Person of Interest’s most recent episode, ‘Karma’, was a little bit of a let-down after some of the higher quality procedural episodes that we’ve seen from the show. The highlights of this episode went to Michael Emerson and his portrayal of Finch in the flashbacks, with that storyline being far and away the most interesting plot point, despite us already knowing the outcome of it.
The number-of-the-week plot showed a lot of promise to begin with. The sequence at the bank where Dr. Edwards framed Clyde Barton was highly enjoyable and I liked the twist that Edwards had no intention of robbing the bank. The show has built up quite a reputation for making things more complex than they first seem, and this was good example of it working well.
This frustrated me because Person of Interest prides itself on being one of the smartest shows on television, and that usually culminates in interesting and surprising twists. ‘Karma’ attempted to be cunning in its main plot, but unfortunately failed. Whether or not it was some obvious writing of a symptom of so many high quality, intelligent episodes that I’ve become far more analytical and anticipatory of big twists I do not know. What I do know is that the main plot of ‘Karma’ is one of the weaker of the season, and I hope their next number-of-the-week story is much better than this.
That isn’t to say, however, that it was all bad. It did bring about some enjoyable moments, such as Reese’s quip that Finch should hire Edwards and take a week off and Fusco’s admittance to Dr. Campbell that he “keep(s) having this dream” – both of which were among the few lighter moments of the episode. Additionally, we got to see Finch in therapy, and even if he was talking about a fake event, the grief he expressed in that scene was real, and it was nice to see it illustrated that Finch is still distraught over Nathan’s death five years ago. Finch wasn’t the only one at therapy though, as we got to see another of Reese’s sessions with Dr. Campbell. It always intrigues me to see him opening up about his feelings because for a lot of the show’s run, Reese has remained a very quiet character who would rather express his grief and anger by shooting people in the knee than opening his mouth. This is definitely an effect of his cover job as a police officer – he is beginning to adjust to the real world and approach certain things the way regular people do. I don’t expect his cover job to last much longer, but I hope that this is one of the things he doesn’t let go of because I think it’s a big thing for his character’s development.
As aforementioned, Finch’s flashbacks were by far the most interesting plot of the episode. Though we knew that Finch wouldn’t kill Corwin (his killing of her in 2010 would make it very difficult for Root to kill her in 2012), his descent into almost becoming a killer was fascinating to watch. From what we have learned about Finch up to this point (and even afterwards), condoning murder is not something he will do. So, to see him prepared to commit it himself is a huge development for his character.What surprised me about the events of 2010 was that the opening flashback showed him ignoring the Machine bringing up his number. I would have expected this to be the wake-up call that he needed to prevent him from killing Corwin, but instead he paid no attention to his AI. Even when it called him (for what I believe is the first time), his response was “I haven’t given you a voice, so you have nothing to say.” Finch so nearly went to that dark place, and I’m so glad that he didn’t. Also, I loved the way that the security camera was looking almost directly down on Finch as if to show the Machine looking down on him for being about to break the moral code he himself taught it. That was something that the show didn’t need to do, but doing it really enhanced the impact of the scene.
Odds and ends:
- Though I didn’t like the main plot of the episode, I do have to credit the show for once again questioning morals by not giving us a definitive answer on whether Morris killed Edwards’ wife and having Fusco vigorously support the idea of letting Edwards stop Morris by any means necessary. Person of Interest portrays the concept of such dilemmas so well and this was another good example.
- Why did Angela (Edwards’ first patient after Finch) still (presumably) have Barton on Facebook if he injured her like that? Or was she stalking his Facebook page?
- Reese randomly standing up in the middle of Dr. Edwards’ speech should have been far more conspicuous than the show made it out to be.
- “Remind me to never illegally purchase a firearm.”
So, what did you all think of ‘Karma’? Let me know in the comments below! You can also check out the promo for the next episode, ‘Skip’, below.
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I too did not like this episode. It was a far cry from the other PoI filler episode of the last few months, Guilty.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, the two that wrote this episode are not the regular team of writers that we have become accustomed to.
