I was all ready to write up a mediocre review of "Witness" after what appeared to be a fairly humdrum episode spent a bunch of time feeding us information on the series' potential bad guy and working on a case that wasn't really going anywhere. But in the final minutes I got totally Keyser Soze'd and fell right into the writers' trap. Well played, Person of Interest, you crafty bastard.
What started off as a standalone case-of-the-week turned out to be the series' most serialized episode yet as we finally met Elias, the new crime lord who was hinted at early and who really became a figure last week. ComputerBox4000 gave Finch and Reese the social security number of a simple schoolteacher, a nerdy balding dude named Charlie (guest-star Enrico Colantoni—how many awesome guest stars can this show get?). Charlie had happened to be at the wrong bodega at the wrong lunchtime, and witnessed the murder of a high-ranking criminal from the La Cosa Nostra family with one of those criminal-sounding last names. Or a pasta, maybe his last name was a pasta. Doesn't matter now, 'cause he's dead, and a Russian gang is responsible. Naturally, Charlie did what anyone in his sticky situation would do: He got the eff out of there and hid in his crappy apartment, passing the time by eating canned soup and wishing it would all go away. But it won't go away, because gangsters of European decent tend to hold grudges.
Reese, Finch, and Detective Carter naturally figured that Charlie was under fire from the Russians because he could finger their triggerman, and we later learned that Elias's gang might be after Charlie because the victim may have imparted some information to Charlie before he took his last breath between a Pringles display and some stacks of tattoo magazines. Reese found Charlie and saved his ass in a variety of ways, which involved a ridiculously awesome potshot from beneath a car door and putting some freshly cut cocaine on Charlie's bullet wound. He's a regular Colombian Florence Nightingale!
Communications between Reese and Finch went down after Reese did what we've all done—cracked his iPhone. Unfortunately, there was no Apple Store in the Towers (to use The Wire lingo) Charlie and Reese were hiding out in, so they were stuck while the Russians closed in. It was a total drag to see Reese and Finch incommunicado, especially after how great they worked together last week. But that's the dynamic duo's Kryptonite. If their tech isn't available, they're just a super badass ex-CIA guy with deadeye aim and fists of fury and a weird rich guy with a stiff back. Okay, that still sounds pretty cool, but you know what I'm getting at.
Eventually Reese and Charlie, while running from the Russian Gun Show, saw one of Charlie's students, a prototypical good boy trying to get out of the slums with the help of his well-meaning teacher. There was a tender moment when Charlie and the kid verbally patted each other on the back, and we got the idea that this Charlie is just the type of man we want in our neighborhood. He's a model citizen. He's the month of July in the "Teachers of the Year" calendar. He's Veronica Mars' dad! He's Mathesar, leader of the Thermians in Galaxy Quest! (<— Best movie ever, btw.)
LIES! ALL LIES! Reese and Charlie eventually made it out, taking a ferry across the river to get picked up by Detective Fusco. Reese had a Russian hostage (Dollhouse's Enver Gjokaj) in tow, who couldn't understand how Reese could be assisting Charlie. Meanwhile, Carter and the Geico guy (another awesome guest star) were interrogating Enver's brother, and the brother said Elias was supposed to be at the bodega, too. And then the hammer dropped, and everyone figured everything out at the same time. Charlie IS Elias. What!? Ahhh! How did? What done? Who what? What what?
A lot of work went into that giant ball of misdirection to make it so effective. The casting of Enrico is fantastic; I love him as a driven, intelligent crime boss out for revenge. Plus, after several one-episode guest stars, it was easy to believe that he wouldn't be part of a bigger arc. Carter and the Geico guy working on the same case in a different place provided us with more clues. The chat between the kid and "Charlie" melted our hearts and had us rooting for the guy. Finch's suspicion that the wrong guy was Elias took us further off the trail. And it all came together to make us feel awfully stupid, because Elias was right there all along. I hate being fooled by TV show twists (usually they're easier to pick up on) but I done got hoodwinked bad last night.
