All posts by Helloclaire

<p>Hmmm... ideally the edits never stop coming, Mr. Reese ;) There's still a lot! to do here. I hope that people stay here and help complete the articles rather than move on to the next wiki. </p>

<div class="quote"><i> <p>Rubbra wrote: (...) I don't say it CHANGES his grief, it's just a different sidelight. And the more that I think about it, the additional light isn't really additional light. I don't think any different of the bender in response. </p> </i></div>
<p>Hmm yeah, maybe. Maybe I had hoped something with a bigger bang than having himself blow up after plotting with the Machine against Finch. It sounds like a Reese thing to do, but at that moment, and in this episode I had envisioned something else. </p>

<p>So. Okay. I liked it, but it didn’t blew me away. I think it’s an episode worthy to be the series finale, but idk… I could name a dozen other episodes which had a far greater impact on me as this one. (I’m a straight line, too :P) </p><p>The end was great, I love the idea with Shaw and Fusco to be the last ones standing, and Bear of course. Wherever he was before. I could see them team up with the DC team now that we have a duplicate Machine. Someone left the door open for whatever could come next, or at some point. </p><p>Reese’s exit felt odd. I don’t really like what he did. It was somehow obvious that either Finch or Reese would bite the dust but I had hoped for a more powerful exit. Ah well. Finch on the other hand… he gets to be with Grace in Italy, really? Idk, something was missing. Can’t put my finger on it. I did like it though how the episode ended without the “massive bloodbath” as advertised by the writers. It was a quiet end which I find was a good choice rather than a big bang with a mean cliffhanger or really everybody dead. So, yeah that was nice. It was more balanced than many finale episodes of other shows I’ve watched. </p><p>I wish they had added the song they had in mind (David Bowie’s Heroes) - at first it sounded like a strange choice for a “bloodbath finale” because it’s a pretty positive song, but now seeing how it ended I think the song would have complemented the episode quite nicely. The piano melody was lovely although I found the constantly playing score a little distracting. I don’t know if someone wants then to fill every scene with music, or if they just prefer it that way - I certainly don’t. Some dialogues would be a lot more powerful without music. But that has been my pet peeve for many seasons already, and mostly with POI. </p><p>& arrrrgh. I was hoping for Reese’s full name to be on the headstone. </p><p>& Reese was fighting is own stunt double in the vault :D </p>

<p>They should stuff the show in a Faraday cage to save it forever :( </p>

<p>Excellent episode indeed. Great callbacks to older episodes: </p>

• "Not every ex-soldier meets a reclusive billionaire" (“<span title="Mission Creep (Season 1 Episode 3)">Mission Creep</span>” - hah, some do, Mr. Reese!
• Fusco covering for Finch, including paying for the hotel room. I remember a dialogue between Finch and Fusco they had in I think A House Divided? where Fusco said he knows a cheap hotel in DC :D
• 3x11 (Lethe) had the team work without Reese, 5x11 had the team without Finch
• The "PTA" (lol Shaw!) group could have been Vigilance 2.0
• Trivia galore! Including a flight ticket with Zephyr Airlines

<p>I have to be honest - I did not ever even for a second expect that Logan Pierce, Joey Durban, and Harper would work together, or that they were the reason for Reese to feel watched. Really makes you wonder how many more teams there are. Maybe Henry Peck founded one of his own! (Note: I have not seen any previews or read any spoilers, and I'd like for it to stay that way until next Tuesday) </p><p>I wish there was a "RAM" sort of episode that shows what Logan Pierce did after he more or less put 2 and 2 together at the end of “<span title="One Percent (Season 2 Episode 14)">One Percent</span>”. Did he research people who were saved by the Man in the Suit? How did he and Joey end up together? Did TM send Harper to recruit them? </p><p>It took me a bit to accept Root's voice as the Machine's. TM sounded too much like Root (calling Harold by his first name instead of "Admin" or "Father", and later even "Harry"), but it makes sense if TM samples Root's voice from actual dialogues. I'm pretty sure there was a similar line as "Harry knows how to make a girl feel special" Root said once. Can't place it right now. It sounded very familiar. </p><p>How can there only be two episodes left??? This simulation sucks! </p>

<div class="quote"><i> <p>Rubbra wrote: Too bad it wasn't the same. That would have been a wonderful mindferk. </p> </i></div>
<p>But why? For the FBI man and Finch's father to be the same person? lol, please no! </p>

<div class="quote"><i> <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>

<p>Yes, that possibility crossed my mind... but there were probably countless other actions that Prof. Whistler made which would show Samaritan that he's not just an average university professor. I'll try to suspend disbelief ;) </p>