They really wasted Alicia Corwin's flashback scenes and Michael Emerson's masterful acting with the bland PoI this week.
I agree. If it wasn't for Finch and his flashbacks the episode would have been probably the worst episode of the season, in my opinion. Nothing of interest happened, and the writing seemed really poor compared to what we've seen previously.
ReplyDeleteMichael Emerson's portrayal of Finch in the flashbacks was the only interesting thing to happen all episode, despite knowing what was going to happen. Let's hope for some better next week.
I enjoyed "Karma" because it was more similar to a season 1 episode than any I've seen recently. It emphasized character development over frenetic plot pacing; Finch and Reese finally got to have several unhurried scenes that showcased their special bond which has been the oft-ignored hallmark of POI since its pilot; the flashbacks with Alicia Corwin and Finch featured outstanding acting and intriguing moral ambiguity when it came to the concept of seeking revenge; and, for the first time this season, Root, Shaw, Greer, Control, and the battle of the machines were all totally absent (and I didn't miss any of them). "Karma" was far better than the horrible "Honor Among Thieves"...a filler episode that featured Shaw trying to be overtly sexy and earned POI its lowest demo ever (since matched at 1.3 by "The Cold War').
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone think that The Machine put the shrink in Reese's life? I would like to think that The Machine is being pro-active that way.
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking that somehow Reese's shrink has something up her sleeve. If the Machine didn't put the shrink in Reese's life, I think someone did; I keep feeling that she is a "plant" and that she will betray him. Also, speaking of storylines, I find it a bit unrealistic that Reese would have a romantic interest in her, because wouldn't he be worried about losing his cover by getting together with the shrink? It doesn't seem plausible to me.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that I am not alone in thinking that this episode was sub-par. I was disappointed. It didn't have that extra "oomph" that POI episodes usually have. It had no Root, no tiny flashes of Shaw, and not enough zest in the characters it did show. The flashbacks were not even that interesting. Hopefully the writers read these posts and make future episodes more interesting!
ReplyDeleteI want to believe that the Machine put her there and not Samaritan. And I think she will die or be injured instead of betraying him. I hope this show doesn't get a reputation like Supernatural for killing female characters.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the idea of Reese getting together with the shrink mainly due to her age. I like his 'flirtation' with Zoe as they are the same age and have a similar outlook. The shrink is too young for him and I am tired of seeing 40+ year old men with 20+ women.
The writers don't plot things out based on viewer input. And in a way,
ReplyDeletethis episode did have flashes of Shaw: Finch's mention of her in saying
that revenge doesn't bring closure, and the thematic parallel of moving
on despite not having closure (like Root trying to get an answer from
the Machine).
I don't think the predictability mattered so much. You said the flashbacks were fascinating despite knowing Finch wouldn't kill Corwin (and I agree). I think Reese at least suspected what Edwards' endgame was, given his similar experience.
ReplyDeleteEdwards was interesting enough in his own right, mourning his wife, yet very calculated in framing people. It's an interesting dynamic between emotion and intellect, with the former being consumed by the latter. I felt like Reese's suggestion of hiring Edwards was more than a jest, given what Root told Finch about recruiting people.
All in all, I really enjoyed this one. I think it succeeded as a reflective piece, and now we know another likely factor in Corwin's departure from the government. As Finch told her in Firewall: "You're not running from the Machine, Alicia. You're running from people." I wonder if she had suspected that Finch was the one who threatened her.
They spent way too much time on the PoI of the week and not enough on the flashbacks. We only got a half cooked flashback sequence and we were basically reduced to a guessing game of whodunit with the PoI.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that the 2 writers got right this episode was the ambiguous ending scene.
I think it could be both. Maybe Samaritan put her there as a plant but the Machine is using her to help John with his issues because she's benevolent and wants the team to be unified once the war really starts.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing, but I am very pro-Zoe and I want Zoe to become a regular character. (I thought that the shrink is way too young for Reese). Zoe is more Reese's age, and they seem to have more in common, and if Reese is going to find love again, it might be better with someone who understands him & how he hides & must be discreet.
