S04.E18: Skip

[Starchild]

Fiancee. They didn't make it to the altar.

[Helena Dax]

I loved most of the episode, but I must confess I almost laughed when Harold drank the poison, it was too over the top to me. And frankly, since there was a way to stop that woman without killing her, that's what Root should have done in the first place. 

 

I didn't like Iris's confession either. I like her just fine and the kiss was pretty hot; it's just the way it was written or maybe the delivery. 

 

But other than that,  it was a great episode. I'm glad Harper's working for the Machine, I liked the blonde girl and that last scene with Root and Harold was powerful. Loved when he touched her shoulder and what it meant. Root has lost Shaw, she can't lose Harold too.

[kwnyc]

Love the dialogue about the episode...I caught up with it tonight. My big quibble is that Beth has this completely kick ass algorithm that Decima is willing to pay millions for ON THE HARD DRIVE on her laptop, in public, and she's just carrying it around with her? (Remember, this woman's laptop was STOLEN from her already!) No way...if the algorithm is that valuable, it's on a VERY secure server, and she only works on it over a very secure network. (WAY too many thumb drives on this show, as well...whenever the disaffected teen handed Harold HER thumb drive a couple episodes ago, I thought: you NEVER put a thumb drive into a corporate...or in this case Machine machine!)

 

So MAYBE Harold managed to get the Trojan Horse on her laptop in Hong Kong and MAYBE it made its way into her code when she was updating it on the server. But she's not walking around with a program worth millions on the effing hard drive of her laptop.

 

(Can you tell I work for a tech company?)

Edited March 26, 2015 by kwnyc

[DeLurker]

I loved Frankie and Johnny!

  

That was way too cutesy for me, especially with the anvils dropping when she called him Johnny.

Some interesting tidbits from Ashley Gable, the writer of last night's ep:

 

Originally it was going to be Zoe, not Harper, in the episode (goodness I wish). Although maybe it's good, because having Zoe around would have highlighted just how much chemistry she has with Reese and just how little Reese has with Iris.

 

The show shot a scene with Root keeping Harold's triggering device, but cut it. I KNEW there was no way Root destroyed that thing.

  

The chemistry with Iris hasn't really been noticeable so far. Having a Zoe scene in the same ep would be a huge mistake.

I loved most of the episode, but I must confess I almost laughed when Harold drank the poison, it was too over the top to me. And frankly, since there was a way to stop that woman without killing her, that's what Root should have done in the first place. 

 

I didn't like Iris's confession either. I like her just fine and the kiss was pretty hot; it's just the way it was written or maybe the delivery. 

 

But other than that,  it was a great episode. I'm glad Harper's working for the Machine, I liked the blonde girl and that last scene with Root and Harold was powerful. Loved when he touched her shoulder and what it meant. Root has lost Shaw, she can't lose Harold too.

I thought the smooch was awkward.

Harper was better than her prior ep. When she was talking with Reese at the end, she said the name Thornhill and Reese said something about being familiar with Thornhill. Who is that?

[alias1]

I thought the smooch was awkward too.  I didn't see it as hot at all.  It looked so forced.  The kiss from Frankie had a lot more oomph to it.  I wasn't opposed to the idea of a romance with Iris before, but I see the no chemistry more and more. 

[stealinghome]

she said the name Thornhill and Reese said something about being familiar with Thornhill. Who is that?

Ernest Thornhill is the identity The Machine created for itself when it realized it's memory was being wiped every night and set up a company to transcribe its memories from every day, I believe.

[immortalfrieza]

It's hard for us to see Reese to have chemistry with a woman we know pretty much jack about except "she's a therapist". In most of their scenes together it's just Reese telling everything we know about him in a roundabout manner so he doesn't have to actually reveal anything of importance to her while she just sits there and listens, occasionally calling him out when it's obvious he's holding stuff back and making crap up. It's very difficult to see chemistry when the two of them have yet to really be in situations that allow them to make attempts at showing that they could have such chemistry, and she's definitely not going to be at Reese's side kicking ass and taking names like Zoe, Frankie, and pretty much every other woman that Reese has had chemistry with.

