S04.E20: Terra Incognita

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Reese finds himself on a perilous personal journey when he takes on a homicide case Detective Carter was never able to close.

 

Promo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPBe9jXSFo

[kwnyc]

Oh, I get the feeling there's going to be some tears shed at my house.

[DeLurker]

Well it is allergy season.

[Miss Dee]

Someone on the Facebook page claiming to be from Spoiler TV said they got a screener and it's one of the best episodes PoI has ever done.

[stealinghome]

fwiw, SpoilerTV has posted an advance review of the episode. Spoilers in the link, obviously!!!

 

Sounds like what I feared when the "TPH is coming back" news dropped--a very worthwhile episode to have, but placed just terribly in the season (ie it's the third-to-last episode of the season and there's essentially no movement on the serialized plotlines--not good). I wish we had gotten this at some point in the 14-17 stretch, which was pretty weak.

Edited April 11, 2015 by stealinghome

[stealinghome]

Sneak peek #1. omfg Root--no way that ISN'T the highlight of the episode!

[caseylane]

More Root, crap. Maybe I'll skip this episode.

[stealinghome]

Sneak #2. Yawn.

[StarBrand]

I dunno. I think I'm gonna watch the ep before I judge it.

[wevel]

More Root, crap. Maybe I'll skip this episode.

 

I don't share your sentiment re Root, but she's hardly in it, so you should probably watch the ep!

 

[Edited to remove spoiler tags now that episode has aired on CBS]

 

While it was poignant to see TPH again as Carter, she functioned entirely as Reese's emotional prop and processor.  Which I get - since she wasn't actually in the car with Reese - but there was just too much of Reese (re)processing his isolation and grief for me.   (Seriously, it's 85% Reese or Reese+Carter.)  TPH and JC did a fine job working with what they had, but the storyline was pretty thin and cliched.  Some of the Paley audience laughed when Reese was crawling toward the gun, for example - it was just a bit TOO MUCH.  And I've seen this fake-reality-when-the-protagonist-is-really-dying/drugged/otherwise delusional done much better on other shows, like The X-Files and Buffy way back when.

 

Root's first scene with Harold was hilarious - lots of laughter at Paley - and at least gave us a few plot-related tidbits, including Root's continued efforts against Samaritan.  For those of you who are sick of Root succeeding/being good at everything she does, here's a rare failure, anyway!  But I most enjoyed Harold's bewildered "Congratulations?" and Root's "Don't go buying me that blender just yet" retort.  Also, Root's crack about still being on the market stung a bit, given "everything that's happened," but at least Root made an actual joke that didn't have a thread of bitterness through it.  

 

When Harold was super-worried about where John was, Root gave him a look that made me think she would somehow get the Machine to help them find him - kind of "She couldn't/wouldn't help save Shaw, so she owes us John, at least," but that's not what happened.  Not sure if it's clear from the episode that it's Fusco who arrives in the nick of time to save Reese, but Kevin Chapman gave that info when asked about it. Other than that, actually, there was very little discussion about the episode during the panel after the screening; my sense is that the audience enjoyed it, but wasn't wowed by it.

Edited April 15, 2015 by wevel

[Apprentice79]

I miss CARTER...Jim Caviezel  was wonderful, he had me crying like a baby....That last scene between him and Carter blew me away....Taraji was just magnificent as Carter....She transformed back into Carter and I saw no hint of Cookie..Bravo to the actors! It was a filler episode, but, it hit all the emotional beats....

Edited April 15, 2015 by Apprentice79

[merylinkid]

So this entire episode was for John to realize he has to open to the blond shrink or he will lose her.    

 

Stay. Closed. Off. John.  

 

In the altnerantive, if you must open uup to someone, may I suggest Zoe?

[stonehaven]

I was hoping for more of the other threads than what we got..and the non-stop music was grating..glad yo have Carter back but I agree...to spend half of it watching Reese..almost die...was almost boring....

I was asking myself, if that guy the swallowed the pills still alive? Couldn't he have saved Reeese..or tried to save them both?

[StarBrand]

I think it's telling that he imagined himself to be closer to Carter, than he actually was. That those "close" to him don't know anywhere close to the real him.

