S04.E12: Control-Alt-Delete

[FormerMod-a1]

Control, who oversees the handling of relevant numbers for the government, begins to question the methods and intentions of the Samaritan program. Also, alarming news reports of a pair of vigilantes rampaging through the Northeast begin to surface.

 

 

[merylinkid]

"These people risk their lives every day for people they don't even know."

 

That is all.

[janeta]

Good good ep. Great music. Creepy kid. :-)

[AimingforYoko]

I'm actually glad that Control killed that guy. She can't turn around all at once, if she's going to come to the light, it has to be slooooowly.

Damn, Samaritan's getting cheeky. What's the rush?

[AimingforYoko]

Will someone please fill me in on the previews for next week? Our local CBS affiliate has begun split-screening, placing the teensy preview screen in the corner while grabbing the majority of real estate to start their newscast early. *grumble*

It's not next week. Next new ep is Feb. 3.

Basically, the hunt for Shaw continues.

[benteen]

Damn, Control is a hard woman.  Carmyn Manheim continues to be awesome in the role and impressively carried the episode.  POI consistently impresses me with how they can tell different stories from different POVs and offbeat ideas.

 

I think her slow burn "face turn" is being handled well here.  Control is very sure of herself but not 100% a drone.  It was the right creative decision for her to kill that guy.

 

"You know he's not actually from Detroit."  That part made me laugh along with a few others.  When Finch was talking about Samaritan I thought he had officially read Fusco in but Fusco wasn't paying attention.  That works.

 

Really good episode.  It should be interesting to see Reese and Root team up...that's one relationship that hasn't been examined.  That kid is still creepy and the Chief of Staff's reactions to him were funny.  Great interrogation scene between Team Machine and Root.

 

The situation still looks bad for Team Machine but at least they are starting to gain allies.

[kaygeeret]

Holy cow! Jiminy Crickets - whatever - you add your fav phrase.

 

I just keep getting gobsmacked by this show, the showrunners and the writers.

 

So the search for Shaw continues and then we get this crazy ass slow development of Control from absolute true believer to doubter - and we show it thru the capture, torture, interaction with Harold - to killing a kid because he is Muslim (presumably) - for sure of Arabic descent - with tears in her damn eyes.

 

And now to wait what 2-3 weeks ------

 

GAGH

 

I was riveted tonight by everything: writing, direction, acting - just everything.

 

Just Yikes!

[Bort]

Our first post-Shaw episode. Sniff! Root was barely able to keep from crying at the end of the episode, there.

Also not surprised Control killed that guy. She's keeping her blinders on for a little bit longer. So who thinks the blonde chick is the Samaritan agent?

Loved the callback to being tied up to a chair in a chain link cage. "Ah memories," indeed. Howeve, my favorite line was when Control was refusing to cooperate and Root was all, "I'm ALMOST glad you said that." Because as much as she wanted payback for what Control did to her, Root would rather have Shaw.

[stonehaven]

I loved this episode..and I think my favorite Fusco line was in response to that reporter's question..We have a "person of interest" indeed...

I am thinking by the end of the season, Control and the government will be on Team Machine..Interesting development...

[MrWhyt]

 

Also not surprised Control killed that guy. She's keeping her blinders on for a little bit longer.

I don't think she does have her blinders on. i think she's starting to turn, and is being very cautious about it, she's always being watched by Samaritan, she can't give anything away.

[kwnyc]

OK, I want to know how a creepy little kid gets into the White House Chief of Staff's office...twice. Secret Service still having quality control issues, I guess.

 

And that Reese/Grice meeting was fleeting but good. I suspect he'll have more interaction with Team Machine. 

 

And also...Reese is still bleeding out (albeit slowly?)

 

Waiting to see how soon the US Government realizes it's Samaritan's bitch.

[alias1]

All I can say is WOW.  That was riveting.  Camryn Manheim is amazing.  

 

Boy that kid is creepy! 

 

I hope Root gets to interrogate Martine. 

 

Yes, I also think the blonde with Grice is the Samariten spy.

 

What an episode! 

[benteen]

Forgot to add, loved the score at the end.

