Those who predicted Carter's death would hit Reese hard were absolutely right. We saw a side of Reese that we've only seen in flashbacks to after Jessica's death. Suffice it to say, Quinn can count himself lucky to be alive. What amazed me was that he didn't even seem that scared, even though he knew that Reese was probably going to kill him. Reese's quest for revenge was never going to end with anything but Quinn and Simmons' death.
Although an empty gun proved otherwise for the former, the latter was Reese's main concern. Despite being in the worst shape of his life - bleeding, dying - he still tried to go the distance to honour Carter. As Finch rightly pointed out, it isn't what she'd have wanted. While Reese seemingly didn't care about this (which seems strange considering their friendship), Fusco did appreciate this.
As much as it was much better that Fusco didn't kill Simmons, throughout that entire scene I was wanting him to do it. It had suddenly occurred to me when Simmons had been given a new passport at the start of the episode how much I wanted to kill him. This is what Carter's death has done to fans of the show (or at least me): made us hate Simmons with the kind of passion that Team Machine do. I find that brilliant.
Anyway, back to Fusco. While it would have been incredibly fitting had he killed Simmons, it was a much more emotional moment when he didn't. Similarly to what Reese told Carter last week, Fusco was also saved by Carter. His speech referring to this was highly emotional, even more so than Reese's. Not that we didn't already know it, but she was the one that everyone loved above the rest. Without her, Reese and Fusco would not be where they are today. Instead, Reese would have killed himself, and Fusco would be in deep with HR, beyond the point of salvation. Without her, both of them will no doubt be missing a part of themselves for the rest of their lives.With this memory in mind, Fusco decided to go the route that she would have taken. The one that results in Patrick Simmons never leaving an 8 x 12 cell. When you think about why Fusco did this, it is completely understandable, and completely the correct, and only way to do it.
And then we come to Elias. He had always been loyal, and had loyalty shown towards him. Those who betrayed him wound up dead; those who didn't got to live. Detective Carter, although the two started as enemies, did save his life from HR. The tables had turned, so when he couldn't repay the debt and save Carter's life, he brought In the permanent absence of Carter, and with Reese out the lam bleeding to death, Finch called upon Root to help out. Now, as much as I think she's a deranged b*tch, she is incredibly useful. Being able to
While Finch allowed her to go free, she decided to return to her cage after Reese was saved. I found this strange, but less so when she explained her reasoning (which in itself - how can anything be bigger than this?). What I did find strange was why Finch locked Root away again. I completely expected him to leave the door open. It's probably a good thing that he didn't though.
After this epic three-part story arc, there's only one (OK, two) thing(s) to say. RIP Joss Carter. Good riddance HR.
Some odds and ends:
- "I had a partner. She was good for me. For a lot of reasons. She reminded me that I could be good again too. I could be a good father, a good friend, a good cop. I'm not gonna let you undo all the good she did. Carter saved my life. She saved me from myself. Because she believed in me. And I'm not gonna throw that away over a piece of crap like you." Heartbreaking from Fusco.
- "I offered to kill you for Detective Carter many times and she always said no. She was civilised to the very end. I don't think she liked me, but I liked her very much. You killed her. So now I consider it my responsibility to fix the particular problem that is you, Officer Simmons."
- Reese had a yellow box around him in 2007. As far as I remember, he didn't know about the Machine in 2007. Shaw and Fusco, both without knowledge of the Machine in 2005, had a white box. Does this mean that Reese did know about the Machine 6 years ago?
- On that note, interesting flashbacks. Finch went to a therapist after Nathan's death, Shaw consulted by one when it is clear that she shows no emotion to her patients, Fusco to one after he killed a man as a revenge shooting
- Fusco snapping Simmons arm was gruesome. I've watched it many times now and I hate it. Ouch.
- I know I said that arresting Simmons is what Carter would have done, but I would have liked to have seen how Carter would have actually gone about things if it were Fusco who had died. Would she have gone the vigilante route? I doubt it.
- Epic music when the team enter the building.
- Not that I'm supporting this idea in any way, but I'm surprised Reese didn't go after Simmons's family. It's not like Simmons went after Fusco's, or what he would call his own in both Carter and Fusco...
- I would like to congratulate Person of Interest for leaving me plagued with constant thoughts about what might happen for the past three weeks. More story of this quality please.
