Written by: Kevin Berge
I know it's shocking, Sameen, but it's over. CBS couldn't handle PoI not just being a NCIS rip off for them to exploit. (Image Courtesy of: showbizjunkies.com)
Quick Take: Person of Interest Season 5 is an appropriately powerful closing arc for the series with strong week to week episodes, powerful twists and turns, and a satisfying conclusion. More tightly constructed than previous seasons due to its thirteen episode length, it is the most consistently effective season with the same charismatic and intense performances and detailed writing.
Previous Reviews: Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4
***This is a spoiler heavy review of the fifth season of Person of Interest, written with the expectation that the reader has seen the fifth season of the series. If you have not and plan to do so (all the way through the recently aired finale), do not read ahead if you wish to remain unspoiled on events and characters in the fifth season.***
Person of Interest was always a story hidden in a procedural, beginning with a basic premise: get a number, save lives. Each season evolved more into the overarching story and moved away from that foundation as the true essence of this story was a collection of damaged characters coming together to protect a world on the edge of destroying itself from fear.
The first three seasons mixed those two elements well while the fourth season evolved in the most pronounced way and struggled to strike the usual balance. The short fifth and final season of PoI strikes the correct balance, focusing almost entirely on the overwhelming threat and the final move to save the world.
Beginning with Samaritan ridding the world of the most notable violent threats to make the world docile, the team struggled to protect the last remnants of Harold Finch's Machine and reclaim their last hope of survival. While there are still numbers to be saved with a few one off episodes, for the most part, this conflict is central: Samaritan vs. The Machine.
The Machine's influence and overarching plan are on full display, allowing this AI to fully evolve as a character just as the main characters make their final stand. Samaritan also evolves as a villain even more than the apparent face of the threat, John Greer, whose ultimate death is poetic but also wildly illogical.
This main cast of characters mostly have gone through their necessary changes. John Reese has accepted his destiny to play the role The Machine has given him as primary asset. Root has become a sympathetic protector for the Machine as its analog interface and sacrifices herself to that end with her memory living on as The Machine's voice.
Harold Finch seems to have reached the limit of his growth with the group helping him find some faith in humanity, but he does go off the deep end, showing a darker side in the last few episodes in the wake of Root's death. Sameen Shaw has the most pronounced story to tell, wrestling with reality due to her forced training by Samaritan, demonstrated beautifully in "6,741".
Their evolution or lack thereof are appropriate as final steps for them as characters. Everyone gets a satisfying if not happy ending. The closing few episodes are emotionally driven and powerful from "The Day The World Went Away" to "return 0".
***This is a spoiler heavy review of the fifth season of Person of Interest, written with the expectation that the reader has seen the fifth season of the series. If you have not and plan to do so (all the way through the recently aired finale), do not read ahead if you wish to remain unspoiled on events and characters in the fifth season.***
Person of Interest was always a story hidden in a procedural, beginning with a basic premise: get a number, save lives. Each season evolved more into the overarching story and moved away from that foundation as the true essence of this story was a collection of damaged characters coming together to protect a world on the edge of destroying itself from fear.
The first three seasons mixed those two elements well while the fourth season evolved in the most pronounced way and struggled to strike the usual balance. The short fifth and final season of PoI strikes the correct balance, focusing almost entirely on the overwhelming threat and the final move to save the world.
Beginning with Samaritan ridding the world of the most notable violent threats to make the world docile, the team struggled to protect the last remnants of Harold Finch's Machine and reclaim their last hope of survival. While there are still numbers to be saved with a few one off episodes, for the most part, this conflict is central: Samaritan vs. The Machine.
The Machine's influence and overarching plan are on full display, allowing this AI to fully evolve as a character just as the main characters make their final stand. Samaritan also evolves as a villain even more than the apparent face of the threat, John Greer, whose ultimate death is poetic but also wildly illogical.
This main cast of characters mostly have gone through their necessary changes. John Reese has accepted his destiny to play the role The Machine has given him as primary asset. Root has become a sympathetic protector for the Machine as its analog interface and sacrifices herself to that end with her memory living on as The Machine's voice.
Harold Finch seems to have reached the limit of his growth with the group helping him find some faith in humanity, but he does go off the deep end, showing a darker side in the last few episodes in the wake of Root's death. Sameen Shaw has the most pronounced story to tell, wrestling with reality due to her forced training by Samaritan, demonstrated beautifully in "6,741".
Their evolution or lack thereof are appropriate as final steps for them as characters. Everyone gets a satisfying if not happy ending. The closing few episodes are emotionally driven and powerful from "The Day The World Went Away" to "return 0".
This season did miss in one crucial element: needing more Bear. (Image Courtesy of: personofinterest.wikia.com)
These last episodes as always though would not be so powerful without the strong performances of the cast. Michael Emerson is the standout this season with the most driven and emotionally fragile performance with Finch on the edge of his own humanity only able to find it again in the end of the series. Sarah Shahi's ability to convey Sameen Shaw as both mentally breaking and intensely strong is heartbreaking.
