Person of Interest Season 2 Episode 16

This episode contains very little of Reese, Fitch, Carter or Fusco, which is odd for a POI episode, however when they appear they are absolutely hilarious and it took me 20 minutes into the episode to realize 'oh there not here'. This episode was different, but fast-paced and interesting and even though we got only minimal time with some of the characters, each and everyone popped out of the screen and made you love or hate them. I love that this episode showed how the machine works from the other side and dove deeper into the people who are controlling the machine. Furthermore we got to see both Root and Leon again.



The change in pace was enjoyable and I have to say that this was one of my favourite if not my favourite episode of POI so far.

"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).

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.

This episode was great.

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.

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.

One of my favorites. I hope they keep this writer around!

Can we please, PLEASE have some realism? Why couldn't they have just had ONE guy assigned to kill her. No, it had to be 6 (or was it 10) because -- well -- she was SO damn good.



This show is a drama, so it should TRY to be realistic -- not like some super hero comic book movie. When a team of 6 (or 10) trained and competent men are trying to kill you, no matter WHO you are, regardless of how damn GOOD you are, you are going to be killed. Especially if you were SET UP to be killed and were NOT expecting it.



We must assume the team assigned to kill her would know what they were doing. This team looked like complete fools; as if they had never done anything like it before.



I cannot take episodes (or shows) like this seriously.



Let us remember that this woman was not suspicious of her bosses nor her organization in the lead-up to their first attempt to kill her. Why the hell would they want to kill her by blowing up a whole damn room with her in it -- and have 6 guys there to finish the job in case it did not go as planned?



If the powers that be wanted her dead, they could have simply assigned one assassin to kill her, and the assassin could have shot her in the head from a sniper position as she was walking down the street. Or perhaps her bosses could have called her in for a meeting and had an assassin shoot her in the back of the head or strangle her from behind. Why would their first option be to lure her to a room and then try to blow it up?



Writer's contrivance can be so friggin ridiculous.



NOTE to: xryska

What the hell does racism have to do with what I wrote? What the hell are you thinking? Or perhaps you are being racist by assuming I am (fill-in the blank).



She is a female Reese? So what? Reese gets the crap kicked out of him once in a while and I never said what Reese does is realistic. The show does get dumber with each passing episode. It has jumped the shark.



Yeah, I understood that she was their BEST operative, so what? She is still human! No one is that good in REAL LIFE man or woman.



I wrote: "When a team of 6 (or 10) trained and competent men are trying to kill you, no matter WHO you are, regardless of how damn GOOD you are, you are going to be killed; especially, if you have been SET UP to be killed and were NOT expecting it. We must assume the team assigned to kill her would know what they were doing. This team looked like complete fools; as if they had never done anything like it



I also said they could have shot her in the head (in real life this is how they would have killed her) when she was walking along the street why blow up a room.



Only in the movies and in books is a sexy, beautiful woman (it is always a sexy beautiful woman) some bad ass killer. In the real world, when Violence of Action is required to perform a job, men will be at the top of the list of the best.



So to answer your question, no, woman cannot do "that" except in the minds of fiction writers. Go ahead and assume my sex -- show your sexism.



I was thinking just fine when I wrote what I wrote. You need to work on your CRITICAL thinking skills. Read what I wrote not what you think I wrote. The episode WAS ridiculous, and so were the last two episodes that I fast forwarded through.

Jesus what were you thinking while you were writing? She is the best operative and they should have send one guy, because of course super agents are growing on trees. The first team (when she did not she was a target) was mainly killed by Reese, not her. She is a female Reese for crying out loud. How many guys have Reese take down at the same time? What she is a girl and girls can not do that? And your problem is realism? No i think you problem is racism dude... deal with it

Whoever the writer is for this episode, I hope they use him constantly. And I hope to see more of Samantha Shaw! She is a total bad ass and a hottie! From the very start where the opening credits got interrupted to the very end, this episode was amazing. I want to see more episodes like this one. And to those of you who were too impatient or dumb to watch the whole on you and your loss!