What did you think of the episode, and of the mini-arc? Did Simmons have to die? Did Quinn deserve to? How much will Carter be missed? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
15 year old in England. Love Hawaii Five-0, NCIS, NCIS LA, Person of Interest, Elementary, Criminal Minds, Nikita and Arrow, and the new The Blacklist, Hostages and The Tomorrow People. I am reviewing Person of Interest and The Tomorrow People for Spoiler TV. Aside from TV, a keen cricketer.
Follow me on TwitterFollow me on Twitter
I know I'm slacking a bit by not having posted the Carter best bits section yet. Apologies for that. Should be up soon.
ReplyDeleteThe POI creative team know when enough is enough. They know when recurring characters have done their dash (Simmons). They know when storylines need a shakeup. They know how to keep the landscape of the show shifting. It's rare that a creative team are that well in sync with the world they've created, so that's pretty awesome in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThe beauty of yesterday's episode is that we are at a crossroads with several big storylines, so they can go any direction. That's what I'm looking forward to for the rest of the season. I'm far from disappointed -- I'm really excited to see what's in store for TV's best drama.
---"What did you think of the episode, and of the mini-arc?"
ReplyDeleteMasterful works of television. They shall be remembered for an eternity as helping to shape the ever-developing landscape of the television universe. It may not appear to be the case considering POI doesn't receive a lot of attention in the media, but I think it will have a major impact down the road. "The Devil's Share" became my favorite episode of the series, this after "The Crossing" became my favorite episode, last week. How many current television shows - no, television shows of all time - are capable of topping themselves one episode after killing off a main character?
Everything from the choice of music, to the choreography, to the lighting, to the acting, to the chemistry between the cast, was simply flawless. These aren't merely fictional characters, they're people with whom you can sympathize, individuals whom express tangible emotions and multi-faceted characteristics. To think, that a "broadcast" network show, in November (not even mid-season), would televise an intricately game-changing, dark and philosophical storyline such as the HR conclusion is beyond remarkable. This is something you'd anticipate on a cable series, yet these producers and writers accomplished unparalleled levels of programming whilst forgoing blatant use of sex, swearing, gratuitous violence, and so forth.
---"Did Simmons have to die?"
Yes, but it had to be Elias/Scarface to execute the kill. As Elias remarked, an "outlier." The dominant theme throughout this arc has been combating one's inner demons and struggling with morality (hence the poignant flashbacks), which made it wholly impossible for anyone within the core group to kill Simmons and/or Quinn without dishonoring Carter's legacy in the process.
"Did Quinn deserve to?"
Also yes, and it should have been Elias or Scarface to take him out, but that remains to be seen. Regardless, Quinn and HR are finished, so his fate is practically minimal, at this point.
"Reese had a yellow box around him in 2007. As far as I remember, he didn't know about the Machine in 2007. Shaw and Fusco, both without knowledge of the Machine in 2005, had a white box. Does this mean that Reese did know about the Machine 6 years ago?"
The season one DVD contains commentary from the producers affirming that the Machine assesses its archive footage via the present, meaning that the characters are assigned various colored boxes depending on their relative status in the present. The oddity, thus, is not Reese having a yellow-colored box, but Shaw possessing a white one, instead of a blue one.
Overall, great review, and I'd be hard-pressed to find something worth disagreeing about. Fusco was the definite standout of the episode in my view, given the sheer juxtaposition of his character and the life-altering influence Carter had on him. His speech/tribute to Carter after beating Simmons was phenomenally acted and I'd even say Chapman deserves Emmy consideration for his performance.
Elias' chilling speech on the subject of civilized people versus the outliers made him the runner-up, but it's really irrelevant to rank the characters based on effectiveness as they were all incredible.
Arrow has done a fine job of following up Tommy's death.
ReplyDeleteI am aware of the S1 DVD thing. Can't understand why Reese has one but not Shaw. And cause Shaw was a doctor in '05, not part of the government.
Yes, Chapman deserves and Emmy for this week and last week.
Elias is awesome. Bring him on more.
Ah, well I don't watch Arrow so I wouldn't know. :P
ReplyDeleteWell, it makes sense for Reese to have the yellow box, but the year shouldn't be relevant according to the producers' explanation. There's nothing to indicate Reese knew about the Machine prior to Finch telling him about it (even the mission with Stanton to Ordos was a mere implication). I'm hoping it gets cleared up, actually.
