Person of Interest

Season 1 Episode 20

Matsya Nyaya

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Matsya Nyaya
8.6
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204 votes
5

EPISODE REVIEWS
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Episode Summary

Reese goes undercover as an armored car company employee, and faces memories from his past with the CIA.

FAN RECAP

TV.com Episode Review

  • Person of Interest: Watch Your Back 71

    Person of Interest: Watch Your Back

    "Matsya Nyaya" was a twist-filled episode that shed some light on both Reese's past and Lionel's present, and taught us never to turn our back on anyone with a gun.

    By Tim Surette, Apr 27, 2012

    • Fan Episode Reviews (5)

    SUBMIT REVIEW

    • cool episode

      10
      By JonaThan1, Apr 28, 2012
      now how this episode ends gives us basis for a S02, jus hpe the govt doesnt ban it

    • 1x20 "Matsya Nyaya"

      10
      By lucianoabc, Apr 28, 2012
      Dammit Girl! This episode was all sorts of awesome! The ending was everything it should have been. Plus we got cute action from Harold and pretty badass scenes from Reese. How awesome was the city in China? This show is so well planned, everything is in it's right place. Congratulation to the CBS, you guys finally found a complex show to air.

    • Building Momentum for the Finale

      10
      By TomWayne, Apr 27, 2012
      We finally get answers to many questions via Reese's extensive flashbacks (to his final CIA mission) and the final scene--which I (along with many others, no doubt) predicted back in Ep 13 (Root Cause). In fact, the opening scene and the final scene serve as great bookends. The opening scene instantly grabs hold of you, setting an urgency for the flashbacks. (The down side is, while we get the full flashback of the mission from Reese's point of view, the opening scene still remains unresolved outside of dialogue from Ep 1--this of course, sets the stage for what will be Reese's final flashbacks to 2010, likely delivered over the remaining episodes of the season.) As far as the ending goes, if this were a movie series, the final scene is so good, so long-awaited, that it would've been put as a after-credits "surprise" scene for die-hard fans. Even if you've predicted something all along, the way it's revealed in the way the scene plays out is still a surprise. Also, watch carefully for a few obvious and a couple if-you-blink-you'll-miss-it clues (hint: unless you speak Chinese, watch the subtitled dialogue) to connections between Reese's and Finch's backstories and their present-day in-the-background concerns.



      In the fan goodies dept, watch the intro sequence for a conspicuous change--Carter's clip is no longer paired with the "hunted by the authorities" line--instead, her clip occurs offset from the line, and the line is now paired with a very appropriate clip from the climactic moment of Ep 10 (Number Crunch). Also, a Fusco clip has been added to the montage--which fits, since there are four leads, after all, and which should also make his scenes in this episode a bit less tense for his fans, as such a change implies that his character is not next on the "to-remove" list.



      The episode does begin to shade in some hues of the key character differences between Carter and Fusco, as Joss is the one with her "moral compass pointed in the right direction," whereas Lionel is "loyal" (to borrow Reese's previous assessments of them both). Carter still squirms and struggles with rule-bending, which is to her credit as it shows her integrity, while Fusco (even as a "good guy") still is used to an "end justifies the means" mentality, which proves to be a good thing for Reese in the moment, but may be something he'll later regret demonstrating around his son. Since Jonathan Nolan loves playing with these dynamics and viewpoints, it makes the interplay and individual personalities among the four leads that much more enjoyable to watch, and that much worthy of discussion after.



