Person of Interest 1.22 "No Good Deed"
I'll just clear this up before getting started. If you think that I'm going to object to a new female character for this show, a potentially recurring character... whose journal do you think you're reading?
I am far less bothered by Finch's Grace than Reese's Jessica. Sure, the love interest angle is a bit clichéd, and I'm not thrilled to learn that another man has decided something for his significant other for her own good. However, Grace's story does, in fact, give some interesting insights into Finch. (Unlike Jessica, whose sole purpose was to die tragically and make Reese sad.) Harold had a secret fiancée. He lived with her for four years, and Ingram didn't know about her... and quite probably Grace didn't know about him. Finch has compartments within compartments. I've accused Reese of being overly compartmentalized before, but I think Finch has him beat. Learning about her existence now as a sudden thing rather fits that secretiveness Finch has.
Plus at this point I would have to assume that leaving Grace behind was probably not calculated far in advance. If Finch almost died because the people who knew about the Machine wanted him dead, then making sure he stayed dead to everyone would be a logical step for reasons of his own security as well as Grace's safety.
Anyway, onward. I don't have a point-by-point recap this week. *shrugs* That takes (even more) time to do. So, er, this got really random and rambly.
I wonder if Finch was planning to let Reese find Grace? He left the twenty copies of that magazine where Reese could see them; he would have to know that it would intrigue John. Perhaps John knowing of Grace's existence is part of a contigency plan for her safety... (How did Finch always manage to give Fusco the slip when Fusco was on his trail?)
Aside from Reese stalking his boss again, we also have Carter looking into HR and looking askance at Fusco, and Finch zealously guarding his books and furniture from the predations of John Reese.
About that book thing... first Reese was reading Crime and Punishment, and found it so engrossing that it distracted him from work. And then Finch took the book away from the table and put it elsewhere? That was weird. I get the whole "feet off the table" thing. But why take away the book? It's both amusing and disconcerting. (Who me, focus on trivial things? Nah.)
(Props to the, uh, prop people for picking that particular book. Heh.)
Poor Fusco. First you get ignored by Reese when you give him important information, then you end up listening to some kook talking about being spyed on. Hee. His non-reaction to Peck's ranting about the Machine was hilarious.
I've known Carter would be on Fusco's trail for a while; too many hints about that to think they would never go back to that idea. But still--*sadface*. I want reluctant buddy cops! Argh, Reese, you and your safe little compartments are going to come back and bite you on the ass. And I might laugh. Except I probably won't, because I'll be too busy trying not to cry.
This week gave us some fascinating information about the Machine, even while keeping the Machine itself out of the action. By slipping the intel it finds into reports made by humans, everything is functioning as designed. So no Machine as Monster quite yet; instead the people who know of it are the monsters in the ways they seek to protect it.
Henry L. Peck is an analyst at a SCIF. He's a smart guy and notices when something is added to one of his reports. Peck also believes in the system he works for; that's a problem when those guarding the Machine notice him.
Look in the background of this photo; someone is taking pictures! A show tourist, perhaps?
Corwin is back! Hm, mysterious word, sibilance. Less mysterious: Run!
Flashbacks: Ingram and Finch. Finch declares that his Machine cannot be hacked in its current state. Nathan points out that any system can be compromised, given time; he wants a back door. "Any exploit is a total exploit," replies Finch. Ingram built a back door anyway. The back door? Having watched a couple of times now, that seems to be the conclusion the show wants us to make. Interesting.
If Finch turned the Machine over to the government in 2009, what work did he do for the next year or two before his injuries and Nathan's death?
Hilarious juxtaposition: the song "I'm Afraid of Americans" playing while a Chuck Norris look-alike blows up Reese's car. Bwah! Poor Chuck Norris wanna-be can't quite best Reese, though. (This week's question to ignore/handwave: how did Chuck Norris know which street to use for his set-up--because they could have turned before then--and how did he get there so quickly?!)
Fake Chuck Norris's final words: I never asked. Nice resonance for Reese.
On a completely shallow note: Reese is wearing a dark shirt again. Yay! Only in the middle part of the episode, and probably only because it worked underneath the street cop uniform, but still--yay!
Corwin spying on Finch: that was a pretty awesome reveal.
