By John Keegan and Edmund Boys

“Person of Interest” returns from its triumphant freshman season with some urgent business still at hand, Root’s abduction of Finch. But, first, we need to spend some time getting to know the newest cast member, freshly promoted from its behind-the-scenes supporting role, the Machine itself. Using the show’s signature blend of flashbacks and present-day procedural, it soon becomes clear that Finch has indeed created the first artificial intelligence. It is equally clear that, at best, it has reached the stage of petulant adolescent. Given that still malleable state, the implications of what might happen if Root does liberate it are truly chilling.

By John Keegan and Edmund Boys

"Person of Interest" brings its freshman season to a close with another stellar episode. And it did it by taking its established formula and layering in the onging elements it's been building all season. Rather that a special event finale, it becomes an enhanced episode that ramps up the tension to a fever pitch. While some questions are answered, some plot threads are closed, it all drives to a conclusion that was both satisfying and leaves you begging for more. It's going to be a long summer waiting to hear the other side of that phone call.

By John Keegan and Edmund Boys

When a show starts hitting its stride, you surrender yourself to the narrative, confident that wherever the writers choose to take you will be entertaining, compelling, and satisfying. At one time in television history, it was rare for a show to achieve this in its freshman season. But, in recent years, as producers have been given more freedom, especially on cable, the phenomenon of the show fully-formed at birth has sprung onto our screens. While I’ve always felt the auteur theory is an insult to the collaborative nature of filming stories, there is no doubt that the singular visions of Matthew Weiner or Vince Gilligan shape “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad.”

By John Keegan and Edmund Boys

Did you ever have a moment in your past when things got out of control, when you went a little too far? Many of us have, and, for most of this episode of “Person of Interest”, it looks like John Reese is careening towards his. Finch certainly makes that assumption, trying to keep Reese away from a case that hits a little too close to home. It makes for the most powerful melding of past and present to date, as the stories start to converge on the season finale.

By John Keegan and Edmund Boys

"Matsya Nyaya", the title of this episode, roughly translates to "The Law of the Fishes". It's a Hindu variation of survival of the fittest, assuming bigger fish will eat smaller fish in the natural order of things. However, it is used to justify why governments need to establish laws and standards to counteract those base instincts. It's not the first time Jonathan Nolan has turned to Eastern philosophy to inform his narrative, and, as in “Batman Begins”, it provides an apt metaphor. In "Person of Interest", the leaders have been shirking their responsibilities, and it's time for the little fish, both past and present, to rise up and reimpose some order.

By John Keegan and Edmund Boys

One of my favorite catch phrases from '80s TV is Hannibal Smith's, “I love it when a plan comes together.” What served as self-satisfied punctuation for the A-Team's campier antics can now sum up the latest, far more serious “Person of Interest”. The season-ending arc has begun, and if the three episodes to follow live up to this opener, an already impressive first season will rocket into the critical stratosphere.