 

I'm going with the whole "Root stole the switch for use later" like others here because otherwise the entire Hong Kong virus storyline makes no sense whatsoever and becomes completely pointless after this episode.

 

 

You know, this reminds me: a few weeks ago we had a debate in one of the episode threads about whether The Machine was recruiting other people unbeknownst to the team to help fight Samaritan/help with Irrelevant numbers. Last night was our first definitive proof that TM is, in fact, doing so, which I find fascinating (and I agree that the way it was slipped in there, it was easy to miss). It also seems to validate the notion that for the last season-plus, TM may well have been consciously steering the team toward particular numbers that had the possibility of helping the team in some way (thinking also of Ali and the mesh network in this season's opener).

We've hardly seen any indication that The Machine is compiling resources thus far and even then only very recently with characters going forward rather than always having been doing so. It is still going to feel like a complete ass pull if Team Machine has an army at their back in the final battle with how little they've so much as hinted that The Machine has been gathering one, when we should have always been getting at least hints that The Machine has been doing that from the very beginning of this entire storyline. I can't think of any real reason The Machine would be hiding this from Team Machine except that the writers want to keep us viewers in the dark about it. Mostly it seems like Samaritan is just doing whatever it wants while The Machine is making little to no real attempt to stop it and all the while Team Machine is sitting on their hands and dealing with irrelevant numbers instead of taking the fight to Samaritan from day one like they should have been.

[Commando Cody]

I don't know why the new women have to "either or".   I think both, in small doses, would be fine.  Limited screen time for each of them.  Nothing shoved in our faces like Shaw was.  

 

I kept hoping that the show would just drop the whole John/shrink angle.  I didn't get why, with two obviously better matches, they hooked him up with the mousy psychiatrist. I hope this doesn't end up all angsty.  The basic ho-hum ending will be her getting kidnapped.  He'll save her and she'll exit because she doesn't want to be involved anymore.   

[kwnyc]

I wonder if Iris is part of endgame for John. That is, when the series heads toward its finale, and the team goes on to life After, whether he can be a guy who has a wife & family and "used to work for the government" in his past. (Like the Invincibles...though I see John adapting to life after The Machine about as well as Mr. Invincible did).

[DeLurker]

Thanks stealinghome for the Thornhill background!

 

I'll give the show credit for continuing to cast women of a variety of ages and races.  I was thinking Frankie was too young to be tossing a Miami Vice reference (calling Reese Crockett), but I looked it up and she (well, the actress) was born in 1977 so a little young when the show was on, but not outside of a reasonable pop culture reference.  The Harper girl was born in 1983 IRL. Not sure how old the shrink is though.

[shura]

One question: Near the end, When Iris (that is the shrink's name?) said to Reese "My office, John", she walked through a typical police station glass door, yet when the scene continued, Reese walked through a somewhat ornate wooden door, into an apartment like office? Huh?? It took me out of the scene for a moment.

{or was it previously established that, for some reason, this office was specially constructed within the precinct? was this due to bad editing,  (or possibly my inattention)?}

 

Maybe she decided to move into the precinct to be close to her new boyfriend ;). I don't think her office was there before. For one thing, they wouldn't decorate it in such contrast to the rest of the precinct, you'd probably get the bare minimum. That door trim was really something else, I think I paid more attention to it than to the rest of the scene, and not just because the rest of the scene was boring.

 

I loved most of the episode, but I must confess I almost laughed when Harold drank the poison, it was too over the top to me.

 

I almost laughed at the very idea of a ginormous vial of this untraceable neurotoxin Root took a little of into the syringe and left the rest just sitting behind for anyone to help themselves to. Dude, they'll probably be able to figure out it was an assassination if you do that, especially if you leave the rest of your toxin at the victim's place.

Edited March 26, 2015 by shura

[wevel]

You know, this reminds me: a few weeks ago we had a debate in one of the episode threads about whether The Machine was recruiting other people unbeknownst to the team to help fight Samaritan/help with Irrelevant numbers. Last night was our first definitive proof that TM is, in fact, doing so, which I find fascinating (and I agree that the way it was slipped in there, it was easy to miss). It also seems to validate the notion that for the last season-plus, TM may well have been consciously steering the team toward particular numbers that had the possibility of helping the team in some way (thinking also of Ali and the mesh network in this season's opener).

