S05.E08: Reassortment

[FormerMod-a1]

Quote

Reese and Finch become trapped in a hospital that becomes ground zero for a deadly viral outbreak. Also, Samaritan’s newest recruit has second thoughts and Shaw continues to struggle with reality.

[AimingforYoko]

I like the idea Samaritan, but a contained outbreak in NYC is not going to get the US population to voluntarily submit their DNA.

Johannesburg? I would've guessed a hundred places before there.

[stealinghome]

...do viruses actually work like that? Because I can buy that combining two strains of the flu would create a superflu in one patient, but could it immediately be super-contagious like that? I know zero about biology but that doesn't seem plausible. But...I know zero about biology, so I could also be incredibly wrong.

Shaw escaping is LOVE. I'm glad that she got to off Lambert, but kinda sad that he died so soon--I really enjoyed his smirking, smug ass and would have loved for him to grace our screens a few weeks longer. But you go Shaw, taking him out!

Samaritan collecting everyone's DNA is fucking creepy. Holy shit. There is no end to Samaritan's creepiness.

I really enjoyed Finch and Elias' showdown--the way Finch snarled out "No, tell me" was sublime--but still not loving that Elias is still alive. He just feels so superfluous. Also, I want the team to tell Fusco about everything that's going down...but I also want Fusco to stop digging, dammit. It's starting to feel a little petulant (or maybe that's how KC is playing it). Is he really not worried about what could happen to Lee if he keeps digging?

I like the guy who plays Blackwell and the woman who plays his handler. They're both very effective.

Because it can't be flailed enough, SHAW IS ALMOST BACK HOLY SHIT!!!! ON HER WAY.

CBS picked the right two episodes to double up. The season just kicked it into another gear tonight.

[Bort]

Aw, Lambert's dead (I think)! Julian Ovenden is just pretty to look at and his voice is so pleasingly melodic. I guess Greer is lucky he decided to take the day off as Shaw's handler, otherwise he'd be the one with the big hole in his chest. I'd have preferred it that way, actually, I'd much rather be looking at Lambert, but I understand that they want Greer for the ultimate showdown later.

[StarBrand]

I'm thinking the decision to double up on eps tonight was no coincidence at all. Because I was glued to my TV. Shit just got very real.

Shaw is out! I was REALLY hoping they'd be done with the similations, and I'm glad she called bullshit and did away with Lambert. Similation or not, she wanted to put bullets in him.

It appears now that Shaw can in fact, remember things from previous similations, although she's probably now going to have serious doubt over what is a real memory and what's not.

Just when I think Samaritan can't get any more creepier, it takes things up another notch.

I liked Elias' conversation with Finch, and his assertion Finch is the most dangerous of them all. I have a feeling Finch is going to have to go truly dark for things to end.

And people's nerves are getting frayed now. Fusco, Finch, Root. This is good stuff.

Gotta wait a week for next episode. Shit. This twice-a-week schedule is spoiling me.

Edited May 25, 2016 by StarBrand

[Sakura12]

That's what you get when you fuck with an assassin! Shot in the chest after making her question her sanity. Welcome back Shaw. 

Tell Fusco 2016! 

I like that guy's reasoning. I'm trying to convince my ex girlfriend that I've changed from killing people, by attempting to kill more people just so I don't go to prison again. Samaritan likes to find people that can be easily manipulated. They were wrong with Shaw, but everyone else seemed to have worked out for them. 

I know they are just trying to burn through the episodes to end it, but I'm really enjoying getting all these episodes at once. 

[stealinghome]

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I liked Elias' conversation with Finch, and his assertion Finch is the most dangerous of them all. I have a feeling Finch is going to have to go truly dark for things to end.

Oh yeah, I thought Elias and Finch were both going to be crushed by all the anvils falling in that scene. We're DEFINITELY getting Dark Finch for endgame.

[whatsatool]

Have they done this thrice a week before? I would hate to think I missed it last week.

[stealinghome]

No, this is the only week. Next week we're back to one Monday and one Tuesday episode, both at 10/9c. THEN, starting the following week (so the week of 6/6), it's just one episode a week, Tuesday at 10. The finale airs on 6/21.

[StarBrand]

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Have they done this thrice a week before? I would hate to think I missed it last week.

