Series finales are tough. There’s no escaping that fact. Going into a planned series finale comes with a level of expectation not present with any other episode in the past, and a requirement to wrap up each of the storylines and characters in a way that satisfies viewers when knowing that this is the very end (*). For higher quality shows, that expectation is even greater, because falling away at the final hurdle can be seen to tarnish the legacy of a series that did so much right before it - the likes of How I Met Your Mother and Dexter found that out the hard way.
(*) This isn’t exactly fanservice, but it’s about as close as you’ll get within acceptable limits. Really, it’s all about doing right by the show rather than the fans; if those two happen to coincide, as they often do, then that’s just an extra benefit.
For all the odd missteps and occasional lows since 2011, Person of Interest has been one of the better shows on television, certainly on network television and particularly in the last three seasons. Those 102 episodes have set a high bar, and so, like with every finale, there was pressure on that 103rd to knock it out of the park. So, did it deliver?
To quote Reese in the fourth season finale: Hell yes.
There’s only one thing about “return 0” that ended on a slightly disappointing note, and that was Finch’s final scene. Going all the way back to the pilot, there’s always been a threat of death looming over both he and Reese, and for much of the past season or so, Finch has been determined not to let other people risk or sacrifice their lives for him; instead, he wished to bite the bullet if it meant that his friends were able to survive. That didn’t change here, as he locked Reese into the vault before embarking upon a final suicide mission to stop Samaritan, but he was duped by the Machine, who had a deal with John to keep Finch safe, and the man in the suit sacrificed himself instead. Having recovered from his gunshot wound, Finch headed to Italy to reunite with Grace, and we were left as she saw her supposedly dead fiancé for the first time in half a decade. My biggest issue here is that I’m not certain Finch deserves this ending. He’s done a lot of good work over the years, but his high-mindedness, particularly this season, has led to a lot of bad things, and seeing him prosper out of that is somewhat frustrating.
Yet “return 0” managed to make it fit within the context of the episode and, had they gone a different route, earlier resolutions would likely have occurred differently, which would have detracted substantially. Resolutions like Reese sacrificing himself to save Finch, which makes sense on every single level. Finch didn’t just give Reese a job, he gave him a purpose. Initially, that purpose was to save lives, one at a time, but ultimately, Reese’s purpose was to repay the debt he owed from the very first episode: Finch saved his life, so his ending came full circle from their first meeting. Equally, this is exactly what he does. Because of his job at the CIA, he pushed everyone away, including Jessica, and he never really got to have a personal life while doing this job for the government. His employment by Finch meant that he was able to have friends, even a hint at a romantic life. As Harold told him, “What I couldn't have anticipated was that you would become such a good friend,” and that friendship resulted in Reese giving his life.
“This is what I do, remember? When you came to me, you gave me a job, a purpose. At first, I'd been trying to save the world for so long, saving one life at a time seemed a bit anticlimactic. Then I realised that sometimes, one life, it's the right life. It's enough."
For Reese, Finch’s life was the right life, the one that he had been leading towards saving over the course of these five seasons. Somewhat ironically, in saving Finch, he managed to save the world as well - though that would have happened even without his sacrifice. It’s a fitting end for a man who wasn’t allowed to be anything more than a government assassin for so long, to give his life in service of something he wants to do.
The final scene between the pair on the rooftop was undoubtedly the scene of the hour. Beautifully accompanied by Philip Glass’ “Metamorphosis One”, those final moments were absolutely gut-wrenching as Finch helplessly watched Reese carry out the act that he was supposed to do. The house next door to mine is undergoing renovations, and a whole load of dust must have floated in through an open window because my eyes were suddenly and inexplicably wet. That’s the only explanation, right? Really, though, everything about that scene tugged at the heartstrings; Reese’s smile (pictured left) as he looked over to see Finch leaving the rooftop got to me the most as he knew that his sacrifice wasn’t in vain.
Runner-up in the emotion category went to Fusco and Shaw’s parting moment, as she collected Bear from him, telling him “I’ll see you when I see you.”
“Not if I see you first,” he replies.
The relationship between Fusco and everyone on Team Machine has always been an odd one. He never overtly connected with any of them, given the life-threatening situations they oft placed him in without any insight as to why he was doing it. Gradually, however, he developed a friendship with all of them, but there was a particular affection for Shaw, especially after she saved his son’s life way back in season three. Her constant pleasure from poking fun at Lionel would seem to indicate sentiment towards him, at least for someone with an Axis II Personality Disorder. Leaving things as they did, particularly after she saved his life from Blackwell’s stabbing, is the perfect end for them. Neither of them would care to admit it, but they’re friends by this point, and they’ll almost certainly encounter one another again soon enough.