ReplyDeleteHonor Among Thieves wasn't a filler episode and rating was because the episode was week off. JS.
ReplyDeleteRatings for Honor Among Thieves was partly due to the competition of the Chicago Fire portion of the crossover with Chicago PD and Law and Order SVU.
ReplyDeleteNice to see a differing opinion. It was similar to a season 1 episode, you're right, but I don't think it quite had the quality as most in season 1 did.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting. I've seen mostly theories going the other way that Samaritan (or the Brotherhood) put her there. I'd quite like that if the Machine set it up.
ReplyDeleteThat too, forgot to read my information.
ReplyDeleteI think Reese may have suspected, yes, but they didn't make it out that way which frustrated me because I'd figured it out long before.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Edwards was a very interesting character. Still didn't think it was enough to improve the episode though.
Nice to see another opinion. I did actually mean to go back and rewatch the end of Firewall but I completely forgot. The flashbacks were very effective.
Yea - as soon as I saw this review title I knew I couldn't agree more with the opinions and points made in it...I think any episode of Person of Interest even at its worst is more entertaining than most other shows on TV; however, this episode was a let down for those of us who have come to expect so much from the show at this point. I didn't see everything coming so far as the suicide frame job that the number planned to pull - thought it was a murder plot as we were led to believe as viewers and as Finch thought. The flashbacks were the redeeming moments of the episode and I think we can all agree it was interesting to see such a side of Finch we've never seen before...It was enough for us to learn why Alicia Corwin was as nutty as she was in season one - I mean i can't imagine just leaving that car and saying ok its over with but rather paranoid looking over my shoulder for the rest of my days and looking for answers (I assume this is why she dug deep enough to discover Harold and want to question him)...It also shed light on Finch and his feelings against violence and I liked the point made in the review that he was going against the very moral code that he taught The Machine.
ReplyDeleteSo If-Then-Else, which featured the battle of the machines plus Root and Shaw a lot, had higher demo and total viewer numbers. What exactly is your point?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. "Karma" didn't have the same quality as a season 1 episode (perhaps because the co-writers of the episode are relatively new). Nevertheless, it was refreshing to see an episode reminiscent of those from my favorite season of POI.
ReplyDeleteMy point is that I prefer episodes with character development to those that center on the battle of the machines. I realize that other viewers prefer the Root/Shaw/AI episodes, and I never said anything about the demo or total viewers for 'If-Then-Else." Since you asked, though, I think that the simulations done in Christopher Nolan's Inception and The Prestige were far superior to those in "If-Then-Else," and I wasn't as impressed with that episode as those who rave about it.
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly, The Prestige didn't have any simulations.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem here is the placement. Why the fuck would keep an episode like this in the last leg of the damn season, when there is just so many other important matters to deal with? They've been stalling a bit since Guilty, but least with those, there's something of the bigger story slowly building in the background (Dominic closing in on Reese's true nature, Root's mission with Caleb, Claire getting second thoughts). This one did absolutely nothing. Would've served its purpose better in the first half of the season, before everything went to hell.
ReplyDeleteThat said, Michael Emerson proved again why he's a thespian divinity. His stuff pretty much saved this episode.
Bang on regarding the placement. I thought they were going somewhere with the last 2 episodes building toward the finale but this episode just shot all the momentum, wasted the last 2 episodes and effectively reset the tension back to 0.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, this was easily the worst episode of the last 2 seasons. Nolan/Plageman should have never let these 2 assistants write the episode. If they can't get anyone else, they need to hire outside help who has some writing credits to their name (like with Zac Schwartz who's writing the next episode).
No, you were implying that the viewers agree with your taste and that the numbers for the episodes you named were low only because they featured the stuff that you dislike a lot.
ReplyDeleteMy point now is now, and that's why I brought up "If-Then Else", that it's narrow minded to say the numbers are low because that person was heavily featured. It's a little bit more complicate than that.
