(Great song that really goes with the theme of the episode: Fever Ray's "If I Had a Heart." This was also used in Season 4 of Breaking Bad.)
Well, if I wasn't enough of a conspiracy theorist before last night's episode of Person of Interest, "Blue Code," I sure am now. Things were bleak last night, as cops and CIA agents were on the take, totally ignoring that whole "To Protect and Serve" thing they have decaled on the sides of their cars and any words of advice from the Constitution.
"Blue Code" featured one of the better endings to an episode this season, and that's a good thing because an interesting number-of-the-week was bogged down by some sloppy action sequences. When all three aspects of the show–the case of the week, the greater mythology, and action–gel nicely, Person of Interest is an excellent program. Let's say "Blue Code" went two for three, which isn't bad.
This week's social security number belonged to an undercover cop named Michael Cahill staying low for as long as he could to get the big fish in a giant smuggling operation. In order to protect him, Reese infiltrated the gang because he just doesn't know when to say no to a dangerous mission to protect someone he's never met before, that's how he rolls. It wasn't too long before the gang's slimy leader, a man named Vargas who I will refer to as Evil Tony Shalhoub, sniffed out a rat and locked everyone in a warehouse until they discovered who the cop was while a team member bled out. You weren't the only one to say, "Hey, didn't I see this in Reservoir Dogs?"
Reese played Human Target and pretended to be the rat, got punched in the face a bunch, and ultimately got thrown in the trunk of a car that was set aflame. But this is Reese we're talking about, and he proceeded to move along with what is probably his most ludicrous escape yet. I guess my problem with this particular escape is that too much relied on others to make it happen. Cahill convinced Evil Tony to give him some alone time with Reese, then Cahill begged to be the one to shoot Reese at close range even though Evil Tony already had the gun pointed at Reese, Evil Tony never checked Reese to see if he was alive after Cahill "shot" him, and Carter showed up inexplicably (or maybe one of you can make it explicable? She had the license plate information I think, but is that enough?) to ammo up Reese for the next showdown. I like my Reese to be the Man of Action, I don't like to see him saved by others. Narrow escapes by external forces dilute Reese's badassery. I think I would have preferred Reese taking out Evil Tony while strapped to the chair. It can't be that different from beating up a bad guy while on crutches, right?
After Houdini'ing from the car boot, Reese and Carter come in guns a blazin' to disrupt Cahill's ill-advised gung-ho human shield capture of L.O.S., the top-of-the-ladder of the smuggling operation. Several shots are fired by Carter and Reese, who ignore using cover because this is a TV show, and all the bad guys end up on the ground. That's some fine police work, Carter and Reese! Unbelievable as that may have been, it didn't matter, because just as the story in front of us wrapped up, the big picture unraveled.
L.O.S. wasn't some white-boy crime lord, he was C.I.A. The C.I.A. has been using the unwinnable War on Drugs to fund the unwinnable War on Terror, meaning dirty hand prints go all the way up to that agency. I knew it! But that wasn't all. Agent Snow, the man who has been pursuing his old co-worker Reese, got L.O.S. out of jail, and just when you thought these two C.I.A. baddies were going to hatch their next plan, Snow and his boys threw L.O.S. into the back of an SUV and put a dark hood over his head. Having a dark hood over your head is never good, trust me. This episode was all about dirty people out-dirtying other dirty people.
The episode also gave Detective Fusco some good material, and it was probably the most tragic of them all. Fusco's been turning his life around by helping Finch and Reese out, but by the end of the episode he was digging a shallow grave for a dirty cop and asking his old dirty partners to get back into the dirty game. This episode was so filthy I took a Brillo pad to my TV after it was done. The look of resignation on Fusco's face was brutal. So close to getting out only to dive back in headfirst because Reese tells him that's the way it has to be. I feel for you, bro.
