SFF: Person of Interest, S4-5
I finally caught up on these (I plowed through them in a couple of days), and I'm far behind the curve, I'm sure, but I have some thoughts.
This is probably going to be meandering and stupid, but whatever. I actually wrote large portions of this post while falling asleep last night.
My first thought, aside from anything else, is that if Finch is Bruce/Alfred combined, and John Reese is Batman, then Zoe Morgan continues to be Catwoman (because), and Carter is Det Reyes (I think). And that makes Sameen Shaw Nightwing (because she's a hard-edged Robin), and Root is Batgirl (who becomes Oracle when she dies). Which makes me wonder if the writers ship Oracle/Nightwing.
I am always going to be angry about Joss Carter, but I accept that her death happened. I would have loved to see how she juggled her job/the machine/Samaritan if she had lived (I feel like she would have been more of a target than Fusco. In addition, a part of me still can't stop thinking the machine let her die to protect itself).
I really liked Harper Rose, and I really wanted a second episode with her and Frankie Wells. The hatesex between them would be amazing, and they'd end up saving each others' backs, and I could probably watch a whole series that was Harper conning while Frankie chases her and/or helps her help people. Since I couldn't have that, it was nice to have her stick around quite a bit, and end up being part of Team POI DC.
The whole Brotherhood plotline dragged like a motherfucker, though. And it's not Dominic's fault, but I kept wanting to punch him in the face (but Greer gets top billing there. Dominic had vague, redeeming qualities. Greer is just obnoxious and dull dull dull and his death was incredibly unsatisfying). I liked Floyd, though. She was entertaining. And I sort of liked the Dominic vs Elias stuff (I am still so confused over how Elias weaseled his way into being a character I enjoyed watching, but I think I liked his decisiveness and practicality).
So, speaking of Samaritan, while I somewhat appreciated Martine, I really really really hated Greer, and every time we had to suffer his pontificating bullshit was a waste of time. I also appreciated, *snap* "Now I surrender." a great deal. There's my Samantha Groves.
I also wish they'd spent less time on Samaritan, too. And that useless Samaritan dude in s5. Look, there are times a plotline about how ex-cons are screwed by the system can work. This? was not one of those times. I gave negative fucks about that guy (poooooor white dude, he can't get a joooob. Whine more, buddy), and then he injured good people and killed Root, and didn't even get murdered well. Like Greer, his death was a fucking disappointment.
Control, otoh, I felt for even as much as I continued to hate her a bit (like, I appreciated her as a character, and I sometimes liked her--and I found her interesting and compelling, unlike Dom and Greer). I knew she was fucked, and then she was, and I was very sad. Pissed they killed Grice, too. I sort of liked him (another that could have been a decent Team Machine in a different city).
I enjoyed Root and The Machine and Shaw, and the evolving relationships/friendships between Root and Harold, and Root/The Machine/Shaw.
One of the things I found frustrating: how often they would say 'The Machine' and 'Samaritan' and stuff that, just, like... Operational security means fuck all, apparently. My suspension of disbelief kept getting a beating -- Samaritan would sometimes add 2 + 2 and get 4 and then all hell would break loose. And other times, Samaritan would miss huge huge signposts and get 9 and nada. Not to mention: lip reading is a thing, and yet. Samaritan constantly failed at it.
The inconsistency of Samaritan targeting them made it hard at times to really care.
That said, I did appreciate the s4 scramble at the end, when everything was blown wide and they were stuck in the substation and fire-fighting their way out. S5 started up close enough to that that it was satisfying.
I appreciated If Then Else, and The Machine's multiple scenarios (and all the Root/Shaw flirting, unf). I loved Root saving the Degas. There was gleeful cheering when Shaw crawled through fifty whatever of tunnel to get to them. And I raged when she sacrificed herself (I knew she would be back, but it was still annoying).
Zoe Morgan popping up a couple of times was an utter fucking delight, and I was so glad to see her again. I love her so much, and would have loved more of her.
