S04.E06: Pretenders

[FormerMod-a1]

Reese, Shaw and Fusco must protect a unassuming office worker who stumbles into a dangerous conspiracy while moonlighting as fake detective. Finch travels to Hong Kong as part of his academic cover identity.

 

 

[Miss Dee]

I saw it on the early CTV feed. Very enjoyable and comic-booky. Harold is rather sexy in this one!

[AimingforYoko]

So the Machine sent Harold to HK, eh? I guess that's why we saw this episode from its perspective.

"Walter, what happened?"

"It's..."

"Don't say it."

"It's just a scratch."

Exasperated sigh.

Walter was good fanservice. "How do you get your voice like that?" And I'm definitely going to enjoy the game between Elias and Dominic.

Edited October 29, 2014 by AimingforYoko

[FormerMod-a1]

It wasn't until the end that I realized we never saw the follow-up to the "We need to talk" (Harold to the Machine).  Then we got the reveal that he set up the whole meeting at the conference to plant something on that woman's laptop.  Lightbulb moment! for me (maybe later than it should have been, lol)

 

Loved pretty much the whole thing from beginning to end.  

[stealinghome]

This episode was really good and engaging! It started off as another fun, lighter-toned episode a la Wingman, then got unexpectedly serious by the end, and it handled the transition between the two modes really well. Tonight wasn't quite as good as last week (what could be?), but it was pretty close, and a much better follow-up than I was expecting. After an uneven first few episodes, it feels like this season is finally finding its groove! I'm bummed that we have to take a week off just as the season seems to be hitting its stride.

 

The guest actor playing Walter did a really, really good job of not tipping over into overly obnoxious/ridiculous--it would have been really easy to do so, but I only found him OTT in the scene in the random dust bowl and a tad bit in the brief car scene with Fusco. I do, however, have to handwave a lot of illogicality tonight (Mr. Stay-Below-the-Radar Finch brains a delivery guy in Hong Kong, even if for a con? The woman, I can't remember her name, doesn't go to the consulate? Walter doesn't get freaked out that people are trying to kill him?)--but the episode was engaging enough that I'm happy to do that. Speaking of Finch: holy crap, you're one scary man! I was all ready to cheer Finch on and tell him to get it, that the woman was into him and he was into her and that he should go for it, and then when the con was revealed, I was like "yeah, no, that's suddenly super creepy, stay away Finch." Although I thought he had more chemistry with her than he has with Grace. I wouldn't be averse to her showing up again and complicating things for Harold, as I suspect she will. I still desperately want to see Finch talking to The Machine, though; I was so hoping the episode would start with that. Alas.

 

Always good to see Elias' dastardly self! Like Root, Elias takes the show to another level. His scene with John was really good, but was anyone else distracted by how red John's cheeks were? I was wondering if make-up really screwed up or the lighting was off or generally what was going on. I called that "the Armorer" was Dominic the moment they said "the Armorer," but the scene with Elias and Dominic was pretty good nevertheless. Though I'm still not wild about the Brotherhood in general--maybe if they are in a few more engaging episodes, I'll find them more interesting. But I just think Elias, on his own, is more than enough for our team to handle.

 

John and Shaw bratting out at each other never fails to delight me; they seriously are siblings in all the ways that matter. I really enjoyed Shaw yanking Finch's chain and kicking back and relaxing all over the Batcave--and the scene where she tries to get Bear to eat! I was torn between chuckling and awwwing. I do like that the show poked fun at John's superhero-ness, though it could have cut down on it maybe 10% and I would have liked it even more. But the scene where Shaw and Fusco rolled up to the dust bowl was the perfect mix of hilariously tongue-in-cheek and serious. (I also loved Walter assuming Shaw was John's girlfriend and John being like "She's not my girlfriend"--I just adore that the show goes out of its way to announce that Reese and Shaw are not happening. And whose girlfriend might she be, hmmm?)

 

Crossing my fingers that the next few episodes are as good as Prophets and tonight's!

