S03.E23: Deus Ex Machina

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Season finale!

The team takes desperate action in its race to prevent the malevolent AI program Samaritan from coming online and making them its first targets. Meanwhile, the months-long battle with the anti-surveillance terrorist group Vigilance comes to a shocking conclusion.

 

[janeta]

-clutching head- Don't watch POI in the middle of, and channel hopping to, a documentary on Echelon. You can't tell which is fiction and which isn't.

Aw poor Harold.

But, go Bear.

Edited May 14, 2014 by janeta

[AimingforYoko]

Well, on the bright side, everybody's alive. Well, almost everybody (Sorry Hersh and Collier)

[Syme]

Should I have recognized the first two victims gunned down on the street?

 

Harold's lost his first editions.....

 

Shaw is sure to miss Bear.....

[AimingforYoko]

Shaw is sure to miss Bear.....

Heh, not just Bear. Is it me or is Shaw/Root text now?

[stonehaven]

Holy crap...that was good..intense...and it brings to mind how great this show is. it took the issues of the NSA and confronted it and asked us to question the rightness of the Machine..thre people together we never thought would work together...and then just..wow...blew the whole premise right out of the water..Bravo to CBS for allowing such a foundational shift in a show...

This can no longer be a case of the week.....even if they try to go back to normal, the events of Carter's death..and the rise of the NEW machine make this a new show entirely....

 

For those who want the "person of the week"...they have nearly three seasons for that, this fourth one will be for those who want the depth in the show ,that a lot of us have known has been there. I don't care where it takes me as long as Reese and Finch are in it 'till the end. Caviezel and Emerson have a chemistry and warmth to their characters that make this a must watch. Now, with this plot twist, it just may send it to a whole 'nuther orbit...

[merylinkid]

Some jackass told him he could make a difference.   Now it is just about saving themselves to fight another day.   

 

Oh my little reader's heart broke at losing all those books.   

 

One minor thing bugged -- I hated that Root was the voiceover at the end.   I really do not like how the focus has shifted to her.   I watch this show for the interactions between Finch and Reese.   To me, they should always be the center.   But alas, the writers have fallen in love with Root and we will have her pyschopathic ass showed down our throats until we puke.  

 

But did love how Vigilance got shown to be no better than the government.   Just as on his high horse about his vision of the US as they were.   And wow, Ma'am with her story about the Pentagon and then saying "I have spent every day since then putting a bullet in those responsible."   GULP.   I had flashbacks to Golda Meir unleashing the dogs after Munich.

[Bort]

Awww, bye Hersh. I was liking that dude more and more each subsequent appearance so of course, they kill him off. The bicycle thievery made me laugh and laugh.

Not sorry to see Collier go. I don't care how noble your cause, I have no sympathy for terrorists. Who appointed you judgypants of the world? And I was proud of Control for not taking his shit.

Is it me or is Shaw/Root text now?

It might as well be. The cheek-caressing, the eye-sexing, Shaw being unable to think of anything but rescuing Root. Even Reese immediately understood and was all, "Go!" The "save your girlfriend" part remained unsaid.

[DEM]

Syme, the man gunned down in the police station was the Vigilance member who unwittingly told Reese and Hersh the location of the court house.  The woman was the Vigilance 'judge'.

[GHScorpiosRule]

What an utter predictable snoozefest. Who didn't see that Greer was behind Vigilance?

As soon as I saw the flashbacks of Collier receiving those cryptic texts, I knew it was him. Same type of speech he gave Stanton after he saved her ass in Season one. And the way he was oh, so laid back and not worried about the "trial." Ho hum. Yawn.

Greer just turned into a 'stache twirling villain, and even if this show is like a comic book, the comics I read don't have 'stache twirling villains. Good grief.