I have been so overwhelmed by these past two episodes that I hardly know what to say, so I may have to come back and add more thoughts. I was amazed that POI would do such a major shake-up at this point in the season. True, it was part of a story arc, but I didn't expect such a game-changer mid-season.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Fusco was masterful in this episode. He truly was transformed by his contact with Carter. He's been visibly changing in his behavior throughout his partnership with her, and he honored her memory most strongly with pulling back and not killing Simmons, even though he more than deserved it after tormenting Fusco and his son so cruelly, let alone killing Carter. It was the ultimate tribute to Fusco's return to integrity as an officer and a man. I hope they do at least nominate him for an Emmy--he more than deserves it.
I will be fascinated to see what happens with John. Jim did an amazingly subtle job of portraying the deadness John is feeling over the death of yet another person he cares for. He is normally so intense that seeing even deadness in his eyes let alone his whole demeanor is truly amazing. He displayed that same quality in the earliest scenes of the series too.
I hate to see how his acting is so underrated in the acting community. He is a remarkably subtle actor. Joss' and John's final scenes were beautifully tender and yet raw with emotional pain, in contrast to him pretty much operating like a walking dead man in this past episode. It reminds me of how Shaw operates most of the time, in a kind of frozen state, except when she gives way to violence and rage.
This show never ceases to enthrall and entertain me, and I look forward with great anticipation to where it goes from here!
One last note, Joss Carter, I do hope we see you again in flashbacks--you have been a character as real as life to us all and we will miss you quite dreadfully!
Excellent review. This was one of the best episodes, not only of this season, but maybe the entire series. If you want to make an episode that reflects the impact left by the death of a major character, this is the way to do it.
ReplyDeleteIt was a smart move to use the flashbacks to show us the kind of influence Carter had in each character, even Elias, I particularly found very emotional when Fusco explains to Simmons how she changed him, and like you, I wanted Simmons dead, but I didn't mind that Fusco arrested him, and in the end, it all worked out, thanks to Elias.
I loved the intro, it was emotional and badass at the same time. The music choices were fantastic.
One "enemy" down, how many to go?
John had yellow box in 2007 because unknowingly he was working for the machine when he killed that person who was taking his interview. Reese didn't knew about the machine till Finch told him about it in pilot but during his time in Army and CIA Reese was indirectly working for the machine so machine knew him
ReplyDeleteAcker never seems the credit due for her role i cant see anybody else pulling it off without getting campy or too serious,i always find her fascinating to watch her do her thing
ReplyDeleteYeah but working for the machine in that capacity would logically be a blue box right? Yellow for if you understand the true nature of the machine, blue for if you work under the Northern Lights operation - if I understand the way this works properly lol
ReplyDelete"The beauty of yesterday's episode is that we are at a crossroads with several big storylines, so they can go any direction."
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people doesn't even realize how big this thing is. Most shows of this genre tries to live out on one single arc from the beginning till their end, making it usually worse and worse in each season. Or if they finish it before the show ends (see The Mentalist) the imminent question is that OK, but what the hell will they do with their characters now?
In PoI the only question is which story will they focus on, not what story they can come up with.
Excellent review of the episode.
ReplyDeleteI have always found Root (Amy Acker) to be under utilized on the show & find her character quite entertaining & the episodes where she is out on the loose usually are more interesting than others.
This was also the 1st episode where Shaw didn't absolutely suck. In fact, I didn't hate her even slightly. I doubt I'll ever get to the point of liking the character, but may, just maybe this episode is the starting point of me tolerating her. I really had moved POI from "must see" to "I'll get to it this week" since Shaw arrived, and until Carters death, it was dangling on the edge of "I'll catch up when everything else is off the air" territory.
Also, the speech from Elias at the end. Gold.
One thing this show does well, it makes bad guys that sometimes do good things better than any other maybe.
This episode was amazing. it was powerful. it is the type of episode that wins people back. It did with me. I am now both excited to see where they go next, and nervous, since I don't know how they can match that.
A yellow box always meant that someone was aware of the Machine's existence. It's especially noticeable when Shaw turns from blue to yellow right after Reese tells her about the ''AI'' in the season 2 finale.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I've noticed that they're not as consistent with it as they used to be in the flashbacks. I remember that Reese had a red box in his flashback from 1.20 because he was a threat to the Machine at THAT time. Other times, he always had yellow because that was his status in the ''present''. The error in this episode was that Shaw had a white box in her flashback, but yellow in the present.
I think the confusion of the boxes is explained as this is how the machine in the present thinks by constantly referring to previous data through the viewer's flashbacks. There is a a clue by the algorithms displayed just before the flashback occurs. The Machine always references from the future point of view not the past data. That is why there are discrepancies. It is constantly updating threats as friend or foe as Harold taught it.