Edited October 29, 2014 by stealinghome

[dalek]

Loved Shaw putting Harold on the phone to get Bear to eat his breakfast, and how Harold looked slightly embarrassed to be standing in a hotel lobby whispering sweet nothings to his dog.

[benteen]

I very much enjoyed it.  Walter the POI was a lot of fun and I liked his whole vigilante shtick.  I liked the chemistry between Harold and Elizabeth.  I thought something might be up with Elizabeth but didn't expect Harold to be the one playing her.  Always good to see Elias and Scarface and I like the war they're setting up with Dominic. 

 

I agree about the Reese/Shaw sibling vibe.  It took me a long time to warm to the Shaw character but I have to say I very much enjoy her now as part of the show.

[shura]

So the Machine sent Harold to HK, eh? I guess that's why we saw this episode from its perspective.

 

No, no. The department head insisted that Harold fly to Hong Kong to present a paper. 'Cause that's how academia works, natch. 

[kwnyc]

 

And I'm definitely going to enjoy the game between Elias and Dominic.

...I anticipate that The Machine will be sending out Elias's number. Because that seems to be the way this show rolls. And I look forward to it.

 

Also: it's been posited here many times this season that SOMEONE has to realize that John Reilly is "The Man in the Suit." If Walter, who listened to the police scanner at night figured it out...I'll be more people have. But maybe by the time it's brought to someone's attention at NYPD, the Machine will have planned Detective Reilly's next role.

 

OT: Many moons ago when I was (briefly) in acting school, a sweet Canadian boy named Rico was in my class...he was clearly an amazing actor, and we even did a show in summer stock together in the '80s. So it always tickles me when I see sweet Rico kicking ass as Elias (and in his many other roles).

[Jlina]

I loved the geek guy! And he made John, not many civilians get to do that and live...it was pretty epic.  Agreed, too, just the right amount of hero-worship going on.

 

Hong Kong was fun but I abhore when a show knows something I can't and holds the reveal til the end.  However, the fact that Greer is already admitting to not being able to follow Samaritan opens up great possibilities, so there was that.

 

Reese's cheecks have been redder and redder - not last week but the week before it was really distracting, I almost wondered if he had a chemical burn.

 

I like Dominic, of course I ADORE Elias (since forever :) and a magazine show.)  The way they're playing Dominic reflects in his word usage - a man is not a river, and his subtle menace that radiates nonetheless like waves off of him.   I hope Elias kicks his ass in the end. 

 

So glad Shaw has Bear to love!

[Yokosmom]

Well, the show had me fooled. I was sure that the woman was playing Harold rather than the other way around. Of course, if that had been true it would mean that Samaritan was on to him, so just as well that he was playing her.

Always love Elias. So like him to ditch the guns but keep one for himself. The scene between he and Dominic was very tense. I think that there's a good chance that he'll kill Elias by the end of the season. Hoping that I'm wrong. Regardless, I want to see a scene where Finch sits Elias down and tells him what is really going on (sometime before the end of the season).

Edited October 29, 2014 by Yokosmom

[thuganomics85]

I really do like that it feels like Elias is going to be a big part of this season.  Enrico Colantoni is just such a fascinating to watch, and makes Elias such a treat.  My only concern is that they are setting him up to fall at the hand of Dominic and his crew, but I'm hoping the show will surprise me.  They usually do, so until then, I'm going to enjoy him continuing to assist the gang, but also build himself up by doing so.

 

The POI was fun and likable.  I like the idea of someone being inspired by the "Man in the Suit" legend, and trying to solve crimes himself, when the legend "disappears."  I liked the affection Reese seemed to have him (well, the closet thing to affection that Reese can show anyone), and I also liked that Fusco was heavily involved in this case.  Fusco makes everything better!

 

Shaw having to take over for Finch was fun too.  Although, I see that even though she and Bear have been bonded, FInch is still Bear's favorite, at least when it comes to feeding time!