Oh, and of course Fucking Root has to tell everyone they're not free anymore. Fucking Root is fucking saving them all. Isn't she speshul? The machine tells her what to tell Finch, who fucking created the machine now? And Finch just obeys like an automaton? I want her to fucking DIE already, along with Greer.

Bear getting to eat people was the only thing I enjoyed about this finale.

 

I think I'll rewatch Season one this weekend.

[janeta]

So did one of you sharp-eyed folks (or someone who DVR-ed it and has a pause button :-) catch what everyone's new names are?

 

And I think Bear should have gotten a new identity too.

[beadgirl]

Wow.  I have to hand it to the show -- things happen, there are real, permanent consequences, and the show progresses.  Given their commitment to seeing the various storylines through to their conclusions, I am increasingly ok with Carter's death (although I still miss her).  I know I said last week I wanted a return to person-of-the-week stories, but this is good too!

 

So will it take them the entire season to come back together and take down Decima?

 

 

Not sorry to see Collier go. I don't care how noble your cause, I have no sympathy for terrorists. Who appointed you judgypants of the world? And I was proud of Control for not taking his shit.

And the icing on the cake?  Finding out he had been played by the person who represents everything he stands against right before he died. Heh. 

 

Camryn Manheim was magnificent.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Camryn can do no wrong in whatever show she appears in or whatever role she plays. She's always awesometacular.  Even though I don't like her character, I love how she plays her, and man oh man, the expressions in those eyes during her "examination."
 
Okay, I was wrong. There were two things I liked about the finale.

Edited May 14, 2014 by GHScorpiosRule

[Gregg247]

I liked how all the different sides in this show (and there are many) kept switching, with sworn enemies suddenly working together to fight a common threat.  

 

I was sorry to see Hirsch die, but he died a true hero (and a tough guy to kill, too!).  I was also sorry to see Collier die.  His viewpoint was totally valid (though his methods were not).  Did you notice that the two people who kept pushing him to get more violent and out-front were the Decima dude and the undercover FBI agent who Collier killed?

 

I'm not sure where this show is headed, but it seems much more grim as we go on (not necessarily a good thing for my taste).  Part of the problem, for me, is that its no longer a semi-futuristic "what-if" show; its apparently playing out for real around us every day.  That makes me very uncomfortable. I wonder if the producers had any idea when they first created this show how right they actually were!

[Dagny]

I was flipping back and forth between POI and Frontline's United States of Secrets.  It did not sit well.  You had some who didn't like the data gathering and others who believed that they were serving a higher good.  Interesting how POI finale looked a lot like Captain America 2.

 

One thing that really bothered me about the episode - Hersh walks up to a disconnect switch (thing high amp light switch) and determines that when power turns on, it will blow up everything. Open the disconnect switch (turn off the light switch) - no juice, no boom.

 

Oh, there are a lot of tendons, ligaments and bones in the shoulder, getting shot there will really muck up everything. A band-aid won't fix it.

 

I watch some MMA over the weekend, I liked how Shaw used some of those moves.

[FormerMod-a1]

I love this show like a loved thing, but I thought this ep was just "too much".  Too over the top and I'm not talking about the Machine or Samaritan or AIs.   The whole plot.  I will still watch, of course, but I hope they manage to reign it all in.

 

It did still have some things going for it though.  I ended up loving Hirsh, and Reese working with him.  And I managed to feel a little sorry for Collier, even though he's a cold blooded murderer.  I do love "Ma'am" more and more each time I see her.  And Bear got into the action.

[webruce]

I hope George Hersh isn't dead, he turned into a nice guy. He was nice to Shaw and even to Reese. But I can't believe with the gun shots and then still trying to disarm that bomb, he is probably all over that old Post office. Him telling Reese to take Bear and get out then Reese telling him to forget it and get out. Nice on both sides. It looked like Control got his file. Did that mean he was deceased? Was fun in the post office shootout that Bear was bringing Reese the bad guys guns.