Nearly as heart-breaking was a series of flashbacks reminding us that Reese was once a family man. One of the recurring themes of the series (aside from tape your windows shut with black paper and hide under the bed) is that Reese can never return to normalcy, and he knows that. But man, seeing him struggle with it is painful. The way he chased down his ex-wife's new husband in the bar, his now-or-never look of temptation when his ex-wife was moving over to "meet" him, and the way he used Cahill's family as a surrogate for his own shattered dreams go along way in making Reese a compassionate three-dimensional character. Stanton said she sat out in a rental car looking back at her past for hours, and that's the exact same thing Reese did with Cahill's family. This is a man made out of personal pain. So sad.
"Blue Code" was an incredibly dark episode of Person of Interest, and one that proves there's only one set of good guys out there: FinchReese Incorporated! Don't answer your phone, don't go out into public, don't trust the cops, don't trust the government! Jon Reese and Harold Finch have your back. And maybe Carter if they let her in on it, too.
Notes... of Interest!
– Was anyone thinking the "package" in the flashbacks was Nathan Ingram? Selling software to China? Hmmm... I don't think the timing works out as that was in 2008, but who knows?
– The reveal in the flashbacks that Reese was in New York and not some desert country got me. Did you know they were in NYC?
– The Fusco-Carter not knowing about each other is pretty comical, in a good way. I love that Finch is at HQ playing phone operator while those two are calling him over and over again!
Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom
This was a great dark episode for Person of Interest and I loved it. I feel bad for poor Fusco having to made such strides to be good to only be forced by Reese to be dirty again. It makes sense, Reese needs a mole to hang around the dirty cops, but still, poor Fusco.
I for one thought the escape from the trunk of a burning vehicle was quite crafty... Reese is just plain badass.
I also enjoyed Finch as the phone HQ and managing calls coming in from Fusco and Carter. When they bumped into each other at the police stronghold station it was hilarious.
Pretty fun that Jose Zuniga (the guy that really was in this episode) looks so much like Tony Shalhoub.
http://totallylookslike.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/6b69e45e-352d-4ec3-92bf-76ae97415b5e.jpg
Check him out in House, he's was the INS agent four days later.
I'm gonna have to disagree with you on some points, Tim. I don't think having Reese one-man everything would have been the best path to take. Reese and Finch have always known they were on borrowed time with this mission of theirs, and that has as much to do with luck as it does their own unique talents. Just because they are often the best men for the job doesn't mean they aren't always in over their heads, because they are. Especially when zeroing in on governmental conspiracies even if only by accident. That Reese's fate isn't always in his hands keeps the suspense from getting stale. Heck, a lot of his most recent encounters have only been possible because of the outside help he's been accumulating. There are a lot of people looking to return the favor. And I don't mean the villains.
In regards to the Houdini car trunk, yes, it's highly farfetched... but damn if it didn't make for some highly entertaining television. The Nolan brothers are fixated with trying to make things plausible, not for realistic appeal, but for keeping suspension of disbelief strong. Yeah, it was more than a bit over the top, but I'll allow it. Partially because it was awesome to see (even more so in the preview), and largely because it allowed for ever-confident Reese to be seen in a less than ideal situation by a highly, HIGHLY bemused Carter. Seriously, the look on her face when he saw her screamed "Flaming car? Yep, figured you'd probably be in there." That made the moment worthwhile, because let's face it. In their exchanges with Reese, Carter and Fusco usually don't walk away with the longer end of the stick. I really consider the burning car to be Reese's "took a bullet in the rear" moment. And as awesome as he is, Carter is burning that image into her mind for years to come. :p
That aside, I'm glad Fusco's getting some more development, and I do feel bad for the guy being forced back into a life that he once thought could be escaped.moreless
Reese had "help" getting out of the trunk not really a Houdini move. The cop put a flashlight and a switchblade knife in Reese's pocket when he took out his wallet. Reese used the flashlight to locate the trunk latch, and if you listen carefully you here him open the switchblade knife, to pry the latch.
L.O.S. is dead. He got his throat slit right after they "hooded" him. For me, it was quite clear to hear when the C.I.A. man closed the car door. He will never be found.
Great episode, I thought of (evil) Tony Shaloub too !