 

Enjoyed all the Finch and Elizabeth scenes.  I figured something was up with Elizabeth and that she was involved with Decima (saw John Nolan's name in the credits, so I knew Greer was going to show up), but Finch playing her was a great twist.  Interesting that Elizabeth was played by Jessica Hecht, who I know best as Gretchen on Breaking Bad, but actually had an uncredited role on this show, as the psychiatrist Finch was talking to in last season's "The Devil's Share" (the episode after Carter was killed, and we flash-backed to all of Team POI talking to various people.)  I doubt there is a connection, but I wonder if when filming those scenes, they like how Michael Emerson and Hecht played off one another, and wanted to get more of it.  Curious to see if/when she comes back.

[stealinghome]

I really do like that it feels like Elias is going to be a big part of this season.  Enrico Colantoni is just such a fascinating to watch, and makes Elias such a treat.  My only concern is that they are setting him up to fall at the hand of Dominic and his crew, but I'm hoping the show will surprise me.  They usually do, so until then, I'm going to enjoy him continuing to assist the gang, but also build himself up by doing so.

I've actually begun to wonder whether the writers are going to throw a serious wrench in the game and make our team "ally" with the Brotherhood against Elias if Elias somehow starts to do good things for Samaritan (unknowingly, of course). I think probably not, given that they've made a point of having Dominic detest Reese and Harold quasi-warning Elias about Samaritan--but wouldn't it be wild if they did?

 

Oh yeah: I do have to say that I am a little surprised Dominic hasn't put a hit out on "John Riley" yet. I know John's a cop, but if the Brotherhood is as powerful as people claim, and Dominic sees John as a serious obstacle (as he seems to), it's only logical.

 

One relationship that's evolved really quietly but really well is Harold/Shaw. I was dying when she was giving him grief at the beginning and he was all "our latest number appreciates your metaphysical sacrifice" (or something to that effect). I feel like they're often the odd man out when we talk about relationships on the show, but they have a fun, semi-sweet vibe that I really like. And they have come farther than perhaps any relationship on the show except Harold/Root.

Edited October 29, 2014 by stealinghome

[Actionmage]

Loved:

*Our 'Belgian supermodel'-- Dad has the right words, of course.

*"You aren't eating ..."-- Sam owned it and Harold was too far away to actually do a thing, so reset the rules, nicely

*"So I thought I'd be The Man in the Suit."--See, John, you are doing more good than you think you are. Keeping hope alive!

*Elias and Dominic! That's gonna be goooooood!

 

Still not thrilled with John sort of being dismissive when working with Lionel. Lionel has proven himself; he doesn't deserve that attitude on the city's dime, minimum.

 

I noticed we got no new preview. I thought the CMAs were on Wednesday.

[stealinghome]

I noticed we got no new preview. I thought the CMAs were on Wednesday.

I think PoI is preempted next week for election coverage.

[kaygeeret]

At this point I don't even care where the show is taking us - I am in love with the writing, acting and plotting.

 

They are setting such a high bar for great story telling and character development every episode that I don't understand why they are never up for any Emmy!.

 

Even their one off characters - Walter I'm looking at you - are so beautifully written and casted that the whole story moves forward.

 

Blown away by this episode! 

 

Great plot, great plot advancement, great writing, GREAT HUMOR THROUGHOUT, great casting - plus great that we will see more of Elias and John was outed by a POI!

 

Love this show!

 

PS to add - laughed out loud at Walter's question to John "How do you do that with you r voice".  Such lovely subtle things in the midst of a high powered episode

[Netfoot]

Harold and Beth? Harold might get lucky....

Bear misses Harold.  Aww!

"The tag fell off." 

Fusco lookin' hard in dem shades!

"How do you do that with your voice?"  "Do what?"

"They called him the man in.....  the... suit..."

Harold picks up a brolly when it isn't raining.

Immediately suspicious of evidence lockup guy.

Yep, Harold definitely gonna get lucky!

Fuck!  John's suit has been wounded!

Elias.  Nasty piece of work. 

"Don't say it!  Just don't say it!"  "It's just a scratch..."

Harold and the computer thief?  Didn't see that coming!

Beth a pawn of Samaritan?  Didn't see that coming either!

