PERSON OF INTEREST: A tribute to the dearly departed

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a week (and several re-watches, truth be told!) since the Person of Interest finale. This season was a crazy, wild ride and the last few episodes had a staggering body count, as anticipated. Thankfully, most of the departed were either characters that we didn’t really have much connection to, or a couple that had it coming to them and whose deaths were celebrated (yeah, we’re bad people and we’re talking about you, Martine!).

But two deaths hit us particularly hard – those of Dominic [Winston Duke] and Elias [Enrico Colantoni]. (Disclaimer: Although we appreciate that there seems to be some uncertainty about whether Elias actually is dead or not, it seems that at least for now, we are to think that he is and Samaritan also seems to think that he is. So, we’re going to assume that he’s not going to “pull a Shaw” next season). It seemed a foregone conclusion from early on that they couldn’t both survive the season but while some of us predicted that they may both die, I think how it happened came as a surprise to many fans as it did to us. I figured either one would kill the other, or Elias would blow them both up. It never even occurred to me that  they might both be felled by a Samaritan sniper as part of The Correction.

No one would argue that Dominic or Elias were good guys – we saw and heard them do horrible things over the past season (Dominic) and several seasons (Elias) – but despite being the “bad guys”, we got attached. A combination of thoughtful writing and nuanced acting somehow allowed us to relate, even like, these deeply flawed characters and as a result, it was very hard to see them die. Elias has been an integral part of the story since season 1, but until Dominic made his presence known this season, he had no legitimate foe. The battle between the two for supremacy brought us some of the most tense and emotional moments of the season. Their battle also served as a living metaphor for the mostly unseen battle waging between Samaritan and The Machine. Both of these characters were first introduced as someone completely different than their real personalities; and they both did an amazing job of not only deceiving the viewers but also Team Machine as well.

We felt it was only appropriate (and therapeutic), if we staged a bit of a memorial to both of them. So, in the grand traditions of memorials, we all wanted to share our thoughts on each character – kind of a eulogy, if you’ll permit us. Feel free to contribute your thoughts in the comments.

Dominic Besson

Cay: It’s hard to believe that we had never heard the name Dominic before the season 4 premiere, and he only appeared in 7 episodes, yet his presence has been felt in nearly episode. Heck, it was his mesh net that allowed Team Machine to communicate with each other all season while hiding in plain sight
from Samaritan.

Dominic was the opposite of Elias in so many ways – physically, emotionally, and philosophically. He was the new upstart, the “young lion” versus Elias’ old school gangster. Unlike Elias, we never got his back story, and were basically left to fill in the blanks ourselves. But, yet, despite all that, I had to like him. I think it was his intelligence, ambition, and his work ethic – you could imagine much planning and thought went into his every move towards taking over the city (recruiting kids! controlling the medical marijuana trade!) and I couldn’t help but feel his disappointment when his best laid [evil] plans were continuously thwarted by the man in the suit. But, with every failure, instead of getting [visibly] angry, he basically just picked himself up and came up with the next plan. You had to admire the man’s persistence, even if not his methods!

Rueben: Dominic was really very good at pretending to be Mini in that first episode, so much so that we all bought what he was selling until it was revealed that he was far more than met the eye.  Just like Elias, he turned out to be a talented con man. Since that big reveal, we have seen the real, cunning man behind the pretend and he was even scarier than anticipated.  He has had a ruthless streak about him for so long that it was only a matter of time before his life came to an end, but – at the same time – it was hard to see him taken down, too.

Karen: Dominic was a great bait and switch bad guy. I’m glad they let us know “Mini” was Dom right away, because I would never have called it, not in a gazillion years. Loved his character, even the crime lord version – and that was in great part due to Winston Duke. Amazing job. He could’ve very easily gone over the top, but he managed to play it steady and even while staying menacing and hot-tempered. In the end, Dominic played into Elias’ hands quite nicely. Never played chess I’m sure, and that was his downfall. Didn’t see it coming, and therefore wasn’t ready for the long game. He was done even before Samaritan fired the last shot (no pun intended).

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Carl Elias

Rueben:  Thinking back to meeting teacher Charlie Burton, who Reese and Finch worked so hard to protect only to learn that he was far more than he seemed was quite an unexpected twist.  But as we learned his background, the pieces quickly fell into place, leading to him become Elias, the most powerful mob boss in the city.  Even with all of that, it was hard to deny that Charlie/Elias had that “something” special that made him very captivating to watch.

Seeing his needless death (or at least assumed at this time) at the hand of that unidentified Samaritan thug was just harsh.

Cay: Elias was one of my favorite POIs, I remember how shocked I was to realize that he was playing Reese and that the beloved teacher  Charlie Burton was making a play to lead organized crime in NYC. His character has been so delightfully morally ambiguous from the beginning – I love that we got to see him as a full character – rarely is a villain bad every minute of the day – Elias could be ruthless, but he could also be charming, even caring. And through flashbacks, we saw the experiences that shaped the man he became.

My favorite Elias scene may be when he had Simmons killed, as revenge for Carter, whom he had a soft spot for after she saved him [in a very out-of-character move] after the Russian Mob, although  I  also loved his chess games with Finch.

I  have to give him a lot of credit for his final double-cross on Dominic, when he managed to trick him into killing Link as payback for having had to sacrifice Anthony in their previous showdown. While never exactly a friend of Team Machine, Elias could usually be counted on for assistance when the team needed him and he added so much to the overall story line over the years.

Karen: So… I just don’t know how to start talking about Elias. One of my very favorite characters on POI. I mentioned that Dominic was a “bait and switch” bad guy, but Elias took that to another level. He knew how to play the game, and he could school anyone on his own playing field. His only worthy opponent was Harold, with John coming in a close second. John in brawn, Harold out-maneuvering him on the chessboard. And by chessboard, I mean the real-life one. When Elias made the deal that forced Harold to play against him, it was such an allegory for their other relationship. The one played on the streets. It was a calculated risk – letting him see how he played the game, and Harold knew that. Elias was SUCH a gray character, leaning towards the black end of the spectrum. It’s those characters I treasure the most. When he lost his life-long best friend, when he kept John alive behind bars, when he’d give Team Machine information that allowed them to keep someone alive… that’s when Elias won my heart. And yet – he was definitely a bad guy. A really bad guy. They’ve seemingly left his death a bit ambiguous, but if he truly is a goner, I will sincerely miss Enrico Colantoni (and the flashes of Galaxy Quest) in my POI episodes next season.

Watch for new episodes of Person of Interest on CBS in early 2016!