Greer was behind Brandt becoming Peter Collier. Way back in 2010. Wouldn't you think Collier would check into who was texting him all those years??? Then the Decima goons were taking out the Vigilance goons? Liked when Reese told Fusco to look the other way when they needed to go into the Sporting Goods store for supplies. So Fusco was watching Bear? Then Fusco telling Reese he got a message from "KooKoo clock"(Root). Liked Bears tackle of the robber. Thought on the commercial it was Peter Collier or John Greer.

Finch told it like it was in the trial. Poor misguided Collier.

Liked the Reese/Shaw/Hersh team, Reese and Shaw kneecap 2 Decima goons, and Hersh shoots one then puts the other 2 out their misery. Then he says "What?" Shaw says " Well I guess we won't interrogate them!" and Hersh said" They are Decima, they would go out a window before they would talk!" was a funny scene.

Wonder what the Police/Fusco think about all the dead Vigilance bodies around? Someone had to have investigated that. Who killed them all? Didn't get the part where the Officer is escorting the prisoner being shot but not the prisoner? And Fusco finding them. Hope Fusco's number don't come up. Maybe that will bring Reese back into the open?

Won't Fusco wonder why he don't hear from Team Machine now that all have secret identities? Did we see the Police break up the Library?

Greer played them all really well. Garrison and Control fell for it.

Root told Shaw they should have shot the Congressman McCourt. But that would have only postponed the inevitable I bet.

I thought when Root and Shaw returned the 7 Servers to Decima/Samaritan that she would destroy or have HER control the system. But it was just a small window to make them safe. Her Geek team must have created it. But with it scattered all over the country it would be harder to control. Unlike The Machine, that I figured was in one giant warehouse. But maybe we will see the Geek team again in the future to help slow down Samaritan.

Greer telling Samaritan that it is in charge. We see the mayhem happen. Madison the Judge is gunned down. Lucky no one else is hit.

Will they now go after someone like Elias? Also would have been interesting if HR would have been after Decima? Or worked a deal to work for it?

Edited May 14, 2014 by webruce

[JodhaBai]

I dunno.  I'm just not into this shows mythology anymore.  The show is just too OTT ridiculous now that it takes away from me feeling anything for whats going on.   Lost, Fringe, xfiles gave me feels.  This show?  Not so much. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Oh and something else. Control's statement took me straight to Nicholson's Jessup's statement in A Few Good Men:

 

You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it.

 

Not exactly the same, but it was the same sentiment.

[Trey]

 

So did one of you sharp-eyed folks (or someone who DVR-ed it and has a pause button :-) catch what everyone's new names are?

 

And I think Bear should have gotten a new identity too.

 

i can't say I caught any of their names but I was sure i saw Ma'am get a new identity folder too.  Is that correct or did I imagine it?  Because the seven being protected by the machine are Reese, Finch, Shaw, Root and the 3 geek squad members, so they are all accounted for.

 

Yeah, Bear needs a new identity too.  His new name could be Wolf:)

 

I thought it was a pretty good finale.  Left me feeling a little sad and empty, but as long as they pull it all together again (which I'm sure they will) it will all be good again.

[GHScorpiosRule]

i can't say I caught any of their names but I was sure i saw Ma'am get a new identity folder too.  Is that correct or did I imagine it?  Because the seven being protected by the machine are Reese, Finch, Shaw, Root and the 3 geek squad members, so they are all accounted for.

 

 

No, Control wouldn't need a new identity because, she, along with the Senator, is helping Greer/working for him/providing him with the government feeds, so no need to be hiding from him. The folder she was handed, was Hersh's, presumably, the autopsy report on his death.

[Grammaeryn]

I was flipping back and forth between POI and Frontline's United States of Secrets.  It did not sit well.  You had some who didn't like the data gathering and others who believed that they were serving a higher good.  Interesting how POI finale looked a lot like Captain America 2.