So unsurprisingly, Greer doesn't know what's going on.

[tessaray]

While I enjoyed most of the episode, I guess I'm sitting by myself in the corner tonight because I'm not liking the parallel Elias/Brotherhood and Machine/Samaritan with our guys in the middle.  

 

Harold in Hong Kong kind of made the episode for me.  Never would have predicted that one - well, except for Samaritan being interested in her company. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Interesting that Elizabeth was played by Jessica Hecht, who I know best as Gretchen on Breaking Bad

She will always be George's girlfriend on Seinfeld (her mom caught him eating an eclair from the trash) and Carol's girlfriend Susan from Friends to me!

 

Walter might be my favorite number since Leon. He added some levity to the usual drama and danger.

 

I love how much Shaw loves Bear because he is the only one she shows affection. But I also love that he missed Harold and he had to be the one to tell Bear to eat his breakfast.

 

Mr. EB loves Elias's henchman.

[DeLurker]

I was ridiculously proud of myself for knowing Scarface was the faux Feeb before they showed his face.

[kwnyc]

Henchman says so much with so little...

 

(Shoots bad guy) To Elias: Sorry.

Elias: That's all right. I know who sent him.

[Popples]

I was ridiculously proud of myself for knowing Scarface was the faux Feeb before they showed his face.

 

So was I! I don't know if they've ever said on the show before, but closed captioning credited him as "Nathan." I'm not sure if I've missed something.

[shura]

Do FBI people walk around wearing jackets with giant "FBI" letters on the back in real life? I am seriously curious. What is the purpose of that? Doesn't seem really necessary for anything except the coolness factor.

 

Although I thought he had more chemistry with her than he has with Grace.

 

Shhh... don't tell Michael Emerson's wife.

 

"Chicago is a mess. It's a freaking Tarantino movie out there." I wonder what Tarantino would do if he were invited to direct a POI episode. It could be fun.

[Princess Lucky]

WHAT.

 

I so did not call that. I was all ‘awwww Michael Emerson and Jessica Hecht are so cute together, and they love equations, and aw he’s gonna get some!’. I didn’t even stop to think ‘hey, Harold is there for business’. I didn’t even put it together when she was like ‘I’ll be in NYC to meet with investors’ (because that sounds normal out of context). Damn. Person of Interest is legitimately the only network show that can surprise me. And it’s not because it’s unpredictable (in retrospect it makes perfect sense, Harold was all ‘take the bags’ and ‘omg let’s go find the bags’, both somewhat suspicious reactions, and he didn't want to involve the consulate; although I did chalk the latter up to his desire to stay off the radar.); It’s because there’s so much happening in any given episode that you just forget you even  considered certain possibilities. The show keeps you guessing on so many things and then boom, they hit you with a twist. So, Samaritan is involved not only in elections but in all sorts of deals. Business deals. Tech companies. Just how wide is its scope? Greer doesn't even know. That's a scary thought.

 

Another thing I loved? That moment when Elias was questioning the “Armorer”. When he was all 'tell me who’s behind this' i was like ‘really?’. It seemed so obvious it was Dominic, and it was such a typical CBS procedural line. I was thinking that I expected better of Poi and of Elias. And then, of course, he's all 'lol j/k i totally know who's behind this'. D'oh. He probably wanted to see the extent to which Dominic could inspire loyalty in his minions. I shouldn’t have doubted him, or the show. Oh and SCARFACE. He is just the coolest. I love that actor. He does so much with so little. I immediately recognised him too, by his flawless hair.

 

We also got Dominic versus Elias. I liked Dominic's matter-of-fact approach. It really highlights Elias' age (as did all the 'old man' references, as well as Elias’ river monologue). And it also highlights the fact Dominic himself is young, new, different. He isn't about families, loyalty, tradition. He is almost scarier because he's also extremely intelligent but he has no real allegiance to anyone, and he expects no allegiance. He and his group are like mercenaries with a purpose. It's all so simple, clean, neat. I’m intrigued by it, and the fact it's quite different both from Elias's operation and HR. Elias won for now, but all this is clearly going to blow up sometime soon. 