 

Harold is not going to react well to any of this. But I'm super excited to see where it goes.

 

Caught the Ernest Thornhill reference on second watch, but I wonder how many casual viewers would remember that was The Machine's pseudonym a couple of seasons ago?

 

I do like the idea of The Machine having a more systematic plan about the "Irrelevant" numbers, and yes, Harold would be mortified about innocents being unwittingly recruited into a war where the odds have so far, anyway, been quite stacked against them.  Still not sure how much of an army Team Machine will have by season's end to combat Samaritan, but it's looking like it'll be a multipronged attack: whatever The Machine has planned, whatever Root's doing (inc. that device), and Control.

I almost laughed at the very idea of a ginormous vial of this untraceable neurotoxin Root took a little of into the syringe and left the rest just sitting behind for anyone to help themselves to. Dude, they'll probably be able to figure out it was an assassination if you do that, especially if you leave the rest of your toxin at the victim's place.

 

Presumably Root would've cleaned up her vials of death before leaving!  But yeah, she was careless not to pack that away with Harold there.

[Uncle Benzene]

How hard must Bear be shipping Ms. Groves and Bespectacled Man right about now?

[DEM]

 

Caught the Ernest Thornhill reference on second watch, but I wonder how many casual viewers would remember that was The Machine's pseudonym a couple of seasons ago?

That was one of the benefits of Reese calling Finch right after to say, "Hey, Harold? Call me. Harper is getting texts from the Machine."  Even if someone didn't remember, Reese spelled it out.

[stealinghome]

I'll give the show credit for continuing to cast women of a variety of ages and races.  I was thinking Frankie was too young to be tossing a Miami Vice reference (calling Reese Crockett), but I looked it up and she (well, the actress) was born in 1977 so a little young when the show was on, but not outside of a reasonable pop culture reference.  The Harper girl was born in 1983 IRL. Not sure how old the shrink is though.

Holy smokes, Harper (Annie Ilonzeh) is 32??? Dang, I would have guessed like 25. She looks so good! Also never ever would have pegged Winnick for 38. Do these people have portraits in attics somewhere?

 

Wiki informs me Wrenn Schmidt graduated from SMU in 2005, so I'm guessing she's 31/32 as well.

 

Maybe she decided to move into the precinct to be close to her new boyfriend ;). I don't think her office was there before. For one thing, they wouldn't decorate it in such contrast to the rest of the precinct, you'd probably get the bare minimum. That door trim was really something else, I think I paid more attention to it than to the rest of the scene, and not just because the rest of the scene was boring.

I too thought Iris' office was in a separate building from the precinct, and wondered if it was a production error. But I guess I can fanwank that she keeps on "on-site" office. I guess.

 

How hard must Bear be shipping Ms. Groves and Bespectacled Man right about now?

Nah, Bear knows Lady Who Talks Themselves' heart belongs forever to Pretty Hammer Lady! ;)

[Trillium]

I wonder if Iris is part of endgame for John. That is, when the series heads toward its finale, and the team goes on to life After, whether he can be a guy who has a wife & family and "used to work for the government" in his past. (Like the Invincibles...though I see John adapting to life after The Machine about as well as Mr. Invincible did).

He made a pact with Finch in the Piolt he's in this to the death and he's reitterated that commitment several times since. If he breaks that pact to go live some "happily ever after" with Dr Bland or anyone, (even Zoe whom I love with Reese ) I will seriously cut a bitch.

That ending has been done a hundred times. I expect something a bit more original than that from this show.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Trillium

[yellowfred]

I almost laughed at the very idea of a ginormous vial of this untraceable neurotoxin Root took a little of into the syringe and left the rest just sitting behind for anyone to help themselves to. Dude, they'll probably be able to figure out it was an assassination if you do that, especially if you leave the rest of your toxin at the victim's place.