Yay I'm not the only nerd who thought this! I think it's important that even in our fiction we are questioning this kind of "intelligence". If only we could bring that questioning and outrage to the real world...

One minor thing bugged -- I hated that Root was the voiceover at the end.   I really do not like how the focus has shifted to her.   I watch this show for the interactions between Finch and Reese.   To me, they should always be the center.   But alas, the writers have fallen in love with Root and we will have her pyschopathic ass showed down our throats until we puke.

I like Amy Acker as an actress but her voice is not made for narrating, it's too nasal. I agree that Root has stolen too much of center stage as a Mary Sue/Deus Ex Machina monster.  I like the idea of her character and adding another woman to the cast but man it could have been done so much better! 

[Helena Dax]

Wow, that was depressing. Awesome, but depressing. Honestly, I think I'm still a bit angry with them for not killing the bad guy when they had the chance. They knew Decima was the biggest threat. Now I'm "great job, Harold, I'm glad your conscience's still clean". And I really love and respect his goodness, don't get me wrong, but that was a glaring mistake.

 

Loved Shaw and Root, I'm  shipping them hard. I think Shaw thinks that Root is just messing with her, but they really care for each other. Otoh, I always thought Shaw was straight and Root, gay. (In fact, I think Root despises every man on the planet but Harold). But these things aren't written in stone, so... it can happen.

 

Poor Hersh, I was starting to like him. I hated Collier, though, so I'm not sorry he died. Besides, he lost a great chance to redeem himself. For a moment, I thought he was going to grab the old fart and jump off from the  building with him.  That would have been awesome. 

 

Now, one thing I love about Decima is that the old guy really wants to put the computer in charge, which is way more interesting than wanting to be himself in charge. I just can't wait to see what it will do. Will be it a good leader? I'm really curious about that.

[Bort]

So did one of you sharp-eyed folks (or someone who DVR-ed it and has a pause button :-) catch what everyone's new names are?

I looked but there weren't any names. It just had Samaritan changing their picture to an old one and their status going from "threat" to "non-relevant."

I always thought Shaw was straight and Root, gay. (In fact, I think Root despises every man on the planet but Harold). But these things aren't written in stone, so... it can happen.

The thing is both Root and Shaw are so emotionally closed off, it's a tough call. So it can totally happen on the basis of them not giving us much to go by in the first place.

[Trey]

No, Control wouldn't need a new identity because, she, along with the Senator, is helping Greer/working for him/providing him with the government feeds, so no need to be hiding from him. The folder she was handed, was Hersh's, presumably, the autopsy report on his death.

 

Thanks GHScorpiosRule.  That makes considerably more sense than her getting a new id.

[janeta]

I looked but there weren't any names. It just had Samaritan changing their picture to an old one and their status going from "threat" to "non-relevant."

 

Thanks for checking.

[gazebo]

So now what's going to happen to Finch's "Machine"?  Is it going to go into hiding too like Finch and his gang?

 

I like the fact that Control refused to be bullied or intimidated and stated her truth clearly even in the face of death.  She's a real patriot, even though she's a little twisted.

 

I kinda felt sorry for Collier because he was so duped by the Decima old dude.  All the sound and fury from Collier and in the end, it signified nothing.

 

Hate to say it but Root and Sam make a pretty good team!  It's nice to see some strong female energy in this show.

 

Hersch is a hero after all.  Wow.......I'll miss his character.

 

Not alot of Reese I remember seeing.  I admire how Harold wanted to save everyone, even the people that want to capture him or destroy him.  Poor guy, he's been through alot.

 

So I guess we will see our merry band in the Fall.  It's been a very interesting, convoluted ride but enjoyable nonetheless.

[GHScorpiosRule]

So now what's going to happen to Finch's "Machine"?  Is it going to go into hiding too like Finch and his gang?