      The only viewers likely to have any disappointment in this episode are those who enjoy the individual POI stories over the bigger storyline. The focal point of the episode is the bigger storyline, as it's the lead-in after the final break to the final episodes. The POI story in this case functions more as a means of underscoring and facilitating the other things going on; while that may seem contrived to some, it makes sense in a real-world perspective if you think about it--after all, not everyone has some deeply affecting story, so it stands to reason that not every POI will be someone with a great deal of depth of character and feeling. Besides, taken in context the episode fulfills its mission exceptionally well--it will keep us glued to our seats (or make extra-sure that nothing is interfering with it on the DVR) every Thursday night through May 17.

      moreless

    • The Law of the Fishes

      9.0
      By AudioFileZ, Apr 27, 2012
      Taking from a Hindu proverb we get the episode titled: :Matsya Nayaya". Basically, the bigger fish eat the smaller fish, or survival of the fittest. This one is about trusting no one and always covering your back as there are plenty of threats seen and unseen...And, those threats never really end, they can come back in different forms.



      The story starts off with a simple lover's betrayal in a bar in which one crossed lover attempts to kill he who betrayed her. Reese spoon feeds the perpetrator to Carter, but this is just a pale imitation of what follows. Finch believes an armored truck is about to be hit as the name of one of the guards comes up. Reese assumes the role of the guard's new partner. Just as most things are not so cut and dried Reese narrowly escapes death as his partner is the one who is the inside man for the heist. We see flashbacks with Reese and a CIA female partner in China where the goal was not as they were told which was to retrieve a laptop with a covert program, but to eliminate them both in the field. It was thought to be successful until Reese turned up very much alive yet continually out of the CIA's reach. The heist ends up implicating the police's dirty HR dept. too and Fusco's allegiance is tested to which he passes with flying colors by saving Reese's life. Finally, the CIA is closing in on Reese, but there's one thing the two point men didn't count on and that's the big surprise as the episode ends.



      Person of Interest continues to be an excellently written and acted show. Like any slightly fantastic premise one could shot holes here and there, but for the most part those are small gripes and simply do not take anything important from the sum total. Caviezel and Emerson prove with might and technology behind them they are the bigger fishes.moreless

    • Better and Better

      10
      By JooPaulo3, Apr 27, 2012
      Another great episode. I like a lot of the Reese flashback and the connections with the present (i talk the last scene on the hotel, awesome surprise btw), interesting case, good action-packed, the first connection between Reese and Finch past (Felicia Tilman appears on Reese's flashback). Great scenes with Fusco and HR (i see another villain here, maybe for the next season). POI rockss again.
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    Cast & Crew: STARS

    James Caviezel

    James Caviezel

    John Reese
    Taraji Henson

    Taraji Henson

    Detective Carter
    Kevin Chapman

    Kevin Chapman

    Detective Lionel Fusco
    Michael Emerson

    Michael Emerson

    Harold Finch
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    Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

    Pablo Schreiber

    Pablo Schreiber

    Tommy Clay

    Guest Star

    Lenny Venito

    Lenny Venito

    Murray Langston

    Guest Star

    Michael Mulheren

    Michael Mulheren

    Captain Artie Lynch

    Guest Star

    Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly

    Mark Snow

    Recurring Role

    Elizabeth Marvel

    Elizabeth Marvel

    Alicia M. Corwin

    Recurring Role

    Susan Misner

    Susan Misner

    Jessica Arndt

    Recurring Role

    See All Cast & Crew

    Episode Photos

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    Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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    Season 1 Episodes

    See All
    Ep 23
    Firewall
    Ep 22
    No Good Deed
    Ep 21
    Many Happy Returns
    Ep 20
    Matsya Nyaya
    Ep 19
    Flesh and Blood
    Ep 18
    Identity Crisis
    Ep 17
    Baby Blue
    Ep 16
    Risk
    Ep 15
    Blue Code
    Ep 14
    Wolf and Cub
    Ep 13
    Root Cause
    Ep 12
    Legacy
    Ep 11
    Super
    Ep 10
    Number Crunch
    Ep 9
    Get Carter
    Ep 8
    Foe
    Ep 7
    Witness
    Ep 6
    The Fix
    Ep 5
    Judgement
    Ep 4
    Cura Te Ipsum
    Ep 3
    Mission Creep
    Ep 2
    Ghosts
    Ep 1
    Pilot

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