 

I'm guessing it's Fusco that came to get him in the nick of time.

 

An OK ep. I'm not sure how this latest life-threatening situation with John figures into the overall arc---there has to be a reason it's aired this late in the season.

 

The Root entrance with the wedding dress and Finch's confused reaction was priceless. I also did like Carter and John's scenes during the stakeout, even if it turned out only half of the conversation actually happened. I got the sense that the actors relished the opportunity to do scenes together again.

Edited April 15, 2015 by StarBrand

[janeta]

Yeah, i figured it was Fusco that figured out where he was and came to the rescue.

Agreed--good ep, but not a 'wow' for me either. I did like Finch's complaints about the dog, though. :-)

And i think Chase survived--the whole 'eight hours to die' thing was a bit of an anvil. I think Fusco got to them in time.

Edited April 15, 2015 by janeta

[kaygeeret]

I get all the manipulation of our emotions, but for me, two good actors (TPH being great) playing against one another and making the entire thing be pretty darn believable as a hallucination when you are dying........always worth watching...who hasn't pondered their regrets, beliefs and longings as we move along - - ok, those in their 20's are excused, the rest of us?

 

My 'allergies' were rampant tonight!  The episode was rife with "roads not taken" and the belief that we have been so CLEAR about ourselves when....basically...we just have not.

 

Aside from Carter/Reese, I really liked the interplay with Root and Harold, more character growth and development.

 

I so LOVE that this show refuses to let the characters become solidified into 'characters'.  Instead we get people who change and grow based on their experiences as they pursue what they believe to be right.

 

Yes, they are characters, but they are showing some depth and ability to change - not something television does, well at all really.

 

Kudos show....loved the episode....hoping my allergies quiet down soon.

[FormerMod-a1]

I was just worried that the car at the end was a hallucination.  I wanted to see someone step out.

[TV Anonymous]

So Taraji P. Henson come back only to be a figment of Reese's imagination? Color me underwhelmed. As well, the episode is rather boring with plenty of plot holes.

 

Just as it was in The Americans, I have to ask this question again. Why did the PoI agree to swallow the pills? Why not showing some defiance? I would think that bullet in the head can not be that worse than overdose.

[shura]

At least there wasn't much man pain, there's that. But the whole point of the episode did seem to be about forcing... I mean, advancing the Reese-Iris situation.

 

I did like the acting a lot though.

 

I was asking myself, if that guy the swallowed the pills still alive? Couldn't he have saved Reeese..or tried to save them both?

 

I was thinking, why couldn't Reese go inside the house to keep a bit warmer? Btw, why was there a bullet hole in the side window of that car?

[Gigi43]

Wow. Props to Taraji and Jim for not missing a beat. The "flashback" part did feel like old times (Fusco's appearance in the back seat was fun.) Taraji just slid back in and let the chemistry flow.

Over all though, yeah this shouldn't have been episode 20. It didn't really accomplish much in terms of existing story and there's so much to cover. Are we suppose to assume Fusco (it was Fusco pulling up I'm assuming) got to the cabin in time to maybe get Chase help for the drugs or was he dead?

[Trillium]

So this entire episode was for John to realize he has to open to the blond shrink or he will lose her.

Stay. Closed. Off. John.

In the altnerantive, if you must open uup to someone, may I suggest Zoe?

And it showed me what an absolute waste of time Reese in therapy was because we learned nothing from that, but more from this. I'm all for learning more about Reese and this was perfect. Why did they waste time with all the pointless therapy sessions then? If they wanted to pair him up with Wrenn Schmidt, they could have made her literally any other character besides his shrink and it would have worked better, because we wouldn't have the patient/therapist ethics to deal with. I'd still probably perfer him with Zoe, she can handle his complicated, wouldn't phase her and he can get get her to let her walls down a bit. And the whole chemistry thing. I still have hope.

I liked it, would have liked it more if it aired soon after Shaw disappeared. Cater, well she was still Carter. A few parts were a bit heavy handed, like the repetitious "You're dying". But it was good and not as sappy as I feared. Best part? "When you're numbers up, well you know". Ha! Only this show can pull something so meta and hilarious off while one of the leads is bleeding to death.