Jim Caviezel plays a bit more the straight man this season than he had in the past but helps ground the emotions of the series, ending with his powerful death in the finale. Amy Acker gets to play the comedy role more directly this season which she does well though still hits the emotional moments particularly in her last Root appearance on the series in "The Day The World Went Away".
Unfortunately, Kevin Chapman fell a bit back in the proceedings this season even though Lionel Fusco finally found out about The Machine. Meanwhile, there were no major additions to the cast with John Nolan playing the main voice of villainy with a dry ordinary flair.
Jonathan Nolan's vision for the series was fully realized in this closing stretch, and it was impressive as a whole. The writing by regulars to the series including Lucas O'Connor, Denise Thé, and Andy Callahan was far more consistent thanks to a shorter season length that also led to tighter direction particularly by Chris Fisher and Frederick E. O. Toye.
The action overall delivered this season with Root and Shaw in particular shining. The season moved quickly with many tight, engaging moments held together by that action. The drama was sold in the middle of that action more often than separate.
The best episodes this season included two of the series' best in "6,741" which played with reality, "The Day The World Went Away" which felt like the last true climax of the series, driving the final few episodes forward, and, as has been consistent for the series, a powerful season, and in this case series, finale with "return 0".
Jim Caviezel plays a bit more the straight man this season than he had in the past but helps ground the emotions of the series, ending with his powerful death in the finale. Amy Acker gets to play the comedy role more directly this season which she does well though still hits the emotional moments particularly in her last Root appearance on the series in "The Day The World Went Away".
Unfortunately, Kevin Chapman fell a bit back in the proceedings this season even though Lionel Fusco finally found out about The Machine. Meanwhile, there were no major additions to the cast with John Nolan playing the main voice of villainy with a dry ordinary flair.
Jonathan Nolan's vision for the series was fully realized in this closing stretch, and it was impressive as a whole. The writing by regulars to the series including Lucas O'Connor, Denise Thé, and Andy Callahan was far more consistent thanks to a shorter season length that also led to tighter direction particularly by Chris Fisher and Frederick E. O. Toye.
The action overall delivered this season with Root and Shaw in particular shining. The season moved quickly with many tight, engaging moments held together by that action. The drama was sold in the middle of that action more often than separate.
The best episodes this season included two of the series' best in "6,741" which played with reality, "The Day The World Went Away" which felt like the last true climax of the series, driving the final few episodes forward, and, as has been consistent for the series, a powerful season, and in this case series, finale with "return 0".
Maybe if we can't get any more Person of Interest, we can get a remake of the series with Amy Acker playing every character. I'd watch the hell out of that. (Image Courtesy of: tvline.com)
While Person of Interest had a great five season run that was well build from start to finish despite its late fourth season stumble, I didn't realize until I was reaching the end of this season how much I'd miss this series. It wasn't just the clever storytelling or engaging performances.
This series was a collection of so many great elements that made it always engaging television. It is rare to get this many talented and committed actors all in on the same series. This series helped further to make many of these actors, and hopefully it helps several of them rise through the ranks a bit more.
That said, that would likely mean we'll not see this collection of actors together again. I can only hope this last season gets a bit more recognition that the series up to this point which was fairly sparse. In particular, Michael Emerson and Amy Acker's consistent excellence carrying the show along was far too good to go unnoticed.
Sure, Person of Interest was never going to be and never would have become Breaking Bad or The Sopranos, but television could always use more series like these. PoI was engaging, emotional, fun, well acted, well written television that seemed to fly just a little too far under the radar.
Perhaps I'm just in the kind of mood to eulogize how TV is streamlining too often, and this is a convenient example. Either way, we can always use more TV like this, the kind that plays with the rules rather than following them to the end. This closing season epitomized the honest fun and excitement that a truly well developed show can create.
I tip my hat to Jonathan Nolan, Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson, Amy Acker, Sarah Shahi, Kevin Chapman, and so many more of the writers and directors that made this series a joy to watch. I can only hope to see them all move onto bigger and better things from here.
This series was a collection of so many great elements that made it always engaging television. It is rare to get this many talented and committed actors all in on the same series. This series helped further to make many of these actors, and hopefully it helps several of them rise through the ranks a bit more.
That said, that would likely mean we'll not see this collection of actors together again. I can only hope this last season gets a bit more recognition that the series up to this point which was fairly sparse. In particular, Michael Emerson and Amy Acker's consistent excellence carrying the show along was far too good to go unnoticed.
Sure, Person of Interest was never going to be and never would have become Breaking Bad or The Sopranos, but television could always use more series like these. PoI was engaging, emotional, fun, well acted, well written television that seemed to fly just a little too far under the radar.
Perhaps I'm just in the kind of mood to eulogize how TV is streamlining too often, and this is a convenient example. Either way, we can always use more TV like this, the kind that plays with the rules rather than following them to the end. This closing season epitomized the honest fun and excitement that a truly well developed show can create.
I tip my hat to Jonathan Nolan, Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson, Amy Acker, Sarah Shahi, Kevin Chapman, and so many more of the writers and directors that made this series a joy to watch. I can only hope to see them all move onto bigger and better things from here.