[FormerMod-a1]

I think Control knows she is no longer in control, of anything.  And I agree that she's being very cautious since she is under watch.  I think hearing there were operatives outside her home was news to her, she just covered well.  I think she learned a lot and/or validated a lot with her encounter with Team Machine, she just didn't want to let on.  I did like that she went to the Stock Exchange basement too.

[stealinghome]

So that was a solid enough episode, but after the brilliance of the last few, I was a bit underwhelmed. Too much Control and not enough of our team going nuts looking for Shaw; hands-down the best scene of the episode was the end scene with Root breaking down as she drives the car, John looking at her in quiet empathy and his own pain, and Harold on the comms. Root's face (oh, Root's face when she thinks of Shaw), John's face, Bear whining for Shaw, and the incredible music...so, so sad. Camryn Manheim is a powerhouse as Control--I was a little unsure of her last season, but I loved her tonight--but this wasn't the episode, in my view, to be her episode. I mean, I understand why they did it--and in some respects it was the right episode, because how could you possibly top last week?--but it just didn't quite do it for me.

 

While I'm super bummed to be losing Shaw--temporarily--I am excited to see Root-Reese and Root-Fusco grow. Amy Acker has great chemistry with both Jim Caviezel and Kevin Chapman (of course, who does she not have chemistry with?), and I love that Root and Reese are so alike and yet disdain each other so much. Looking forward to the next few episodes, and to see them come to some sort of a working relationship. It doesn't escape my notice that the show had very intentionally kept Root and Reese separate all season until last episode and this episode, probably to hold off on the fireworks we're going to see shortly. I can't wait; I actually think Root and Reese are a scarier duo than Shaw and Reese, so this is gonna be good.

 

I definitely think that the way it's ultimately going to be left is that Shaw is alive, but the team thinks she's dead--so we'll see Shaw in a coma, or in a cell somewhere, as the team begins to truly grieve. Reese and Root'll never give up hunting unless they find her or think she's dead, and given Sarah Shahi's pregnancy they can't find her (imminently), so....

 

Very excited to see Control chafing against Samaritan and beginning to ask her own questions and find answers she doesn't like. The Team Machine-Control alliance is going to be massive later on in the season, I can already tell. Bring it on! Despite my gripes above, I really, really did enjoy seeing how Samaritan is not winning friends in DC...can't wait for that to blow up in its smug face. Also Kid Samaritan continues to be creepy as fuck, though he wasn't as effective this time without Acker as a screen partner.

 

I continue to like Grice and Brooks was much better this episode. I wouldn't mind seeing them in recurring capacities to help fill the temporary (writers!) Shaw void. I also loved Reese and Grice bonding over Shaw. D'awwwww.

 

Oh, and I may be a terrible person, but I loved Control/John/Root in the cage. Karma's a bitch, and Control deserves a healthy dose of it.

 

Forgot to add, loved the score at the end.

YES. It was lovely, really made the scene as Root almost started sobbing and John could just watch.

 

I think hearing there were operatives outside her home was news to her, she just covered well.

I don't think she even covered that well. I thought she was totally stunned that there were operatives outside her house, and I'm pretty sure Finch noticed.

Edited January 14, 2015 by stealinghome

[thuganomics85]

Interesting episode.  It actually reminded me a bit of Shaw's first episode, in how the regulars were almost the supporting/guest actors, to someone else.  This really was mainly about Control, until they finally showed up to interrogate her.  I thought it was pretty cool, although I wish we got more time to see the gang's initial reaction to what just happened to Shaw.  At least we caught up with poor Bear!

 

Granted, it helps that Camryn Manheim is just a powerhouse.  I find the character of Control to be so fascinating.  Not a nice person, cold, and will clearly do what she feels is right, no matter what the consequences are, but I always feel like she truly does believe she is doing what is best for the country, and the ends will justify the means.  Again, doesn't really make me root for her, but I enjoy watching her, and was pulling for her to finding snap out of it.  Looks like she finally did at the very end, but not after she killed the potentially innocent guy.  Yikes!