[Apprentice79]

Wow. Props to Taraji and Jim for not missing a beat. The "flashback" part did feel like old times (Fusco's appearance in the back seat was fun.) Taraji just slid back in and let the chemistry flow.

Over all though, yeah this shouldn't have been episode 20. It didn't really accomplish much in terms of existing story and there's so much to cover. Are we suppose to assume Fusco (it was Fusco pulling up I'm assuming) got to the cabin in time to maybe get Chase help for the drugs or was he dead?

Seeing Carter again was about seeing an old friend...Taraji was just wonderful and Jim Caviezel..He can cry like a baby and still look masculine...lol..He is such a great actor...He needs an Emmy for this performance...I loved this episode, it was about Reese and his inability to feel and making peace with Carter's death...

Edited April 15, 2015 by Apprentice79

[stealinghome]

What a WEIRD episode that was. I think I really need to watch it again to gather my thoughts on it, but my initial reaction was that it was solid/good but not great; I appreciate what it was trying to do, and how ambitious it was, but I think it didn’t entirely work for me. The first half especially was uber disjointed, and it did kind of stunt the momentum established last week--I REALLY wish this episode had aired in the 14-17 stretch, because it a) was definitely better than any of those episodes, b) would have been better placed following Shaw’s “death” and the reflections that that must have caused in John, and c) might have explained John going for it with Iris a bit better, if he had had his “open up to people!!!!” moment before Iris said she was into him (though more about that below).

 

So, the obvious: CARTER! It was lovely to see TPH. I enjoy her as Carter, and this episode reinforced for me that she was definitely John’s best screen partner--she makes John more interesting than anyone else does. I do think the show lost a fair bit when she left. But with that said, I wish that this episode had been more about Carter herself, not Reese; I kind of feel like she deserved better than to come back largely as John’s Jiminy Cricket (and to pave the way for his romance with Iris, which, ugh, really? Carter and Zoe were/are both MUCH more interesting partners for John, as this ep also reinforced for me. JC and TPH have never had sizzling sexual chemistry, but you actually felt the deep emotional closeness between them in this ep, which the show has totally failed to sell with Iris). I don't know, on the one hand it was poignant that Carter is who John sees as he dies, but on the other, I wish we had had more real Carter. (And does Susan Misner get paid for every episode they show that picture of Jessica and Reese in? I hope so, because the woman would be rolling in millions at this point!)

 

I did really like TPH’s performance as rookie!Carter, though; those flashbacks were part of what made the ep disjointed but I thought she nailed a younger, less secure Carter who was nevertheless badass and confident and competent.

 

This may be just because I’m soooo over Reese’s manpain, but I thought the writing was a little…hammer-y? Like I liked the relative delicacy of the first 40 minutes or so, but I just thought it got way too obvious by the end, like “LET PEOPLE IN JOHN, THEY WANT TO LOVE YOU OKAY!!!” I don’t know. I think the whole ep would have been a little more effective if the message at the end had been a little more subtle. I also didn’t love Caviezel’s performance in this episode (blasphemy, I know). I thought he was really good in the last scene with Carter, and in the scene where he was looking over her effects, but otherwise I think he underplayed everything and didn’t make it as emotionally resonant as it could have been.

 

Root and Finch and Fusco weren’t in the ep much, but were uniformly delightful (their faces after Root finished with Elias' goon!). Root was TOTALLY channeling Shaw with that sandwich and soda, and I loved Harold’s “…congratulations?” at her ridiculous wedding getup. It was sweet how worried Harold was for John (and how Root came around to being worried)--though I don’t for a second believe that he couldn’t have figured out where John was. Did it not occur to him to pull the case file John had been looking at? Really? Because that would have made it super damn obvious. I did love Fusco's little "You're a terrible cop" teasing, and the nicknames--Cocoa Puffs, Glasses, and the Coiffed Columbo? Never change, Fusco!

 

I'm guessing it's Fusco that came to get him in the nick of time.

Yeah, Kevin Chapman confirmed at the panel last night that it was Fusco. I got the impression they filmed the scene of him getting out of the car but cut it.

