for the rest of the series. Elias, on the other hand, was always just a human being with connections, and served as a show's liaison to its gritty roots. His enigmatic demeanor was underscored by the fact that all his accompishments were reached through human power, human connections and human intuition. He doesn't need a machine to be an all-seeing eye and that made him terrifying at the beginning, but a major asset in later times. Absolute shame to have him killed, Enrico Colantoni is a gem of an actor. At least he went out with real finesse this time as opposed to his underwhelming "death" at the end of season 4. </p>

<p>@Rubbra I knew I wasn't the only one who thought Finch's interrogator looked like his dad.  </p>

<div class="quote"><i>Rubbra wrote:
"Be seeing you." Classic exit line from The Prisoner. Do NOT tell me the writers are too young to know about The Prisoner. Age does not prevent you from learning from the past.</i></div>
<p>Nobody ever suggested that the writers were too young to know about or reference old works but whatever </p>

<div class="quote"><i>Helloclaire wrote:
<div class="quote"> <p>TJlive800 wrote: You'd think that by now Finch would be able to anticipate or at least consider the idea that Samaritan is involved in a crime full of meticulous plotting/background work (ex: transactions, emails, etc.) </p> </i></div>
<p>You would... but I felt the urge to slap Finch in the face every time they investigated a number and never even for a second considered the possibility that Samaritan was behind it. Missing scientist and meticulously spoofed publications... hmmm the rival charity boss must have done it! Duh! </p> </div> <p>Exactly my point lmao </p>

<div class="quote"><i>Mmccann16 wrote:
OMG😠  why does American TV keep killing. of all the strong women characters (and BTW all the lesbians). Thee love story between Root and Shaw was the best on American TV.  We finally got see what this mess of a relation meant to our favorite psycopaths. 😣😚👎👼Really WTF.</i></div>
<p>I suggest you read the IGN interview that I linked. Root and Shaw's relationship was never meant to be as mundane and quixotic as the usual TV couple, and intimacy is achieved in more ways than just sex. Nolan elaborates that the subtle similarities shared between their characters and the chemistry borne from their friendly rivalry more than compensates for the lack of physical intimacy, which itself was shown in a simulation as well as implied/joked at several times. </p>

<div class="quote"><i>Helloclaire wrote: <p>2. How did Samaritan know that Prof. Whistler is Finch? So far it could never identify him as Finch, so I wonder how it managed to map the irrelevant Prof. Whistler to Finch, who was the one to go to the cafe with Grace years ago. Was it Finch talking to the Machine which Samaritan intercepted? Probably... but still it didn't really become clear. If it was Shaw in her simulations that lead Samaritan to Finch.. possible, but then Samaritan would have had plenty of opportunities to find Finch before this episode. </p> </i></div>
<p>Samaritan keeps a perpetual watch on the world's citizens just like the Machine, and meticulously monitors the details of every individual regardless of how much value or relevance they have towards the AI's, Decima, Finch etc. Seeing as it's able to identify patterns on rapid instinct, it's easy to connect the dots between Whistler and the identical-looking Finch, both of whom visited that cafe. That lead alone unravels all the other connections that led to Finch's cover being compromised. </p>

<p>Cheers, Claire :)  </p><p>Samaritan provides a plethora of opportunities for thought-provoking discussion but as a plot point it's grown stale, especially when it's revealed as a player in a procedural crime. You'd think that by now Finch would be able to anticipate or at least consider the idea that Samaritan is involved in a crime full of meticulous plotting/background work (ex: transactions, emails, etc.) It's good to take a breather and let the show return to its roots while also contributing hugely to the overall continuity. </p>

<div class="quote"><i>Arianerys wrote:
Yeah... I didn't know( <p>One more for Bury Your Gays. This is getting ridiculous. </p><p>I've never hated being right this much </p> </i></div>
<p>If you read Jonah/Greg's IGN interview you'll know that the trope of killing homosexual characters was and never will be a factor in Root's story. She isn't dead, she just became a god! </p>

<div class="quote"><i>Splatnet wrote:
<div class="quote">TJlive800 wrote:
I'm also happy I don't watch any trailers for the episodes because it brings me back to 2013 when I binged the first two seasons the first time free of any context or preliminary assumptions about the episodes. Makes everything more unexpected and exciting</i></div>