 

She was probably saving the rest for later.  I'm surprised she wasn't more upset with Harold for wasting what was maybe a dozen assassinations worth of untraceable neurotoxin. 

[kwnyc]

...and continuing to nitpick...WOULD the neurotoxin have the same effect if it is ingested by mouth as when it is injected IV? After all, it goes right to the stomach there, pouring on the acid...I suppose you could absorb it through your mouth & esophagus, but those would both take longer than going directly into the bloodstream. (I'm just Bill Nye the Science Guy today, aren't I?)

 

...well I suppose you could aspirate it and choke to death! ;-)

[CoderLady]

One more. That was a sealed vial, with a leak proof plastic plug held in place by a metal ring to keep the contents sterile. Root demonstrated that by punching through it with the needle of the death syringe. Finch would not have been able to pick it up, uncap it and drink from it instantly. You need power tools and time to get into one of those suckers.

[DeLurker]

Holy smokes, Harper (Annie Ilonzeh) is 32??? Dang, I would have guessed like 25. She looks so good! Also never ever would have pegged Winnick for 38. Do these people have portraits in attics somewhere?

 

Wiki informs me Wrenn Schmidt graduated from SMU in 2005, so I'm guessing she's 31/32 as well.

I was guesttimating Harper as 25ish and Frankie/Winnick at maybe 30 (she looked so different in the ep depending on how much make up they had on her).  I would have put the shrink at mid 30s.  There's got to be some portraits stashed!

 

Adria Arjona/Dani Silva is 22 when I googled her.  So she's a youngster who looks her age.

 

Everyone looks younger as I get older.

[shura]

...and continuing to nitpick...WOULD the neurotoxin have the same effect if it is ingested by mouth as when it is injected IV? After all, it goes right to the stomach there, pouring on the acid...I suppose you could absorb it through your mouth & esophagus, but those would both take longer than going directly into the bloodstream. (I'm just Bill Nye the Science Guy today, aren't I?)

 

Yes, wouldn't it be something if Root just went "Oh, Harry, it doesn't work that way, it has to be injected!"  I love how super specific she was about her friend having only eleven minutes to get to the hospital or he'll die. Because the hospital would be able to find and administer the antidote instantaneously?

 

I actually don't think the vial had the metal ring. I remember being surprised at seeing only the rubber plug, I thought it just wasn't very secure. Even then, Harold was able to drink it way too quickly.

[nitrofishblue]

Is it just me or did anyone else feel that the big bad guy was a take on Red (The Blacklist)? When he first appeared I actually had a fleeting thought that it was Red. He wore the same style hat and clothing. Whomever he was he did a good impersonation or I had a bit too much wine.

[Mari]

I figured out finally what annoyed me about this episode. 

 

We've been mostly spinning our wheels on the Samaritan front.  We've gotten only a few little bits of what the Machine and its people are doing to try and fight back.  Most of it--that I've noticed at least--has been Root.

 

This program Harold slipped onto the computer has been one of the only things that hasn't been Root.  Why can't the show let people other than Root do important stuff? I realize that Root is the Machine's interface, but it feels like the other characters are being reduced to minions, pawns, and entertainment for the Machine and Root.

[nealight]

I'd like to point out "skip" as a topic might be able to explains the whole bad-cutting thing. The "skip" itself meant that the episode would focus on some individual problems and relationships, with which the writes were trying to evolve the relationship angle of the whole show--quite challenging.

Always have been a Reese fan. "4C" was one of my favorite episodes in S3. The Iris storyline is a pretty rough, for a numerous amount of things are unaccounted for and there were even contradicted facts about this psychiatrist. Things like her cop family doesn't really add up to her passion over such an eccentric cop. An implant might be a good explanation, but I don't see it as that. The sensation the arc delivered to me is nothing "suspicious". Also, I think the writers again realized that Reese is supposed to be the POI of all after all.

Edited March 31, 2015 by nealight

[tessaray]

It's interesting that TM has figured out it needs to recruit allies. (And that the show has finally been specific about it.) I wonder if it was just the next logical strategy or if she learned it by observing what Samaritan was doing?  Unlike Samaritan, TM really only has the irrelevant numbers as potential assets (as well as the previous PoI numbers). 