 

The episode was a lot of fun overall. There were a lot of great Fusco/Reese moments, and Shaw got to eat, hang out with Bear and type hilariously. And mock Reese. Was she jealous that he’d be in pain? It kind of sounded like it. She and Root are made for each other.

 

The guest actor was so good. He really played well off of Reese, we even got some genuine Reese smiles last night, something we hadn’t really seen in a while. You could tell Reese was getting a kick out of Detective Forge. The action/cop movie fan in me loved all the one-liners, the deadpan jokes, the physical comedy. My favourite bit was ‘don’t say it, don't say itttttt’/’it’s just a scratch’. Aw. Oh and that bit with the guy's air punch versus Reese's solid, knock-out punch. And of course the voice joke. ‘Do what?’. Speaking of, are we supposed to believe that, in the end, even though Reese was Eastwood/Batman-whispering his thanks, the entire office actually heard him? But then, I guess they all would have been perched to get the gossip.

 

So. Reese is totally Batman and the show is not even trying to hide it anymore. Batfleck who? It was nice to see him get some appreciation. He looked like he enjoyed it, in that tortured way of his, of course. I agree; it was about time someone recognised the Man in the Suit.

Edited October 29, 2014 by Princess Lucky

[tv echo]

This show continues to be so good.  I really enjoyed this episode.  I did find one thing a bit disconcerting though.  The actress who played Dr. Elizabeth Bridges (Jessica Hecht?) looks and sounds so much like an older Amy Acker - who plays Root - that I wondered if it was intentional.

Edited October 29, 2014 by tv echo

[alynch]

Has anyone ever put together a list of all the times Reese has been shot on the show (bullet-proof vests included)?

 

I found it kind of strange how Reese & Fusco just let Elias and his lackey interrogate/shoot some dude.

[DeLurker]

Elias had several henchmen in that fight I believe so there were still several armed baddies that could have taken them out no problem.  Plus, Elias' cold cold look towards Reese makes me think that Reese is not in the No Kill Zone for Elias.

 

 

closed captioning credited him as "Nathan.

I saw that too, but I don't think he's ever been called that in the show.

 

 

Henchman (Scarface) says so much with so little...

He really does.

 

Fusco pulling up wearing the sunglasses was all kinds of cool.  I'm thinking they've gotten Fusco a better cut of suits this season.

 

I think this season is going very well.

[basiltherat]

I loved Finch channeling his inner Ben Linus at the end!   And Scarface "undercover" as a Fibbie!  And Elias in any form!  And tough old Bear needing love from his admin/daddy!  And POI comment on "the voice"!  And Lionel still rockin' the stylish suits!  And Greer not being on top of every damn thing!

[janeta]

Still not thrilled with John sort of being dismissive when working with Lionel. Lionel has proven himself; he doesn't deserve that attitude on the city's dime, minimum.

 

Agreed.  That horse is dead. Decayed into a skeleton, in fact. Stop beating it.

 

Shura:

Do FBI people walk around wearing jackets with giant "FBI" letters on the back in real life? I am seriously curious.

 

-looks out window towards Hoover building-  No.

 

 

 (But seriously--I perambulate around DCHQ and the DC field office pretty regularly; men/women in dark suits.  Although I guess when the fibbies are actually in the field on an op they wear the jackets.)

 

Finch totally faked me out in this one, too.  Love me some Scary Finch .  And Shaw's "......maybe" about eating at the computer.  Hee!

Edited October 29, 2014 by janeta

[stealinghome]

Still not thrilled with John sort of being dismissive when working with Lionel. Lionel has proven himself; he doesn't deserve that attitude on the city's dime, minimum.

Agreed.  That horse is dead. Decayed into a skeleton, in fact. Stop beating it.

Yeah, this is one of the reasons I'm not thrilled with Reese's cop cover in general. I hate John's attitude toward Fusco (slash that the writing won't let it evolve--I was hopeful in 4x02, I think it was, but that seems not to have gone anywhere), and I don't find it pleasant to see Reese be jerkish toward Fusco week in and week out. imo JC and KC have among the least chemistry acting-wise on the main cast, which doesn't help. I would have much preferred Shaw and Fusco be the team-up, though I understand why they're not.