 

 

 

Oh don't you  worry. The machine has fucking Root to keep it company, since she's fucking connected to it. After all, she, Root, is "speaking" for the machine, since the machine, for whatever reason, has decided to no longer "speak" to Finch like it used to before that waste of space appeared on my screen.

 

At least Finch has Bear for company.

[FormerMod-a1]

She speaks to Root that way because Root interfered with Finch's fail safe plan.  Finch had programmed the Machine to reset (reboot?) and move itself via that virus.  He knew that was going to happen.  He also programmed it to call him, once back up and running and ready.  Root interfered with that to make sure she got the call.  Since Finch couldn't keep that from happening in the time frame they had he managed to get the Machine to make 2 calls - Root still intercepted the main one, but Reese got the other one.  If things had worked as Finch programmed, it wouldn't have imprinted on Root.  And since Root got the primary call, she got the relationship with the Machine that she wanted.  And then we got her full time.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Too bad that if the machine is supposed to be as sentient as I've been told it is, that it didn't figure out what a whackadoodle psychotic Root is.

 

But y'all know I detest and loathe Root, so there you go!

 

But thanks for refreshing my memory on how Root came to be the machine's interface, aquarian. I had forgotten how that came to be.

[millahnna]

Did you notice that the two people who kept pushing him to get more violent and out-front were the Decima dude and the undercover FBI agent who Collier killed?

 

The FBI guy didn't surprise me.  Standard tv undercover cop stuff; you have to push the suspect into doing the thing you're trying to bust him for.  It's why in real life there's a lot of talk about entrapment in undercover cases.  That combined with the Decima dude, though... Man I felt really bad for Collier.  He was played to the hilt, the poor bastard. 

 

Too bad that if the machine is supposed to be as sentient as I've been told it is, that it didn't figure out what a whackadoodle psychotic Root is.

 

Based on that one case earlier this year where The Machine sort of pushed Root to examine her role in a number's past, I think The Machine figured that out just fine.  I think they rushed the concept they were going for there (I bought Shaw's equivalent revelations easier because it's been going on with her character from her first appearance) but I feel they definitely addressed it. 

[Porterest]

Just one point (which I'll repeat while TWoP is still open:

I, too, did not care for Root's ending narration. Yes, I get she is the voice of the machine, but her voice is too thin and high pitched for this. (Plus, all the secret ops, the baby hackers, and "non-relevant" is the best she can do? Come on.

Anyway, what I would have done is maybe had Acker read a line or two, then have one (or both) of he principal males read the rest, which could have easily been changed into a letter that Root left for each of them than a direct communication. We start the series most weeks with a VoiceOver from Michael Emerson; he would have been an excellent choice to do the rest of the ending narration for the season.

Edited May 15, 2014 by Porterest

[GHScorpiosRule]

As for this season. I'm just glad it's over. I'm hoping that next season will be better, but I'm not too optimistic, because Nolan and Plageman are such assholes in the interviews, saying "we're taking a lot of risks!" "Our viewers KNEW that going in! Who KNOWS what will happen?"

 

And I'll say it again, if the stunts are getting too much for Caviezel, have his stuntman do ALL of them. I won't hold it against him. I just want MORE of him on my screen. For fuck's sake, the last two episodes, he and Finch were basically supporting characters. And I didn't care for that.

[ActualSize]

I loved the finale. I liked the show a lot when it was a procedural, but this season has been my favorite so far. The episode following Carter's death was amazing! Guess I'm an arc person - and a big fan of both Amy Acker and Sarah Shahi. As long as we get the core group (including Bear), I'll be happy.

Edited May 16, 2014 by ActualSize

[webruce]

Shaw as Fusco's partner would be interesting. But I wonder if it is actually a Decima employee to keep an eye on Fusco? It could be like HR did to Carter with Laskey? Not sure how much pull Decima would have to get a person undercover in the Police? Fusco has to keep his eyes peeled so they don't try to find out if he knows where Team Machine are. i do believe that he will have Guardian Angels watching over him. Even though he has stepped up real nice since Carter left us and especially since we first met him.


i would wonder if as pointed out up thread that if Ma'am Control found out from a "little birdie" that Greer and Decima were behind the making of Vigilance and Collier. Also the explosion that killed Vigilance members/Police/citizens and her protector Hersh? I wonder if she found out about that if she and Senator Garrison would think differently about Greer and Decima as a contractor?