I just wih they would get rid of the trilogies. Yes they're cool and they bring the ratings but they are not even in the sweeps period and if you can't deliver afterwards, what's the point of it?
ReplyDeleteI wish they would have stuffed the procedural episodes (especially Karma!!!) at the beginning of the season and kept the good stuff for later.
The more I think about it Karma was meh because of the missed opportunities. It yould have been so much better. All of them, Finch, Root, Reese, Fusco, could have used this episode as a sort of group therapy LOL. They all had hard times lately. Yet it was Finch just doing the talking most of the time.
Think having the sweeps for episodes that don't exactly push the narrative forward is a somewhat wise move. Four straight weeks of having stories that keep things moderately simple, ensures a steady viewership, but it would be wise to conclude the final week with something big, to ensure the audience come back for more. Think that was missed a bit with Blunt itself. It did open up a cool subplot with Root & Caleb, but it wasn't followed up right away, which was a missed opportunity as it would only be addressed four weeks from its introduction, by which some of the standard demographic of the show can't be trusted to remember it.
ReplyDeleteIf every episode of PoI's ratings correlated to Pamela's likes, only Brotherhood, Guilty and this would achieve higher ratings this season. Everything else would hit series lows.
ReplyDeleteWhat you like Pamela and what PoI viewers watch are two completely different things. Only 3 episodes this season can be classified as filler episodes. They range from 1.4-1.5. Serialized episodes featuring at least one of Samaritan/Brotherhood got ratings between 1,3, 1.5-1.8.
Does this mean that serialized episodes are better? No.
Does this mean that the 3 filler episodes are better than the 2 serialized episodes that got a 1.3? No.
Does this mean that the first 2 episodes are the best episodes of the season? No.
The ratings of any show represents a trend. If viewers do not like what they watch, they go away and it's reflected in the ratings. This season there has been zero change in PoI's ratings from the start to now.
What you and other people like you believe in is a fallacy. The show will never go back to the way it was so complaining about how the show has turned an about face when you've been given ample time to quit is sour grapes. I am all for thoughtful discussion but you seemed to have checked out of this show a long time ago which brings me to the question 'Why keep watching?'. You know what I do when I do not like shows anymore? I stop watching and I stop commenting. I do not continue to blather on and on about how the golden year(s) of x__________ are gone. Maybe you should stop too since you seem to hate Person of Interest so much these days and are counting on Person of Interest to fail every week so that the show's cancellation will confirm your belief that the show has gone downhill a long time ago.
Newsflash: You're going to have to wait a little longer for its cancellation because it is going to be renewed for season 5. See you next year.
Yeah I guess the writers didn't really know what to do after Shaw was gone. They had plenty of time to prepare but they still had to throw over their whole plan for the season. And now we're seeing the consequences of that. I do wonder what the original plot was for the whole season.
ReplyDeleteThe writers seemed rather aimless after the trilogy (well that five episode trilogy). Then they started to collect old POI's left and right. And I hope they did that for certain purpose.
And Yes. More Root and Caleb. In "Search and Destroy" a software CEO is the victim of hacker attack. Maybe it's them? Caleb is not credited though for the episode.
'Caleb is not credited though for the episode.'
ReplyDeleteThere've been times when an actor wasn't credited in the press release but was in the episode (Winston Duke for "Point of Origin",) & vice versa (Enrico Colantoni for "Risk"), or in neither (for surprise reasons, like John Nolan in "MIA" & Amy Acker in "Booked Solid").
For all we know, Caleb's in Skip, and they'll build more on that right there. Him & Root victimizing Rajiv Khan (said CEO) in 419, could be like how Finch lobotomized Simon Lee, breaking him to protect him.
They've got 5 hours to make it right. And given that they did pull it off in Season 2 with just a couple of episodes, it's proof that they can. But those were much simpler times :)
ReplyDelete"For all we know, Caleb's in Skip"
ReplyDeleteHe is? Ah that's news for me. It's cool he's back.
