PERSON OF INTEREST: Synecdoche Roundtable Discusssion

Person of Interest 5.11 Synecdoche

synecdoche – noun a figure of speech in which a part is meant to represent the whole or vice versa. Synecdoche also appears in the use of government buildings to refer to their occupant or agency e.g. The Pentagon – Wikipedia

Karen, Rueben and I give our thoughts on the episode below. We encourage you to add yours in the comments!

Finch finally having direct conversations with the Machine

Cay: It’s weird to have anyone, especially Finch have such in-depth conversations with the Machine. Even Root didn’t do this and it’s that much more poignant with the Machine taking her voice with a 99.6% accurate portrayal of her. When she asked him to free her, and then acted as his partner when he was stopped by the cop at the air force base – she is now playing the role that Finch has often played for the rest of the team.

Rueben: It was quite interesting – and a bit ominous – to hear Root’s voice as The Machine; and such in-depth conversations too. Especially the part where The Machine said that it loved Root and the sheer surprise clearly displayed by Finch. I don’t know how I would handle that quite honestly.

Karen: It’s kinda time, right? Although definitely in-character that he’s uncomfortable – both with the notion of talking to The Machine directly, and Root being her conduit. I can imagine that he feels weird talking through thin air to something other than a human being.

The “new” Finch

Cay: I remember an episode last season when Finch was pretending to be a crime kingpin and the comment was made about how dangerous he could be even when he seemed completely calm. This episode was a great example – he was very calm, even morose, but doing stuff the likes of which we’ve never seen. I assume the virus is the one that he tried before when Root stopped him? And what is the collateral damage that The Machine warned him of?

Rueben: This behavior is just what Elias was concerned about, don’t you think? Or at least the start of it anyway. He’s still Finch, but with deadlier intentions. In terms of that collateral damage, could any of that damage affect The Machine?

Karen: Cay, that episode (Wingman) which played the situation for giggles, was one of my favorite Finch moments. In this case, his transformation is chilling. It showcases Michael Emerson’s versatility with nuance as he turns very subtly darker. His personality is already very low-key, and he keeps that tone while becoming incredibly insidious. He has a mission now, and there’s not much that will stop him. I think he feels like he’s implementing it slightly after it was necessary, so the urgency is there, but it’s more tense than hurried.

Cay: Right, I loved that episode, too, for a number of reasons!

Yet another group trying to stop the surveillance state a little bit too late – a throwback to Vigilance?

Cay: Did we really need another anti-surveillance group? It kind of feels like beating a dead horse at this point. Maybe they will be seen again and have some sort of purpose, but until that happens, call me not impressed with this whole plotline.

Rueben: I have to agree I wasn’t that enthused by this new anti group, but I guess they needed some kind of protagonist to work against, right? I hope we don’t see them again.

Karen: Yeah, it seems unreal, but if you look around you in real-life – you can see that there are a LOT of people that are of this mindset. Soooo it kinda echoes what’s happening in the world today – just on a more dramatic scale. It’s still really magnified on the show, so there’s that – however, it wouldn’t be much of a TV show if it was completely like real-life.

Fusco’s all in now

Cay: I liked that he’s now been promoted to a full member of Team Machine with no discussion. And we even get to see him outside of NYC!

Rueben: Yay!! It’s great to see him as a full-fledged member – and in the know – team member. Better late than never. I’m just curious to see how his role on the team will play out in the last two episodes.

Karen: I am SO HAPPY that he’s full on involved finally. I’ve been wanting this for several seasons, and it’s LONG overdue. It’s almost mocked here though with several of their past numbers getting in on the action without earning it like Fusco has, but man – he’s gone above and beyond so many times… I can’t wait to see the last few eps with him full on Fusco.

Lots of old numbers showing up – Joey, Pierce, Harper

Cay: So, now The Machine is recruiting just like Samaritan. It seemed corny at first when they kept showing up, but once we found out WHY they were there, I think I like this new twist that Team Machine isn’t alone anymore, and the people helping are people that were helped before.

Rueben: I thought this was a great plot device once it all came together. I couldn’t quite figure out why that one guy would just accidentally run into John in DC and ask him for coffee. I had a feeling there was more to it than that, but I wasn’t expecting it to be another team. I liked that twist. It should also be noted – here’s a bit of trivia – the actor who played Joey (James Carpinello) is actually the husband of Amy Acker (aka Root) in real life. Kinda neat, wouldn’t you say?

Karen: I dig this development, mostly because I like callbacks. Seeing the past numbers after they’ve been ‘saved’ is a nice way to get some closure, and see how the team has shaped their lives.

PS: That’s an awesome connection Rueben!

Overall Thoughts:

Cay: This felt like a “wrapping things up” kind of episode with the return of an anti-surveillance group, the return of 2 previous POIs, Harper, etc. While the stakes should have felt really high, I had some issues with my suspension of disbelief throughout the episode which interfered with my enjoyment of the President POI part. I did really like the deep discussion between Finch and the Machine and watching him do very unFinch-like things, though.

Rueben: I was a little bored by the whole “let’s save the President” part of the story, but I did thoroughly enjoy the banter between Fusco and Shaw; all of the scenes of Finch with The Machine and the reveal of the other team made up of former numbers who were save by the “New York” team. And I agree they are seeming to tie things up and that only seems right and fair.

Karen: With this being a shortened final season, this tack of returning to old numbers could have been a time-waster, but the writers are incorporating it along with new material in a way that doesn’t seem to bog down the story. I feel like we’re getting a good balance, and the Finch storyline – even with the small amount of time it got – was quite full of content. The main takeaway from the POTUS story was that he’s not relevant. It could have far-reaching consequences, and it’s quite confusing at this point to Team Machine.

Memorable Quotes:

Semtex, enough to make it my kind of party – Shaw

I loved her – The Machine [about Root]

I am done helping little old ladies cross the street, Reese. – Shaw

Watch Person of Interest on Tuesdays at 10/9c on CBS!