If HR are the bad guys, is Toby Flenderson their leader?
This was one of the darkest episodes yet. I loved it. I thought since Fusco was being a little sidelined these past few episodes, they'd kill him off. That was some great writing in the end there. Also, no matter how improbable it may seem, Reese manages to pull off his scenes brilliantly without coming off as cheesy. I like the fact that he is being portrayed as a human who is not infallible.
-Snow did say it might be a software package to China. But he doesn't care, so I don't either.
-I thought they were in some middle-eastern country (the Hindi / Urdu song) especially when Snow said - "Don't forget you're behind enemy lines). Does that mean they're the enemies of the US!! It was quite clever and shocking!
-How awesome was Fusco in this episode! The final scene gave me the chills! Love the song!moreless
Tim: Your animated gifs make my day. They're the reason why I read TV.com articles. Also, nobody knew they were in NYC. Anyone who says otherwise is lying to you.
@erinahbing I think animated gifs are classic LOL!
I luved the eipisode. Dark as the Dark Avenger... I can very well imagine Reese wearing a mask and all ROFL!
I have to agree that Fusco's arc is really getting interesting! He looked so sad... "My hands are dirty and always will be, huh? Heartbreaking! No one said the road to redemption was easy...
I love PoI, but I did not like this episode so much, and I completely agree with this article.
I hope they will make more of the traditional cases, and less of this dark, dirty-people-out-dirtying-other-dirty-people ones.
Currently I'm more interested in Finch's back story than of Reese, and I hope the connection between them won't be very creepy.
(btw don't you wanna stop making annoying animgifs? it hurts me eyes and so '90s.. thanks :))
I didn't get that they were in NYC, but I thought it likely that they were in the USA. It was when agent Snow said that they weren't even supposed to be operating in this country that I knew. It didn't make much sense that the CIA wasn't supposed to be operating in some desert country.. :)
I thought that looked like Tony Shalhoub!
I actually didn't mind Reese finding a way to get out of the trunk of the burning car. He's kind of proven to be extra-strong and extra-smart when it comes to, uh, guns.. and fights... and being trapped in a burning car. I did kind of get bothered with Carter getting there just as he got out. It made for a decent looking scene, but it was way too coincidental.
Everything else about the episode was great. I loved how heavy the episode was. I liked how Fusco was both written (by the writers, duh) and acted (Kevin Chapman). Smart move by the writers to have him go back to being a dirty cop... makes his and Carter's roles more clear with Reese and Finch.
Reese had "help" getting out of the trunk. The cop put a flashlight and a switchblade knife in Reese's pocket when he took out his wallet. Reese used the flashlight to locate the trunk latch, and if you listen carefully you here him open the switchblade knife, to pry the latch. Carter's timing was good but Finch did ask her to check out a lisence plate belonging to the thieves. If that vehicle had a GPS locator she could have got its location and gone to investigate.
"Evil Tony" LOL! Good stuff right there!
I admit that our main man's escape relied too heavily on outside forces bending to his will...because if one thing didn't go right he'd have been a dead man. But I also like that our resident badass is so human. The fact that we're often reminded that he is a mere mortal, be it him getting captured, getting shot, getting the crap being out of him and actually bleeding. That's all what makes what he does even more compelling...more dangerous and envigorating to watch. Because he is in fact human. It makes the stakes higher.
I loved the overall darkness of this episode. I'm a bit of a conspiracy theorist myself so dirty cops and dirty CIA agents and aspects of the government being evil weren't exactly shocking moments, but it made for really good tv. It further reinforced the moral greyness of the series in general. There is not black and white in this world. There is no pure character with pure motives either. The baddies aren't inherently and wholly bad and the good ones aren't inherently and wholly good. It was fantastic....seeing that all this stuff digs deeper. I think that is what made those moments with Fusco so bloody good! He thought he was redeeming himself, he thought he was finally cleansing his hands of being dirty and now in order to truly be good he has to be just that....dirty. The look on his face when it hit him that he'll never be able to have a clean conscious was heartbreaking. It's also interesting because I have no doubt that Reese will try to protect Carter from being like Fusco. He'll try to make sure she remains as clean as possible, which is why having the both of them in his pocket (and keeping them from knowing about one another which btw offered up some hilarious scenes) is essential. I loved the episode, and I still love that instead of just giving us one bad guy to hate, and doing that thing most shows do where they give you a bad guy who eventually gets taken down and then you end up with a bigger badder one, they give you multiple "big bads" at once and have them loom over the series in general. I'm just as freaked out over the CIA as I am over Elias.moreless
Okay am I the only one who wants to giggle every time I hear or read LOS (lack of sex). And speaking of which, that guy is toast. He has been disappeared.