 

Fun to see more of the D.C. crew, like the return of the Senator (John Doman must had shot this during one of his off weeks on Gotham), Michael Gaston's character, and especially Michael Potts as the Samaritan rep.  Between him and Marlene, Samaritan clearly likes to hiring the smugest people possible.  Not a slam at all at Potts or Cara Bruno, because they are perfect in these roles. I so want to see them both get bullets by the end of this arc.

 

Meanwhile, I continue to be amazed that I actually like a Nick Tarabey character.  Seriously, y'all: Ashur was one of the worst people on the planet in Spartacus, so I thought that it would never be possible.  But, I'm rooting for the guy who realize his employees are horrible, and do something about it.

 

Loved all of the cage scene; especially Root/Control, and then Finch showing up to prevent things from going too far.

 

Fusco wasn't in this for too much, but I still loved it when he showed up to help save the day.  Go Fusco!

[Mars477]

Samaritan's kid avatar was a terrible idea and he's still a terrible idea now.

 

When Relevance hit I was totally down for a Person of Interest spinoff featuring the ISA, and that is still true.  CRIMSON SIX is interesting (plus: Ashur!) plus they already have a nice stable of supporting characters.  For an intelligence/wetworks agency the ISA is pretty diverse in its hiring practices.

 

Next episode isn't until Feb. 3rd?  Thanks Obama!

[Elais]

It sucks that Control killed that guy at the end, but she couldn't do anything else, given her situation and training.

 

 I noticed that she had to see (or touch) evidence with her own eyes, she wasn't going to trust what anyone said, especially not Team Machine.  Now that she has that doubt, she will not trust Samaritan//Research either.  They are building up quite an disparate array of individuals who could be potential allies in the fight against Samaritan.

[stealinghome]

Promo for 4x13, for those who (like me) didn't get it with the broadcast.

 

At the 14 second mark--do we think that's Shaw being carried, and do we think that's Reese carrying her? The hair makes me think the body is Shaw, but the carrier could be anyone?

 

Side note: they took Sarah Shahi's name out of the credits, right? Gotta admit I got a little choked up when I saw that. When our regular title sequence comes back, it's gonna be another gut punch not seeing Shaw in her normal place. :(

Edited January 14, 2015 by stealinghome

[Bort]

I definitely think that the way it's ultimately going to be left is that Shaw is alive, but the team thinks she's dead--so we'll see Shaw in a coma, or in a cell somewhere, as the team begins to truly grieve.

I actually don't want to see that. I want to be in the dark as much as Team Machine is as to Shaw's fate and be just as surprised and happy when she eventually turns up.

 

Root almost started sobbing and John could just watch.

Poor John. I don't think he ever expected to have to sit bleeding in a car with Root while she tries not to cry over her maybe-dead girlfriend. And it occurs to me that I don't think Reese and Root have had as much screentime together since her early stint pretending to be an irrelevant number as the shrink alias.

[Izeinwinter]

I am fairly sure Control killed the muslim-heritage kid while thinking he was most likely innocent - to preserve the illusion of her ignorance. The visit to the stock exchange was for verification. Stone cold lady -

And speaking of cold, the end note that they were tracking a refrigerated truck is making me think Shaw is dead... and in a cryonics tank. From Root's perspective - because Root is very much a trans-humanist, that means she isn't dead-dead. And it means the show can bring her back later in any number of ways. 

Edited January 14, 2015 by Izeinwinter

[Trini]

Damn, Samaritan's getting cheeky. What's the rush?

 

Seriously. Slow your roll, Samaritan! At least try to pretend your not totally evil in front of the government.

 

Not really interested in seeing more Root(ugh); which is what we get without Shaw around.

[Mars477]

If you thought you saw Shaw in Detroit, that's because the ISA operator codenamed "Viridian Nine" is apparently played by Nitasha Bhambree, who also works on the show as Sarah Shahi's stunt double.  (She also was, it seems, Megan Fox's stunt double in the TMNT movie.  I'm assuming they lightened up her skin a lot for that.)

 

She actually got a line, which apparently makes her SAG eligible? I'd love it if she got a recurring role as a supporting ISA agent, especially if Control sides with Team Machine.

