Mark Watches ‘Person of Interest’: S01E08 – Foe

In the eighth episode of the first season of Person of Interest, I cannot believe how much this episode fucked me up in just forty minutes. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Person of Interest.

Trigger Warning: For discussion of torture.

In just eight episodes, this show has found a sweet spot between episodic adventures and serialization. It should also stand as an incredible example of what this medium can do. I am astounded at what a complex and emotional arc is given to these characters who are introduced and then shuffled off-screen, ostensibly to never be seen again. THIS WAS SO EMOTIONAL AND IT ALL HAPPENED SO FAST.

Kohl

There are two angles to this story, though, and I’ll address the main one first. For the first half of “Foe,” there’s a sympathy offered to Ulrich Kohl, despite that he was part of one of the most vicious secret police organizations in the world. It’s not until the second half of this episode that Kohl’s full characterization is given to us, and that’s intentional. Much like the experience was for his wife, Anja, we don’t know the truth, and it’s easier to ignore it. Instead, it seems like Kohl’s fellow Stasi agents merely sold Kohl out to the Americans and Germans in order to secure a life for themselves. They were responsible for Kohl being locked up in a prison while being wiped from society. As far as any official record could state, he no longer existed. Even worse? Kohl’s associates got his wife killed. This was a case of revenge, plain and simple. These men skirted accountability and found success in New York City, all at the expense of Kohl, who suffered for nearly two decades.

So yeah, I didn’t exactly feel all that bad for the men who were being hunted down and killed by Kohl. They deserved it! And in that sense, you can have sympathy for Kohl without necessarily approving of who he is and what he did. But that’s because that detachment is easy until you know the truth. That “truth” is revealed in pieces until it comes rushing forth in one of the most shocking moments in the series thus far. (IT IS A LOT TO DEAL WITH AFTER “WITNESS,” OKAY.) Kohl’s wife never died. SHE FOUND OUT THAT MURDERED COUNTLESS PEOPLE AND WAS AN ASSASSIN AND DID AWFUL THINGS FOR THE STASI AND SHE FAKED HER OWN DEATH TO ESCAPE HIM.

“Foe” becomes an entirely different story from this point on, and I was breathless. Suddenly, Kohl had every reason to kill his wife for betraying him, too, but is that enough? Is Person of Interest content with this major twist? NOPE. GUESS WHO WAS PREGNANT WHEN SHE FAKED HER DEATH AND GUESS WHO GAVE HER DAUGHTER A LIFE FREE FROM THE ATROCITIES OF HER FATHER.

What is this show. WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHOW.

John Reese

Oh my god, y’all. Sometimes, in episodic fiction like this, you’ll often get main plots that are supposed to provide some sort of insight into the protagonist’s life or past. And sometimes, those stories are like… barely connected? Or seem really forced? But holy shit, THAT IS NOT THE CASE HERE. There is an unreal sequence in this episode where Reese surprises Kohl in Anja’s apartment that haunted me. After Kohl reverses who is in control and tries to torture Anja’s location out of Reese, Kohl realizes he is dealing with another spy. The writers brilliantly use this to address Reese’s undeniably fucked up past, and y’all. THEY DO NOT PULL ANY PUNCHES AT ALL. I mean, we knew he used to work for the CIA, and we knew that he had a traumatic, violent history, but the flashback in “Foe” spells it out very, very clearly. Even if Reese didn’t know what he was getting into initially, he became a tool for the state. That scene with his former partner (whose name was either not said or I did not catch) demonstrated what was expected of him. Were those two men truly deserving of death? Or was Reese ordered to believe that?

Thus, there’s a synchronicity between these characters. They understand what it’s like to become someone deplorable, violent, and inhumane. They know what it’s like to take a life. And they know what it’s like to choose to push everyone else out of their own lives. That scene in Anja’s kitchen is tense because TORTURE WITH NEEDLES, NO THANK YOU. But it’s also intense because these two men have done unspeakable things for their respective countries, and they’ve lost pretty much everything that matters because of it. John even lost his name. Y’ALL, WHAT’S HIS ACTUAL NAME???

What. The. Fuck. Is. This. Show.

The video for “Foe” can be downloaded here for $0.99.

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