No, this is the only week we get three episodes. I believe next week, we are back to one on Monday and Tuesday, and after that, once a week.

[Netfoot]

Greer wasn't there for Shaw to shoot because Greer probably isn't in SA, other than in the simulations.

[bros402]

They had better tell Fusco next week. Or before the series finale. They can't leave the Fuscinator out in the cold like that. I don't think it could be Fusco's number that comes up to spur telling him, as that would put his kid in danger. Maybe they'd send him to live with his mother until the final fight with Samaritan happens.

 

Also, I am thinking my guess that Monday's episode was the last number of the week/not really related to the plot number was a correct prediction. If so, Monday was a very fun final number.

Edited May 25, 2016 by bros402

[Bobbin]

Finch is already losing it, convinced that he alone can save civilization, that somehow knows what's best for everyone else, denying them the human right to make their own choices, to exercise their own free will -- denying Fusco the information he needs to make an informed decision about his own future. He's starting to sound like the "benevolent" Samaritan. I hate it when characters dredge up the old cliché that they're withholding vital information to keep the other person "safe." It obviously didn't help Lionel, and still they won't read him in. As with the happy newlyweds, ignorance is bliss only for so long.

[Rumsy4]

5 hours ago, stealinghome said:

...do viruses actually work like that? Because I can buy that combining two strains of the flu would create a superflu in one patient, but could it immediately be super-contagious like that? I know zero about biology but that doesn't seem plausible. But...I know zero about biology, so I could also be incredibly wrong.

Viral reassortment to create a novel strain is a real thing. But no way it happens that fast. The writers indulged in some sci-fi movie science there. lol

1 hour ago, Bobbin said:

Finch is already losing it, convinced that he alone can save civilization, that somehow knows what's best for everyone else, denying them the human right to make their own choices, to exercise their own free will -- denying Fusco the information he needs to make an informed decision about his own future. He's starting to sound like the "benevolent" Samaritan.

Finch has always been a bit of a control freak. It'll be interesting to see when blows the lid.

[ybrik]

Lambert seriously you want to try to manipulate Shaw again. What were you thinking? You have to have seen those over 7000 sims. How many times has she killed, maimed, or done caused you some kind of bodily harm in those sims? Then the one time she didn't hurt you, you actually manipulated her into killing an innocent person. What did you think she was going to do? She was going to hurt you one way or another.

Wonder how Shaw is going to make it back to NYC from South Africa?

Liked the little detail of the breaking news of the outbreak on the truck's radio as proof that this wasn't a sim.

See Jeff this is why your girlfriend didn't want to get back to together with you.

I am wondering when and how Finch is going to blow. He seems to have one agenda and everyone else seems to have their own that are in conflict with him.

Also I am worried about Fusco. He does need to know the truth or at least more of the situation.

[Gulftastic]

Shaw is out, so can they hurry up with the actual Shoot reunion please? I want to see them happy.

[Agent Dark]

SAMEEN,  YOU LITTLE BEAUTY!  Love that she totally did a Shawshank Redemption on her prison escape (also that was a superb pun PoI, like seriously A+ level lol), beat up some asshole inmates, made a new friend, killed that smug Lambert sonuva and axe'd some guards a few questions on her way out.  What a legend.  Absolutely cannot wait for her reunion with Bear.  And Root.  And Reese/Finch/Fusco of course.

 

I'm getting so nervous everytime Lionel pops up on screen.  I have no idea how its all going to play out, but man are they shading something bad happening to him.  I know that its classic way to write a fake out, but when that needle went into his neck....  Please don't die Lionel!  Or anyone else on Team Machine for that matter!  Is that too much to ask?

[TigerLynx]

I liked Fusco and Elias telling off Finch and Reese.  They made several good points.  I was okay with Elias being dead, but I'm glad they brought him back.  I loved his scene with Fusco.  Fusco told Elias the truth, Elias appreciated it, and returned the favor.

I've never cared about Shaw one way or the other, but her knocking the glass off the table because she didn't want to miss a step was funny.

[nitrofishblue]

This episode makes you stop and think. The way that Samaritan is gathering data on people is very scary and close to what the goverment is trying to do now for real. Just think of how many data files about you are out there. This includes your banking and medical. One agency that has the ability to put them all together is definitely scary for our future!!

