Person of Interest S5E11 - Synecdoche

This week on Person of Interest Harold is on a mission of his own, while the rest of the team try to save the life of the President.


Wow... The twist at the end of the episode is so good and I am so sad there are only two episodes left of this magnificent show.

Let's talk about Harold first. After the Machine helped him escape police custody, he is now on his way to Texas. He is planning on placing a virus into Samaritan's system that will destroy it, but will also cause massive collateral damage.

It is jarring to see Harold do something that will inflict so much suffering and how a man who has such intense dislike of violence is now arguably the most dangerous person on this show. I mean, Shaw may be taking the fight to Samaritan and is taking its agents out, but Harold is focusing on the endgame and seemingly not caring who will get hurt in the process.

But I love that the Machine is talking and helping Harold so freely now. He was jealous of Root's relationship with it, and it is bittersweet that it took Root's death for the Machine to start talking to him. Though I don't think Harold was actually comfortable with having this kind of relationship with it before. I am interested to see how their relationship develops and what Harold's plans actually are.

Before getting to the main plot, let's discuss Shaw for a bit. She of course does not mourn quite the same way as the rest of the team, but she still feels the loss of Root in her own way. She is actually hoping this is all a simulation because she does not want this to be the reality. It is heartbreaking to see her yell at Samaritan to end this simulation and start a new one. But I do love that the Machine gives Shaw Root's ever-changing identities. Let's hope it gives Shaw a bit more protection against Samaritan.

Let's talk about the main plot. This week the number that comes up belongs to the President. Which is not good, because the President should be a relevant number and his death would cause chaos. This is why Samaritan is terrifying. Yes, it could do a lot of good, but it does not have human morals or ethic, which means that the decisions it makes in the name of greater good can have devastating effects.

But, I have to say, the plot to kill the President is not that well executed. The story-line itself felt a bit off, and I don't quite understand what was the point of having the worst terrorists ever trying to kill him. I mean, why write it that way? Also, did these characters really think this was the most effective way to stop the surveillance? I'm a bit confused about this.

However, what is interesting is the return of few characters. You know, I did say Logan Pierce was slated for a possible return... And look at that, week later, there he is. Harper is also back (and is a lot less annoying) as is Joey Durban, one of the first numbers John and Harold ever helped.

I absolutely adore that the Machine is building more teams to take care of the relevant numbers. I mean, it is practical for one. Harold and the rest are very much occupied by Samaritan at the moment, and they are in New York all the time, so having others around the country is very sensible. Plus it creates a contingency. If this war ends badly and the team dies, then there is someone around to continue the work they started, assuming of course that the Machine survives. And I think it is so amazing that it is recruiting former numbers. These are the people who have already benefited from this system and know what it means to be saved. This is such an amazing plot development.