<p>Wow TJ, I completely agree with everything you wrote! I loved “<span title="Sotto Voce (Season 5 Episode 9)">Sotto Voce</span>” for exactly the reason that there was no Samaritan, and that they kept the mystery right up to the end. Usually you'd guess who the perp is and how things would play out, but this time I was literally on the edge of my seat. I suspected that the number wasn't just an ordinary number but at some point I even suspected Elias to be behind the Voice, haha. Oh Elias, back to the roots... beautifully executed (pun intended). </p><p>I also loved the interaction among the characters, Finch being worried about Elias, Reese worried about Fusco, Shaw worried about Root. That final shot under the bridge had me almost sobbing (almost!) and Fusco got a yellow box... I think this is one of my favourite episodes of the entire show just because it was classic mystery POI with appropriate emotional moments. Haven't had that in a long time indeed. </p>

<p>hmmmm. A few questions that I find didn't really become clear in this episode: </p><p>1. Does Elias know about the Machine or Samaritan? Reese mentions the 'all-seeing eye' and Elias says that he used to be the 'all-seeing eye' - but I don't think they ever invited Elias in. </p><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><p>3. Why did Samaritan send Blackwell with the objective to kill Finch when Greer explicitly said before that Samaritan doesn't want Finch dead because it needs Finch's help? </p>

<p>What a great episode! First my favourite animal on my favourite show on Monday, and now aliens! hah I love my show! /fangirl modus off </p><p>Can we talk about the number in this episode? I'm not convinced it was Max Greene (as it says in the episode article). The Machine sent Root to the radio station in order to send a message, not because Max Greene was in danger. TM probably knew that Max had discovered something delicate but it was only after Root threatened to refuse the next mission until TM gave her a way to find Shaw. It's probably two birds with one stone, but TM never made it look like Max was its primary objective. </p><p>Vasily however was a number, and TM sent Root to the ballet to save him: "Those tickets weren't a bribe, Vasily. Your enemies lured you into an assassination." I suggest to change it in the article, or at least to include Vasily as the main POI (although not with a lot of screen time). </p>

<div class="quote"><i> <p>LeverageGuru wrote: Let's face it: the highlight was Reese in a tux. Very James Bond (if you saw Kevin Chapman's tweet.) </p> </i></div>
<p>Hah. I also got strong James Bond vibes :) Laughed at Reese's comment "I can't stand two days with billionaires." </p><p>Overall a decent episode, albeit a little too comicbook'ish for my taste. I wish they would go easier on the fan fiction storylines. I could go without Finch singing and Root on a horse (conveniently ready for her! and she even took off her caterer uniform!) </p><p>Loved the scenes with Shaw and Greer, he sure knows what he's doing. And then Fusco! FUSCO! NOO! When he and Bear went to spy on Bruce, and Bear started sniffing, for a second I thought it was the spot where Finch buried Dillinger which would have been a major twist, haha. It's not the spot as far as I can tell from scenes in RAM, ah well. Poor Bruce. He deserved better. </p><p>Not my favourite episode but far better than Skip. </p>

<div class="quote"><i> <p>TimeShade wrote: This was a true masterpiece. </p> </i></div>
<p>Agreed. </p><p>I have a full page of notes, especially all those Shaw-specific references in the simulation. </p><p>What do you think of those flashes Shaw had? Syringe, crack pipe, drug overdose, nuclear power plants, churches, and of course the carrousel. </p>

<p>What a brilliant episode! </p>

<p>Hm hm hm, interesting way to start a new season. I'd find it pretty cheap if Root's opening monologue would indicate that only she survives. It's not a telenovela. </p><p>What didn't quite convince me is why did the Machine try to decompress on its own the first time? How come it didn't see that there was not enough cooling power, or free storage to begin with? Is it a result from being crippled or did it know something we (and Finch) did not? </p><p>And why does it talk like a human child? I'm guessing it's for dramatic purposes and to emphasise Finch being its 'father' but.. nah, nope. Not buying it. </p><p>On another note, I believe there's Harold's father's name on the death certificate (ends with -as), and you would even see the full name for a fraction of a second if the image wasn't so blurry. </p><p>So, yay for trivia and Nathan Ingram, but nay for most of the rest. Need a little more to get back into the POI mood. </p>

<p>That's pretty cool research, Rubbra :) I'd love to join you but I'm currently 'between countries', and sometimes without proper internet (or a screen big enough to go on location hunt) so this will have to wait for now. </p>

<p>Intriguing title. Thanks CTP :) </p><p>The pilot episode of <i>Alias</i> was also named "Truth be Told" (written and directed by JJ Abrams) </p>