[benteen]

Very good episode.

Fusco's storyline is great and I'm glad he's getting this epic storyline in the last season.  I loved him telling off both Reese and Finch too.

Five years of Finch's stubborn behavior has become enraging.  Tell Fusco the truth and unleash the Machine.  He already screwed up years ago by not killing the congressman.  Elias was right...Finch is fighting a war and he doesn't fight it like a war.  Team Machine is badly outnumbered and needs all the help they can get.  Tying the Machine's hands and driving off one of their few allies is inexcusable at this point.

So nice have Elias back and read into things.  It's got to be infuriating for Fucso that Elias knows the truth and he hasn't.

It took me a while to warm to Shaw but I really liked her and her escape was awesome.

The new Samaritan guy and his handler are interesting.

[Good Queen Jane]

A world run by Samaritan is getting to be really scary. Self preservation seems to be Samaritan's first concern with innocent people killed simply because they might expose part of his manipulations. Now it looks like we are also going to have a Final Solution. Only those humans with the right genetic make-up will live on in Samaritan's Brave New World. The willingness of Samaritan's True Believers to kill is chilling.

I remember 12 O'Clock High from the television series, but I looked up the plot of the book/movie on Wikipedia this morning. Elias is right; to win a war you have to accept that there will be collateral damage. Otherwise, you will end up unable to function. It's time for Finch to unleash the Machine.

[benteen]

Samaritan is indeed a frightening enemy.

I agree with an earlier person that relatively small (in the grand scheme of things) flu scare in a hospital wouldn't even have led to so much as 3% of the population getting inoculated, let alone 2/3s of the population and growing.

[Dagny]

12 hours ago, StarBrand said:

 

I'm thinking the decision to double up on eps tonight was no coincidence at all. Because I was glued to my TV. Shit just got very real.

Shaw is out! I was REALLY hoping they'd be done with the similations, and I'm glad she called bullshit and did away with Lambert. Similation or not, she wanted to put bullets in him.

It appears now that Shaw can in fact, remember things from previous similations, although she's probably now going to have serious doubt over what is a real memory and what's not.

 

Sameen serious got the Hunger Games "Jacked" thing going on: real/not real, except some of it I don't think she really cares about. Little feels.

[elle]

Once again, I missed an episode with Elias! (le sigh) 

Can someone tell me how Fusco survived/got out off the explosion in the tunnel?  Did he report what he found to the police or just to the team or both?  Were the missing persons connected to the virus mentioned above?  

[Trey]

4 hours ago, elle said:

Can someone tell me how Fusco survived/got out off the explosion in the tunnel?  Did he report what he found to the police or just to the team or both?  Were the missing persons connected to the virus mentioned above?  

They didn't show us anything about how Fusco and Bear got out - I wish they had but I guess they don't have to show us everything.  Seeing them in the hospital was enough - looked like Bear wasn't injured at all. And I think Fusco just reported the bodies to the team, not the police but I don't know positively.

They were not connected to the virus in the hospital.

If I am wrong, please feel free to correct me:)

I didn't like Finch's rant about free will.  I thought having free will was the best thing about being human even if it doesn't always turn out right.  Eh, Max?

They're not going to make Finch the head of Samaritan, are they?  That would be awful and they probably wouldn't do that, but I worry.

Edited May 25, 2016 by Trey

[TigerLynx]

Reese and Finch being at the hospital for Fusco was nice, but still not being willing to clue him in was just dumb.  I wonder if Finch, Reese, and Root end up dead because they don't tell Fusco, and other people the truth until it is too late?  I hope Fusco gets custody of Bear.

Was Shaw playing the Samaritan Cult when she shot the scientist in the previous episode, or are they playing Shaw and letting her escape?  I've been trying to figure out if Shaw deliberately waited longer each time in the simulations to kill Greer in order to fool Samaritan, or if Samaritan's plan all along was to let Shaw escape.  Given Reese and Shaw's training they would be better equipped to withstand mental and physical torture, but the human brain and body can only take so much.