Edited October 29, 2014 by stealinghome

[beadgirl]

This was a fun episode, and deadly serious, too.  I loved Walter *cough*Mitty*cough* and how he managed to be smart, good-hearted, dorky, fanboyish, and dumb all at the same time.  So cute, too, the way he was tongue-tied around his colleague.

 

I knew something was up with Hecht's character (I knew immediately who the angel investor would be), but I did not expect at all that it was Finch playing her, not the other way around.  He can be quite menacing, and Emerson really is a fabulous actor.

 

Dominic v. Elias looks to be a season-long conflict which will be fun to see.  But I hope the Brotherhood loses; if I must have an evil mastmind running the criminal element of my city, I think I'd prefer Elias.  Also, I've come to appreciate the relationship between Elias and Scarface/Nathan -- they seem to have a close, respectful relationship, which is kind of a nice change of pace from the usual relationship where the mastermind constantly abuses and mistreats the minion (making me wonder why anyone would ever agree to be an evil minion).

 

Sameen has grown as a person; I think getting involved with Finch and Reese may have saved her soul.

[DEM]

Scarface's real name is Anthony Marconi. It was revealed in 2x09.  Closed-captioning made a mistake.

[ABay]

Once I got past my initial knee-jerk "don't you flirt with him, you tramp!" I quite enjoyed the episode. Especially the end. Ben would be so proud. And, yes, definitely more chemistry between Harold and Beth than Harold and Grace ever generated. Which is only fair since Carrie Preston was climbing all over Kyle McLachlan on The Good Wife. When Beth shows up in NY, will Harold's ethics allow him to take the relationship further while still playing her?

 

Greer is either going to finally realize his big mistake with Samaritan and try to ally with Team Machine, or become convinced Samaritan is trying to replace him with Beth and maybe try to switch sides. Either way, he's dead and not soon enough.

 

Walter deciding to play vigilante reminds me of the costumed Real Super Heroes who were all over the place a couple of years ago (inspiring the Kick Ass movies). Walter's costume was just a little more understated. I really, really, REALLY HATE that fucking "man in a suit" shit. Every man in the office and in the precinct, and half the men on the street, and *Walter* wear fucking suits. Just stop it, already. It's like saying "the man with dark hair" or "the man in shoes".

 

WRT John's treatment of Lionel, which I am also tired of, and the relationships in general, I think the least developed is John/Root. Harold has distinct relationships with the other 5 (because Bear totally counts), so does Shaw, and even Lionel. But John and Root have clear relationships with 4 of the others but not each other. Well. Maybe intense dislike on his part and contempt/jealousy on hers but those attitudes are about each other and expressed to others rather than in their interactions.

 

I love Elias, but I love Keith Mars and Mathesar even more.

[Syme]

Do FBI people walk around wearing jackets with giant "FBI" letters on the back in real life? I am seriously curious. What is the purpose of that? Doesn't seem really necessary for anything except the coolness factor.

 

They are called "Raid Jackets" and wear same on such; the hope being they will not shoot each other -- no, I'm not kidding. They also get to look important in front of the local-yocal cops.

 

 

[kwnyc]

 

But John and Root have clear relationships with 4 of the others but not each other.

I guess Root can develop relationships with dogs, but not with helper monkeys.

[DeLurker]

 

Scarface's real name is Anthony Marconi.

Thanks!  Cause Nathan is just not a fitting name for Scarface.

[Syme]

I love Elias, but I love Keith Mars and Mathesar even more.

 

 

What he said!!

EC just kicks butt as Elias. Seemingly the polar opposite of a major gangster, he sells the role to everyone watching.

But then he did it time and again...He will always be Keith to me:

 

Clearly, I was making them nervous. Then it occurred to me: I didn't stumble on anything. I haven't touched the case in months. Nope, I'm not scaring the Kanes. My seventeen year-old daughter is.