It's a huge step for Person of Interest, which continues to prove that it's more than just a simple network procedural. The good guys didn't win. And they didn't just not win, they helped the bad guys win. Ouch. A major step backward for Reese and Finch Exterminators LLC.
In the final conversation between Finch and Reese, Finch revealed a weakness in their operation. The technology that binds them together and gives them purpose can also be their undoing. The info they get from the ComputerTron900S is so ambiguous, it can bite them in the ass, just as it did in "Witness." Finch seemed to take that as a simple glitch they'll have to work through, but boy oh boy was Reese pissed! Finch is now ready to move on to the next number, but Reese isn't sure he can trust what the computer says. The box of circuits and wires is suddenly like a 90-percent accurate pregnancy test or anything you read on the internet. I think it's safe to say that Jonathan Nolan's promise that the computer (technically it's a program, I know) will be a character is slowly coming to fruition.
Now we know the good guys won't always win. Now we know Reese and Finch are at the mercy of the information that supposedly gives them an advantage. Now we know there's a man named Elias who's the series' Big Bad. Now we know Person of Interest is definitely one of the biggest surprises of the season and one of the best new shows on television.
Surveillance Notes:
– Person of Interest has so many things to play with. The individual cases can still be great mysteries, Reese and Finch's budding relationship is always fascinating, the duo's backstories are still things we look forward to (there's been enough other things going on that I don't miss the flashbacks yet), and now we have a longer season arc with Elias. Things are really shaping up well for the show to last a long time.
– It might be a misnomer to call Elias a "villain." Let's review the facts: He's out for revenge to claim turf that was stolen from his family, the process of which involved the murder of his mother. I won't blame him for that. He's not so sinister that he would murder his arch-enemy's son—commendable. He saw Reese's talent and even offered him a job, so he's smart! And on top of that, he didn't kill Reese because he was actually grateful for the help, so he's forgiving. Elias is almost an anti-hero to Reese's anti-anti-hero. It's a recipe for a great future showdown between the two, who are more similar than they know (complete with leg-shooting). Is anyone on Person of Interest 100-percent good or bad?
– I loved the final montage of Reese pissed and walking off, Elias's hitman taking out the Russian boss, and Elias and his boys walking down the Boardwalk saying things are just beginning. All-around great stuff. This show really knows how to end an episode and leave you wanting more.
– There were some great bits of Reese and Finch getting their bromance on. "Finch, I was just talking about you," Reese said like a boy with a crush. And Finch had eyes like a father worried about his son when their communications went down. These two should just get a room already.
Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom
his unbelivable calmness was kinda provoking but as soon as the talked about "one of his foster dads teaching him to use gun" I figured it out.. the monte cristo reference was even more brilliant.. but it would be unfair to say "it was all and all obvious" as especially at the beginning, while he was trying to protect himself with a kitchen knife he really looked naive.. and yes, I also agree that nobody being 100% good or bad makes it even more interesting and better..
I figured there was something up with this Charlie-teacher-dude pretty early in the episode. It somehow just didn't make sense to me that he lived in that neighborhood. He didn't fit in. So I figured there was something up with him. And what do you know, I was right! Btw, I was disappointed with the fact that Enver Gjokaj was put in such a small role. He's such a great actor, I would've liked to see more of him. He deserves better. I hope we get to see more of him, give him a lead in something already!
This was a great episode! Wow. My husband and I were completely fooled. But the best twists are those that work after you realize what was going on. After you realize who Elias is, it all still adds up. Well done.
Best episode so far!
This is one of my real fav shows! Love both the actors and can see some interesing story twists in the future! really look forward to each and every new episode!!!