[Gigi43]

So if Samaritan is looking for a master society, so to speak, I guess that's why they wanted to get rid of that girl Krupa's work? Her idea was going to make people better equipped to have their own food supply, right? Work like that would enable people to try to sustain off the grid-type Samaritan-less societies in various parts of the world, which of course Samaritan does not want.

 

During both episodes I said out loud, to my TV, "tell him!" to Reese and Finch re: Fusco. As Fusco said, he is a detective. If you tell a lot of people to just forget that people are going missing, and "the world is changing", of course they are going to want to know more, but Fusco, a cop who sets out to solve things and help people is pretty much wired to want to know why. How can they expect him to just go off and live in ignorance? Yeah, by digging deeper his son could be in danger, but by not digging deeper he's not going to know if this problem where lots of people are dying will be solved and his son could be in danger just by living in this "changing world" he's hearing drips and drabs about.   At least the audience can see this is a pattern for Finch. He won't budge with the machine either even to everyone's detriment at this point.

[dippydee]

13 hours ago, Bobbin said:

Finch is already losing it, convinced that he alone can save civilization, that somehow knows what's best for everyone else, denying them the human right to make their own choices, to exercise their own free will -- denying Fusco the information he needs to make an informed decision about his own future. He's starting to sound like the "benevolent" Samaritan. I hate it when characters dredge up the old cliché that they're withholding vital information to keep the other person "safe." It obviously didn't help Lionel, and still they won't read him in. As with the happy newlyweds, ignorance is bliss only for so long.

This. It especially drove me crazy that he and Reese continued to hide the truth from Fusco to "keep him safe" when not telling him is exactly what caused him to go investigate by himself  and get into more trouble not to mention put himself further on Samaritans radar. Telling him role truth would keep him much safer at this point. 

I wanted to smack him upside the head  when he was complaining about the Machine letting the DJ Pete choose to make the broadcast in the previous episode. The entire point of the Machine is people have a choice unlike Samaritan who gets to make decisions for everyone.

My favourite part of the episode was daily Shaws escape. She was so freaking badass and it was so satisfying to see her shoot Lambert. I'm can't wait till she gets back to New York (I wish the season was longer so we could see her make her way back there hiding from Samaritan. I'm sure it would have been amazing)

[StarBrand]

I wonder how Shaw will get back to Team Machine. Wasn't Root talking to her ballet suitor about going on a trip somewhere in QSO (-somewhere that also, by the way, had missiles?)

[stealinghome]

I suspect that Shaw will be back in NYC by the next episode. Just no time for us to spend a whole episode on her journey back. Though I agree that that could have been hilarious--I imagine them doing it Fusco in Prisoner's Dilemma style, like every time we cut to Shaw she's in some new exotic locale facing some ridiculous new problem!

Quote

So if Samaritan is looking for a master society, so to speak, I guess that's why they wanted to get rid of that girl Krupa's work? Her idea was going to make people better equipped to have their own food supply, right? Work like that would enable people to try to sustain off the grid-type Samaritan-less societies in various parts of the world, which of course Samaritan does not want.

It also sounds like Samaritan might try to cull people strategically, and starvation is a good way of killing lots of people without making it look like you're killing them. Her work gets in the way of being able to starve people.

Quote

I wanted to smack him upside the head  when he was complaining about the Machine letting the DJ Pete choose to make the broadcast in the previous episode. The entire point of the Machine is people have a choice unlike Samaritan who gets to make decisions for everyone.

I'm usually the one piling on Finch, but I do kind of understand what he was getting at here. The Machine was basically agreeing with Root that Max's death was worth a) keeping Root and Reese away from danger and b) getting a message to Shaw. The Machine's not wrong, but making that kind of calculation is something Finch never wanted it to do, so I can understand why he was really upset in that moment.

Edited May 25, 2016 by stealinghome

[kaygeeret]

Such great comments and I agree with all of them - -I had to stop liking everyone - -sorry!

I had gotten a bit 'off' of the series, but wow, these episodes are causing me to mourn the demise of this show due to stupid things unrelated to great television.

What a GREAT final season and I am on the edge of my seat waiting for next week.

Kudos to the writers and showrunners and everyone else involved in maintaining continuity of plot threads and character development - - and I am not sure which is harder.  This is a convoluted show and every person involved has been at the top of their game.