[Agent Dark]

The track played at the end of the episode was The Violent Bear It Away, by Moby.

 

 

I think the expectation was that they'd go straight to Team Machine getting vengeance for Shaw, but I think it was an inspired choice to subvert that and go with broadening the Person of Interest mythology.  Sure it felt a little abrupt after the stunning end to the last episode, but I think the contrast to The Devils Share (where we immediately went into mourning over Carter) was intentional.  Both Team Machine and us, the viewers, are in the dark over Shaw's ultimate fate and this episode worked to reinforce that and remind us that this is not the same situation as with Carter.

 

But Root at the end was heartbreaking :(  Amy Acker does such a phenomenal job at showing Root's pain and completely sells the devastation that Root has over Shaw's loss.  I think Root (and Reese) are desperately trying to believe that Shaw is still alive and are going to great lengths to try and find anything that will confirm that.  Harold on the other hand seems resigned to the fact that Shaw is dead - yet another casualty to weigh on his conscious.  Slightly disappointed to not see any of Fusco's reaction though - considering the circumstances in which Shaw saved his sons life back in The Crossing I think Fusco will have a pretty strong reaction to losing Shaw.  Hopefully that will be in the next episode.

 

To continue the Batman/DC Comics parallels that a lot of people noted early on when this show started, Control is Amanda Waller (from the Suicide Squad comics.  And not the faux-Waller that Arrow and the New52 comics have, but the real deal).  I can only echo what other people have said about how much of a stone-cold powerhouse she is.  This show does such a great job of making it's tertiary and supporting characters into fleshed out people, with their fully realised character arcs. 

[Princess Lucky]

Goddamn I love this show. As soon as I heard Shaw's voice doing the intro I flipped. Damn.

 

I LOVED seeing the Relevant aspect of the show from yet another angle. We had the Machine-era episode that introduced Shaw and was from the POV of the agents, and this time we got the Samaritan era from Control's POV. I loved seeing the set-up, I really liked the female agent with the  cute haircut and I especially loved seeing Brother Mouzone (or, I should say, "Travers". Man, is everyone from The Wire going to appear on PoI? I love it.). That moment when he called Control a guest, and her reaction to that, gave me chills. And how awesome was it that the whole thing was ultimately a set-up? That they just needed Control because she's a high profile officer, because Samaritan would surely have someone on her? So smart and I didn't see it coming.

 

The writers are just amazing at crafting a complete universe. We see everything from every possible angle, and that makes all the characters, heroes and villains alike, three-dimensional. And, of course, it helps that the show is so well cast. Camryn Manheim is a great actress, and she is so badass and unflappable as Control (by the way, it was fun to see so any people call her Ma'am). She really brings her A game and it was so fun to see her share the screen with so many actors. Her scene with Finch was amazing (the janitor bit was perfect), same goes for Root. But it was especially great to see her share the screen with Jim Caviezel, however briefly. I do think that Control and Reese aren't that different. The main, maybe only difference is Reese's compassion.

 

Speaking of compassion, I agree with the comments above that Control killing the fourth guy (oh, and how awesome to get another Nautilus reference?) was the right choice (by the writers, I mean). I knew Control would shoot him, even though she did seem to believe him. Too much of a risk not to. Reese, on the other hand, let Daniel Casey go (one of Root's hackers) way back when Finch was still working with the Headless Horseman guy. Control can't, won't question her orders whereas Reese has his own personal sense of morals that he won't knowingly compromise. Still, regarding Control, it was clear that a seed was planted. At first I thought the last we'd see of Control was her dropping off her kid, an ominous "and everything remains the same", but the fantastic closing with the wet paint proved me wrong. Control really does need to figure out everything for herself (a theme also established with the laptop in this episode) and this is perfectly in character for her. I really want to see how this all plays out. Control can be a very powerful ally for the team, she is working within the government and she knows a lot about Samaritan. This is the first small (tiny) victory we've really seen this entire season.