 

and the non-stop music was grating

I thought it was really good sometimes, but too OTT at other times. Also, sometimes the volume on the song they kept playing was too loud--it made the dialogue difficult to hear.

 

I'm not sure how this latest life-threatening situation with John figures into the overall arc---there has to be a reason it's aired this late in the season.

Heh, I suspect that the reason it's so late in the season was that they couldn’t get TPH until Empire had finished filming.

 

Lol at the flashback to Finch’s early days with Bear. It’s so funny to remember back to when he was such a grump about “the beast”!

Edited April 15, 2015 by stealinghome

[thuganomics85]

Eh, this is one of those episodes were I will admit that it was "good" on a lot of levels (directing, writing, Jim Caviezel and Taraji P. Henson's acting), but I was still left cold.  It just felt like a well-done filler, that was part bringing Carter back for a potentially final moment, and reminding viewers how messed up Reese is.  Which... I guess is fine, but I was a bit bored.  Maybe this would have worked better if it was an earlier episode, as others suggested.  It was cool seeing that Tenary cop again. Wished they found a way to work in Simmons.

 

"Glasses & Coco-puffs."  Now, there is a spin-off I would watch.  I really do love Fusco.

 

I did like the "real' stakeout stuff, like Finch bitching about Bear, and Reese rejecting poor Fusco's dinner run.  Oh well, more hotdogs for him!

[shura]

Did I understand it right that Reese broke up with Jessica because he thought that not having someone to care about would make him more efficient at his job and less likely to die? That seems radical.

[Steakkabob]

Great episode! Hey we all new Carter would return at some point and this was a perfect moment for John to open up his past. Do not forget the sleeper episode that leads to the final one or two episodes builds into the plot of what is about to happen, and neither machine can be everywhere all the time! That is a big reveal that I took from this episode. Great show!!

[alias1]

It seems that I'm in the minority but I found this episode boring.  Rehashing Jessica?  Really?  Just so Carter could tell Reese it's OK to move on (with Iris, I guess).  Although it was nice continuity the show remembered that Carter had the picture of Jessica and John. 

 

I kept wondering about the guy who took the pills, too. And why was there a bullet hole in the window of the car.  This episode might have worked better earlier in the season. 

 

Glasses and Cocoa Puffs.  Always a highlight.

Edited April 15, 2015 by SierraMist

[Commando Cody]

I thought Reese got shot in the back - in the shoulder.  Yet he was bleeding like he was shot in the stomach.  

[Abstract]

Weird episode, but boy did Caviezel look good.

[yellowfred]

Overall, I really liked this episode. It may have helped that I kind of forgot about the whole Iris thing completely (not even really on purpose; it's just a plot line I keep forgetting about when it's not on screen), so I wasn't thinking about how this might serve that relationship. I thought it was interesting to see Reese kind of realize that he misses Carter as much for what they could have had as what they did have.

I also thought the hints of what we got from the gang war storyline were interesting. It seems like Samaritan is trying to up the body count in ways it knows the Machine won't be able to anticipate. I'm wondering if it's trying to escalate the Dominic/Elias conflict in order to draw out Team Machine.

[Boundary]

In the alternative, if you must open up to someone, may I suggest Zoe?

 

I'd like to disagree. Sure, there's some sexual chemistry with Zoe, and she knows what he does but I've never sensed any depth in that connection. Susan Misner has had a few scenes as Jessica and I buy that relationship as having been quite meaningful to John. And his reasons for breaking up with her make sense, scarred by dead colleagues who had loved ones back home he decided to be free of any entanglements. Now if he has to undo that stance, would it really be with Zoe? She'd tell him to be professional and separate business from pleasure. 

 

I think it's telling that he imagined himself to be closer to Carter, than he actually was. That those "close" to him don't know anywhere close to the real him.

 

I noticed this when soon after Carter died and Reese was taking it harder than anyone else. I kept thinking, was there some romantic feelings they forgot to show us? Or were they closer than they led us to believe? This episode made sense of all that. Reese retrospectively wishes he'd opened up more to her, that she was more of a friend than he cared to admit when she was alive. I'd have loved to have seen him secretly checking up on her son before this episode though.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Boundary

[bros402]

This was an interesting episode. Odd placement, though.