Good episode. Not that great to me actually but good enough. I had my suspicions about Charlie mainly because he seemed quite calm for a guy chased by mobsters and with a bullet in the shoulder. Furthermore, the security cam footage that we see in the first seconds of the ep have "no I want to be here to see him die" (or kinda). The accent was russian (it was the mob boss) but that made me wonder about the real reason of Charlie in the bodega. So i got confused enough to have doubts about his real intentions.
However, my suspicions were crushed when the kid came along because I saw him as a real caring teacher and I missed the monte cristo reference as an analogy (I'm a bit ashamed of it :( ).
So, at the end, the twist was still efficient for me but the story of the episode seemed off to me. I agree though that it sets up some good things for the rest of the season. I just hope it gets a bit more serialized even though that elias arc was pretty much serialized already.moreless
The Count of Monte Cristo in the kid's house and then a shot of Jim Caviezel...LOL
Great twist in the end! By far great series!
Yeah, I am not sure they will find Elias a true baddie, but gee wiz am I glad to see him as a fantasic actor -- love Enrico in Veronica Mars and think he has found another great show here. I wasn't terribly worried about plot sense, as the story had me well captured till the end. Keep it up guys!!
While watching the show I'm riding with it but afterwards I think alot is goofy. (1) It didn't make any sense that Elias' man could just walk in alone and make the hit on the Italian crime boss. (2) It was silly that they were riding a PUBLIC FERRY and Reese could tie up his prisoner with no one batting an eye. (3) Was Finch so distracted that he didn't do a basic background check on the guy whose number came up? Certainly with the super computer that Finch has he would have seen that "Charlie" had no history going back more than a couple of years. Oh well, who says it is supposed to be realistic?
(1) We just saw the hit. Maybe he shot several gards before
(2) I wondered on that one myself
(3) Elias was a secretive man. No one knew who he was. The background check was accurate and right. Charlie was indeed a school teacher with a background. Would you really expect from Finch to check entire lives (childhood included) of the numbers they got ? The dude witnessed a mob hit, then in danger. Plausible enough to not have to dig that deep into the guy's history.
What a twist.. "Person of Interest" got me.. Certainly one of the best new show on television.
There's another glitch with SuperComputer:
In episode S01E06 "The Fix", the machine picked up the number of Zoe Morgan, the POI of the week, but not Bernie Sullivan's one, the detective killed in relation with the Elias case.
Is the machine wrong or corrupted?
Maybe it's just not omniscient. It's a statistical device which gives a prevision (not a prediction).
Anyone could easily tell early on Charlie was Elias. I mean they dropped dozens of hints before finally admitting it.
I don't get how you could miss that Charlie = Elias. It was really obvious. Firstly, he was acting pretty cool for a teacher who just got shot. Seconsly, that other guy who posed as (or was) a policeman was just too mean-looking and colorless for a criminal mastermind. As we have learned from countless movies and tv shows: supervillains are always normal looking but with a certain screen presence. So here.
What did surprise me though was that Reese gave Elias a loaded gun. I guessed he would have figured out something was not right and chosen to stay on the safe side.
Well, nobody is perfect.
Bragging like that is really impolite. Of course it was not "really obvious" until some point along the plot line, so it is just silly to pretend it was obvious from the beginning. For myself, I didn't figure it out until the interrogation of the Russian gangster's son at Minute 37 and he said "We heard from a source Elias was supposed to be at the bodega that night." Then of course it made sense that Elias was at the bodega and he was Charlie.
Really good episode, finally a serialized element and a villain on par with both heroes.
But honestly, "the mentalist" was even better with maybe the series strongest episode so far - after really bad episodes in this season 4. Please write a review of the last mentalist episode, Tim !
He's right Tim !
Both Person of Interest and The Mentalist last episodes were OMEGA CLASS POWER BLASTER TV lol
Please write a review on The Mentalist last episode! Best episodes from this season so far !
Mentalist and "Witness" = GREAAAAAT TV : P
One of the best episodes so far. And seeing Enrico did help a lot to add to episode's awesomeness.