So true. I avoid any inkling of what's to come (difficult!) just so I can savour the events as they unfold. (I binged three and a half seasons....) </div> <p>Sometimes the trailers are good when the show is just one episode a week and the pacing becomes tedious, but given the batshit crazy schedule we have this season, making time for previews only slows things down. </p>

<p>Naturally everyone's wetting their panties over episode 100, but honestly this was one of the most creepy and gripping episodes of the show we've had in a long time. A large portion of the credit goes to the fact that the mystery element came back to life; ever since Samaritan entered the fold, this show's serialized structure has abandoned any semblance of suspenseful mystery in favor of relentless action and complex thematic commentary on the age of surveillance. I've grown to be extremely receptive and appreciative of it but it doesn't mean I don't miss when this show was primarily a mystery/crime thriller with an omnipresent sci-fi influence underscoring the events rather than entirely taking the reigns on them. </p><p>The directorial choices for this episode were inspired, brilliant and immensely refreshing; we finally got some dim and gritty lighting drenched in shadows (reminiscent of the earlier seasons), and the music was thankfully subdued or even absent in certain scenes, which definitely offers some breathing room (the constantly-playing musical score gets a bit tiresome in scenes which I feel would be more intimate and captivating backgrounded by silence). The creepiness factor was present throughout but two key scenes come to mind: one is when "Amir" ditched the clueless facade and slowly smirked at Fusco, fucking unnerving. The other was Shaw's more understated, low-key return to the fold; the way the whole scene was framed in the darkness of the woods harkens back to late season 2 when most of the scenes we got of Shaw were in the dead of the night, but what really stood out was when the scene cut away after Shaw explained the simulations to Root. Sarah Shahi's delivery of those lines was downright chilling, and the brief moment of silence followed by that shot of the Machine's squares around two splotches of darkness among the shadowy trees created a remarkable sense of tension. It's the subtle things. </p><p>"The Voice" admittedly reminded me of a few cringeworthy fanfictions I wrote when I was 14 years old with some mystery guy over the phone being an evil mastermind, except POI's execution of the idea obviously came with a lot more finesse. For a show this dedicated to detail, it only makes sense for them to bring back this enigmatic figure they introduced two seasons back. As some review sites already said, this story was in many ways similar to Root's introduction back in season 1, except "Terry Easton" didn't have any knowledge of the Machine, and that ultimately thwarted his plans. Some of the episode's suspense was certainly diluted by the rather predictable reveal of the clueless frantic witness being the villain, but it's mostly because the show's pulled this on us at least twice, once with Elias and later with Root. And speaking of Elias, it was absolutely riveting watching him return to his sinister roots instead of just exchanging philosophical talk with Finch. In the final standoff with the Voice, what I found more surprising than the fact that Elias blew up the fucker's car was that Finch was only feigning shock at the whole thing, when his face seemed to signal a sense of admiration. Definitely playing into Elias' idea that Finch's dark side is ready to be brought out this season. </p><p>We wrapped things up nicely with yet another deeply satisfying turn of events: Fusco now gets a yellow box! I particularly liked that it was Reese doing the talking instead of Root and Finch, mostly because Reese is mostly Team Machine's heavyweight who chooses not to get wrapped up in the sentimental and philosophical complexions behind the AI's inner workings, and that allows him to explain his cause in a more brazen and less corny way. It's always interesting seeing him engage in a conversation about the Machine the same way it's interesting seeing Finch get out on the streets doing dirty work, purely out of the role reversal/change of pace. Oh and Shaw's back. For real this time, as it appears.  </p>

<div class="quote"><i>Wren195 wrote:
Who is really going to be breathing at the end of .exe ??</i></div>
<p>Isn't the finale called "Return 0"? </p>

<div class="quote"><i>Arianerys wrote:
I don't think Root survives. Maybe the Machine just gets her voice?</i></div>
<p>Dude... </p>

I'm also happy I don't watch any trailers for the episodes because it brings me back to 2013 when I binged the first two seasons the first time free of any context or preliminary assumptions about the episodes. Makes everything more unexpected and exciting