Wonder if Decima will be after Elias and his Mob? Maybe he will have to find Finch to help?

Now also are there anymore machines out there? When Arthur told Harold that they had a few contractors like them working on simular setups and then the Government had them stop when Harold and Nathan got theirs up and running, I wonder if anyother ones sit somewhere either close or completed and ready to go?

The actor who played Nathan was on the last 2 episodes of Criminal Minds as a dirty Priest, Reverand Mills.

 

Edited May 17, 2014 by webruce

[fastiller]

Shaw as Fusco's partner would be interesting. But I wonder if it is actually a Decima employee to keep an eye on Fusco? It could be like HR did to Carter with Laskey? Not sure how much pull Decima would have to get a person undercover in the Police? Fusco has to keep his eyes peeled so they don't try to find out if he knows where Team Machine are. i do believe that he will have Guardian Angels watching over him. Even though he has stepped up real nice since Carter left us and especially since we first met him.

I hope that Team Machine are wise enough to tell Fusco that he needs to keep his eyes open.

[SnarkyTart]

My guess is that when we resume the new season Fusco will initially think that Team Machine were all casualties in the post office building explosion.  I would think that the necessity for our Team to lay low for awhile will keep them from letting Fusco know their fate anytime soon.  I'm actually kind of hoping for that, because it will give Fusco a story arc where he will want to find whoever killed his friends and wreak justice, or maybe revenge on their asses.  Season 4 could definitely use a little more Fusco.   

[Boundary]

The trial was over the top but I get what they were trying to say. Reese, Finch and Shaw have always been anonymous, so next season will just be a continuation of that fact. Vigilance was a good idea but that stopped many episodes ago when they basically became a terrorist group and for them to confirm that Decima (the nominal bad guys) was behind Vigilance is just the writers admitting that a good idea failed to germinate. Initially, I think the idea was Vigilance (right to privacy) versus Decima (unfettered surveillance), with Team Machine caught somewhere in the middle. And that was intriguing, but Collier undermined everything by his methods and so the show found a way to write him off.

 

Some people object to Root seemingly now being the centre of the show but I don't think that's accurate. Finch is the one who has admin status but doesn't want to use his privileges; Root is the Machine's human enabler - it doesn't have to pretend to be some anonymous boss and hire an office full of people in order to get things done. But Shaw and Reese's treatment of Root is interesting, they listen to her completely and seem to believe in the Machine a lot more than Finch does. I hope they explore this dynamic directly next season. Finch, as he said, is not sure how he feels about his machine but with Samaritan now online, I'd like to see him and his team unleash their own machine a lot more forcefully next season.

 

ETA: Thanks GHScorpiosRule, I've amended it.

Edited May 20, 2014 by Boundary

[GHScorpiosRule]

Decima is the name of the organization. It's Samaritan, that's now online, along with Finch's machine.

 

And I'm the one who is the one ranting and bitching about Root's importance in all of this. It just pisses me off to no end. But, I'm not trying to convince others to feel the way that I do. It's worse because I can't stand Acker as an actress.

 

And I totally saw that Greer/Decima was behind Vigilance, when Collier started getting those cryptic texts. It was such a shock when that was revealed. Except...not.

[Syme]

One thing that really bothered me about the episode - Hersh walks up to a disconnect switch (thing high amp light switch) and determines that when power turns on, it will blow up everything. Open the disconnect switch (turn off the light switch) - no juice, no boom.

 

 

 

WhatHeSaid.

Plus, why would it need such large cables?

