PERSON OF INTEREST ROUNDTABLE: Karma

4.17 Karma

The Machine-Samaritan mythology episode are typically so intense that it’s sometimes hard to believe that the show could have an episode that doesn’t really address the crisis, but this episode, like some others this season, have proved that even in the middle of a war between two artificial intelligence deities, life goes on. The non-Samaritan episodes this season have often provided a lot of character development and this one was no exception as it made us see Finch in a whole new light.

We’ve included our thoughts on various talking points below. We’d love it if you added yours (agree or disagree) in the comments!

1.Therapy theme

Cay: Therapy seems to be coming up a lot in recent episodes, mainly with Reese and Iris, but now with Edwards and Finch seeing him as a client and telling him half truths. Rather appropriate when pretty much all the main characters desperately could use some therapy and seemingly only Reese is actually getting some. I loved Fusco’s line about getting a group discount for therapy with Edwards – definitely not a bad idea! Also appropriate that Finch was the one getting therapy this time. Kind of weird that he made up the new injury when he could have basically used the ferry story and his real injuries – he wouldn’t have had to mention anything about why they were going to the ferry or that it was blown up specifically to kill them.

Karen: I like this angle, especially with Reese – but I’m not exactly sure where it’s going. I mean, a healthy Reese isn’t exactly good for the show, right? It does give us valuable insight into his character – mostly rehashed info from another angle, but it’s interesting and I can’t help thinking it’ll be important down the line. Then there was Finch seeing the therapist… I think perhaps he made up the injury because he’s so afraid to give up any ‘real’ info about himself his first instinct is to play-act. Fusco’s line is showing that he’s funny, but maybe he’s cluing in to how dysfunctional they truly are? Nah. 😉

2.Reese and Iris’ relationship

Karen: I truly hope Reese finally has some sort of functional relationship with a woman, even if it’s just temporary. It’s not healthy for him to sequester himself with just his Team Machine ‘friends’ (if one can call them that), and having Iris as an outlet, ear, shoulder, & even more has to be better and will help his character grow.

Cay: I can’t figure out if they just have a deep emotional connection or if there is supposed to be something more, but Reese (and us) have been seeing a lot of her lately. I’m kind of surprised that she didn’t bring up Reese leaving the gala and just happening to be there to save Edwards when his car blew up -a key example of what Iris diagnosed as his hero complex. There’s no way that she couldn’t know that a car blew up outside the gala or that Reese was on the scene when it did, unless she was *really* distracted by Fusco! Their discussion later was interesting more in what wasn’t said – Iris’ question to Reese about how he handles loss when we know that he DOES not handle loss well as demonstrated by how totally off the rails he went after Carter’s death, and to some extent also after Shaw’s disappearance.

3.Finch’s dark past in the flashbacks

Karen: WOW! This was rather unexpected. So this (the beginning of S4) wasn’t the first time he’s resented and gone against The Machine so vehemently. We learned a LOT about him. He can be pushed past his pacifistic limits, he hated Alicia Corwin more than we knew, and he openly defied and YELLED at The Machine. We’ve seen him filled with disdain, completely ignore it, be passive/agressive, but this was an attitude that seemed a little foreign.

Cay: Hard to imagine Finch going to such a dark place, but maybe it better explains how reluctant he is to kill anyone now. I’m pretty sure we’ve never seen him quite like this, but we’ve also never seen the days right in the aftermath of the ferry explosion. It’s interesting thinking how the show has changed – Finch tried initially to kill Corwin, then decided better of it, then years later Root kills Corwin (who really doesn’t seem that threatening compared to Control) and abducts Finch and now is one of Finch’s trusted allies.

4.This week’s POI – Edwards 

Cay: He was surprisingly effective without an omniscient AI to back him up! Although The POI-of-the-week plot line was entertaining and was a great parallel story to that of Finch after Nathan’s death, it required quite a bit of suspension of disbelief – this is just a normal guy, a psychologist – how did he get the skills needed to secure convictions for all of his “victims”?His actions reminded me a lot of what Team Machine does – with a ton of different skills, including computer skills, a good grasp of the law, crime, and crime scene investigation, etc, but he’s only one guy with no obvious training in any of these subjects.

Karen: I liked him. Yeah, the ending didn’t paint him in the best light, but he had a bit of a Batman complex. Every week our POI heroes do similar things and we root for them – Edwards ramped it up about a gazillion notches for sure, but dammit, there’s a part of me that wants to do the same thing when I read/hear the news. The gray area is where he has to use his intuition to decide whether the subject is innocent or guilty. Our guys and gals have The Machine, but there’s still an element of the unknown so… where does that line blur?

5.Other thoughts: 

Cay: Reese and Fusco were really acting like real partners in this episode and both, for the most part, actually stayed within the parameters of their cover. Reese didn’t even knee-cap anyone that I remember!

Karen: I, too am always disappointed when there’s no kneecapping. I have also wondered how Reese and Fusco get away with not being together when they’re supposed to be partners (even though we hardly ever saw Carter & Fusco together either), so seeing them working together here was almost a relief.

After seeing ‘Karma’, I really, really, really, REALLY want to see more about Finch. *grabby hands* Although a lot of his allure is the mystery behind his character, getting these insights into what make him tick are like finding an easter egg in your favorite video game. An unexpected treasure in something you already love.

Memorable Quotes:

Hey Glasses, tell him about all your nutball friends, maybe he can give you guys a group therapy discount – Fusco
I think by now you count as one of Harold’s nutball friends  – Reese

And how do you handle loss? – Iris
You don’t want to go there – Reese (no kidding, we’ve seen what happened after Carter and Shaw!)

When it comes to breaking, entering, and hacking, I can only do two at a time – Finch

We should hire him, Finch. Take the week off – Reese

He’s putting tape on his tuxedo. Either he doesn’t trust Hugo Boss’ lapels  to stay in place or he’s planning to start his next frame at tonight’s gala – Finch

So, tell me Finch – where did that path take you? – Reese

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