 

Overall I liked the episode but not feeling the Iris/John romance.  Harper was annoying but it felt like she was meant to be. 

[Mom x 3]

Loved all the Finch/Root stuff, especially when she is sadly discussing about them not being friends.  When he put him arm on her shoulder and said, "I don't want to see you for a while," I might have gotten all sniffly.  I really thing he drank it to save Root just as much as to save Beth.  After all, Root hasn't really killed anyone in cold blood for a while, and she's crazy because of Shaw and pissed at The Machine, I just saw this as her backsliding.  Harold kept her from doing that. 

 

I don't get Iris.  She is pictured as this little innocent, mousy psychiatrist, but didn't she say that her dad and 4 brothers (if I remember right) were/are cops?  So I would picture her as a tougher broad than she is being portrayed, like René Russo's character from the Lethal Weapon movies.  This woman is a delicate special snowflake.  I so hope she is a Samaritan plant and this is all an act. 

I'm not convinced The Machine is recruiting Harper.  Just because she maneuvered Harper into the situation by contacting her doesn't necessarily mean Harper is now team Machine.  It just means (to me, anyway) that The Machine is starting to play more offense than defense now.  YMMV. 

[bros402]

I'm not convinced The Machine is recruiting Harper.  Just because she maneuvered Harper into the situation by contacting her doesn't necessarily mean Harper is now team Machine.  It just means (to me, anyway) that The Machine is starting to play more offense than defense now.  YMMV. 

 

The Machine might be keeping Harper in the NYC area for use as a potential asset in the fight against Samaritan.

[DeLurker]

I hope as an "acceptable loss".

[Netfoot]

I hope as an "acceptable loss".

 

Plus ONE!

[Miss Dee]

I've got a sinking feeling that the purpose of this is to make us think Reese's old lady is getting fridged...only to fridge Reese instead.

[bros402]

I hope as an "acceptable loss".

 

Most likely - everyone can't have plot armor.

[Shadda2]

If Zoe was supposed to be in the episode instead of Harper does that mean they originally had the machine communicating with Zoe, not Harper.  I could really get behind that. 

[Camera One]

The Reese subplot was boring.  For awhile there, I thought Frankie was Rachelle Lefevre from "Under the Dome".  I just couldn't care about bounty hunting some random lowlife, and Harper was annoying.  I never want to see her again.  Though I can't see how Zoe could have fit into that role, so I too am glad she wasn't in this one.

 

The laptop plot going nowhere was a letdown.  I am glad Beth is safe.  I liked her.  Harold almost committing suicide was much too overwrought.  It took me out of it. Surely, there was another way to show us Root being desperate not to lose another friend.  

 

As many said above, the two subplots did not mesh well.  Overall, this was a weak one.  

Edited April 7, 2015 by Camera One

[webruce]

I thought Reese and bounty hunter Francesca "Frankie" Wells made a good team. I like they were Frankie and Johnny. Fusco liked her too. I also liked the turns it took to find the person who was after the Number. Her quarry in Ray Pratt, who killed her brother Deacon Sanders. Then the help Ray got from Harper Rose,with other aliases, one being Fiona Dubre. Then Carlton Worthy and his goons were after Pratt/Wells. Pratt a flash drive full of Worthy info. Harper getting texts from the machine?? The handcuffed fight in the Butcher Shop was good. But Frankie tricked Reese. Seems he has all the girls kissing him.

I was surprised that Root was after Elizabeth Bridges because Harold liked her. And she went against the machine to want to kill her and stop the virus Harold planted. Harold pleaded and then finally took the poison. But he recovered (mostly) quickly. But the message Miss Groves sent to Beth made her not want Harold anymore. It discredited Beth and in turn did Harold. But the idea to get info. from Samaritan was a good idea. But Root was so worried. It was good that Finch sent her away for awhile.

I was surprised Iris Campbell dropped Reese as a client. But he did tell her he was good at keeping secrets. I did figure she liked him. And the kiss to me was nice.

Edited April 27, 2015 by webruce