 

I thought Reese got shot in the back - in the shoulder.  Yet he was bleeding like he was shot in the stomach.  

 

When Reese pulled his gun before the commercial break, according to Carter, he shot & killed the guy, but not before he shot Reese.

[Coxfires]

 I know this episode will get a lot of flack because of its timing in the season, but what a beautiful episode, and what a great way to develop the character of John Reese. The photography, the direction, the way the story was told, but mostly the actors were fantastic. I'm not sure my post will make a lot of sense because there so much to process here.

As much as the Battle of AIs is a great and enthralling plot, I'll never fault the show to concentrate on its characters, because in the end, human beings remain to me the deepest and most complex topic there is, and, in the end I mind less two computers going at it that the consequences it has on people.
At first I was surprised not to see the Machine do her usual mojo going back in time for the flashbacks but it made much more sense when we got the reveal of the hallucination stuff. I didn't have time to rewatch, but it'll be interesting to see the episode knowing what it is really about and pick up the details I am sure I missed on first watch.
It was nice to see Carter, as a rookie and in the stake-out scenes, but I really don't mind that the episode wasn't about her, because, sad as it is, the character is dead and learning more about her wouldn't get anywhere.
It makes much more sense that the episode was about John and get the character an opportunity to perform a real self-actualization, and not deflect as he usually does. He is a character that has been through a lot of crap, but he rarely comments on it, and the minimal tidbits we had in his therapy sessions were less about him than his way to cope with grief. This time, he got to really reflect about who he is and where his choices lead him. For a moment, I really thought he was going to die, as he told Jessica "all alone, with no one coming to save him".
The hallucination was also an interesting thing, because we've seen John almost die numerous times, and always seemingly unfazed by it. So having himself enjoining himself to live, fighting not to die alone was a new side of him I felt I had never seen. I hope that his hallucinatory-induced ealization that he needs to stop keeping people at arms length won't be used only for him to get with Iris, but also will impact his interactions with the rest of the Team. And as ready as I am for the Samaritan plot to kick in, I hope we'll see some consequences to this episode.
There are few shows that are able to deliver character introspection as well as what POI did with this episode, and, to the risk of being redundant, the acting has to be praised here.

[beadgirl]

 

Why did the PoI agree to swallow the pills? Why not showing some defiance? I would think that bullet in the head can not be that worse than overdose.

I got the impression that the PoI had given up on life, because of guilt and the loss of his family.  That's why he was amenable to the pills -- he thought he "deserved" it.  I really do hope Fusco got there in time.

 

I'm not crazy about a relationship with the shrink, but I do think Reese needs to open up.  He's got sort of a personal nihilism thing going on, where he wants to help other people but I think he thinks he himself, or his life, is worthless.  No, he's not going to end up in a house in the suburbs with a wife and kids, but that doesn't mean he can't enjoy life.  Get a hobby! Visit museums! Spend more time with Bear! That's what I think he could learn from Zoe -- she's not cut out for an "ordinary" fate either, but she enjoys life.  She is much more at peace with herself than Reese is.

[wevel]

The episode improved for me on a second viewing; I appreciated the character beats more knowing this time that that's what this episode was about.  

 

No, he's not going to end up in a house in the suburbs with a wife and kids, but that doesn't mean he can't enjoy life.

 

Yes, for four seasons Reese has been depressed-broody, which makes sense, but it's probably high time for him to move on a bit from that.  If he is the Batman character in the show, he's never going going to have a "normal" life, but even superheroes are allowed some joy now and then.  Doubt that's going to come from Iris, but I suppose the point of this episode was more that he should open up and share himself with people more generally (even Finch) because he needs it.  But as Carter said, life is short, they never have enough time, so John better start making some changes quick to enjoy what he has left of his life.  

 

What Jonathan Nolan said about Reese on the show in a recent TV Guide interview - not exactly new, but spoiler-barring just in case:

Jonathan Nolan reiterated in this TV Guide interview that "Reese's character is definitely going to be killed off of the show. It's just a question of when."

