In the seventeenth episode of the second season of Person of Interest, IT’S A CREEPY MURDER MYSTERY AND I LOVED IT. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Person of Interest.Â
I LOVE CLOSED-ROOM MURDER MYSTERIES. I LOVE LUKE MCFARLANE’S PORTRAYAL. I LOVE HOW SPOOKY AND FUNNY THIS IS. I LOVE HOW MUCH CARTER GETS TO BE INVOLVED IN THE MYSTERY BUT ALSO HAS AN EMOTIONAL STORY THAT IS MEANINGFUL AND HELP.
I just… let’s start with Declan. Luke McFarlane is RIDICULOUSLY creepy in this episode, especially since I completely fell for his portrayal as FBI Agent Fahey. He’s charming and enigmatic, and I spent the episode directing my attention to everyone else trapped on the island. See, half the fun of “Proteus†is that the writers accept that they’re writing within this specific genre of a murder mystery, and then they cater the episode to that. This episode isn’t making fun of murder mysteries, though the subplot with Finch and the fisherman is pretty fucking hilarious. Instead, it’s like a giant love letter to the concept. We’ve got a closed-room mystery, where everyone is trapped on an island with SOMEONE WHO IS THE KILLER! Who is it!!! oh my god the power went out and someone died!!!
Look, I love this, and I love that the writers love this, too. So we’ve got this massive storm that’s trapped everyone on Owen Island, and they’re trapped there with a serial killer. From the lighting to the pacing to practically every element of this story, it truly felt like a slasher film, just given to us through the lens of Person of Interest. It’s an absolute joy, which… y’all, I yelled a lot. A LOT. Tiff, I hope you’re okay with how much I yell????
And really, that huge reveal that Declan/Fahey was behind all of this was SO GOOD. I kept thinking that the dental hygienists were behind it and that their career was a hint to their REAL IDENTITIES! See, I tried to expect the unexpected from “Proteus,†specifically because this show has destroyed me so many times. Of course, by trying to anticipate who the killer was, I missed the truth. And I love that Luke McFarlane was directed to just camp this character up. Once he appears to speak as his own self… WHEW LORD, THAT WAS SO UNNERVING. That moment when he started mimicking Finch? MY ENTIRE SOUL WAS SCREAMING FOREVER.
I had a lot of fun with this, and I also really liked the usage of Beecher to explore trust, given that trust is generally a huge theme in murder mysteries like this. I wasn’t sure we were going to see Beecher again, but I am pleased that the writers haven’t just let this story go. He’s a persistent dude in general, and Carter’s ghosting on him clearly upset him. But lord, how do you have that conversation? I literally could not conceive of it. Carter lost a killer promotion because Beecher was so obviously dirty. That’s not something you bring up in casual conversation, nor is it something that Carter could just drop on Beecher in her precinct.
So, like Finch and Reese, she eventually gets “stuck†with Beecher and is forced to deal with the complications. As much as I liked Beecher before (and as ridiculously attractive as Sterling K. Brown is), I was terrified by his response to her questioning. WHY THE FUCK DID HE SPEED THE CAR UP LIKE THAT. WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM. That reaction said more to me about who he is than anything else. Is it great that he was there to save Carter in the end? Absolutely. But I agree with Carter’s assessment: she doesn’t know if this is something she can continue with. It’s too complicated, and she’s got to look out for herself and her child. What if this isn’t as clear cut as she wants it to be? Look, the audience also knows that Beecher is in with HR, so… oh god, it’s not going to end well.
I have the same worry with the Machine. Did Kara really release a virus that’s attacking the Machine? If she knew about it, then dismantling it does make sense from her perspective. She can un-do the whole system. But will more people like the FBI agent die because of that?
I’M SCARED.
The video for “Proteus†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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