 

It was so good seeing Reese and Root working together. I loved the Bonnie and Clyde reference; Shaw was always more androgynous, whereas Root has a deranged daintiness which lends itself more to this comparison. I loved how Root seemed to be listening to Reese, perhaps trusting him to get the job done because she knew that her emotional connection to Shaw was maybe compromising her objectivity (/understatement). I also loved Reese's "you OK Root?", it warmed my cold heart. That wasn't just about the gunfight. And when Root was crying at the end, that really got to me. Amy Acker is just so good. And Ioved Jim Caviezel's reaction as well; Reese looked at Shaw, acknowledged her pain, but he didn't do anything silly like touching her or sprouting platitudes. He's been there. And that silent shot of them in the car was enough; he was just there for her. Sometimes that's all anybody needs.

 

Speaking of Reese, I always love it when the show remembers he's actually vulnerable and injured and we see him getting his ass kicked. It keeps things real. That was a lovely moment he had with with Grice (that actor is great, by the way. I would actually not mind seeing him in a more permanent basis. He's kind of the new Hersh, no?). My favourite thing about it was that it showed that Shaw had had a life outside of the Team and that more people would mourn her loss. Again, a great way to see a more complete universe. The world doesn't just revolve around Team Machine, and neither does every episode. I love that.

 

Lastly, it struck me how close Samaritan and, frankly, this episode got to the actual President. We got his Chief of Staff. Interesting. Would the show go there? Would we see him? Meeting Samaritan? Damn. It's clear that the politicians don't have any details (other than Garrison), they just expect results. It was a nice source of added pressure and it was great seeing Michael Gaston, he's such a good actor. The little boy was as creepy as ever and this time I got alien vibes ("take me to your leader") as well. Samaritan is not playing.

 

Wonderful understated episode. It's incredible how Person of Interest can be so many different shows all rolled into one. Last night we got a political thriller. We now have a potential ally in Control (and maybe even Grice), but we have also seen Samaritan is approaching the POTUS. But, more importantly, Samaritan is clearly in complete control of Research; they can kill the feeds and they can also withhold information, i.e. they're basically just ordering hits. Which is chilling.

 

Fantastic episode. Obviously slower than last week, but it showcased Samaritan's capabilities and even goals. I loved it.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Princess Lucky

[ABay]

Now I'm looking forward to the showdown for control of the U.S. government between Samaritan and the Koch Brothers.

Well. Not so much "looking forward to" as "weeping over while curled in a fetal ball".

Edited January 14, 2015 by ABay

[Trey]

 

If you thought you saw Shaw in Detroit, that's because the ISA operator codenamed "Viridian Nine" is apparently played by Nitasha Bhambree, who also works on the show as Sarah Shahi's stunt double.

 

I did think I saw Shaw as an operative so thanks for posting this.

[shura]

I wanted to smack quite a few people in this episode. This Travers guy - WTF? What purpose does his smugness serve? Why does Greer stand for that? The Samaritan kid - attitude for the sake of attitude, and this is the entity that supposedly is striving to create a world where people don't exercise flaws like that. And, lastly, Root and Reese when they were torturing Control. I understand that they thought she must know about Shaw, but they were wrong, and I hate it when people act on their mistakes like that while displaying full certainty that they are right.

 

And how awesome was it that the whole thing was ultimately a set-up? That they just needed Control because she's a high profile officer, because Samaritan would surely have someone on her? So smart and I didn't see it coming.

 

I'm not sure I follow. Who set up whom, how and for what purpose? It must have gone completely over my head.

 

OK, I want to know how a creepy little kid gets into the White House Chief of Staff's office...twice. Secret Service still having quality control issues, I guess.

 

No kidding. Does Samaritan have this kid materialize out of thin air now?

 

Lastly, it struck me how close Samaritan and, frankly, this episode got to the actual President. We got his Chief of Staff. Interesting. Would the show go there? Would we see him? Meeting Samaritan? Damn.

 

Why would Samaritan even need to meet the President face to face, let alone through such a ridiculous intermediary? Why not, I don't know, text the President instead or something?

Edited January 14, 2015 by shura

[Princess Lucky]

I'm not sure I follow. Who set up whom, how and for what purpose? It must have gone completely over my head.

