Person of Interest

The number belongs to Mira, a maid at an upscale hotel, which gives both Reese and Finch roles to play, as bellboy and concierge respectively. There’s some shady business going on with the hotel manager, which is rather telegraphed by the prominence of high-end female escorts in the lobby. There’s a suspicious character harassing Mira, who turns out to be a reporter who needs Mira’s war-crimes evidence against a Serbian general. The real threat comes from the hit squad the general has dispatched, which gives Reese a chance to show off his alternate elevator shaft skills taking them out. Fusco’s enhanced status from recent episodes pays off as John has the confidence to leave a few for him to clean up.

Of course, for me, anyway, the best elevator scene was John’s surprise encounter with Zoe Walker. The previews had given away her appearance, but making it a chance meeting John could take advantage of (in more ways than one,) was a delightful twist. The marriage counselling in “‘Til Death” gave that one the feel of a misplaced Valentine’s Day episode. But, especially for us fans of this pairing, John’s coy penthouse proposition at the end of this one was the real treat.

The outside elements lurking in the background all revolve around the Office of Special Counsel in Washington. It’s a telling sign of Finch’s power compared to the Counsel’s that it’s taken this long for Hersh, his hitman, to get out of Rikers. However, he makes up for lost time, brazenly stealing a police car and making it to the hotel as the operation is winding down. Reese does best him, but their battle in the kitchen shows he’s a formidable opponent. While Hersh would have known Reese was faking it during the prison yard smackdown, it also meant he hadn’t seen Reese’s full set of skills. Reese may regret giving him a second chance, as I’m sure Hersh won’t under-estimate him again.

The other development in Washington is the reveal that the shapely calves we’ve seen going in and out of the Counsel’s office belong to Root. Having worked her way so close to The Machine, it raises the possibility that the split-second blue screens that have started popping up are her work, rather than Stanton’s virus. Although I prefer the possibility that the way to save The Machine is to set it free, as she’s wanted all along. Whichever way it plays out, the board is setting up nicely as the season heads towards its endgame.

John Keegan is Editor-in-Chief for Critical Myth, a partner site of SciFi Vision.  Edmund Boys is Critical Myth's reviewer for Person of Interest.