PERSON OF INTEREST ROUNDTABLE: Control-Alt-Delete

Person of Interest 4.12 Control-Alt-Delete

AKA The Search for Shaw. After last week’s super intense episode with lots of interaction between Team Machine, this week’s episode had a very different feel – we never even saw any of Team Machine until the episode was half over.  That said, it was a pretty interesting episode, with lots of back story on Control and Research.

We encourage you to join Karen and I by adding your thoughts on these topics or others in the comments!

1) We finally get to see research (at least how it works with Samaritan)

Cay: I’m kind of confused as to why Control is working with Greer now after the whole debacle last year with the trial and him threatening to kill her. Seems hard to believe that she’d just forget all that and let Samaritan go online, unless for some reason she doesn’t know that Greer is involved with Samaritan? Or was so desperate for an alternative to the Machine that she didn’t care?

Karen: I don’t think Control has any idea that she’s working directly with Decima/Greer, I think she assumes she’s still in charge (in fact I KNOW she thinks she’s still in charge). Pretty sure she didn’t “let” Samaritan go online, that was a directive that came from above her. Now she’s using the info to her advantage, thinking that she still calls the shots, and know she knows for sure that she’s replaceable – completely. That go-between she’s working with? Douchebag.

Cay: OK, that makes some sense – I guess the Senator never mentioned to her that he was working with Greer and she never mentioned being abducted and forced to testify in a mock court at gunpoint. But, after rewatching the episode, it seems that she definitely hasn’t put the two together or she’d be a lot more suspicious.

2) Samaritan getting into the White House using its child avatar and demanding to speak with the President

Cay: Not as creepy as his meeting with Root, but still a great scene – a seemingly omnipotent 7 year old manages to get into the White House unaccompanied and demands to see the President, or else. It’s amazing what you can get away with when you look like an innocent kid. Any adult would certainly have been arrested. I wonder what he will say to the President if he gets in to see him (and I suspect he will!)

Karen: That kid… precocious amirite? HA! Oh man. The Chief of Staff is a bit gobsmacked when he realizes that kid is on the nose. And yeah, I think he’s really thrown off by the whole kid thing. Does he figure he’s just on a tour or something and got lost?

3) Does Fusco know anything about what’s going on yet?

Cay: They had to have told him something by now, right?! Or he must have figured something out, or he’s just the most trusting guy that the world has ever seen. They don’t hesitate to use the phrases “The Machine” or “Samaritan” around him anymore, so I’m going to assume that he has at least some idea of what’s going on, even if we haven’t directly seen him be told.

Karen: At this point I have to think that even if he does, he just doesn’t want to think about it. Deep denial means he never has to know for sure, and that means he’ll never have to give them up if questioned. He’s already seen where that can lead. Regardless of how he looks, he’s not a dummy. But yeah, he trusts them. With his life, his kid’s life – anything.

Cay: Yeah, in this case I do believe that ignorance would be bliss!

4) The revelation that the men Control had killed were innocents recruited by Samaritan through the Nautilus game

Cay: There have been so many plot points brought up this season that haven’t been returned to, so it was nice to see Nautilus come back in, even if we didn’t see the girl that Team Machine was unable to save. How many people could Samaritan have recruited? What exactly were the team that Control had killed working on? Why is Control so unwilling to accept that things aren’t as it seems, even though everything points in that direction? I suspect she’s going to come out of denial soon and maybe she will be helpful to Team Machine.

Karen: Her constantly reminding people about all the terrorist acts prevented and lives saved was an echo from last season’s finale, right? She said something similar back then and in a few other previous episodes. Previously, it seemed more about arrogance, but this time it felt more like she was saying it to convince herself. Think about that one, fans.

5) Favorite scene/quote

Cay: Definitely Finch with Control – he can be so threatening sometimes just because he is so calm and methodical. Then there’s the fact that he’s so brilliant and you have to be grateful that he uses his skills for good instead of evil.

Karen: Cay, I gotta echo you on the scene in the cage, but I go with Root and Control. I know what you’re thinking, “But Karen, you don’t even LIKE Root,” and that’s true, but when she turned the tables on her and we got flashes of the last time they were in this position only with Root being the abductee, it was chilling. I really felt quite bad for Control in this episode, and Camryn Manheim is brilliant in her portrayal.

6) Overall thoughts on the episode

Cay: Although it was cool to get more info on how Research worked and Control’s role, this episode felt like a let down compared to the adrenaline rush that was the last two episodes. It was kind of fun to see Root go back to her twisted, torturing ways and let’s be honest, if anyone deserved it, it is probably Control. On the other hand, I felt bad for her when it became clear how clueless she is that she’s being manipulated.

It was also kind of cool that Root and Reese are now united for a common cause – Reese was the one of the group that Root never seemed to get as close to even recently as she got closer and closer to Shaw and Finch.

Karen: Not my favorite, in fact, not a good one overall – but some REALLY important stuff here. I think instead of killing off Shaw, they’re going to play the “we’re looking for her” over the course of the rest of the season. We’ll find out what happened to her in the finale (most likely IMO). Since she’s preggers in real life, that might give her time to make an appearance then, and be ready for a return this fall. Or maybe that’s just me hoping.

Also, I’m wondering if we’re going to see Camryn again this season. I’d love that, but only if they wrote her into a better episode. I’m not big on the all-politics storylines. I’d rather have an all-technology story.

Memorable Quotes:

You’re not in control of anything. You’re just the clean up crew – the janitor. – Control

I hope you liked our rocket. We were saving it for a special occasion – Root

I’m not the monster I used to be. I’ve changed…well, *mostly* changed – Root

How sure are you that this market hit… wasn’t terrorism? – Chief of Staff
Well, if it was terrorism, Research would have picked it up and I would have stopped it before it ever happened – Control

Why does everybody keep talking about the stock exchange? What does any of that have to do with Shaw? – Control

Catch another all new episode of Person of Interest on CBS at 10/9c on February 3nd!