"Him & Root victimizing Rajiv Khan (said CEO) in 419, could be like
how Finch lobotomized Simon Lee, breaking him to protect him"
I actually assumed that they have a certain plan to protect Rajiv Khan from something. Or protect that something from Rajiv Khan?? Root's destructive days are over.
Thanks for your review, Bradley. I widely agree with your points. I didn't mind this episode too much (not sure why, I guess I focussed on the positive aspects) but POI is having a weird season structure.
ReplyDeleteHere's some of my thoughts on the episode and this season:
*The flashbacks were great, but I'd have liked them to have a little more screen time
*Even though Season 1 is, imo, watched as being better than it was back then (like we always do with the past), it couldn't compete to some of the complex number of the week episodes from back then. I've come to the opinion that it's fine to give procedurals their screen time, but then they'd put effort into it.
*The episode had a weird place in this season's structure. This hurts the pace even more, which has been heavily disturbed already.
- Part of the problem is the big lacking of The Brotherhood. I believe this is mostly due to (emotional) investment. HR had high stakes.. for Fusco. Later for Carter, too. Apart from that, I feel like they put much more heart into HR's development. Except for some fallback on our characters, I don't feel much about Dominic or his crew. Heck, even Dominic is heavily underdeveloped.
- I believe they had a vastly different season structure in mind. It worked beautifully until after the trilogy ended, but it seems like there's a big hole inbetween (where are our writers?? ;) ) and stalling.
*I don't have a religion but I'm praying Iris is not a Samaritan plant because it makes no sense. The Brotherhood might.. I think.. maybe? Haven't thought if there's contradictions if she is.
She might have own motives or maybe the Machine tweaked reality a little to implant her. That'd be nice.
Conclusion: Please jump back into the game, POI (lol).
'I actually assumed that they have a certain plan to protect Rajiv Khan from something. Or protect that something from Rajiv Khan?? Root's destructive days are over.'
ReplyDeleteMy theory was Rajiv Khan's (nice name to indicate mixed religious parentage) introduction was meant to kickstart the idea of the privatization of Artificial Intelligance, that Greg & Jonah have talked about a lot, on companies like Google & Facebook, as well as other Silicon Valley startups trying to build their own ASI. Khan could be in the process of developing one, which Samaritan would either try to terminate (like it did in Nautilus, through Claire, taking out Silver Pool's threat identification network, or like other rivals that the reporter Martine killed in the premiere mentioned) or consolidate (by removing Khan from the picture, Greer could play the merger & acquisition card like he did with Fetch&Retrieve, and acquire another potential rival as resource for Samaritan in its war against the Machine).
Root would have every intention to prevent that, as she'd be genre-savvy enough by now to understand how Samaritan operates. Looping Caleb into this would let him understand the level of danger the whole thing really has, and solidify his position in this war.
That 'weird' season structure you're talking about is because you dislike the placement of this episode with respect to the entire season. The heavy serialization at the beginning of the season was a pleasant surprise but this episode disturbed the normal season long pace that PoI has done beautifully in the past.
ReplyDeletePut this episode in at the beginning of the season and most who feel like me would not even blink to rate this at least a B- or higher but this season is getting down to the nitty gritty and for a show like Person of Interest, timing is everything.
They should have put this before or after Guilty or swapped one of the more serialized episodes at the beginning of the season with it. I guess Nolan/Plageman have deliberately put this standalone episode here as a jolt to the system to keep viewers on their toes. It's not a bad idea but my mood is sour after watching the episode and accentuated by the 2 week wait.
Sucks that I can't upvote this more than once. These guys are consciously trying to tell a huge story that spans across multiple seasons, setting it apart from so much dreg on television today. Wanting it to go back to simpler times is just too fucking counterproductive to the whole thing. The urge to be progressive & explore intriguing stuff puts it a 5 notches above most of what's on network TV.