Kind of reminds me of the old conundrum... what is more important, good acting or good writing?  For this show we have to add good production and exceptional attention to the 'little things'

Cant' wait for the rest of the season and am all verklempt at the end of the show.......color me confused.  LOL

[Bobbin]

The Machine's original purpose was to identify potential terrorist threats. As an afterthought, Finch created a backdoor for it to feed him the identities of "non-relevant" individuals who were potential victims (or perpetrators). Whatever happened to the Machine's original function?

[Agent Dark]

So the term 'Great Filter' has been dropped a couple of times now, and I think that might be a big indicator of what the end of the show might look like - as in "future of the human race" and "our place in the universe" kind of stuff.  If you want to read up on The Fermi Paradox and what what The Great Filter is, there's a very good article about it here: http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/fermi-paradox.html

[MrWhyt]

45 minutes ago, Bobbin said:

The Machine's original purpose was to identify potential terrorist threats. As an afterthought, Finch created a backdoor for it to feed him the identities of "non-relevant" individuals who were potential victims (or perpetrators). Whatever happened to the Machine's original function?

Samaritan took over for it.

[StarBrand]

I imagine when Shaw gets back, she'll be none too pleased about the Fusco situation....

[DeepRunner]

Just watched this episode online. Elias was right. It's Finch who's the darkest. He has always been afraid of the power The Machine could give anyone, but mostly he has been worried about himself. He understands hubris because he built the ultimate machine.

Use all your assets. Don't lock anyone out. Now Fusco is "transferring" (he'll be back, I'm sure). But they should have read him in. Failing to trust or include the most reliable person outside the inner circle is always a bad thing.

The creepy Samaritan operative working (not working with) Blackwell...he's beginning to see the downside of the overlord. Might be too late.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY for Shaw's escape. Bonus points for putting a bullet into Lambert. Hope she sees the South African convict again.

Five to go. Bring back Leon. And let Elias exact his revenge on Samaritan for Bruce's death. And let Fusco be on the team as a full member and not just an errand boy doing someone else's bidding.

[Xantar]

Add me to the list of people who is getting irritated with Finch's stubbornness. It's one thing to refuse to kill a Congressman on the Machine's orders, but when he won't even read in Fusco about the real war that's being waged, it just becomes bullheaded stupidity. At this point, what harm is it going to do if Fusco knows there are dueling artificial intelligences pulling the strings? He probably suspects a vast conspiracy anyhow.

[Popples]

The writers of this show seem to really like the name Sam: Samantha (Root), Sameen (Shaw), Samaritan, and the guy who helped Shaw break out was named Samuel.

I'm in it until the end for Fusco and Bear, so I loved them together for the past few episodes. And read Fusco in already ffs, Finch.

[immortalfrieza]

6 hours ago, kaygeeret said:

Such great comments and I agree with all of them - -I had to stop liking everyone - -sorry!

I had gotten a bit 'off' of the series, but wow, these episodes are causing me to mourn the demise of this show due to stupid things unrelated to great television.

What a GREAT final season and I am on the edge of my seat waiting for next week.

Kudos to the writers and showrunners and everyone else involved in maintaining continuity of plot threads and character development - - and I am not sure which is harder.  This is a convoluted show and every person involved has been at the top of their game.

Kind of reminds me of the old conundrum... what is more important, good acting or good writing?  For this show we have to add good production and exceptional attention to the 'little things'

Cant' wait for the rest of the season and am all verklempt at the end of the show.......color me confused.  LOL

You know, I really wish everybody involved with this show had put as much effort and made the other seasons as fast paced as they are this season, because I get the feeling that the show wouldn't be getting cancelled if that were the case. This is definitely the best season of POI, and if the rest of the show hadn't spent all that time floundering around for most of the season without much of importance ever happening the series would have been a lot better.

Come on already Machine, you're open and uninhibited now, there's no reason you can't just TELL your assets what the problem is and how to fix it instead of still sending them in blind anymore. The entire events of this episode and one death could have been entirely avoided if you'd just tell your friends what the hell is going on. I was so glad to hear Root just put her foot down last episode and DEMAND The Machine just freaking tell her what she is doing and why, it should have continued here.