I got all warm and fuzzy when Carter opened her Dean Winchester-lite gun cache and Reese said "girl after my own heart" or something like that.
Yes, too many easy plot contrivances but I almost think they were window dressing on the Reese back story so I played along.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought Vargas looks like Tony Shalhoub.
Perfect episode is perfect. And kind of a ballsy episode considering the political climate lately. I am officially fan of the Fusco actor, loved the scene between Reese and Fusco. Poor guy, he'll never win. I just hope he stays in the show.
Allright then.
Am I the only one who thinks that Reese sat still on purpose. I mean if he were to break out and kick the smugglers' asses he'd interfere with Cahil's investigation. It may be a bit of a stretch, but pointing out that Reese is indeed a badass it's much more plausible than believing that he got the short end of the stick. As for the car trunk escape, the one thing that had me puzzled is why he was unconscious. I thought he was playing along with the act, not that he was out cold for real. As far as I see it, it wasn't Reese being in trouble and getting saved, it was more of a partnership with the undercover cop.
Now as for Fusco, pretty much everyone said it - terrific twist. I expected him getting saved in a more "flashy" manner, and that they'd have a campy heart-to-heart, instead Fusco is stuck burying a dirty cop and (again) becoming one himself and the show is better for it. This is actually the part of the episode I enjoyed most. Good guy getting saved - ok, bad guys getting dead - ok, good getting screwed over to go undercover - awesome.moreless
Excellent episode, excellent show. Along with Justified, this is the show I anticipate most every week. I think its going to get much, much darker by the finale. It'll probably be an unbearable cliffhanger.
I felt soo bad for Fusco by the end of the show. I've really grown to love the character and his redemption and feel bad for him that he has to go dark side again. I hope he survives whatever he has to go into. I have a feeling that POI could be that the show that is not afraid of killing characters. I just hope he won't be killed.
But I loved the episode and I had a feeling that when Snow got L.O.S. out that he was in trouble and from the part with the hood and the car it's a safe bet that he's probably dead or wishing he was dead.
Reese was also very cool telling the truth about the phone and stealing it seconds after. Brilliantly played.
That show is thick ! (no pun intended) So many things going on !
My only disappointment is indeed that escape. Though I can believe that Cahill managed to have some private time with reese and fake his shooting without suspicions, the burning car is a bit too much for me. I mean, seriously, if I want to make a body (or two) disappear, I wouldn't soak in gasoline everything but the bodies ! But he, just like you said it Tim, It's a badass tv show so let's let it slide.
Another weak episode. Lots of boring action sequuences here Reese is saved/shows up and save someone, in the last second. I wish they would focus more on an intelligent plot rather than dumb it down with this, but I guess they know their key demographic, and they want to see all this fighting, that always send me reaching for the remote.
By tuning in weekly long enough to criticize the episode, welcome to the dumb key demographic masses. :)
Well, I was hoping the show would take a more cerebral route (There were signs of that earlier) but few such signs now. Does anyone really get worried when Reese is in danger? Was anyone surprised when Fusco was saved by Reese?
I would have loved it if Reese really had been killed. That would have been a real game-changer and a sign that the show is not afraid to push the envelope.
I watch television for distraction and entertainment as I am sure most people do. POI doesn't need to push any envelopes, the show is already different from other dramas. Considering POI won People's Choice for best new drama is a testament in itself the show has the right ingredients for prime entertainment. Some people are drawn to the show because of the actors/characters so killing off one of the leads, not a good idea.