Now’s as good a time as any to mention the Machine, which managed to survive the cyber apocalypse, as Fusco put it, with a duplicate coming online in the final moments of the hour. I’m not entirely sure on how it managed to survive, but it did. Much like season two’s “Zero Day”, the Machine was able to remind itself of its old memories, this time through the voice recording, before contacting Shaw and, presumably, giving her a new number to track down (*). There’s a level of unexpected hope that came from this reveal; much of what came before it, both in this finale and the season as a whole, was pretty depressing, but this provides just a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Not all was lost, and New York City once again has a concerned third party.
(*) Now that Northern Lights is defunct, according to Garrison, it’d be likely that Shaw would now get relevant numbers in addition to the irrelevant numbers. That’s a lot of work for her and Bear! Also, don’t tease a Shaw-Bear spinoff, show. It’ll never happen and that crushes my hopes and dreams.
That idea of remembering who you or others are was present at every turn during “return 0”, no less prominently than during the final Reese-Finch scene as the Machine remembered the secret of life, as told by a cop who had just given his 35th death notification: "Sure, everyone dies alone. But if you mean something to someone, if you help someone, or love someone. If even a single person remembers you... then maybe you never really die at all."
It was also a lovely way to sign off the series, almost as if the show was providing meta-commentary on itself. Even though Person of Interest may not have died alone, it certainly meant something to a great many people, and will be remembered fondly by fans. So, even though this is the end, did it really die at all?
Truly, this was a stunning finale. Despite everything that the show has done, I couldn’t escape the feeling in the back of my mind that things might derail at the final hurdle. “return 0” exceeded my expectations beyond all measure, leaving us with a closing chapter worthy of this great show, and one that won’t soon be forgotten.
Notes:
• The non-linear structure was a smart choice, and the ambiguity over how Finch had got to that situation made it all the more impactful (also, that Finch suggested he knew what happened to Reese - prompting my assumption that he had died prior - when both he and I were wrong worked very well).
• Shaw letting Blackwell live on the subway car I can accept, given what she told him when she did execute him later. But I refuse to accept that both she and Fusco were dumb enough not to search him for additional weapons.
• Speaking of Blackwell’s demise, while I was immensely satisfied when Shaw put those bullets in him, it’s ironic that he said they have no idea what they’re doing. In the end, he was the one who had no real idea what he was doing; “It was a job,” he tells her, having not really understood the impact of all that he has done while working for Samaritan.
• More emotional overload! Firstly, Reese telling Fusco not to die. There’s a mutual respect between those two, and Reese, having pushed Lionel towards his redemption, has come around a lot on him since their meeting in the pilot. Again, for all the inconveniences and havoc that Fusco was drawn into, their friendship came to a head nicely. Secondly, the Machine telling Shaw that Root saw her as a straight line, an arrow, were she to be a shape, following on from their final conversation back in “The Day The World Went Away”. Sarah Shahi did some excellent work there as Shaw had just a flicker of a tear in her eye, showing emotion in the only way she can.
• When Finch was in Times Square, it was pitch black. When he arrived on the rooftop, it was light, and he had only 18 minutes to get to there from the gold vault. Slight continuity error there.
• So, Fusco did kill LeRoux. “Guess I haven’t changed that much.”
• With the help of an anonymous tip, the NYPD realised that Detective Riley was really the man in the suit. That they couldn’t work it out for themselves, even after all this time, suggests to me that all of them are in the wrong line of work.
• Along with the use of “Metamorphosis One,” the scenes with Finch alone on the rooftop featured “Bunsen Burner” by Cuts, from the Ex Machina soundtrack. Terrific score (and movie, in fact).
• The younger cop that stood over the body of the Wall Street guy was an asshole.
• Using the final shot from the pilot to end the series was an inspired choice, and even further pushes the fifth season full circle.
• One last amusing Fusco quote: "I knew you guys were crazy, but this is next level nuts."
• Covering this show over the past three years has been an absolute joy. Person of Interest was the first show I reviewed weekly at SpoilerTV, and the prospect of not being able to write about it every week (or nearly every week, for those odd episodes that I missed) upsets me. Thank you to everyone who has read and commented on them. I will be doing a full season review in a couple of weeks, so look out for that.
Well, that’s it. The end of Person of Interest. What did you all think? Did you enjoy the finale? Were you satisfied with the way that all of the characters went out? For the last time (on a weekly basis), hit the comments with your thoughts!
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