Other stuff to look forward to next week:
Posted at Dreamwidth: http://rose-griffes.dreamwidth.org/245332.html. Comment where you wish.
I am far less bothered by Finch's Grace than Reese's Jessica. Sure, the love interest angle is a bit clichéd, and I'm not thrilled to learn that another man has decided something for his significant other for her own good. However, Grace's story does, in fact, give some interesting insights into Finch. (Unlike Jessica, whose sole purpose was to die tragically and make Reese sad.) Harold had a secret fiancée. He lived with her for four years, and Ingram didn't know about her... and quite probably Grace didn't know about him. Finch has compartments within compartments. I've accused Reese of being overly compartmentalized before, but I think Finch has him beat. Learning about her existence now as a sudden thing rather fits that secretiveness Finch has.
Plus at this point I would have to assume that leaving Grace behind was probably not calculated far in advance. If Finch almost died because the people who knew about the Machine wanted him dead, then making sure he stayed dead to everyone would be a logical step for reasons of his own security as well as Grace's safety.
Anyway, onward. I don't have a point-by-point recap this week. *shrugs* That takes (even more) time to do. So, er, this got really random and rambly.
I wonder if Finch was planning to let Reese find Grace? He left the twenty copies of that magazine where Reese could see them; he would have to know that it would intrigue John. Perhaps John knowing of Grace's existence is part of a contigency plan for her safety... (How did Finch always manage to give Fusco the slip when Fusco was on his trail?)
Aside from Reese stalking his boss again, we also have Carter looking into HR and looking askance at Fusco, and Finch zealously guarding his books and furniture from the predations of John Reese.
About that book thing... first Reese was reading Crime and Punishment, and found it so engrossing that it distracted him from work. And then Finch took the book away from the table and put it elsewhere? That was weird. I get the whole "feet off the table" thing. But why take away the book? It's both amusing and disconcerting. (Who me, focus on trivial things? Nah.)
(Props to the, uh, prop people for picking that particular book. Heh.)
Poor Fusco. First you get ignored by Reese when you give him important information, then you end up listening to some kook talking about being spyed on. Hee. His non-reaction to Peck's ranting about the Machine was hilarious.
I've known Carter would be on Fusco's trail for a while; too many hints about that to think they would never go back to that idea. But still--*sadface*. I want reluctant buddy cops! Argh, Reese, you and your safe little compartments are going to come back and bite you on the ass. And I might laugh. Except I probably won't, because I'll be too busy trying not to cry.
This week gave us some fascinating information about the Machine, even while keeping the Machine itself out of the action. By slipping the intel it finds into reports made by humans, everything is functioning as designed. So no Machine as Monster quite yet; instead the people who know of it are the monsters in the ways they seek to protect it.
Henry L. Peck is an analyst at a SCIF. He's a smart guy and notices when something is added to one of his reports. Peck also believes in the system he works for; that's a problem when those guarding the Machine notice him.
Look in the background of this photo; someone is taking pictures! A show tourist, perhaps?
Corwin is back! Hm, mysterious word, sibilance. Less mysterious: Run!
Flashbacks: Ingram and Finch. Finch declares that his Machine cannot be hacked in its current state. Nathan points out that any system can be compromised, given time; he wants a back door. "Any exploit is a total exploit," replies Finch. Ingram built a back door anyway. The back door? Having watched a couple of times now, that seems to be the conclusion the show wants us to make. Interesting.
If Finch turned the Machine over to the government in 2009, what work did he do for the next year or two before his injuries and Nathan's death?
Hilarious juxtaposition: the song "I'm Afraid of Americans" playing while a Chuck Norris look-alike blows up Reese's car. Bwah! Poor Chuck Norris wanna-be can't quite best Reese, though. (This week's question to ignore/handwave: how did Chuck Norris know which street to use for his set-up--because they could have turned before then--and how did he get there so quickly?!)
Fake Chuck Norris's final words: I never asked. Nice resonance for Reese.
On a completely shallow note: Reese is wearing a dark shirt again. Yay! Only in the middle part of the episode, and probably only because it worked underneath the street cop uniform, but still--yay!
Corwin spying on Finch: that was a pretty awesome reveal.
Other stuff to look forward to next week:
Posted at Dreamwidth: http://rose-griffes.dreamwidth.org/245332.html. Comment where you wish.