[Dagny]

Large cables are dramatic.

 

The other equipment/explosives already had battery power (nice flashing LEDs). They could have wrapped #12 wires around one of the legs upstream of the disconnect switch and brought it back to the explosives in the other room. The induction current, when power is turned back, on would have generated enough current to set it off - Thanks Cosmos & Faraday!

[caseylane]

And I'm the one who is the one ranting and bitching about Root's importance in all of this. It just pisses me off to no end. But, I'm not trying to convince others to feel the way that I do. It's worse because I can't stand Acker as an actress.

Hey, we can sing duet. I totally agree.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Hey, we can sing duet. I totally agree.

How about this:

 

Violets are bluuuuu

Roses are redddddd

It's my fondest wish and desire to see Root DEAD.

[SwiftPeter]

For a moment, I thought he was going to grab the old fart and jump off from the  building with him.  That would have been awesome.

 

Yeah, I was looking for that too.  Was disappointed that it didn't happen.

 

I don't think the Samaritan arc will last for the whole season.  With Samaritan plus Decima's resources, it's too much of a stretch to think our heroes could stay alive that long.  I also doubt there's enough story to fill in without the numbers of the week.  I think the show works best with numbers of the week with a seasonal arc in the background.  I think we get 4-6 episodes before Samaritan is ready to go all Skynet on our asses, only to get talked to death Captain Kirk style by Root/Finch/the Machine.  They've got a reset button built in, seeing as how no one actually saw Vigilance's trial and Harold and Control's admissions. 

 

[CoderLady]

Speaking of Skynet, I would have been disappointed if anyone on this show had tossed in that particular pop culture reference. I don't know exactly how to explain it, but to me it would have been crap writing if it couldn't sustain this world without dragging in someone else's.

[Syme]

Do watch this:

Deus-ex-machina-with-commentary

narrated by Michael Emerson. Not your usual "behind the scenes" crapola, not by a long shot...

 

 

[DEM]

Here is something that has been bugging me, and it confuses me every time I watch this ep.  There were a couple of times when Reese and Shaw got intel/instructions from the Machine via Root, and when asked about said intel by Hersh, they responded as if the source was a secret.  Except, Hersh knew that Root is in direct contact with the Machine and he knew that they all work together. I laughed off "It's complicated," but then there was another exchange, and it really seemed like a continuity gaffe.  Thoughts?

[JoeSchwike]

Did Hersh know that they were working with Root?  I'm trying to remember, but I think Root had already went off on her solo mission before Hersh linked up with Reese and Shaw.  Also, since Northern Lights had been shut down, maybe they didn't want Hersh to realize they were still in contact with the machine without Harold?

[Syme]

 ....Hersh knew that Root is in direct contact with the Machine and he knew that they all work together.

......Thoughts?

 

How does he know of her backchannel via the implant? And it may well be stretching to say she works with the troika; she interacts with them, yes, but for her own goals.

[DEM]

1. Hersh couldn't see Root, so he would have no idea where she is, and thus no reason to suspect that she would be limited by the power outage in NYC. Heck, the Machine could have called her by sat-phone.

 

2. Root's motives for collaborating with Team Machine would be irrelevant. The last time Hersh saw Root -- that we know of -- she busted in unexpectedly to rescue Finch & Shaw. Even if Control and her minions had no further information about their activities since then, based on Aletheia alone it wouldn't be some weird, complicated thing to find out Root still collaborates with them.

 

JoeSchwike, Control and then Hersh knew that the team were receiving numbers. Shaw confirmed that to Control, and then Reese & Shaw confirmed it to Hersh.

 

It's not a big deal; it just struck me as odd.

 

ETA: After my 3rd? 4th? 12th? time watching the ep, it finally clicked that Reese did, in fact, mention Root to Hersh once they got to that designated intersection. Ha! Never mind then!

Edited June 8, 2014 by DEM