I thought that Harold knew Control didn't necessarily know anything about Shaw, but he also knew that Samaritan was tailing her. So, since he just wanted access to Samaritan's phones, he set up this scenario of them capturing Control and either a) getting info out of her, if she had any or b) finding a Samaritan agent (who, I agree, very well may be Grice's blonde partner) and getting the worm in their phone, so they could use it to scour for info basically in every Samaritan phone.

 

I also think Reese's opening with Control, the "there were 4 Samaritan agents there when Shaw died and they've been stationed outside your house" bit, seemed designed to get a rise out of her. I don't think Reese or, especially, Harold, thought this meant Control was behind it. They just wanted to lure Samaritan agents to their location (as evidenced by Finch going all "what makes you think we weren't expecting them?", like that was the whole point).

 

I also got the sense the whole bit with Reese "letting" Root have at it, torturing Control, as well as Finch stopping it, was kind of a charade. They wanted to rankle her, and Root wanted to get even, but I thought Finch's "oh you don't know..." also rang a bit false. I do think Harold was surprised Control was totally in the dark, but I think he knew she wasn't behind it. And in the end Root thanked Harold, who said "we got something at least". It just felt like all this was the plan from the start.

 

I'm not sure I'm right, since I may be reading way too much into Michael Emerson's performance and I've been known to search for the duplicity in Harold's actions. I don't know.

 

Why would Samaritan even need to meet the President face to face, let alone through such a ridiculous intermediary? Why not, I don't know, text the President instead or something?

Could that be an indication that Samaritan doesn't quite get how, like, humans work? It thinks "the POTUS is the most powerful man alive so I must meet him"? I'm intrigued by that even though it has the potential of being entirely silly.

[FartyPants]

I'm not sure I follow. Who set up whom, how and for what purpose? It must have gone completely over my head.

 

 

Team machine wanted to upload the worm to a samaritan operative's phone. This worm would then travel from one operative's phone to another operative's phone. So they needed a samaritan operattive working nearby with their truck for a few minutes. Capturing control would achieve that since she is operating on Samaritan instructions and will be protected/watched by Samaritan.

So team machine set up Samaritan to upload the worm to Samaritan operative's phone which would help them get data from multiple phones which would help them identify Shaw's location

[mad_typist]

Wow, Camryn Manheim just killed it this episode. Love Control, and love the way they're approaching it - clearly she's being positioned as a key ally for the endgame, but it's in a way that makes sense. She's not going to have a total change of character overnight, but there are seeds planted that I hope we get to see more of. She's so stone-cold, I love it.

 

Would love to see more Grice - he's an obvious choice to join Team Machine next. And I agree with the poster above - can't wait to see Root get her hands on Martine.

 

Lastly, Amy Acker broke my heart at the end when she almost broke down crying in the car. So so good... the downside of losing Shaw for now is that it's giving Amy Acker some excellent material to work with.

 

Does anyone else wonder why The Machine isn't doing it's own secret recruiting contests, like Samaritan is?

[Bort]

Goddamn I love this show. As soon as I heard Shaw's voice doing the intro I flipped. Damn.

I'm pretty sure that was Control doing the intro.

[beadgirl]

This show keeps getting better and better; I don't even miss the POI-of-the-week right now.  Strong acting, strong writing, and a hell of a story. 

 

I loved seeing more of Control this episode. She genuinely loves for her daughter but wouldn't break despite Root's threats to the girl.  She commits great evil, but because she wants to protect innocent people.  She is incredibly arrogant and confident, but is willing to consider that she might be wrong or in the dark about something, and rather than just trust the people around her she tries to learn the truth.  Once Control sides with Team Machine, I don't think Samaritan will stand a chance.  And I am really looking forward to that.

 

That creepy kid -- exactly how is Samaritan controlling him?  I don't care how powerful and all-seeing it is, if it were whispering into my son's ear, there's no way it would be able to get him to obey for more than five minutes.  Is it promising video games or candy or something every time the kid parrots it's message?

[MDL]

 

Lastly, Amy Acker broke my heart at the end when she almost broke down crying in the car.

This, and the fact that, near the end of the ep., she called Finch "Harold" instead of her usual "Harry".

