It is time for the final episode of Person of Interest. What a fantastic ending to a brilliant show. I am going to miss this show very much.
I have been putting this off. My apologies for that. It has been difficult to find the words and the energy to say goodbye to a show I have loved dearly. But as far as endings go, this has been a satisfying ride. I was preparing for a bloodbath, and that would have been a justified ending for this show. But I am glad the final episode was not that bleak.
Because this is as close to a happy ending as this show was going to get. Fusco gets to go back to being a normal cop, though I guess he is going to be helping Shaw a lot. Shaw got a dog, a mission, and a version of Root back. Root gets to live forever through the Machine. Harold gets to go back to Grace and live in happiness and peace. And John? John got to die as a hero, fulfilling the purpose he had.
So, Harold uploaded the virus that will destroy both Samaritan and the Machine, but of course that is not the end. Samaritan is still fighting back and has made a copy of itself that it is trying to preserve. The Machine is also feeling the effects of the virus, but it is doing what it can to help.
Of course the virus has widespread effects as we see from the news footage, but I really love that the finale is all about the core characters. The show hasn't really explored extensively the global effects Samaritan could have, but, as we saw in the simulations the Machine showed Harold, without the Machine and these characters, there is no rebellion, no war against Samaritan. Harold and the rest are the resistance, so the final episode needs to be about them.
At first, things look very bad for the team. Samaritan uses its access to Root's implant to break John and Shaw's covers, and while Shaw manages to get away, John and Lionel are taken by cops paid by Samaritan to be executed. Luckily Harold, or rather the Machine, still has a few tricks up his sleeve.
The Machine has Shaw prepare a copy of itself for Harold, so that he and John can go destroy the copy Samaritan has made. Side note, John's face when Harold says he has a nuclear device in his briefcase was priceless. Anyway, their mission does not go smoothly as Samaritan prepares to upload itself to a satellite in space and the only option is to upload the copy of the Machine as well and let them fight it out. But the person uploading the copy of the Machine is not going to make it as Samaritan is already setting up countermeasures. Harold, feeling that it is his job to end this as he is the one that started this all, leaves John stranded so he can be the one to upload the Machine.
John's agreement with the Machine does come as a surprise. But it really shouldn't, because this is exactly what I should have expected from John. He is the hero on a path to redemption and this is his moment. To save everyone he cares about and save the world. And of course it takes nothing less than a freaking missile to kill him.
Meanwhile, Shaw and Lionel stay to protect the Machine. But the Machine tells them to blow up the tunnel so they can escape on the subway car and get away from Samaritan's agents. However, the Machine is still dying as the result of the virus and there isn't much Shaw and Fusco can do for it but save themselves.
In the end, John is the only one to give his life in the final battle, but that was what he wanted. Everyone else gets what they wanted as well. This was an emotional and satisfying finale and, to be honest, I feel like anything I say cannot possibly do justice to it.
And one final word, while I love this ending, I am very sad to see this show end. Person of Interest has been without a doubt one of the best tv shows I have seen. It has always been relevant and the quality of writing, acting, directing etc. has been amazing. It would have been great to see what else this show could do, but at least it got to go out on top and almost on it own terms.
I will miss this show terribly.
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