Fusco is right to be fed up with these people refusing to tell him anything in order to "protect" him but just getting him into more danger instead. There's nothing that I find more annoying in fiction than characters that keep other characters in the dark to "protect" them, especially since they just end up getting in trouble all the time anyway, likely BECAUSE they didn't say anything. No one is ever better off knowing less.

I am now convinced Finch is insane after all the overwhelming evidence he has been shown that if he doesn't do something and soon, Team Machine will lose and lose badly. Finch needs to get over himself already and upgrade The Machine to have a chance or he might as well just have the whole of Team Machine walk up to Greer, hand him The Machine and then have them all stand in front of a wall for Samaritan's execution squad. When a completely amoral former crime boss is making more sense than you you've all kinds of screwed up.

Edited May 26, 2016 by immortalfrieza

[bros402]

38 minutes ago, immortalfrieza said:

You know, I really wish everybody involved with this show had put as much effort and made the other seasons as fast paced as they are this season, because I get the feeling that the show wouldn't be getting cancelled if that were the case. This is definitely the best season of POI, and if the rest of the show hadn't spent all that time floundering around for most of the season without much of importance ever happening the series would have been a lot better.

This is the kind of show that lends itself to a 10-13 episode season like cable or subscription channels or streaming networks - the first season, sure, it needed the standard order of episodes to establish and help the actors get used to their characters

 

But 2-5th - only 13 episodes, or however many the showrunners want.

[Agent Dark]

1 hour ago, immortalfrieza said:

You know, I really wish everybody involved with this show had put as much effort and made the other seasons as fast paced as they are this season, because I get the feeling that the show wouldn't be getting cancelled if that were the case. This is definitely the best season of POI, and if the rest of the show hadn't spent all that time floundering around for most of the season without much of importance ever happening the series would have been a lot better.

To be honest, if I had the chance for a do-over of the show I probably wouldn't change it at all.  One of the best things about this show is its sublime shift in gears from its procedural origins to an exploration of a post Singularity world and the rise of an Artificial Super Intelligence.  Which is a great metaphor to how it will probably happen in real life - we'll all just be going about our ordinary routine lives until the point where we realise that in actuality an ASI has been living amongst us.

[ppl]

On 5/25/2016 at 11:01 AM, stealinghome said:

...do viruses actually work like that? Because I can buy that combining two strains of the flu would create a superflu in one patient, but could it immediately be super-contagious like that? I know zero about biology but that doesn't seem plausible. But...I know zero about biology, so I could also be incredibly wrong.

In real life a superflu probably wouldn't have spread that fast.

3 hours ago, Agent Dark said:

To be honest, if I had the chance for a do-over of the show I probably wouldn't change it at all.  One of the best things about this show is its sublime shift in gears from its procedural origins to an exploration of a post Singularity world and the rise of an Artificial Super Intelligence.  Which is a great metaphor to how it will probably happen in real life - we'll all just be going about our ordinary routine lives until the point where we realise that in actuality an ASI has been living amongst us.

One of the show's best traits is the amount of world building they did back in season 1 and how that pays off even into this season. We wouldn't have the insanely great conversations between Root/Finch now if it was a cable series and the show would have suffered for it.

[tessaray]

I wish I had time to rewatch the season to date.  I end up watching new episodes the same night but late, so the next day I tend to forget all the little things.  There were a few things that stuck with me though.

First, Samaritan trying to engineer its own version of a super race - it's hard to believe that everyone on TS is okay with that. This is one plot that I wish we had a full season to explore, because it was the first time that Samaritan really scared me.  We are so used to surveillance anymore that it's all white noise.  But using DNA to decide who lives and dies - that is truly the stuff of nightmares. 

Second thing, Fusco's arc over the series has been brilliant.  He is a good cop and a good person now and confident enough to kick Reese to the curb.  Yay, Lionel.  And John deserved it.  He treated Fusco like the person he used to be for far too long. 

My last thought (until I get a chance to rewatch) - does the Samaritan recruited guy Blackwell remind anyone else of Tony Curran or is it just me? 

[MrWhyt]

9 hours ago, immortalfrieza said:

You know, I really wish everybody involved with this show had put as much effort and made the other seasons as fast paced as they are this season, because I get the feeling that the show wouldn't be getting cancelled if that were the case. This is definitely the best season of POI, and if the rest of the show hadn't spent all that time floundering around for most of the season without much of importance ever happening the series would have been a lot better.