<div class="quote"><i> <p>LeverageGuru wrote: Nice tie-back to John's early line to Jessica that "no one is coming to save you." </p> </i></div>
<p>Don't forget about John teaching Finch the basics of a stakeout in “<span title="Root Cause (Season 1 Episode 13)">Root Cause</span>”: "Warm clothes, something to read, and an empty water bottle" (because there are no bathrooms on a stakeout) :D </p><p>Whatever. “<span title="Terra Incognita (Season 4 Episode 20)">Terra Incognita</span>” was clearly not my cup of tea. It got a little better on second watch, but overall I found it rather uninteresting and a bold move to bring an episode like this just before the finale, especially after a row of rather underwhelming episodes (since “<span title="Control-Alt-Delete (Season 4 Episode 12)">Control-Alt-Delete</span>”, and except “<span title="Karma (Season 4 Episode 17)">Karma</span>”). It didn't tell us anything we didn't already know about Reese, maybe putting it a little better in context but certainly not edge of my seat material. </p><p>It was nice to see Carter again though. I realized that I missed hearing her voice on the show and listening to her being the more reasonable part of the team, although it was mostly John's subconscious talking this time. </p><p>I'm still missing the POI vibe, and I was really hoping it would be back with this episode. Now another break (hooray. not.) and then let's see what comes next. </p>

<div class="quote"><i> <p>ElijahKatherineFan89 wrote: I agree and frankly it was over the 3rd time, it was fun the first 2 times but after that it became the same old thing not to mention to the detriment of Root as a character. </p> </i></div>
<p>I agree. While this episode was a real improvement compared to “<span title="Skip (Season 4 Episode 18)">Skip</span>”, I'm still not getting that POI vibe back. “<span title="If-Then-Else (Season 4 Episode 11)">If-Then-Else</span>” must have set the bar so high that either the writers don't dare bringing another mind blowing episode, or that they're not sure where they want to go. It still feels to me as if the Samaritan arc has hit a wall and all that's left are just pieces. Root isn't evil anymore, and Finch turned into this dull whiny person while Reese looks like a giggly teenager in love for the first time. Who are they and what have they done with my beloved characters? </p><p>I'm also getting a little tired of Root and her app (possibly) being the deux ex machina in the season finale again, or, I can't see what else there could be assuming that they're actually pursuing that storyline and not just used it to bring back Caleb for a two-minute stunt. While I still have faith in the writers to find an appropriate solution for this whole Samaritan mess, I'm feeling more and more disappointed by those last five or six episodes as a whole. They feel like single installments that could also easily be standalone episodes, and not like a part of the bigger arc (which they were probably intended to be). </p><p>Ah I don't know. I want to be excited about POI again, I want to not stop thinking about what happened in the latest episode. Instead the other day I couldn't even remember a character named Frankie Wells. </p>

<div class="quote"><i> <p>LeverageGuru wrote: I don't agree that the Machine is recruiting other teams. It sent Harper a few well-placed texts; that's a far cry from recruiting other teams. </p> </i></div>
<p>Hmmmmm... we don't know what the Machine does exactly or what her plans are. She's clearly planning something. And if Samaritan can recruit new team members, why can't the Machine? </p><p>That being said, I agree with Rubbra's comment. I'm very much underwhelmed by this episode which was too melodramatic and out of character for my taste. I wish they would leave romance out of the show, it doesn't fit. While Root and Finch continue to annoy me with their whiny conversations about how they're going to die if they're not careful (or whatever they talk about, I find it increasingly hard to listen to Root), I think Skip just takes the cake. I was really looking forward to Harold and Beth, and his HK plans hatching, and I loved their first scene together, until Root came and destroyed everything. She's usually the one to trust the Machine with her life, so what brings her to believe that Harold doesn't know what he's doing? If she admires him so much, she should give him more credit & as if this whole killing Beth idea wasn't bad enough already, Harold drinking the poison was probably the stupidest thing the show has done so far. </p><p>I'm really disappointed with this episode, and I can't even get myself to watch it again. Maybe I can just skip all Harold & Root scenes. Which then leaves iReese. Omg what was that. Can she die already? It's unprofessional and redundant, and cheesy, and totally unnecessary & I did not want to see this. Skipping that part as well. What remains is the POI and Harper...ummmmm ok. Not much to say about those two except that among the other recent episodes, it feels a lot like POI is running auditions for the next Shaw. It also feels a lot like nobody knows what to do with Samaritan and how to eventually defeat it (or be defeated?). I haven't really been excited about POI since Control-Alt-Delete, and I really hope that the last four episodes of this season bring back mind blowing Finch/Reese/Fusco action and focus less on feelings and moral dilemmas. </p>