 

Edited April 15, 2015 by wevel

[Zahdii]

I wish I hadn't read the spoiler.

[Princess Lucky]

Lovely episode. I agree that it was "too much" about Reese, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I actually think it'd be exploitative if the show brought back Carter and retconned something completely or randomly had an episode all about her; she is gone. Her reappearance was, fittingly, exactly about that fact. She is gone and she is sorely missed. Reese, the one closest to her, misses her the most. Still. Needs her still. It makes sense, in my opinion, that the "window" that allows for Carter's reappearance involves him.

 

And we did still get some new insight into Carter:

I did really like TPH’s performance as rookie!Carter, though; those flashbacks were part of what made the ep disjointed but I thought she nailed a younger, less secure Carter who was nevertheless badass and confident and competent.

Agreed. She still had great insticts (she was an interrogator with the military, after all, not an ordinary rookie), but she was clearly still adjusting. Taraji made a face when she walked in the crime scene that was very unlike the Carter we knew; it was almost like shock, like she wasn't expecting to still be walking into bloodbaths back in the real world, away from battle. It was fantastic.

 

It was strangely soothing to see Carter again. I found myself smiling a lot early in the episode. I loved the talk about her son, and oh my God but when Reese pulled out that picture of himself and Jessica it was like someone punched me. My jaw dropped. The continuity of Person of Interest is unparalleled. Carter being unable to shred that picture was such a poignant moment. Such a lovely moment. I was so happy for the callback, I wasn't expecting it at all.

 

Did I understand it right that Reese broke up with Jessica because he thought that not having someone to care about would make him more efficient at his job and less likely to die? That seems radical.

Yes. And it does. I was glad to finally see that "it was for Jessica's own good" excuse be set aside. I liked that, ultimately, Reese wasn't being a martyr to save/protect a woman. Though there was probably an element of that in his decision (the part about wanting her to have a happier life), it's much more in character for Reese to have done it simply because he wanted to become the most efficient killing machine that he could be. Partly because he sees himself as a monster, and partly because those were his orders.

 

I have always seen Reese as someone who harbours a lot of self-loathing. This episode further confirmed that. We knew Reese doesn't feel like he deserves a happy ending and we knew that he couldn't let anyone in. What we didn't know, and what surprised me, was that Reese actually wanted to let someone in. Carter. He wanted that so badly that he was profoundly hurt when he realised he had hallucinated their heart-to-heart. That hurt me as well; Reese had lost his chance to open up to the only person who fully understood him. When Reese emotionally (well, for Reese) said "I could talk with you!" (the "only with you" being implied), so convinced he had shared himself with Carter, I teared up. And then the truth came out.

 

I thought the interplay between memory and hallucination was very well done. That quick shot of Carter earlier on, when for a split second she was shown in a different light, in the moonlight, clued me in. It gave the episode a beautifully surreal feel. Nothing earth-shattering or innovative, but definitely something we hadn't seen on Person of Interest. I was captivated, trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't. And Taraji and JC were just fantastic. They did so much with simple dialogue. I miss seeing them together. I also appreciated that, even though it was such a somber episode, there was still some humour (the music bit, the crawling/drill sageant bit and the "you're a cop?" bit). The writing did Taraji justice.

 

When Harold was super-worried about where John was, Root gave him a look that made me think she would somehow get the Machine to help them find him - kind of "She couldn't/wouldn't help save Shaw, so she owes us John, at least," but that's not what happened.

I thought so too, until I remembered the Machine had lost track of John. In the end it made sense that Fusco would be the one to save him, because he had access to the case file and he did actual police work. The Machine didn't save John, couldn't save John. It can't see everything (as this episode's gang war-related plot showed). Sometimes you need another person to help you out. Still, I do think Amy Acker conveyed Root's emotions well; it wasn't explicitly said, but I could see it on her face. She felt for Harry, she identified with him. She knows that fear of loss. She may see Reese as "the big lug" but she has always respected Finch's feelings for him, and this episode was no exception.