Great show indeed. I never saw that coming. No way. I actually thought we will just see more fighting after they reach the meeting point. No way anyone could have seen that beforehand. And to think he would have actually died if Reeves hadn't been there.
Great episode, confirmation it's my favorite new show, how the hell did I miss that Enrico was Elias, yada, yada, yada
I basically agree with all the stuff everyone's said, but how Tim didn't mention Finch's great line at the beginning - "Yes, I imagine espionage was a much safer choice, Mr. Reese." - is beyond me. I remember in one of the previous reviews that Tim mentioned how much he does with his rare humorous lines, and that was a perfect example. Also, Fusco's first line to Finch was great - "You should really watch your cholesterol." / "What are we, dating?"
I'd go into more depth about how much I love this show, but most everything I want to say has already been said and also I'm tired/lazy.
Best episode to date. Writing superb thanks to Amanda Segel. Want more episodes from her. Music rocked!
There were some cute moments but mostly I was found this ep pretty boring.
I always have doubted the casting choice of Taraji P. Henson as the lead detective. She talks like a teenager with the voice of a child... She never felt like a big threat to Reese like some other women-cops we've seen on other shows. (Her character as never shown any great detective skills either.) But that is probably because I was expecting her to be Reese's antagonist. I am beginning to join the rank of those who have expected her to eventually be an ally for Reese (An honest one, contrarily to Fusco). This episode might just be the trigger. Then the casting choice would be more relevant.
D'Agostino's widow to Carter and Fisco: "Elias has bigger plans. He'll reunite the five families and take out the russian trash. And then when he's finished, you people will be answering to him."
Will Carter's number eventually come up? Is that what will make them join forces?
I believe that Reese was more angry at himself for not seeing through Charlie/Elias than at the "system" or the Machine. The situation was not new. We saw the exact same mistake on the very first episode with Diane Hansen. But the consequences, this time, will have a greater impact.
Finch: "We have to go, now. We have more people to help, more numbers."
Reese: "And how many of those numbers will come up because we saved one man's life?"
From here the show can go in two directions and we'll know next week which one it is. If this incident is not mentioned at all that means they are going the NCIS way: procedural with a regular "serialized" villain who does occasional appearances during the season.
(Don't get me wrong: I love NCIS.)
Or they will discuss the fact that they need to investigate the cases more before they intervene, hence why they might eventually need Carter's collaboration.
All in all a great episode. I've said at the beginning that this show could be a "monster"!moreless
Enrico...I love that man. And Enver Gjokaj (SO nice to see you post-Dollhouse!) Wow, I'm pretty much in love with this show. I'm all for the bromance, and the plot is shaping up nicely... I'm so glad I decided to give this series a go.
As someone who loves the movie, the little mention of Edmund and The Count of Monte Cristo was really great. Also, I consider myself a fan of Enrico Colantoni, so his guest starring/eventually recurring role was also great. It was a fun episode to watch.
This show is just awesome. Really awesome. I mean this episode had me on the edge of my seat.
Enrico was fantastic! Great actor, great choice, great character to play! I was convinced that he really was the bleeding heart teacher up until the moment that were on that boat. And he isn't just pure evil....you can't blame the guy or hate the guy, you kind of understand him which then makes you question your own morals and way of thinking, which seems to be an underlying thing with this show, seeing as you're usually rooting for a professional killer. Oh the wonderful world of gray.
I also love the development of the bromance between Finch& Reese. Finch was visibly rattled not being in communication with Reese for so long, and I also liked that Reese seems to respect Finch...as he implied with his comment about just talking about him, and the fact that he blamed the machine but not Finch himself. I also like the development of Reese's doubts in this machine. Also love that Finch does more than just hanging behind a computer screen.
Carter may end up having potential again.moreless
Tim, excellent review as usual; equally thought provoking and hilarious.