This was probably one of the best episodes of POI for the entire two seasons.. it not only brought a totally new perspective to the world of the machine, for once, seeing a female badass was very refreshing.. it had action, it had story, it had many twists and turns, it had information about the serialized section as well as a number to fill the procedural need, it had returning POI for helping the team, it had everything! I don't know if I should feel sorry for or angry about those who whined and nagged about this episode.. I am sorry for them as they do not get the importance and relevance of it to the whole mythology, which means they never really understood the show at all! and I am angry because most of the arguments provided against this episode are ridiculous.. so what if a short petite women became badass.. it makes her move faster and be more flexible.. of course people would send 6-10 people up against her.. they know how dangerous she is.. no one questions the realism of the actions of reese, but when it comes to female badasses it needs to make sense? nothing is real in this show, it indeed is a fantasy-action thing more than anything else.. if you want realism, go watch sth else! as provided by almost 1660 people at the poll on the episode review and many other comments here, it was an epic episode..

I finally had to delete this episode! She drove me nuts; didn't get the point. I'm sure I missed something, but I might just have to read about it.

On that note, I'm not fully understanding the subplots of HR. Does anyone know if that will ever be resolved? As much as I love this show - Reese (pure hotness) and Finch - I find myself fast-forwarding through that other stuff because I just don't understand it.

Loved Ken Leung in LOST and now great to see him back in his new incarnation as Leon. Hope he gets a new series.

Like so many others, I hope this is not the last sight of Sarah Shahi in POI. At first, I couldn't figure out why she looked so familiar and yet, so unfamiliar. Talk about switching to the dark side! Wow! Bring her back. This show just escalated!

A view through the victim ...

The action never stopped and the plot looked liked a good movie. I saw it twice. I suspect this is not the only appearance of Sam.

it's really a great ep. I loved how it started and ended, and how they connected,,, both government side and our team it's a great mix with a perfect script, really awesome.... and the best part was how root involved in this miss with a brilliant path... it's a real stand alone ep.

10/10

I have been a POI fan since the first episode. I even got my wife to become a huge fan. TV brass always make the same mistake by trying introduce the typical badass chick character into their show. I hated this episode. Do another episode like this again, and I will never watch POI again. DONE!

The episode was Person of Interest at its best with raw action for the full 45 minutes. Its good to peek into how The machine performs its main duty and how its being handled by the government. Samantha was really amazing in the episode and deserve to be involved in the future.

I liked the new girl. Different from the others female roles in the past. She is like Reese with no remorse. I hope they keep her on the show, but I am afraid she might outshine Reese. I think it will be good if they continue to make her a loose cannon while Reese keeps trying to reel her in. Overall one of the top episodes, but needed a little more Reese.

my opinion is that girl will be the back up plan when mr Rich die. unfortunately.....

After a gap of like two or three episodes, POI seemed to have regained its original standard. It was really good. And I surely hope she becomes a part of the regular team. This series seriously needs a good looking female and Sam certainly fits in.

What I dont like babout this serial is the frequent irregularity. Its not airing next week again. :(

Now that's what I call a BADASS episode! Everything I love about PoI rolled into one neat, super-dark, ultra-cool package! The dark atmosphere, quick editing, intelligent plot, characters with motives yet to be determined, converging in the plot, events moving too fast for us to predict, great action scenes, no-nonsense vibe. I admit I was skeptical about Sarah Shahi joining the show, afraid that she wasn't PoI material, or that it was a move on the part of CBS to introduce a love interest for Reese. She put all my fears to bed from the first sequence, and not only did she manage to impress me but to make a huge fan out of me! I absolutely love Shaw's character and hope we get to see a lot more of her in the future! A female character kicking ass like that, and being even more cool, detached and tactical than Reese, what's not to love?



Reese and Finch weren't as present in this episode of course, but I didn't have time to notice! And it was nice to have a female character in the spotlight like this, not to mention that Shahi maintained the interest intact from beginning to end. The Shaw vs Root scene was simply epic! It was a clever move and as is mentioned in the poll above, it's all about the story not just the characters. This episode offered some major advancements in plot and character development, and this was served by this dynamic introduction of Shaw. Nothing amiss there.