That was an amazing episode...loved it....and Tim, those last few line felt right out of the script of POI....I could hear them being narrrated by finch....good work.
I feel for Fusco too....i used to love him being treated like a workdog by Reese/Finch...but this time it was really harsh.
Another good episode to me. You know, as much as I enjoy seeing Reese and Finch manipulate Fusco (mainly because I think he has it coming being a former dirty cop), I was very worried for him at the end. His speech and the expression on his face were priceless. I really though he was going to bite the dust; and that's the kind of television this show is capable of producing. Loved it!
Look Tim, I like Reese's bad-assery as much as the next fan, but sometimes even tough guys need saving. Also, the escape was like Houdini because a) Reese is good at getting out of tough situations and b) he used the flashlight to jar the trunk loose. This doesn't lessen his manhood one bit. Also, the shootout wasn't a big deal to me. As long as the bad guys went down, that's all that matters.
The way they keep Carter and Fusco from knowing about what the other knows is awesome! They kept looking at each other like "Does he/she know?" Love it!!moreless
Liked this episode, Fusco's having to play the role of the dirty cop once again was indeed heart wrenching.
This went a lot darker than I thought it would. When they said they didn't know if they'd have time to save both Fusco and the undercover cop, I figured they'd finally read Carter in on Fusco's role and send her off to save him.
But noooo, that would be far too simple. And I really, really felt for Fusco, who was sort of resigned to going out, as long as he felt like he was doing it "clean". And a minute later, he's dragged back into the mud again, as dirty as can be.
I really do feel for him, and it's kind of hard to remember that he was part of the group trying to kill Reese (and setting up low-level crooks at gunpoint as scapegoats for their shady business) when we see how much he's turned himself around since then. He clearly enjoys being a good cop, and feels good about the amends he's been making.
But if Reese hadn't let him off the hook back then, he'd be doing hard time in a very nasty place, so I can see why he shouldn't get off TOO easy, and why he's not done with his redemption yet.
But I hope he'll get there in the end. Despite his nasty past, he, unlike Reese (and Finch), actually has a chance at a "normal" life, taking his kid to baseball practice and being a decent cop.moreless
I've got to say it this way, what a sadly terrific episode.
Reese's character is so damaged emotionally with little hope of recovery. You could almost feel how much he wanted a "normal" life while watching the cop with his family.
Fusco's character broke my heart this week, excellent acting. He was ready to die knowing he had tried to do good only to be saved and thrown back into the life of a dirty cop. Reese did refer to Carter and Fusco as assets but he could of given Fusco a little credit.
As for the CIA being dirty no surprise there, they have been in my bad books since they shot Reese.
Can't wait to see what POI has up their sleeves for next week.
Well, Weeks (Cotter Smith) was on the press release cast list. But he wasn't credited, and they'd hardly needed to pay the actor just to sit in a bathtub with a hood on his head and no dialogue.
- I think it would be unrealistic if there was too much overlap between Finch & Reese's past. So the package is more likely to be Denton Weeks.
- It's the aura of invincibility around John Reese that makes us want to tune in every week. Some of the situations Reese got out of last night were outrageous, but it was fun to watch! Isn't that what matters?
- Fusco is a brilliantly written character. Reese should have acknowledged the lengths to which the guy wants to change his life. How about a pat on the back, Reese?
"- It's the aura of invincibility around John Reese that makes us want to tune in every week. " Well, that and he speaks like Dirty Harry with a deep sense of irony and humor and and looks like a he stepped off the pages of GQ - man gives me shivers. I'd tune in even if he wasn't so invincible and we had to watch him get tuned up a bit every week - oh wait, he does get tuned up a bit every week. It is still fun to watch.
I love this show but my head starts spinning with all the conspiracies going on in NY, Elias, root, the death of Ingram, The CIA smuggle ring, The HR department. Any other series takes on maybe two at a time in a season. yet maybe it's one giant conspiracy.