Finch has always maintained that the Machine did not differentiate between victim and perpetrator when proffering the numbers. It was interesting to see how Finch and Reese each handled the Elias revelation and the Machine's part (and their own) in helping him cripple the Russian mob. Finch and Reese are both in this for redemption, yet Finch's ambivalence to the miscarriage of justice seemed to fuel Reese's impotent rage at this misdirection and misappropriation of effort. Reese may be a killer but his worldview is ultimately still more black and white than Finch's pragmatic slate and silver existence.
Tim, throughout the season you have expressed reserve regarding Taraji Henson's Det. Carter, and I think this episode created the possibility for a greater role for Carter in the POI equation. In this episode we witnessed a deeper level of cooperation between the Finch/Reese duo and Fusco, as each side is coming to tentatively trust and rely on the other to play to their strengths in a given situation. For me, one of the pivotal elements in character dynamics occurred with Finch relinquishing his anonymity to make direct contact with Fusco when he was unable to directly support Reese. Finch and Reese have their skill sets and it is obvious in this episode, to their dissatisfaction, that criminal investigation is not one either possesses in spades. I think "Witness" laid the foundation for enhanced roles for both Fusco and Carter, with both of them working with Finch and Reese in the future. Carter has been keeping a tally of Reese's "good" and "bad" deeds from the start, and the numbers do not add up to him being a true "bad guy," so I think there is some moral flexibility for Carter to slowly allow herself to become active in the group's activities. And let's face it, Fusco is not intelligent enough to keep sneaking around true police Carter (to use The Wire lingo) for much longer without giving away his connection to the Man in the Suit.moreless
"Fantastic tv series"
Ha. Ha ha ha. "Fantastic tv series" it never will be. At least, not unless Jim Caviezel miraculously learns to act, and fat chance on that happening.
Prime Suspect reached a point that was far better than this three episodes ago. Just saying.
just one word.... WOOOOW =)
Really nice episode! I'm starting to like this show. Enrico Colantoni is a welcome addition. (Although I hope that doesn't mean that "Flashpoint" is getting cancelled.) My favorite line of the episode was when Charlie/Elias told Reese: Last time I touched a gun I shot cans with my foster dad's. Accidentally killed a bird. Not my favorite childhood memory." Hilarious! And the count of Monte Cristo reference was funny too.
BTW: Tim writes that Jonathan Nolan promised that the computer/program will be a character. If this is the case that might be a hint to the solution to last week's conundrum: Why did Finch first say to Reese "WE chose you" (before instantly correcting himself to "I chose you")? At first I thought that could mean that Finch is the representative of a group/organization. But maybe he starts to see the machine itself as a person?
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I don't believe that Finch sees the Machine as a person but some kind of artificial intelligence since it selects (chooses) the numbers autonomously.
That could also mean that the Machine can do *searches* according to some criterias given by Finch.
This may be an interesting twist...
Interesting point. Finch would not be the first programmer to anthropomorphize his tech.
One thing I'm a little confused on is who are the men working for Elias now? Are these people that he taught early on in school to double-cross their fathers and are now all grown up? I remember him saying that the children he taught ended up hating the Russians even more than he did which makes me wonder if he formed his organization from these kids (years in the making)?
It's kind of hard to avoid spoilers when the title of the thread is one! haha. I kind of wish I hadn't read it, because I knew what was coming from pretty much the start -- which also means I didn't know the exact outcome. So even though it was very much like The Usual Suspects with some of its turns (and sorry if that spoils things), it was still genius and extremely well done. And yes, The Count of Monte Cristo was a nice touch, even with the subtle exposition by the kid.
Did anyone else notice that Charlie's student was reading "The Count of Monte Cristo?" A nod to my favorite Jim Caviezel movie!
Charlie wants revenge against the Russians, and the student was doing homework reading the ultimate revenge book "The Count of Monte Cristo"....with Reese (Caviezel starred in movie) giving a knowing smile. Perfect episode.
i love it!!
Sorry Revenge, Person of Interest is this year's best new show.