Loved the wink towards the direction of John le Carre and his Smiley books, naming the head of the government operation "Control" - had me a little nostalgic about cold war espionage novels and films. I think we are going to meet Control, but of course P2 wouldn't reveal his/her identity so soon. It may be a person inside the official government, a Secretary of State or even someone from the President's direct environment, so he wouldn't appear like that in a public event. We didn't learn anything new about Root's motives, we already knew she wants to gain access to the Machine's physical location. But we know that people inside P2's environment aren't too happy about what's going on in there, for instance the real Veronica who tipped off Cole. And we know how the government operates with regard to the Relevants, they send compact teams of agents to complete missions without one team being in contact with the others, or knowing the true objective of the mission. They have obviously gotten out of hand and using the Machine to fulfill their personal goals or push their agendas. We are being set up for a grand finale this season, with the participation of Shaw, Root, Hersh, P2 and perhaps even Elias and Stanton's mysterious employers - should I hope for Julian Sands making another appearance? Fingers crossed!

I loved the take of the episode from the Machine's daytime job's point of view. And so right that Reese, Finch and detectives are seen in passing.



I do disagree with the Recap saying Sam throws away Finch's card at the end. I don't see that after rewatching. Which is a good thing as she'll be calling ...

We stepped off the rainbow bridge, took the red pill, fell down the rabbit hole and got to see the world on the other side of the mirror in this truly impressive episode of PoI.

It didn't take us long to realize that we were watching an alternate version of Reese and Finch go about their business - which meant that instead of Happy Hacker and Competent Kickass Saves the Bunnies, we got to see the hired assassin and plucky Wizkid sidekick doing the governments dirty work by killing lots of people.

Very competently. With extra awesome added.

This episode was fascinating in so many ways.

I really enjoyed seing Reese's female counterpart portrayed as so ridiculously competent and badass, you don't get many female action heroes like that.

I know some have remaked that she was a bit grim and pokerfaced, but that actually made a lot of sense:



In some ways, she's the anti-Reese, in other ways, she's his mirror image.

Reese went from soldier to special ops to do-good vigilante - after a dip, he's on a rising curve.

Shaw went from medical studies to Marines to government assassin - morally speaking, I'd say she's on a downward slide.

When we first met Reese, he wasn't all that prone to smiling either, spending his days in a bottle of booze, rocking the homeless look. Now, with the help of Finch and his newfound hero-status, his quirky smiles and quirkier sense of humour has resurfaced/been born.

The closest thing Shaw came to that sort of "softening" was at the hand of HER hacker, who - according to her - was the only person she actually LIKED.

Do you think Reese would have been happy and chipper and ready to crack a smile or a joke if Finch took a bullet for him?

Didn't think so.



I DREAM of Team Finch/Reese and Team Shaw hooking up for some more cooperative efforts later on, although I foresee some friction over the level of violence they emply in response to external threats - Reese tends to start at the knees and work his way up as neccessary; Shaw is a shoot-to-kill kind of girl, no doubt about it!

All in all, GREAT episode, VERY solid guest star (loved her in Life too), and probably one of my favourite episodes so far.

(Only drawback is some confusion (for me) about the whole Machine-plot - did the Machine give her the number of an innocent man, did the Machine have him executed to protect itself, or did the "bad guys" tamper with the numbers? That wasn't exactly clear - but then, maybe that was the point?)