I suspect the fast pace of this season is because they only got 13 and it is their last. In a standard 22 episode season a slower pace is unavoidable.

[basiltherat]

This type of series is not meant to be sustained for more than a few years.  Are we going to have the gang in wheelchairs working numbers, with Bear's greatgrand-pups?  And just how prune-y would Pruneface be?

So, Samaritan creates Captain Trips and Obamacare administers it!

DNA can be used for creating a controllable race, but can be used to frame people for crimes much the way that Blackwell's controller threated to frame him with his fingerprints.  By the way, could Fusco's new "partner" be a Samaritan plant?  Maybe that woman (I don't know her name, I call her PoorMan'sCCH Pounder).

[elle]

On 5/25/2016 at 11:13 AM, Trey said:

They didn't show us anything about how Fusco and Bear got out - I wish they had but I guess they don't have to show us everything.  Seeing them in the hospital was enough - looked like Bear wasn't injured at all. And I think Fusco just reported the bodies to the team, not the police but I don't know positively.

They were not connected to the virus in the hospital.

Bear probably dug out Fusco then pulled him to safety.  So the creepy scene stays creepy and all the missing persons remain unsolved and now buried in some tunnel debris.  Why Fusco would not tell the NYPD, well is the writer's choice.  I cannot figure how this would be to Samaritan's advantage, but there is still time.

[DEM]

12 hours ago, tessaray said:

My last thought (until I get a chance to rewatch) - does the Samaritan recruited guy Blackwell remind anyone else of Tony Curran or is it just me? 

Yes, I call him "younger, American Tony Curran."

[thuganomics85]

Shaw is out!  Finally!!  Hopefully!  I mean, these guys are usually pretty smart, so I really don't see them suddenly having it be another simulation, so I'm totally taking it had face value.  Glad she took out Blackwell too, even though his character never really served that much of a purpose.  If there was one, it almost feels like they just needed a face for Shaw to get her big moment, and it couldn't be Greer, since he's likely going to be saved for the grand finale or closer to it.  Hopefully, they won't drag her trip back for too long, and she'll be back in NYC soon.

Glad we got more Elias content in this one.  Loved him and Fusco forming a brief partnership, and I especially loved his showdown with Finch.  It's always great when those two face-off.  Enrico Colantoni and Michael Emerson are spectacular together.  And while he may be a violent mobster, I kind of agree with him about Finch being the "darkest" of the group.  I kind of get it.  Yeah, everyone else (Reese, Root, Shaw, even Fusco) have more violent pasts and bigger bodycounts, but Finch is the one that I feel like if he ever crossed that line, the damage would be terrifying.  He might not even mean to do it, but I can see it and it will be extremely brutal.  It probably doesn't help that he seems to lack the self-awareness the rest have for the most part, and doesn't seem to realize how dangerous he can be, and how much of a slipperily slope this all is.

Couldn't quite make sense of all the science that was going on behind the outbreak, but I get it was all part of a plan for Samaritan to get the population's medical info and use that to create a master race.  Yeah, that should be fun!

I wonder how much more involved is Blackwell going to be in all of this, and what his role will be in the endgame.

You go, Fusco!  Reese and Finch need to quit being like this, or they really are going to lose one of their most loyal and awesome partners ever. And I doubt Fusco is ever going to let all this go, so it would be better for everyone to just tell him the truth.  Those two can really be pig-headed at times, huh?

[MYOS]

I don't think Samaritan wants to create a Master Race in the usual sense. Samaritan sees humans as either irrelevant or obstacles to be eliminated. Samaritan would thus want a race without obstacles, only irrelevans that can be turned into assets and irrelevants that won't become obstacles.

How can Blackwell not be creeped out by the knowledge he was chosen for his DNA?

Finch has time and again been shown to go to great lengths in following his intellectual model (such as when he "killed" the machines' memories. Except we know the machine found a way to "save itself", right?) He's also already certain he's going to die. "doing what it takes at all costs" + ready to die is a powerful, scary combination.

[StarBrand]

I have this strange feeling that something's going to happen to Grace-and it's at that point Finch will not have any more fucks to give...