[SnarkyTart]

I loved this episode.  It was a perfect balance of action, humor, advancing the overarching storyline, and giving me a procedural that felt more than perfunctory. 

 

I adored Walter and his childlike adulation of John.  I loved the closing scene where Walter explained to Reese that he created the faux detective when he believed that the man in the suit was gone, and he had been inspired to emulate him.  Then, as he realizes the man in the suit is not gone, Walter tosses his fake detective badge into the trash can, no longer needed.  Still, my favorite scene would have to be Fusco and Shaw, rolling up all in slo-mo badassery, to Walter's utter amazement.  So cool.

 

I'm still a little confused by the Dr. Bridges storyline.  Obviously (?), the Machine must have arranged for Finch to go to Hong Kong, meet Dr. Bridges, pre-deliver to the motorcycle thief whatever it was that ended up installed on Dr. Bridges' computer, and to have Finch and Dr. Bridges be in exactly the right place at exactly the right moment for the motorcyle thief to steal the computer.  At least, I don't think we're to assume that Harold alone figured out something about Samaritan's interest in Dr. Bridge's company, and that Harold alone knows enough about the reason for that interest to allow him to install something on her computer that's going to throw a wrench into Samaritan's plans (especially since Greer himself doesn't even know why Samaritan is interested in Dr. Bridges' company). 

 

If the above is somewhat accurate, then when did Harold and the machine make this plan together?  How did the machine communicate all the details of this plan to Harold?  Did Harold and the machine already have the talk that Harold asked for last week?   They must somehow be "talking" now, right?   Does Harold actually know what was installed on Dr. Bridges' computer, and why?  Or was he just blindly following the machine's orders without knowing why, as Root does? 

 

Also, I didn't quite follow what is the nature of Dr. Bridges' company, and what is she working on developing, so that I can try to follow why Samaritan is so interested.

 

Edited to Add:  This scenario would also imply that The Machine is able to watch Samaritan and figure out what Samaritan is doing, and why.  Interesting.

Edited October 29, 2014 by SnarkyTart

[ABay]

Early on upthread aquarian1 mentioned not seeing the follow-up to Finch's "we need to talk" at the end of last week's episode, and that presumably the Hong Kong ploy was the outcome. And that makes perfect sense. I'm guessing that we'll actually see the Finch-Machine communication in a flashback later in the season. At least, I hope so.

 

ETA: They better not do to Scarface what they did to Hersch. Those bastards!

Edited October 29, 2014 by ABay

[DeLurker]

In a machine monitoring box that popped up on Finch in Hong Kong it read "admin" underneath. Have we been seeing machine boxes or just Samaritan?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Scarface's real name is Anthony Marconi. It was revealed in 2x09. Closed-captioning made a mistake.

Ooh, now I am going to oretend that he is somehow related to Gentleman Johnny Marcone from The Dresden Files!

I really, really, REALLY HATE that fucking "man in a suit" shit. Every man in the office and in the precinct, and half the men on the street, and *Walter* wear fucking suits. Just stop it, already. It's like saying "the man with dark hair" or "the man in shoes".

Or "you know, the guy with the face!" Or Ms. Swan's always helpful description: "He look like a man!"

http://youtu.be/U4EH0RtVlgE

Edited October 29, 2014 by ElectricBoogaloo

[AudienceofOne]

This episode was incredibly cheesy in parts but I really enjoyed it. Especially after last week's self-indulgent clusterfuck.

 

In a machine monitoring box that popped up on Finch in Hong Kong it read "admin" underneath. Have we been seeing machine boxes or just Samaritan?

 

 

I had thought we were only seeing Samaritan boxes but that implied we've been seeing both. Samaritan and machine boxes are different so I'm surprised there isn't some corner of the internet devoted to working out which of the systems we're seeing through at any particular time.

[ABay]

Samaritan uses triangles and clear beveled circles. The Machine uses color boxes with dashes. Also, the Machine's data is displayed in square and rectangular tiles while Samaritan uses a three-part vertical display. So when you see a yellow box around John, that's the Machine.