I already mentioned Harper Rose and Frankie Wells, but I also really liked Dani Silva, and Suleiman Khan (I think that was his name). Sometimes, I wish they'd have spent more time with the latter two--I feel like Khan could have run his own Team Machine, and I found him entertaining (unlike the rich IT dude from s5's episode with the DC team, who I disliked in his original appearance. Absence did not make the heart grow fonder). So, very disappointed they didn't tap Khan's potential, on that.
Seeing Alicia Corwin again was AWESOME. And I love that they closed the loop and explained WHY she ran and got herself off the grid. Holy fuck, I'd do that, too. Part of me still sort of wishes Root hadn't killed her (a sort of odd justice, in the end). Corwin was right to run, though - Control was cleaning up, and I'm fairly certain Alicia was on her death list (Northern Lights had to be protected, after all, and 855 deaths would have been no different than 854; Mark Snow escaped as he didn't have a fucking clue about NL, but Corwin knew way too much)
Ditto Kara Stanton (whom Mark Snow killed, and I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't, dammit).
Fusco finally finding out about the machine (and also his earlier expedition where he found the dumping ground!) was excellent.
One of the things I had heard rumblings about was John's therapist and their inappropriate relationship, so I was incredibly surprised when it never actually happened the way I'd heard it did (her taking advantage and fucking him while she's still his therapist). They have their sessions until she realizes she has a thing for him and stops them. Then they kiss. Then there's some angst and terror and uncertainty. And then John breaks things off. It felt very wishy-washy, and makes me wonder if some of the writers weren't on board and others were. Also, that episode where John hallucinates Carter was in the wrong place, it should have been earlier in the back half of s4 (though I did like it, and I loved her calling him out on his shit and yes it did make me angrier about her death, she would have been such a massive asset in the fight against Samaritan).
I would rather have seen the hot captain from earlier in the season stick around (not for romance, ugh), tbh. I didn't really care about John's ~issues, since in the end, it's not like they were resolved in any way.
Back-tracking slightly: John and Root basically going apeshit over Shaw's disappearance was a beautiful thing.
So was Root and Harold in the Samaritan facility where Root finally murdered Martine. Neck snapping shouldn't be hot, and yet. I really did appreciate both the constant threads re: Shaw AND the threads re: Carter (even if she was dead, I liked that she still had such an impact).
Shaw breaking herself out was excellent, and I was so proud of her. She finally killed off whatsisface (whom I mostly liked), and I even sort of enjoyed the mind games they played with her.
I honestly loved the end of the one episode where Shaw comes back (5x9, I think?), and I feel they could have ended the series there: the team is back together! Standing, getting ready for the End of the World! But they're alive! And together! It felt very satisfying.
Unfortunately, the rest of the season happened. And while I didn't hate it, I just... it was blah. Root's death made me angry. John's death was just like "...ok?" as I didn't care one way or another. I'm frustrated that we didn't get to see the actual Harold + Grace conversation. Greer didn't die entertainingly enough, that was a very blah death. I'm glad Shaw and Bear survived. I'm glad The Machine is still sending out numbers to save.
But in the end, I don't feel like anything was accomplished or changed? I mean, they kill Samaritan with a virus, and boom, done? Really? There's no more global conspiracy group trying to control the world? All of those people Samaritan could turn into controlled animals are now... what? Just sitting in place, waiting their next orders?
And what about the whole virus destroys the internet? What's the fall out from that? It looked like it was mostly nothing.
It just. It felt like they'd thrown it so wide and all-encompassing THE WORLD WILL BE CONTROLLED AND END and then tightened it back down to the world is safe now yay without dealing with the ramifications at all.
I don't know if that's a result of the compacted season or not.
