When the Machine produces the social security number of a judge renowned for his tough sentencing, Reese and Finch have the added challenge of investigating a POI who wants nothing to do with their brand of vigilante justice.
Origin of the Title[]
The episode title obviously refers to the Person of Interest's position as a judge, but can also refer to the "judgment" each main character made in the episode to place their trust and friendship on (Carter on Fusco, Finch on Reese).
Main Plot Points[]
Person of Interest: Samuel Gates, a judge whose son is kidnapped and was forced to unfairly dismiss a case.
Angela Markham is on trial for hitting someone while driving under the influence.
To get her acquitted, the money launderers she works for, kidnap the judge's son.
Carter questions her trust in Fusco, but she is impressed with his detective skills. Fusco actually breaks open the case by tracing Coldfield Holdings.
Fusco's past as a dirty cop is touched upon.
Reese trades Angela for Gates and gets into a confrontation with SP-9.
According to security footage, the events in the episode start on October 20, 2011, the same airdate of the episode.
At the beginning of the episode, Finch is seen reading a first edition of the novel It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis. The fiction book is about a feared fascist dictatorship happening in America in the wake of the rise of Hitler and Mussolini. Later in the episode, Finch uses the name of a character, Walt Trowbridge, as an alias.
There is the continuous humorous interplay between Finch and Reese as Reese tries to probe into Finch's private life. In later seasons, the writers have to remind the audience that Reese is not just a "helper monkey." He is skilled in the art of espionage. He can read people, decrypt code, and mastermind artful methods of infiltration and exfil. He knows Spanish and is familiar with other cultures.
Szajka Pruszkow Dziewiec is apparently fictional. Pruszkow is a place in Poland. It may be derived from an online multiplayer game, MMO, showing stats on Zkillboard.There is however a Pruszkow mafia. If you want to know the hideous fate planned for the judge's son, look up "Pashtun Warlords" that Reese mentions.
Production Notes[]
Bloopers and Continuity Errors[]
After Reese speaks with the judge on the courthouse steps, the scene cuts to the Machine view of 48th and Broadway. According to the advertising visible, this view is from 2008.
"You don't need to say anything. I'd prefer it actually." (Reese)
"Look, I don't know exactly what you do or how you're doing it, but I know that if people ever find out, when they find out, there won't be anything I can do to protect you." (Judge Gates)
"They said, no cops, no FBI." "They didn't say anything about me." (Reese)
Clips[]
Person of Interest - Person of Interest - Preview 'Judgement'
