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Person of Interest Season 2 Episode 16

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AIRED: Feb 21, 2013

8.8

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Episode Summary

EDIT

Reese and Finch must help their new Number, a counter-terrorist operative who is on the run from her own people.

FAN RECAP

TV.com Episode Review

297

Person of Interest "Relevance" Review: Lady Killer

Sarah Shahi killing dudes in badass ways. What more could you want from this excellent episode?

By Tim Surette, Feb 22, 2013

Fan Episode Reviews (54)

Viva, change.

9.0

By tatianajaunzems, Apr 21, 2013

"Relevance" was a hated episode for many Person of Interest viewers, because it was a departure from the status quo. The complete change was one of the things that made me like this episode. I enjoyed being able to see the Machine as we've never seen it before (doing the anti-terror surveillance for which it was designed) and got a new, interesting character (we should anticipate a Shaw story arc) to boot. I didn't mind the tiny doses of Finch-Reese and Carter-Fusco we got in this ep, as each of their appearances was strong (and even funny -- Carter and Fusco around the stretcher and Finch and Reese in the cemetery).moreless
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Just freaking awesome!

10

By olafweyer, Apr 09, 2013

The most daring episode of any tv format ever, i loved every second of it.

We don't see much of Reese BUT when he shows up (and vanishes) again, that also gives us a sense of how great he is at staying of the radar and undetected and this is only possible because this show dared to switch it's POV. So you can't say Reese didn't star in this episode, he totally, awesomely did, BECAUSE of his (POV again!) seeming absence, it tells us just how good exactly he is - something you can convey in a "normal" episode, but certainly not experience. Simply put: Awesome storytelling.

Also, isn't it weird that the female agents number popped up and not any other? Certainly there were other folks in danger at the same time, but the Machine chooses to spill out this one. Ulterior motive i would say, the Machine as a will of it's own.

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Best episode of the season

9.5

By loriadams9619, Apr 07, 2013

This episode was great.
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Great episode of TV, average episode of POI.

7.0

By Boo_Radley, Mar 27, 2013

As a single episode of television, this was pretty kick-ass. Complex, action-packed, plenty of twists and multiple parties all converging, guns blazing, including a spectrum of our favourite recurring characters from Root to Leon to Carter and the ubiquitous Fusco.

As an episode of POI, it was a little disappointing. One of the things I like about POI is that is has a great balance of male and female characters, and not in traditional roles. Plenty of the damsels in distress are not actually damsels, and some of the most powerful characters are women; not least Root, the arch-nemesis, and Carter, who can hold her own in a corrupt, male-dominated department without the blink of an eye.

This ep was a blatant attempt to introduce a younger female character - with kick-ass skills - in the style of Sydney Bristow, but less interesting because she's a self-confessed sociopath, incapable of empathy. She's a one-dimensional, hard-drinking, fast-shooting character with bland Hollywood good looks (I feel like I've seen her in stuff before, but I don't know what) and an interest in sadomasochism, as comfortable in stilettos as she is in boots and a leather jacket. It's a weary trope, and one designed to appeal to teenage fanboys, not thinking men and female fans. While I was thrilled about the introduction of the "relevant" list plot, this show really didn't need a Sam. It already has a Carter, a character with an appropriate balance of warmth and zest, power and vulnerability, and Zoe, who knows her place as a recurring character. I was pleased when Kara was erased for similar reasons - she was bland and b*tchy and sexy; a stereotype.

As others have said, Reese knocks out dozens of trained assassins every week, and nobody complains: nobody complains because Reese is vulnerable and interesting. We know he's morally good, we know he's human, we know he's recovering from heartbreak and we know he has a longing for stability and redemption. Nobody complains because Reese is an exceptional character - there's supposed to be no one else like him (except maybe Zoe, who, again, knows her place as a background character and occasional colleague).

We don't need a female Reese. Reese and Finch are both emotionally textured characters, and their brotherly attachment is central to the work they both do. I'm not thrilled about that complex relationship being sidelined in this episode in favour of an expressionless, unsympathetic stereotype, and I sincerely hope in the future that Sam is only a recurring character and not another member of the team. I only just got used to Bear.moreless
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Excelent

10

By pbursa, Mar 22, 2013

It's my number one serial. The technology of sniffing is little bit obsolete but logic of thinking is really very well. The best instigation for any news.
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Cast & Crew: STARS

EDIT

James Caviezel	John Reese
Taraji Henson	Detective Carter
Kevin Chapman	Detective Lionel Fusco
Michael Emerson	Harold Finch

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

EDIT

Paul Sparks	Wilson	Guest Star
Ebon Moss-Bachrach	Michael Cole	Guest Star
Sarah Shahi	Samantha Shaw	Guest Star
Amy Acker	Root	Recurring Role
Jay O. Sanders	Special Counsel	Recurring Role
Boris McGiver	Hersh	Recurring Role

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Episode Photos

Michael Emerson, Jim Caviezel, and Sarah...

© 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc.
Sarah Shahi and Jim Caviezel on Person o...

© 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc.
Sarah Shahi on Person of Interest from "...

© 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc.

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (9)
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- Cole: I was trying to get your back.
  Sam: Always trying to be the hero, huh?
  Cole: No. Just yours.
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- Lewis: You done this before? You're pretty good at it.
  Sam: I was in med school for a bit.
  Lewis: You a doctor?
  Sam: No. Joined the Marines. Figured I was better at killing people than fixing them.
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- Grishin: Who you supposed to be, some kinda badass?
  Sam: Not really. I have what's called an Axis II personality disorder.
  Grishin: What's that supposed to mean?
  Sam: It means when I kill you and your friends, I'm not really gonna feel anything.
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- Sam: I wanna meet Control.
  Wilson: Nah, I don't think so. I call my boss, you try to kill him. It's very embarrassing for me.
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- Reese: Can you do me a favor? Can you not shoot me this time?
  Sam: Give me a good reason.
  Reese: I don't know. I'm a really nice person.
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- Finch: The world looks like it did ten years ago, but underneath, it's become very strange indeed. An invisible struggle has begun. Most of the people who knew this are already dead. All things being equal, I prefer you didn't join them.
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- Finch: A word of advice for what it's worth. Set out to correct the world's wrongs and you'll almost certainly wind up adding to them.
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- Leon: Man. I so don't get paid enough for this crap.
  Reese: We don't pay you anything, Leon.
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- Reese: Dying can make you thirsty.
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NOTES (2)
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- International Airdates:
  Canada: February 21, 2013 on Citytv
  Australia: March 18, 2013 on Nine
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- Music: Future Starts Slow (The Kills)
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