In the end, though, as much as the ending was a bit meh, I did like the show as a whole. It had its ups and downs, it stupid things (Carter dying), it's ok things, it's fun things... and I will miss it. I could have spent a decade watching various Team Machines keep people from doing stupid shit or dying. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)
This is probably going to be meandering and stupid, but whatever. I actually wrote large portions of this post while falling asleep last night.
My first thought, aside from anything else, is that if Finch is Bruce/Alfred combined, and John Reese is Batman, then Zoe Morgan continues to be Catwoman (because), and Carter is Det Reyes (I think). And that makes Sameen Shaw Nightwing (because she's a hard-edged Robin), and Root is Batgirl (who becomes Oracle when she dies). Which makes me wonder if the writers ship Oracle/Nightwing.
I am always going to be angry about Joss Carter, but I accept that her death happened. I would have loved to see how she juggled her job/the machine/Samaritan if she had lived (I feel like she would have been more of a target than Fusco. In addition, a part of me still can't stop thinking the machine let her die to protect itself).
I really liked Harper Rose, and I really wanted a second episode with her and Frankie Wells. The hatesex between them would be amazing, and they'd end up saving each others' backs, and I could probably watch a whole series that was Harper conning while Frankie chases her and/or helps her help people. Since I couldn't have that, it was nice to have her stick around quite a bit, and end up being part of Team POI DC.
The whole Brotherhood plotline dragged like a motherfucker, though. And it's not Dominic's fault, but I kept wanting to punch him in the face (but Greer gets top billing there. Dominic had vague, redeeming qualities. Greer is just obnoxious and dull dull dull and his death was incredibly unsatisfying). I liked Floyd, though. She was entertaining. And I sort of liked the Dominic vs Elias stuff (I am still so confused over how Elias weaseled his way into being a character I enjoyed watching, but I think I liked his decisiveness and practicality).
So, speaking of Samaritan, while I somewhat appreciated Martine, I really really really hated Greer, and every time we had to suffer his pontificating bullshit was a waste of time. I also appreciated, *snap* "Now I surrender." a great deal. There's my Samantha Groves.
I also wish they'd spent less time on Samaritan, too. And that useless Samaritan dude in s5. Look, there are times a plotline about how ex-cons are screwed by the system can work. This? was not one of those times. I gave negative fucks about that guy (poooooor white dude, he can't get a joooob. Whine more, buddy), and then he injured good people and killed Root, and didn't even get murdered well. Like Greer, his death was a fucking disappointment.
Control, otoh, I felt for even as much as I continued to hate her a bit (like, I appreciated her as a character, and I sometimes liked her--and I found her interesting and compelling, unlike Dom and Greer). I knew she was fucked, and then she was, and I was very sad. Pissed they killed Grice, too. I sort of liked him (another that could have been a decent Team Machine in a different city).
I enjoyed Root and The Machine and Shaw, and the evolving relationships/friendships between Root and Harold, and Root/The Machine/Shaw.
One of the things I found frustrating: how often they would say 'The Machine' and 'Samaritan' and stuff that, just, like... Operational security means fuck all, apparently. My suspension of disbelief kept getting a beating -- Samaritan would sometimes add 2 + 2 and get 4 and then all hell would break loose. And other times, Samaritan would miss huge huge signposts and get 9 and nada. Not to mention: lip reading is a thing, and yet. Samaritan constantly failed at it.
The inconsistency of Samaritan targeting them made it hard at times to really care.
That said, I did appreciate the s4 scramble at the end, when everything was blown wide and they were stuck in the substation and fire-fighting their way out. S5 started up close enough to that that it was satisfying.
I appreciated If Then Else, and The Machine's multiple scenarios (and all the Root/Shaw flirting, unf). I loved Root saving the Degas. There was gleeful cheering when Shaw crawled through fifty whatever of tunnel to get to them. And I raged when she sacrificed herself (I knew she would be back, but it was still annoying).
Zoe Morgan popping up a couple of times was an utter fucking delight, and I was so glad to see her again. I love her so much, and would have loved more of her.
