In the twelfth episode of the second season of Person of Interest, this show has destroyed me. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Person of Interest.Â
HELP ME, THIS WAS TOO MUCH. Too fucking much!!! Where do I even start? How do I even do this? Wait, I have an idea.
Fusco
Bless this show for sticking the absurd comedy of Fusco’s “case” within one of the most deeply serious episodes of the season. I know I said this before, but it’s nice that Person of Interest isn’t dire bleakness from beginning to end, that they have the ability to joke every now and then. Fusco’s bumbling attempt to protect a supermodel is only given to us in brief flashes of chaos, and the whole thing felt like a parody of spy/action films. BLESS.
Interrogation
From an audience standpoint, there’s a lot of joy to be wrung out of watching this episode. Taraji P. Henson is a godsend, and her ability to portray a character stretched between two worlds and two realities was immense. She carried this episode from beginning to end, and I’m still floored by how incredible she was. But “Prisoner’s Dilemma” works as well as it does because the acting is grounded in some clever, emotional writing. Both Carter and Reese have to figure out how to pretend enough that Donnelly believes them, but without giving away the truth. That’s a delicate line not to cross, and these two do so BRILLIANTLY. Combine that with Finch’s contribution from the outside, and this almost worked, if not for one thing.
But before we get to that point – since I’m referring to the scene that ripped my soul out of my body – let’s acknowledge just how deftly plotted this episode is. I love how focused it is, which is why Fusco’s case works best as a comedic aside than a split plot. This script needed to have lots of time to devote to the delicate manifestation of the prisoner’s dilemma. And that’s totally what this is! With four “prisoners,†one of whom is the elusive Man in the Suit, Donnelly has to find a way to either break one of the stories, or get one of the four to turn on the Man in the Suit. Donnelly invokes the whole “enemy combatant†designation in order to keep his prisoners, and as casual as it is, I appreciated that it was used. Donnelly likes to think of himself as the Good Guy, and it’s part of why his character is such a great foil to Carter. She is actually doing demonstrably good things, and while Donnelly means well, he is quite obsessive about his search for the Man in the Suit.
So what does Carter do with that? How do you stop a man from doing something he sees as a net positive when that’s not the case? On top of that, it’s not like Donnelly is evil. He’s really not! But she knows that she’s got to keep herself and Reese out of any trouble, and thus, we get the tense nightmare of “Prisoner’s Dilemma.†It’s so fun! And terrifying! I needed to lie down after it!
I Love My Job
I made an assumption about all the flashbacks to John’s days with his partner, Kara. See, I thought they were meant as a means to show us who John had become so that he could tell that devastating story about why he left the military and why he fucked up. It’s my single favorite scene in all of this episode because it’s so real. It’s perhaps the most honest that John Reese has ever been with Carter, and you can tell that she knows this. Even if I’d never argue that they’re the same people, they share similarities. Experiences. Enough, I suppose, that they’d feel a draw toward one another, and in that interrogation room, it’s easy to imagine that they came to understand one another better.
And yet, I missed the mark. This might be an element of the story, sure, but it’s not the only one. Kara Stanton urged John to abandon his human side, to not be a “nice†guy while on the job. She wanted a killer at her side, and that’s what John gave her. He transformed himself into a person who didn’t care about others, who didn’t ask questions, who pursued his target without hesitation or interrogation. It is not the version of John that we see in the present time, but you know who didn’t change?
Kara Stanton. I am STILL reeling from the final scene of this episode, wherein Donnelly follows Carter AND FINDS HER WITH JOHN. I thought it was over. I was certain that this was it, that this show was going to take me on a brand new journey where Reese and Carter were imprisoned while Finch and Fusco struggle to adapt. Instead, Kara Stanton arrives, and with her, she brings violence. Vengeance. I can only assume that this is all part of her plan to get revenge on those who wronged her. I have no idea where Snow is. I have no idea what’s going to happen when the FBI discovers that Donnelly is dead. What about Carter? Did Kara just not see her? Why didn’t she kill Carter?
I’m not ready for where this show is going, y’all.
The video for “Prisoner’s Dilemma†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– My YA contemporary debut, ANGER IS A GIFT, is now available for pre-order! If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter! DO IT.