ReplyDeleteOh, and pulling the ratings card as justification is absolute shit. Just wanted to point that out. :)
Why so defensive? I am just one of many viewers who has become disappointed with the overall direction POI has taken. We can argue demo and viewership all day long, but POI reached its pinnacle with the Rikers arc in the middle of season 2 (with more than 16 million viewers and over a 3.0 demo for each of the episodes). To what do you ascribe the current numbers which are approximately half of that? (Please...no rationalizations about the day/time change or the Live+7 numbers.)
ReplyDeleteReached it's pinnacle with ratings, only. In terms of creativity, in comparison with what we've gotten so far, the Riker's arc is NOTHING. The numbers they have now is enough for Season 5. They don't plan to stay too long in the game anyway, unlike so many shows that don't know to quit despite running out creative juices 5 seasons ago.
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it, WB'll ensure they get a shortened/full-fledged season six to wrap things up. The show pretty much survived for 2 years in a slot that's been nothing but trouble for the network. That says a lot.
The real question you should ask yourself is why you continue to watch a show you have lost palpable interest in.
ReplyDelete"no rationalizations about the day/time change"
ReplyDeleteYou mean one of the biggest influences in the ratings drop?
Ha, yes, the placement here was way off. With five episodes left I hope they only focus on all the bigger storylines because really they're the best and most important.
ReplyDeleteI do like your point about it likely served its purpose better in the first half of the season, though I'd argue that it still wouldn't have been that good (it just wasn't a good episode as a whole, regardless of placement).
It could've even worked back in S3, in the place of Reasonable Doubt.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting :)
ReplyDeleteAgree with all the points you made. I agree that Iris being Samaritan wouldn't make much sense but then equally Iris doesn't seem the type to be in a gang hang out with a man like Dominic. I'd prefer she has no motives.
I think the next five episodes will be strong (well, I hope they are) and we'll have a good end to the season.
POI used to be my favorite show during seasons 1 and 2 (pre-Shaw). I found it to be edgy, gritty, sophisticated, and exceedingly well written. (Btw...I am not a fan of procedurals and never considered POI to be of that genre.) Now I watch because I admire the performances of JC, ME, and KC, and I shouldn't have to stop watching just because Nolan decided to do a reboot, has "evolved," or whatever you'd like to call it. Plus, once in awhile we get an episode like "Karma" that so resembles those of season 1 that I can thoroughly enjoy POI again.
ReplyDeleteCross out 'one of' and the 's' on the end of influences and you are 100% correct.
ReplyDeleteIf NCIS: LA can see its Live+7 numbers go down nearly a full point this season due to the day + time switch, it is a valid point for PoI as well and should not be discredited because it does not fit your viewpoint.
I think the focus on the POI was appropriate. Without that,
ReplyDeleteparticularly in an episode like this, it's hard to invest in him/her at
all.
The ratings started to drop in the second half of season 2...before the day/time change (which began with season 3). POI went from 3.0/16 during Rikers' arc to a 2.4/13 by the end of season 2. I believe the addition of Shaw was a real detriment to the show. Here are the numbers: http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/person-of-interest-season-two-ratings-24661/
ReplyDeleteMy question is though how much will Team Machine let everyone in? Root says they need an army to fight the enemy. But I don't know if they ever know what they are fighting for. Even Fusco is still clueless.
ReplyDeleteYou're point is completely invalid. If you look at that link http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/person-of-interest-ratings-2011-2012/ you can see season 1 and 2 numbers are basically the same. Even with the sam history. Gaining viewers mid season and then lose it again. Season 1 and 2 finale had practically the same numbers (2,5 and 2,4).
ReplyDeleteThen the time slot change came. But of course it doesn't matter because you said so.
So I still don't understand what exactly your point is. Yes i get that you want Shaw to rot in Samaritan catacombs and Root deserves a bullett in the head.
But I still don't know what your aim is by bringing up ratings all of the time.
Root did let Casey, Greenfield, and Daizo know about it (as evidenced by their yellow squares in Episode 3.22). I think they'd have no problem reading people in about this, because unless they know the magnitude, they can't help out effectively.