ReplyDeleteGood review. I'd agree that this episode was an excellent wrap-up to an excellent arc, and that the show did a great job of contextualizing our heroes' actions. I almost wish Elias hadn't been allowed to kill Simmons, much as I enjoyed watching it happen, because that seemed almost like a sop to us, the audience--a way of giving us that moment of revenge without compromising the "good guys" as murderers. On that front, I did really like the fact that Reese STILL pulled the trigger, even knowing that in doing so he was taking his path rather than Carter's, to revenge rather than justice, but that he was spared succeeding in doing so, as I suspect that a day or a week lateer, he would probably really regret having dishonored Carter's wishes that way.
ReplyDeleteAnd much as I love the actors in this show without exception (no Shaw-hate from me), I agree that Kevin Chapman has really been knocking it out fo the park recently. He's taken Lionel from basically comic relief (which he did very well, of course), to a much more nuanced and interesting character. Nothing this eek qwuite matehcd up tot he freocity of his killing ... what's his face last week, but his speech to Simmons, especially, was superlatively delivered.
Nope.
ReplyDeleteYellow is IRRELEVANT list assets. Blue is RELEVANT list assets.
Carter became aware of the machine and her designation did not change since she is an indirect asset through Reese.
Shaw simply , from machine's POV, got "Reassigned" into Relevant assets cattegory.
Root has her own circle because she not working on relevant or irrelevant numbers and is working more as an envoy of the machine.
No. Yellow is people with knowledge of the machine. That's why Carter's box DID change in 3.09. She started white and after she told Finch about the Machine, when she looked up at the camera in the room with Reese at the precinct, her box was yellow. White are those with no knowledge of the Machine, whether they're assets or not. Blue is government agents, hence Shaw's blue box last season. Root's is black/yellow which means that she can communicate directly with the Machine.
ReplyDeleteYeah, him having a red box back then was fine. Going on current logic, yes, Shaw not having a yellow box is the problem. However, what should happen is that Reese should have a white box, possibly a blue box at times since as I remember it he was working at the behest of the Machine but didn't know it existed? My memory could be wrong there.
ReplyDeleteHe was unknowingly working for the Machine in Ordos right? He should have had a blue box then, correct?
ReplyDeleteIf it references from the future, how come Shaw had a white box?
ReplyDeleteI don't think so, because it was just a simple reconnaissance mission (which turned out to be a set up by the CIA to kill Reese and Stanton). It's not as if they were preventing a major terrorist attack on America.
ReplyDeleteReese and Shaw should have both had yellow boxes during their respective flashbacks. Shaw is no longer working on the "relevant" cases, so the Machine would have theoretically updated itself and its archival footage when she officially joined the group.
ReplyDelete^ That. The only time I remember where the flashback characters were not assigned with their ''current'' color codes (meaning yellow in Reese and Finch's cases) before this episode was in 1.20 when the Machine showed Reese as a threat to the Machine. That's why I said it wasn't entirely consistent. In this episode, Shaw, Reese and Finch should all have had a yellow box in the flashbacks.
ReplyDeleteJust in case anyone is interested, the music playing when Team Machine entered the building (and when Root was epic with two guns) is by Digitalism - Miami Showdown.
ReplyDeleteIt had not updated Shaw's status at that time. A white box is an unknown not someone unaware of the machine. It has not categorized it as a threat or not yet. So that is why it has not placed a decision. You do know the machine make decisions but then changes the decision when new data is obtained. Sometimes there is over abundance of data so it will still classify as white until a decision is reached.
ReplyDeleteNo Yellow is used only after the machine has made a determination. This point Reese and Shaw were both unknowns. They were in flux since a new determination has not been reached.
ReplyDeleteNot quite. The color determination is whether the object is a threat or can be used to counter a threat or an Unknown. White is used to classify any object which can not be determined yet.
ReplyDeleteNo white is not no knowledge but the Machine has classified as an unknown. The Machine has not yet classified it as a threat or an object to counter a threat,
ReplyDeleteThey were still assets of the Machine in the present and possessed knowledge of its existence. Yellow would have been the appropriate color as they weren't associated with the "relevant" cases.
ReplyDeleteKudos to POI for the Quality they give us Each Week, Thank-You.
ReplyDeleteThe machine does not have assets. It has objects. That is something most do not understand.
ReplyDeleteThe white box still doesn't make sense; Shaw even had a yellow box in "Razgovor."
ReplyDelete