Well to me Sam Shaw and Michael Cole right out of the box was cool. It was nice seeing the relevant side of the machine. Shaw was rougher with her gun use then Reese. She took out the dirty bomb makers in Germany. Nice take down, and recovers bullets before blowing it up. Cole questioned the numbers, and if someone was manipulating the machine. Also about the death of Daniel Aquinto's in 2011. His mistake was to call Wison, their handler. In the US, who warned Cole on his lap top to get out of there? Was it his contact in the CIA, or whatever? Didn't like Cole to be shot. But after being amused by Wilson's team Shaw came out side and you could see Reese's handy work, shot knee caps. Her shooting him when he came to help was scary. But we figured he had on vest. Wilson reported to Special Council. "It is a problem!" cute. Miss May(Root) is in Special Councils office. He don't recognize her? My wife thought she worked for him, but later with his phone tapped you could tell she didn't in her normal capacity. Wilson did clip her, and she had to get fixed at Lewise's home. After stealing that car she grabbed the drug dealer. She pulled bullet out. Had both guys tie-wrapped to heater so when she passed out they couldn't hurt her. But she wakes to 3 guys beating them. Must be his drug supplier. Cool how she took down all 3 then enjoyed a beer. Wonder how Lewis would explain that to the Police? Hersh trained her, we can tell. So must be he didn't suspect Reese mixed up in this. She contacted Veronica Sinclair, and finds out Root is waiting, knockout drug and iron in hand. Surprised Root hadn't killed Veronica Sinclair. Shaw wondered what Cole had talked to Sinclair about. Maybe she will be contacting her in future? She called Wilson to meet Control too, or will go public with Aquinto's file. Program was Northern Lights? Root told Shaw, real or fake? After Root zip-tied up Shaw and was ready to press her(pun intended)for texted her, about Wilson's team coming? Shaw then took out 2 and Reese got 3rd.

Reese's line in the motel room was cute, him talking about not trying to shoot me again and Shaw asked why? Reese replied that he's a nice guy. So cool. When they go to the empty office building to met Finch, Reese staying in background, must be watching the door? She didn't trust him which I could see that. He showed her her number and Cole's came up. Finch apologizing for not being able to save Cole was nice. You can see it doesn't always work. Shaw wants the man behind the curtain. Harold was a little uneasy there. Him telling her she is a piece of the puzzle and the world has changed. he wanted her to stop running, but she wanted the head of Research. She told Finch, "Thanks but no thanks" when he offered his number the first time.

Shaw visiting The gala affair to drop off the information from Cole to Pennsylvania Two/Special Council was strange, but a good soldier. Surprised she only took out Wilson. But maybe she will meet her boss again. And he said he wasn't the head man in Control. Hersh shoots her with poison on street corner, and no one stops to help? Carter and Fusco has Leon Tao, bring her to Finch and Reese.

Bears friendly lick to wake Shaw was so cute. I figured after Hersh shot her with the stuff that she would be saved. Even though it could just as well have been her dead on street. Wife would not have been happy, she likes less twists. And Shaw being killed by Hersh like that would not be cool to her. She hates all the espionage is why she stopped watching Alias. Leon wanting more pay and wasn't told she was dangerous was cute. The Shaw did take Finches number, and phones. And drove off into the sunset in the Ambulance. Will she call us a cab asked Finch, lol I figured Reese would like her.

Sam is controlled and disciplined, she did not kill the German Policeman, or Lewis the corner drug dealer. I like her. And I believe she will be after Root as well, out of curiosity at least.

It's like Sydney Bristow just took out a plane and skydived into our boys' backyard. Where's Arvin Sloane?

Loved this episode, watched them all, but POI has now turned a corner introducing a whole new range of "numbers" including the original "numbers" the "Machine" gave to the Government.. (or whoever). Well thought out and very entertaining introduction of a possible new 3rd team member. Congrats to writing team!

The machine first showed us it was going to be a weird ride by going heuristic and those blue POI squares......

The CIA end of machine work, 2 people team of assassins, after a mission abroad they got called for work home,only it was a trap to kill them. The man is killed (after voicing his doubt on the legitimacy of the numbers they took out to his lady assassin partner). The lady is our "normal" POI coz she was gonna go HAM on her employer, for revenge.

Different and exciting format, am i ready to watch another episode with this format?, Not really!!. Did i like this episode, Hell yeah!! the Lady assassin Shaw was almost Reese's level bad-ass,,she just seemed cold and that just didn't work for me here. As a female gamer, i love my heroines but she just was too programmed. She decided to avenge her partners death and also to return his work (that got him killed) to the people that killed HIM!!. That good soldier mentality is soulless and the only part that made me not want to watch this format again. The Humanity factor, the soul that Finch, Reese and the Team add to the show is what was missed here. It was different. And It was good. But lets not really revisit the format this fully. In small doses it actually is a good format.

Great episode but someone really likes the name Reese. It was also the name of the character played by "Shaw" in the series "Life".