[DarkRaichu]

Loved this episode and the posts I "liked" above expressed the reason better than I could.

 

Here is one thing that I hope one of you could answer:  How was Fusco still out and about after the Samaritan operative "made" him under the Stock Exchange ?  Last episode she yelled "FBI" when chasing Team Machine and Fusco replied "I thought you were with DA office ?".  This was definitive proof (for Samaritan team) that Fusco was one of the people in Team Machine.  Why didn't Samaritan hunt Fusco down to catch the rest of Team Machine ?

Edited January 14, 2015 by DarkRaichu

[ABay]

Re: The Sting...set up. Harold's plan was truly Ben-worthy and I may have squeed at the reveal.

Edited January 14, 2015 by ABay

[FormerMod-a1]

Does anyone else wonder why The Machine isn't doing it's own secret recruiting contests, like Samaritan is?

 

Because Harold didn't program "her" that way.   "She" is still largely operating under the direction that Harold gave her.  And for this specific case, I think I like it that way.  It's another difference between the two sides.  Team Machine values the human input and effect.  If they want more operatives, our guys will recruit them, rather than The Machine.  Whereas with Samaritan, the human input is only to do as it commands.  So not so much input, actually, it's human output.

[Bort]

Here is one thing that I hope one of you could answer:  How was Fusco still out and about after the Samaritan operative "made" him under the Stock Exchange ?  Last episode she yelled "FBI" when chasing Team Machine and Fusco replied "I thought you were with DA office ?".  This was definitive proof (for Samaritan team) that Fusco was one of the people in Team Machine.  Why didn't Samaritan hunt Fusco down to catch the rest of Team Machine ?

That happened in one of the simulations. In reality, Martine never saw Fusco.

[mad_typist]

I do think long term Fusco may be problematic - he's not a super hero type like the rest of the crew, and he still has ties to normal people that make him way more vulnerable than the rest of the crew. How long can they explain away why Samaritan's crew doesn't just ID Lionel and have him killed (or threaten his son, or whatever)?

[DarkRaichu]

That happened in one of the simulations. In reality, Martine never saw Fusco.

Ah, I missed that.  Martine's team was the backup and did not join the gun fight until very late in the actual escape. 

[Princess Lucky]

Goddamn I love this show. As soon as I heard Shaw's voice doing the intro I flipped. Damn.

I'm pretty sure that was Control doing the intro.

Ha, Freudian slip of the finger. I just keep typing "Shaw" everywhere. Yeah, it was Control. By the way, there's an interview with Nolan and Plageman over at IGN and they refer to the similarities between this week's episode and Relevance, specifically saying they did that to bookend Shaw's presence on the show. I noted the similarities as well in my earlier post but I didn't think about it as a bookend; that's pretty fantastic.

 

Re: The Sting...set up. Harold's plan was truly Ben-worthy and I may squeed at the reveal.

Right? That's exactly what I thought about it. Ben would be proud. I love those moments. I think the PoI official twitter retweeted someone saying that Finch was scarier than Reese and Root put together, and I agree. Damn. When he was all "you foolish woman"? MAN. Michael Emerson is just so amazing, and I cherish the moments he gets to be a little evil or chilling.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Princess Lucky

[kwnyc]

 

That creepy kid -- exactly how is Samaritan controlling him?

I'm looking forward to the explanation. It makes sense in that Samaritan is a child...The Machine is at least an adolescent. I wonder if the endgame will somehow involve Harold saying to Samaritan: I knew your father. Or Samaritan wanting to know its own background.

[Netfoot]

Goddamn I love this show. As soon as I heard Shaw's voice doing the intro I flipped. Damn.

 

And, that the voice said You are being watched, not We, as has been the case recently.

 

I also noted that thruought this episode, Root came across somewhat like a vulnerable, frightened girl, rather than her usual tough, capable self.  Just a nuance that I felt made a subtle impact.

[Popples]

Re: The Sting...set up. Harold's plan was truly Ben-worthy and I may have squeed at the reveal.

 

When Control pointed out that her rescue squad was there and Harold said something like, "Did you think we didn't expect them?" I definitely got shades of Ben. And I totally squeed!

