PERSON OF INTEREST RECAP: The Manhattan Job

POI 3.14  Provenance

And, the team’s all back together…well, except for Carter… <sniff>… and this week’s POI is not who she appears to be…

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This week’s POI is Kelly Lin, an event planner who is hosting a trendy opening reception for an exhibit of antiquities at the Met. Finch hacks into the system and gets Shaw on the guest list and then makes a hefty donation to get on the list as well, bringing Reese as his “plus one” (gags about them being a couple ensue). Before long, the lights go out and the museum is robbed right in from of them. Shaw pursues the thief and unmasks her – it’s Lin, who apparently has skills  -like acrobatics – other than just event planning. She throws another person into Shaw and manages to escape.

Shaw sneaks back into the museum and finds Lin’s bag, where she was forced to leave it when she fled with the stolen artifact. In her bag is her iPad and Finch uses the GPS on it to locate places she went before the museum – a specific bar comes up. From the car outside the bar, Finch bluejacks her phone and they overhear her drop the stolen painting off. The man tells her that her job isn’t done – they have big plans for her.

Lin’s handler calls her by a different name and Finch finds out her true identity – she’s an ex-Olympic gymnast from China. Reese follows her to her apartment and Shaw later breaks in and finds maps of NYC and mention of the Guttenberg Bible, which is apparently Lin’s next target. Shaw intercepts Lin before she can get the Bible while it’s being transported. She finds out Lin is being blackmailed into stealing because some men in the Czech Republic have her daughter captive.

They take her to a safe house and get the story – she got pregnant and was kicked off the Chinese gymnastics team. She started stealing to feed her daughter and the people she initially stole from were organized crime and since then, they have forcing her to pay off her debt by stealing antiquities for them. The leader of the group has also had other people involved in the thefts killed after she leaves, giving her a reputation with international law enforcement for being brutal. The team decides that they need to steal the Bible for her. The only problem is that it’s being stored at a super high security firm.

The team goes into Italian Job-mode (but not really that cool) to set up the theft, having the Interpol agent trying to capture Lin inadvertently help them set everything up. Reese goes in to the facility in the guise of a client and then sets of all the alarms, creating a distraction while Shaw and Lin take advantage. With help from Finch and Lin’s gymnastic skills, they just manage to steal the Bible before the security personnel are alerted. Fusco takes Reese “into custody” and takes him to the airport.

Lin takes the Bible to her handler and tells him that she’s done stealing, but he threatens her daughter and tells her that she will work for him until he says so. Outside, the Interpol agent hears the whole discussion – Finch and Shaw kidnapped him and had him listen in as Lin talked to her handler. Meanwhile, Reese traveled to Prague, rescued the daughter, and turned her captors over to Interpol, crediting the agent pursuing Lin.

Lin is arrested by the NYPD but her fate is left up to the Interpol agent, who was a fan of her during her gymnast days, and knowing that she never hurt anyone and was stealing under duress, he lets her go where she reunites with her daughter.

Later, the team toasts their success together, acknowledging that Carter is missing at their table.

My Thoughts:

This episode was just average, although the set-up was fun. Bonus points for Reese’s ridiculous ‘stache and the cameo by the current darling of the media and those security obsessed – the 3D printer. With their capabilities to be used for all sorts of illegal activity, it was just a matter of time until they showed up on POI.

Shaw is growing on me, finally. The dialogue between her and Reese was snappy and fun in this episode. Fusco was underutilized, but that’s not uncommon.

Memorable Quotes:

I’m a sucker for watered down booze and mini quiche – Shaw

Finch, where’s my spare weapon? – Reese
I moved it to the history section a week ago. Update your arsenal, John. – Shaw

Oh, I see you updated *your* arsenal, Shaw – John

The only thing I was good at was killing people, but I’m working on it – Shaw

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