PERSON OF INTEREST RECAP: Moral Quandry

POI 3.20 Death Benefit

While the press continues to speculate about Northern Lights, Reese and Shaw meet a couple of thugs under the auspices of paying a million for some drugs. They knock the men out, spread drugs on them, and call Fusco to clean up.

They wonder aloud where the relevant numbers are going and on cue, Root drives up on a motorbike. She’s got a relevant number in Alaska and needs Shaw’s help to steal a jet.

Finch calls Reese – he needs his help in DC. Their new number is a member of Congress who is an outspoken opponent of government surveillance. Watching the Congressman, they realize it will be hard to get close to him. Reese wonders if they could get him Secret Service protection. Finch reminds him that his life hasn’t been threatened, so Reese solves that problem by shooting at him.

Reese then takes the identity of the Secret Service agent assigned to protect him. He accompanies him on his day and is quickly getting bored when the most exciting thing is when he catches him in a compromising position with his aide. Then Decima shows up and blows Reese’s cover, forcing him to basically kidnap the Congressman.

Root and Shaw are casually drinking fruity drinks in Florida after finishing off the baddies in Alaska. The entire bar is littered with the unconscious bodies of a bunch of drug dealers. Root tells Shaw that she is going to St Louis, alone, as the Machine has a different job for her.

Greer meets the Senator involved with Northern Lights at the National Portrait Gallery. He tells him about Collier and Vigilance and how they leaked Northern Lights to the press, putting the country at risk. He offers him Samaritan and promises to get rid of any obstacles to having it implemented.

Reese and Finch take the Congressman to a safehouse that proves not to be too safe as Decima shows up very quickly. They find a tracker affixed to the Congressman’s label pin, unbeknownst to him. They escape the building and look for a car while still Reese is in a gun battle with another Decima man. A car speeds down the street, hits the shooter, and then pulls to a stop – it’s Shaw, just in time, courtesy of the Machine.

They are soon stopped at a police roadblock and have to abandon the car. They walk to a nearby house whose occupants are out of town and question the Decima man. Turns out that the man actually has the same task as them – to try to protect the Congressman.

Finch combs the Congressman’s bank accounts and realizes that he’s been involved in some insider trading. He confronts him and the Congressman admits that Decima approached him about a security program and he offered to support it for stock tips because in his mind private surveillance seemed better than government.

Finch, Reese, and Shaw realize that the Congressman is the one who can push things through to clear the path for Samaritan. The Machine gave them the number because it wants them to kill him to block Samaritan. Apparently the Machine would only want them to kill him if it would save many other lives.

As SWAT teams surround the house, Finch appeals to him to call off his deal with Decima. The emotional appeal doesn’t work, so Finch tries to buy him, but he refuses. Lots of soul searching ensues. Reese and Shaw want to trust the Machine and kill the Congressman. Finch tells them that he’s not willing to kill the man. Reese walks into the room with the Congressman with his silenced gun in hand.

In an artsy montage, we see the SWAT team storm the house and find the Decima man and the body of the Congressman. Reese, Finch, and Shaw escape into the woods behind the house with many cops at their heels. (How does Finch manage to move so fast?). Shaw is shot, and Reese goes back for her. They escape, treat her injuries, and return to NYC, knowing that they are now at terrible risk of discovery.

The Senator tells Greer that they aren’t willing to proceed with Samaritan. Greer proposes a test, in NYC. All he needs is access to the NSA feeds for 24 hours. The Senator’s phone rings – it’s the Congressman, who isn’t dead after all and promises he can deliver the House.

In another montage, we see that the library is empty, and we see Samaritan come online. Greer’s first request is that it find Finch.

My Thoughts:

With three episodes left this season, I can only imagine what happens next. This episode could have easily been the finale, but clearly we’re just getting started as “two Gods go to war”, to quote Root. The ending of this episode – the quick scenes, the music – told a lot of story in a short period of time and added a lot of gravity to the situation. We’ve seen this type of cinematography used only occasionally in POI, Carter’s death being the a notable use.

Once again, we’ve been tricked into thinking that Reese has killed someone that he hasn’t. Although it seems clear that he’s very soon going to wish that he had. It’s a nice reminder of the complex morality of the show. Is it okay to kill someone to save others in the future? What if you are one of the others? By convincing Reese and Shaw not to kill the Congressman, has Finch inadvertently put many others at risk (including himself)?

Memorable Quotes:

Turn that frown upside down, Lurch. -Root

Dear. I hope that you’ve packed something more than weaponry? – Finch

It’s not feline. It’s Verde – Finch

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