 

The episode was "Carter's big return" (though I'm glad CBS didn't milk that for all it was worth, this show has always been more lowkey about such things) but in reality it was a Reese episode. The classic, sad, tragic, melancholy Reese episode we get once per season. And personally I just love that all the Reese-centric episodes are always so beautifully glib. He's such a dark character and yet he has so much heart. That's a tough line to toe, writing-wise but especially performance-wise. That's why Jim Caviezel is perfect as Reese. Michael Emerson once said that, after seeing JC as Reese, he couldn't imagine anyone else playing the role. This episode showcased that, I think. JC has this amazing way of showing emotion in an intense yet somehow muted way. Reese isn't a normal person. His reactions are off. Only his eyes betray the depth of his emotions.

 

It was morbidly beautiful that Reese hallucinated Carter. She's the one he'd want next to him if his number was up, after all. But she's also the one who has always saved his life. She did it one more time, even after she was gone. That was fitting (if a little too on the nose). Like this entire episode. My brain told me there were a few things wrong with it, but my heart relished in it.

 

A few tidbits:

- Jim Caviezel gives new meaning to the phrase "haunted eyes".

- Root in that wedding dress? YES. At first I thought she had taken the place of an actual bride for some reason, to gain access to a location while the real bride was unconscious somewhere. But are we to assume she legitimately almost married a dude? I love her.

- The little scenes with Finch and Fusco in the flashbacks were amazing. It made me emotional to see Carter interacting with them both, one last time.

- I really liked the actor who played the surviving son. He brought a lot of emotion into the role and that was needed in this episode; the case was the pretense under which we got more Carter, and it was pretty flimsy, but at least the acting gave it some gravitas.

- I loved that the flashbacks didn't have those familiar graphics we've come to expect; because this wasn't the Machine accessing feeds, this was Reese accessing memories. At that point, the asset was lost. Out of range. Where Carter is involved, there is no room for machines. There is only room for humanity.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Princess Lucky

[Sparger Springs]

I quit watching this show after Carter died. I came back tonight for the stunt casting. I will not be returning.

[Good Queen Jane]

I was trying to figure out why Reese couldn't get to his car and why he was in such terrible straits. My guess is that the murderer had parked his car out in the woods since it wasn't seen by Reese and the son when they got to the cabin. The murderer than dragged Reece out in the woods to bury him away from the cabin. When he came back with the shovel, he and Reese exchanged fire, the murderer shooting Reese in the side and Reese killing the murderer. One of the shots during the gunfight went through the car's window. Reese only had enough strength to go between the murderer's car and his body. He was too weak to go back to the cabin and/or his car. The murderer's car had sat out in the woods for a while (the murderer waiting in the cabin for the son to show up), so that's why the battery was dead. At least that's my fanswank version.

[stealinghome]

Good Queen Jane, that was how I understood it--that Reese had been shot twice (once in the cabin and once outside the cabin, offscreen after he had grabbed his ankle holster gun), and most definitely the murderer had dragged him out into the woods, by the murderer's own car, to bury him.

 

I kept snorting every time the murderer was all "I'm going to bury you," though. I was like, with ground that frozen? Have fun digging for the next two weeks, because that's how long it's going to take you to dig a hole big enough....

[DeLurker]

Bear's tweets from the ep:

 

• I miss the taste of a good age dusty tome . I wonder what that library books are now doing.
• Human puppy of funny cop needed help with his homework. His books taste new. Weak .
• The abyss hide from each other . That's love. - Julien Green
• How to understand death ? You understand life not even - Confucius
• A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you. - Augustinus

 

The last three had references, but I could only verify the one by Confucius as coming from the referenced source.  Of course, Bear had access to a bigger source of reference material and I just did a quick google.

[kwnyc]

Reese had been shot twice (once in the cabin and once outside the cabin, offscreen after he had grabbed his ankle holster gun)

 

He is gonna need SO MUCH medicinal pot for his multiple gunshot wounds! (And a guy like Reese would always be wearing his vest, right?)

 

I also wondered what happened to the guy in the cabin...after all, he could have vomited up the drugs after he was left alone. 

