PERSON OF INTEREST ROUNDTABLE: Pretenders

Person of Interest 4.06: Pretenders

1)      Finch’s endgame in Hong Kong

Karen: So… wow. I did NOT see that coming. I guess I’m naive, but I took Harold at his word until the very very very end when he handed over the envelope. I even believed the badassery when he got their stuff back. Shows how much *I* know. Well, now that I see the whole story (at least up until this point), I totally understand why he’s on the case. The clues were there too – the rejoinders after commercial breaks were from The Machine’s perspective, so obviously “she” was keeping track of the Hong Kong situation. I could just kick myself. Obviously, Samaritan clued in to her algorithms as being an asset to it’s (him/her?) programming – borg anyone? – and would like to “acquire” it. Harold has to keep an eye on the situation, and I think he kinda tried in his subtle way to plant the subversive *don’t do it* seed because he likes her. Can’t wait to see how this immensely complicated new entanglement develops. Side note: I hadn’t seen much of Jessica Hecht since Friends, and it was very strange to see her “all grown up” in this episode. She seemed very Root-esque though.

 Cay: Last week Finch asks to talk to the Machine, this week he has a sudden business trip to Hong Kong where he happens to meet a woman that Decima and Samaritan also have an interest in. Finch’s interest in the woman seemed genuine – particular after she kissed him goodbye, yet we find out that the whole time he was plotting to load spyware onto her laptop. Very un-Finch-like to be so active rather than working behind the scenes on a computer, but I loved it. I also noticed the Machine POV, but it didn’t register other than obviously the Machine must have been involved because it’s his cover identity that “she” created.

2)      Elias vs Dominic

Karen: I think Mini/Dom is super stupid if he’s showing this as his true hand as far as Elias goes. And Elias is banking on that. His line when his minion takes out Mr. Injured Brotherhood before he can say who the boss is – “It’s okay, I know who it is”, is true in ALL THE WAYS. He knows more than he says, and it could be a good thing, or it could be a bad thing. Since he has a soft spot for NYC and Harold, he might tend to keep things balanced, but the house will always win.

Cay: And so it begins. Just when we may be forgetting Elias’s past, we get a reminder of what he’s actually capable of, with much more certain to come and civilized. You have to love how he presents it all as he’s trying to do what’s best for the city. We know that Elias well pre-dates Samaritan, but I wonder if there is any connection between Samaritan and Dominic. Dominic seems to have some awareness of the surveillance situation (afterall, he wanted an un-monitorable cell phone network). Seems like Elias and Dominic annihilating each other could further Samaritan’s endgame (which seems to be nothing short of world domination).

3)      No Root!

Karen: The Machine was busy monitoring Hong Kong. I’m cool with this development –  I’m not a Root fan. ‘Twas a refreshing break for me. 🙂

Cay: I wasn’t sure about Root initially, but now she might be my favorite character with the death of Carter. She’s been so visible lately that her absence was definitely noticed. Hopefully she’s off recovering from her gunshot and plotting Team Machine’s next move

4)      Reese’s wanna-be doppleganger

Karen: Meh. It was VERY difficult for me to buy into the fact that he picked up on John’s alternate identities. Nope. NOT. HAPPNIN’. The guy was not even a match for Carter – as she is NOW. (yeah, it’s tasteless, but then so was that dude). Make him less of an idiotic bumbling fool that can’t talk around a girl and I’d be in like flynn. This was not a stroke in the win column for me.

Cay: While I appreciate what they were trying to do, this plot line just fell flat for me. There were some funny lines, but mostly it just seemed forced. The guy seemed way too unprofessional to have gotten as far as he did without really getting himself in trouble – it wasn’t convincing at all.

5)      Favorite scene/quote?

Karen: When Bear wouldn’t eat and Harold spoke to him through the phone – adorbs. Love the bond those two have. And poor Shaw, loved her line about Bear acting like a model because he was refusing to chow down. Great scene.

Cay: I really enjoyed the scenes between Finch and Beth Bridges – their witty way-over-my-head banter and obvious chemistry was enjoyable and interesting in that it gave Finch a chance to reflect on his creation with the Machine and the current situation without directly mentioning it. She’s listed on IMDB as being a psychiatrist, but I must have missed that because I assumed she was some programmer really into AI.

6) Overall Thoughts

Karen: I wanted to get a summary in – The Hong Kong & Elias parts of this episode were A- worthy. Walter Dang was an F. Maybe an F-. It’s difficult for me to say something like that about one of my favorite shows, but dudes & dudettes… Walter was thumbs-down bad. More Elias (always), More Finch VS. Decima, More Kneecapping. ALL HAIL THE MACHINE!! *hypnotoad eyes*

Cay: Completely agree, although I’m a softie, so I’ll give the Dang plotline a D.  One last, random thought: the last scene with Greer and Martine once again made me wonder if she’s a cyborg. Seriously, some of her body motions are just weird. She may *really* be the Samarinator!

Memorable Quotes:

That sound is my soul dying – Shaw
Walter Dang appreciates your metaphysical sacrifice – Finch

Professor Whistler has to present a paper tomorrow to 500 bitter academics…in Hong Kong – Finch

About what a stupid name “Banks” is? – Reese

What do you know Reese, I guess you’re not the only one pretending to be a cop – Shaw

You’re a sponsor of the conference. You must be doing well – Finch

I trust people more than machines! – Finch

You’re like a freakin’ superhero – Dang
No I’m not [Shaw and Fusco show up] – Reese
Yes you are – Dang

How do you do that with your voice? – Dang to Reese

Oh, by the way, your girlfriend is amazing! – Dang
Simin? She’s not my girlfriend. – Reese
Why not?  – Dang

Chicago’s a mess, John. It’s like a damn Tarantino movie over there! – Elias

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