I already mentioned Harper Rose and Frankie Wells, but I also really liked Dani Silva, and Suleiman Khan (I think that was his name). Sometimes, I wish they'd have spent more time with the latter two--I feel like Khan could have run his own Team Machine, and I found him entertaining (unlike the rich IT dude from s5's episode with the DC team, who I disliked in his original appearance. Absence did not make the heart grow fonder). So, very disappointed they didn't tap Khan's potential, on that.
Seeing Alicia Corwin again was AWESOME. And I love that they closed the loop and explained WHY she ran and got herself off the grid. Holy fuck, I'd do that, too. Part of me still sort of wishes Root hadn't killed her (a sort of odd justice, in the end). Corwin was right to run, though - Control was cleaning up, and I'm fairly certain Alicia was on her death list (Northern Lights had to be protected, after all, and 855 deaths would have been no different than 854; Mark Snow escaped as he didn't have a fucking clue about NL, but Corwin knew way too much)
Ditto Kara Stanton (whom Mark Snow killed, and I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't, dammit).
Fusco finally finding out about the machine (and also his earlier expedition where he found the dumping ground!) was excellent.
One of the things I had heard rumblings about was John's therapist and their inappropriate relationship, so I was incredibly surprised when it never actually happened the way I'd heard it did (her taking advantage and fucking him while she's still his therapist). They have their sessions until she realizes she has a thing for him and stops them. Then they kiss. Then there's some angst and terror and uncertainty. And then John breaks things off. It felt very wishy-washy, and makes me wonder if some of the writers weren't on board and others were. Also, that episode where John hallucinates Carter was in the wrong place, it should have been earlier in the back half of s4 (though I did like it, and I loved her calling him out on his shit and yes it did make me angrier about her death, she would have been such a massive asset in the fight against Samaritan).
I would rather have seen the hot captain from earlier in the season stick around (not for romance, ugh), tbh. I didn't really care about John's ~issues, since in the end, it's not like they were resolved in any way.
Back-tracking slightly: John and Root basically going apeshit over Shaw's disappearance was a beautiful thing.
So was Root and Harold in the Samaritan facility where Root finally murdered Martine. Neck snapping shouldn't be hot, and yet. I really did appreciate both the constant threads re: Shaw AND the threads re: Carter (even if she was dead, I liked that she still had such an impact).
Shaw breaking herself out was excellent, and I was so proud of her. She finally killed off whatsisface (whom I mostly liked), and I even sort of enjoyed the mind games they played with her.
I honestly loved the end of the one episode where Shaw comes back (5x9, I think?), and I feel they could have ended the series there: the team is back together! Standing, getting ready for the End of the World! But they're alive! And together! It felt very satisfying.
Unfortunately, the rest of the season happened. And while I didn't hate it, I just... it was blah. Root's death made me angry. John's death was just like "...ok?" as I didn't care one way or another. I'm frustrated that we didn't get to see the actual Harold + Grace conversation. Greer didn't die entertainingly enough, that was a very blah death. I'm glad Shaw and Bear survived. I'm glad The Machine is still sending out numbers to save.
But in the end, I don't feel like anything was accomplished or changed? I mean, they kill Samaritan with a virus, and boom, done? Really? There's no more global conspiracy group trying to control the world? All of those people Samaritan could turn into controlled animals are now... what? Just sitting in place, waiting their next orders?
And what about the whole virus destroys the internet? What's the fall out from that? It looked like it was mostly nothing.
It just. It felt like they'd thrown it so wide and all-encompassing THE WORLD WILL BE CONTROLLED AND END and then tightened it back down to the world is safe now yay without dealing with the ramifications at all.
I don't know if that's a result of the compacted season or not.
In the end, though, as much as the ending was a bit meh, I did like the show as a whole. It had its ups and downs, it stupid things (Carter dying), it's ok things, it's fun things... and I will miss it. I could have spent a decade watching various Team Machines keep people from doing stupid shit or dying. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)