 

I also realized how good Taraji makes the actors around her. Caveziel has some "go tos" that are his main acting techniques: most notably the lowering of the eyes and turning his head slightly away, which covers most of how he expresses deep emotion.

 

Acker uses her voice as the major part of her technique, Chapman's a great reactor, and Emerson...well, he does it all. 

Edited April 15, 2015 by kwnyc

[wevel]

I kept snorting every time the murderer was all "I'm going to bury you," though. I was like, with ground that frozen? Have fun digging for the next two weeks, because that's how long it's going to take you to dig a hole big enough....

 

God, I completely missed that, but it's true!  I mean, I guess it's meant to be early spring, but it's upstate New York, and with that much snow on the ground still, the ground cannot be very thawed, if at all.

 

I was thinking more about the missed opportunity angle with Reese and Carter.  For me, there was some poignancy to see Root coming more to terms with her loss of Shaw - able to do things like say "I'm still on the market" and eat sandwiches in silent tribute without looking like it was super-painful - and in the same episode, Reese is regretting that he didn't open up in a real way to Carter, but perhaps being ready to do so with, it looks like, Iris (I wish that wasn't going to be the case, but everyone else has already noted that, so I won't rant).  Anyway, they're both shown dealing with the loss of the person closest to them (although obviously the ep was focused on John), but on the road to healing.  I'm guessing that'll all go to hell in the final two episodes, but I appreciated the episode more once I saw this parallel.

[Xantar]

So this entire episode was for John to realize he has to open to the blond shrink or he will lose her.    

 

Stay. Closed. Off. John.  

 

In the altnerantive, if you must open uup to someone, may I suggest Zoe?

 

Not to discount your opinion too much, but apparently you didn't notice that the shrink is actually a redhead.

[Uncle Benzene]

That was Michael Hewes who swallowed the pills, right? If so, I've gotta say, stunning underuse of that guy.

 

Oh my, I CANNOT WAIT to soak in Bespectacled Man's reaction shot when Long Man leans in for an unexplained hug the next time they see each other. And at the risk of being greedy, I'm gonna have to go ahead and insist on a full-blown spit take from Bear as well.

[kwnyc]

I meant to say that the sudden change of perspective, showing one character several years ago and now (or in memory) a split second letter put me in mind of "Cold Case," which was one of my favorite shows. The makeup/lighting folks did a good job. When we saw young Chase (the number) being interviewed by Carter and 7-years-later Chase being interviewed by Det. Riley, it was so like an episode of CC that I mentioned it to my wife, who agreed. (And parallel characters: Kevin Chapman is the Jeremy Ratchford of this show).

[Mia Nina]

I quit watching this show after Carter died. I came back tonight for the stunt casting. I will not be returning.

 

Same here. It was great seeing Carter again (I miss that show), but that's it. Even though Taraji's success is great and well-deserved, I wish the show hadn't killed Carter. The show was just getting so, so good. Oh well. 

[basiltherat]

Yes!  I think the same thing when I see Vera on CC (and I only started watching reruns last year) that he and Fusco are their shows' Dedicated Curmudgeon!

[DeLurker]

Fusco a curmudgeon?

 

Not in this group - he's Chuckles the Clown compared to Reese, Finch and Shaw. 

[Watch4Reese]

Not to discount your opinion too much, but apparently you didn't notice that the shrink is actually a redhead.

Actually in her first 2 episodes, she looked more blonde than red to me.

From 4x05- http://33.media.tumblr.com/473daecf71d06c50f4f1b6611001465b/tumblr_nduutphm701qzniq3o3_500.gif

From 4x08: http://33.media.tumblr.com/6895b1e7fe7783aa04b921d0bf1d6094/tumblr_nf9wheBV981qzniq3o6_r1_400.gif

Then from 4x14 on, her hair became very red.

 

No matter the color, she is still as interesting as a piece of cardboard. And there is no chemistry between her and Reese at all.

Which was highlighted all the more when watching  Reese interact with other women like Zoe or Carter. Those pairings actually work. The lame shrink needs to go far, far away.

 

I really liked this episode. Jim and Taraji were both fantastic. It was a compelling look into Reese's mind.

JC is such a good crier, he always makes me feel those tears.