[DeLurker]

 

Root has a deranged daintiness

Brilliant description!

 

 

The Sting...set up. Harold's plan was truly Ben-worthy and I may have squeed at the reveal.

Truly.  ME almost let a little Ben slip into the scene, but it did not quite go that far but it came thisclose.

[FurryFury]

While this trio of eps have definitely revitalized my interest in the show (and I'm even strangely glad to get rid fo Shaw for at least half a season, because the dynamics need a shake up), I'm still iffy on the way the show has ultimately decided to develop Root. it feels.... wrong, somehow. Unearned. Too fast. I totally bought her scenes of friendship with Finch, but her connection to Shaw hasn't really been show as deep enough. I never saw them really connect on a non-superficial level. I understand that the writers' hand was forced by Shahi's pregnancy, and they've decided to jump-start Root's character growth (and probably make her closer to the ones left, which is definitely a worthy goal, I've long since wanted her to have scenes with Reese, for instance), however it's all held together by Root/Shaw and it just doesn't work for me, I'm sorry to say.

Otherwise, the ep was good and I wasn't bored by the first half at all. But the editing could be better. The cut from the shoot-out with Samaritan agents to Control finding and shooting the Arab programmer felt way too fast, and I was left wondering what exactly has happened there.

Edited January 14, 2015 by FurryFury

[Boundary]

This show keeps getting better and better; I don't even miss the POI-of-the-week right now.  Strong acting, strong writing, and a hell of a story.

 

Me too. I don't mind the POI of the week, it gives us a break from the myth-arc and allows Harold & Co. breathing space. But these episodes are so awesome, especially when you consider that there are other corners of this universe, like Brotherhood and Elias, that stand ready to be explored. I still want us to occasionally visit the CIA side of things, even though we've lost all characters connected to that part of the world. What amuses me is that almost everyone, including people like Control, don't even know the true nature of the war that's taking place. 

 

That creepy kid -- exactly how is Samaritan controlling him?

 

I love the concept of that creepy kid, they can kill off Greer as far as I'm concerned. But we still need a proper explanation of how Samaritan is controlling him. We know Root is still her own person, we also know that no else in this universe has been taken over by an AI but I also fear that an explanation will ultimately prove to be not enough, so a bit of mystery there might be an advantage.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Boundary

[FurryFury]

Greer definitely shouldn't be killed yet. We still haven't learned his motives. I'm very interested in them. And I am really, really dreading the return to Dominic and Brotherhood and crime of the week. I guess unless they'll increase the proportion of CIA/Samaritan centric episodes I'll have to wait until season finale to binge on the show, because they tend to kill my enjoyment of it.

Edited January 14, 2015 by FurryFury

[basiltherat]

Speaking of creepy little Damian, I wonder if Control's daughter (Julie? Julia?) and he are supposed to become the "New Generation" for the future, as I think Pruneface envisions.  Adam and Eve of AI World.   Everyone in this universe has an opposite or a complemenary -- Harold/Pruneface, Shaw/Martine, Control/Root, Reese/Shaw's friend.

[StarBrand]

I have to say, the way they followed up last week's stunner was not quite what I expected, focusing the first half-hour entirely on Control. (Of course, Shaw's introduction featured a similar storytelling detour, and the fact it happened the first episode without her is probably no coincidence). Control is losing, well, control of the whole operation and being kept in the dark about things, and it's not getting much better in there. The seeds of potential turning on her part have definitely been sown-she might have killed the "terrorist" at the end, but she sure let him talk for a long time about what he was really up to. I agree she did so mainly to keep up the appearance of being on-board, because anything less than that would have been a huge red flag.  Her visit to the basement, and finding the fresh coat of paint on the wall is only confirming her suspicions.

 

Root's confrontation with Control was, for me, remarkably restrained-of course Reese, and then Harold, pulled her back from doing something really nasty.

 

I really liked the last scene. This show knows how to use music to it's advantage, and it worked to perfection. Root struggling to maintain her composure, and Reese noticing, but saying nothing. This Reese-Root road trip should be interesting, as they've never really been paired up much.