ReplyDeleteFusco is clueless, because he chooses to be clueless. Plain and simple.
Ratings matter. This season's less than stellar ratings could very well signal POI's move to Friday or Sunday night next season where it could be "put out to pasture" (or have a truncated season) much like The Mentalist. Oh, and I do like Root, but the character was much better as a villain than as a brave hero on team machine.
ReplyDeleteNot only counterproductive but impossible. Whenever any show starts its run, they always have to build characters. As seasons pass, the need for character development lessens because the characters are more developed and the show can focus on the story and where they want to go.
ReplyDeletePerson of Interest has the unique identity of being a serialized show on a broadcast network. To make matters worse is that the show is on the home of the procedural network. Another show on CBS that has been pointed out as being serialized is Elementary where it has been doing worse than PoI in the ratings and that is only in season 3. For PoI to not only be competitive in its timeslot but consistently put up ratings between 1.6-1.7 this season and be close to the #1 drama at 10 PM shows that people are watching but that the lower HUT levels at 10 PM prevent it from ever coming close to replicating season 1 or season 2 levels where it had a) a much better timeslot b) much better lead-ins c) less year-year erosion
Even serialized networks on other dramas are struggling. The Blacklist? Getting close to PoI's levels at 9 PM after being moved from a plump lead-in. Nashville? Stuck between 1.3-1.5. Allegiance? Dead in the water. SHIELD? No amount of superhero magic can help that show as it's already falling to PoI levels.
Let's not forget that procedurals on CBS are struggling. NCIS: LA is down 1/3 in the demo from last season. Stalker is getting cancelled. CSI also down 1/3 in the demo from last season. Elementary is being de facto renewed for the purposes of syndication. NCIS: NO is now struggling to hold NCIS's lead in despite the brand name.
Want to know what PoI has in common with NCIS: LA and CSI this season? PoI also suffered a 1/3 decline in the demo last season when it moved from Thursdays at 9 to Tuesdays at 10 PM but we should disregard this valid analysis since Pamela said so.
'As seasons pass, the need for character development lessens because the characters are more developed and the show can focus on the story and where they want to go.'
ReplyDeleteA-effin-men. I'm all for character development, but reinforcing a previously established beat over & over in the latter years comes across as a tad stale, just to get a kick out of the fandom is a tad uninspiring.
Given how the show's been building their larger stories, the predominantly standalone ones pale in comparison primarily because at times, you can pretty much guess what's gonna happen. With the serialized ones, you can speculate, and toss out just any possible development you can think of, but there's always a potential for surprise at how different the thing actually turns out to be, which could be on par or probably better than what you theorized.
And the whole bit with the ratings card. They're not an indicator of creative strength of this show, or ANY show. I dunno if Pamela's trying to convince everyone or simply herself.
LOL You're right I forgot about Root's boys. Wonder if we will see them again.
ReplyDeleteMaybe in the last 3 episodes of the season.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think Iris being a plant would be just cliche because everyone expects it now. LOL people got very paranoid over the 4 seasons.
ReplyDeleteI hope they will. 1) They are faun and 2) Team Machine will need them!
ReplyDelete"Given how the show's been building their larger stories, the
ReplyDeletepredominantly standalone ones pale in comparison primarily because at
times, you can pretty much guess what's gonna happen."
After only a few seasons, procedurals start to get stale because you've seen how it plays out before. The biggest drawback for a procedural is that everything must be neatly wrapped up within an episode whereas serialized episodes are not constricted to that weekly episodic nature. No matter how much you change the setting, the predicted outcome will become second nature to the viewer even if they don't know it yet. That's why if you watch a procedural like SVU, that would mean you've pretty much seen all the possible scenarios played out already. There's very little left for the viewer to be surprised. For serialized shows, they don't have that problem.
"And the whole bit with the ratings card. They're not an indicator of
creative strength of this show, or ANY show. I dunno if Pamela's trying
to convince everyone otherwise, or just herself."
Both in my opinion.