Definitely thought of Reservoir Dogs minus "stuck in the middle"
P.s. Agent Snow responsible for Drug smuggling should have seen that coming with that name"
Damn i love this show. I thought it hit a lot of what was needed. We got to know a little more about Reese. Carter may now know that Reese and Finch have another cop in on it with them, since snow told her about the print and blood in the vet clinic up north. So it will be interesting to see if she figures out Fusco is part of the team.
Not a lot of Finch this week, but we have had a couple of episodes with him centered in it or well his mythology.
The code of the week was all right. it was no big reveal that the guy was an undercover cop. The reveal of the CIA wasn't that big of a reveal either. It is entirely plausible and often lamented that the CIA has been allowing drugs into the country to help fuel their money to fight the GWOT. So that isn't a big deal. However the fact that Reese knew him and L.O.S looked like her recognized Reese is interesting. I am not sure if he saw Carter or not. So he could conceivably trade that knowledge to not end up in some black site in one of the stans.
But over all this is just a great show. I look forward to this every week. And this seriousness coupled with Archer right behind it in my neck of the woods. Is so much fun.moreless
I totally called the being in the states because the CIA is not legally allowed to operate inside the USA
Sometimes I wonder if POI is a HBO, FX, or AMC show, not CBS. Amazing show with interesting twists! The FinchReese relationship must be the most interesting relationship on television.
I think with the right amount of swear words and nudity it could fit right in with FX or HBO. AMC has been slipping recently, I think POI is better than anything AMC currently has.
It was sad and great. Not the best ever but necessary, I think, to the overall arch.
~ I keep reading about the guy in the bathtub being Ingram but my first guess was actually Weeks, the shlub who tried to hack into the machine.
~ I had guessed Reese had been in the states since his fingerprints hit on crimes here (in the pilot). I have inferred that Reese was tactical CIA for a few years post 9/11 and got 'recruited' into covert ops in 2006 when he was assigned to Stanton. And while his life before than certainly wasn't a rousing good time ... that's when all the bad shit happened and led to his "homeless, drunk, suicidal" state in the pilot.
~ I LOVE Fusco! So glad they gave him such a great part this ep and VERY glad they are making him unique from Carter (she made his old role irrelevant). So now Reese has a 'dirty' cop and a 'good' cop on his payroll. Lol, it's brilliant!
I'm kind of hoping Snow is part of a dirty, unsanctioned underbelly of the CIA (a la Treadstone in Bourne) - I'd rather Reese's enemy's not be so overwhelming that failure is inevitable.
And, geez - the more they show of Reese's past the sadder he is as a character. I find it a little odd that he pines for a lost love for EIGHT years - hoping there's something more that leads to his break w/ the CIA but who knows, Hollywood loves it's Rome and Juliet.Add a comment...moreless
I agree. Weeks is a more likely to be the "package".
wasn`t Reese`s ex killed in 2005? if i remember it right her picture was on the machine`s screen while ingram was talking with finch in the second episode... so how come she was alive in 2008?... did she kill someone (to get the machine`s attention) and then she ended up dead somehow later on?
the resemblance to Tony Shalhoub is uncanny...
Were Reese and his feisty female partner always in NY? Or was it just this time, their first return trip home? She said something about this being his first time back, but I'm not sure.
Poor Fusco...I'm glad the character is getting this story line though-obviously something needed to change to make him different from Carter.
How good was that music at the end, too? "If I Had a Heart" - Fever Ray, in case anyone's interested. But this show really does use good music in it's final scenes.
-I like Nathan Ingram for this. Or not. Or something, I don't know what. I know Nathan Ingram's in it for something... I hope we find out soon... or that they hold it over our heads. Whatever. Such a good show.
-I called it in NYC, but I like the juxtaposition of "behind enemy lines".
-Very comical. Adds to the POI tone. Also, I like it, I think there's still some untapped stuff to be found from them not knowing about each other, serious and comical.
Also, if I didn't know any better I would say that Evil Tony Shalhoub was related to the real Tony Shalhoub. Well met.