Edited October 29, 2014 by ABay

[Julia]

Scarface's real name is Anthony Marconi. It was revealed in 2x09. Closed-captioning made a mistake.

Ooh, now I am going to oretend that he is somehow related to Gentleman Johnny Marcone from The Dresden Files!

http://youtu.be/U4EH0RtVlgE

I thought about the guy who got the credit for inventing the radio, but actually didn't. I have no idea what that might mean, but it's an interesting idea.

Edited October 29, 2014 by Julia

[SnarkyTart]

Early on upthread aquarian1 mentioned not seeing the follow-up to Finch's "we need to talk" at the end of last week's episode, and that presumably the Hong Kong ploy was the outcome. And that makes perfect sense. I'm guessing that we'll actually see the Finch-Machine communication in a flashback later in the season. At least, I hope so.

 

If that's what's going on, we may not see that flashback scene anytime soon.  The line from last week's episode "Sometimes it's better not to know" could have some deeper meaning.  Maybe the writers were signalling a sort of reset for the audience.  The Machine and Finch are communicating and it's better for us not to know about it for now.  That dynamic would take us back to some of the mysteries of early season 1 where we didn't know about The Machine, how Finch was getting the numbers, or why.   I'll still be wondering if it's a dialogue, or if The Machine is simply sending Finch messages through television infomercials like it's doing with Root.  

 

For the time being, I'll be looking for clues as to whether Finch is just blindly following The Machine's orders, or if he's a co-participant in crafting these war strategies, an important distinction to me.  I do like the idea that, with The Machine communicating directly to Finch, Root's role becomes much less important.  Fewer Root-centric episodes would be a welcome development for me.  MMV 

 

Dr. Bridges' company, Geospatial, is a leader in predictive analytics, apparently making use of some groundbreaking algorithms.  It'll be interesting to learn what Samaritan plans to do with that.   But it will be more interesting to learn whether Finch/Machine planted a virus or spyware into Dr. Bridges' source code. 

[Netfoot]

Also, I didn't quite follow what is the nature of Dr. Bridges' company, and what is she working on developing, so that I can try to follow why Samaritan is so interested.

 

The technology being discussed (predictive analytics, neural nets, etc) are technologies used in the field of AI, and forecasting.  Given that the Machine and Samaritan are both AIs that forecast behaviour based upon past actions, it's easy to see why both AIs would be interested in Beth Bridges work, especially if it were on the cutting edge.  Were one AI to implement self-upgrades incorporating new, advanced algorithms while denying same to the other...

[Zahdii]

I've come to appreciate the relationship between Elias and Scarface/Nathan -- they seem to have a close, respectful relationship, which is kind of a nice change of pace from the usual relationship where the mastermind constantly abuses and mistreats the minion (making me wonder why anyone would ever agree to be an evil minion).

 

Agreed.  Now I'm wondering how one goes about recruiting an evil minion, or if I'd like to become one, how do I go about applying for the position?  And assuming a minion wants to quit and doesn't get a bullet to the head as a severance package, how would he/she explain where they'd been and how they'd been supporting themselves during the minion years?  I'd dearly love to see someone put 'evil minion 2006-2013' on an application.

[kwnyc]

 

You want minions? I got your minions right HERE! ;-)

[LvHmBirth]

So was I! I don't know if they've ever said on the show before, but closed captioning credited him as "Nathan." I'm not sure if I've missed something.

 

He introduced himself to Walter as "Nate Elliott, FBI."  It tickled me, as it reminded me of the pilot of Leverage: Nate & Elliott dressed up as fake FBI agents...

[merylinkid]

Be very careful hiring your minions.   I tried to get my niece to be my evil minion.   She immediately blabbed my plan for world domination to her mother.  Who then told our mother.   I got grounded.   

 

Topic:   John publicly congratulating Walter on helping the NYPD nab the bad guys so the chick would be impressed was the second best part of the episode.   The best part was Finch talking to Bear on the phone so he would eat.   For a scifi procedural this show hits all the right notes emotionally.