Person of Interest

[Spark Of Spirit]

Opening

I'm making this thread for two reasons. The first is that it is one of my favorite shows, the other is that nobody ever talks about it. But I really don't think it deserves the latter.

Person of Interest started on September 2011, the same date its storyline takes place. Ever since 9/11 the government had been working an AI system that would keep them safe from further terrorist attacks by predicting human behavior and acting accordingly. They began the project, and the story starts ten years after the attacks to where the system is now. At the same time the story follows two dead people, or two people that should be dead that go by the names Harold Finch and John Reese. One is the creator of The Machine who wishes to use his invention to help those who the government has deemed irrelevant by employing the second man, an ex-CIA operative expected to have been killed. The story starts as the two meet and begin a crusade to save as many lives as they can before either the government finds and ends them, or something worse emerges from their past to end them all.

Person of Interest is a bit unique for a show that airs on CBS. It can be a procedural show, a spy show, an action show, a mystery, or a character drama, sometimes all at the same time. It also has three different story styles that run concurrent throughout the seasons.

The first is the aforementioned procedural to find one of the "Numbers" and protect them from whatever fate awaits them. Sometime these spin into the other stories, making them fairly indispensable where other shows would have them be simple filler. Tied into this is a Gang War storyline that starts in season one and spirals out of control up to where it is now in the show. These storylines usually involve the cop characters that are pretty invaluable to Finch and Reese.

The second style usually involves events that happened before the story began. It shows how out characters got where they are, and even centers on characters who are dead before the show even starts. As of season 4, the flashback storylines have caught up to the present, but the consequences still show up in the main storyline. This is where a lot of the spy material comes from, though it also spills over into the current day.

The third storyline is straight up Science Fiction. It deals with The Machine and how it has grown since first being built. This leads to a huge amount of twists and turns that would by hard to go into without spoiling it all.

As of now, Person of Interest is about to enter its fifth season and has a backlog of 90 episodes. The first three seasons are currently on Netflix. The fifth season will likely by the last at 13 episodes as CBS doesn't own the show outright and doesn't feel it's worth keeping around when they could make another forensic crime show instead.

Oh yeah, and POI was also created by Jonathan Nolan, brother of Christopher.

I don't recommend spoiling yourself by reading wikipedia, because whoever wrote it gives a lot away. If you're interested, check it out instead. It's a great show. It's also got a pretty good sense of humor.


Before I turn this thread over to anyone reading, I thought I would discuss my ratings for the current seasons that have aired. If you've seen them, feel free to respond and post your own comments.


Season One (2011-2012) - 23 episodes

Street level storyline (8/10):

Spoiler

A very strong start to a very strong show. The Elias storyline winds around nicely as does the threat of HR. About the only fault you could give is that it doesn't quite end here, but it does build nicely into season two. If you aren't hooked by the time Elias shows himself, I don't know what to say. The Numbers in this season are very impressive with many twists and turns to keep you guessing as to what's going on.

[close]

Past storyline (9/10):

Spoiler

Let's be honest, if you're watching season one, it' probably for all the excellent backstory and how it ties in to the present. POI starts of strong here, and I can arguably say it remains the show's strongest point until the flashbacks reach present day.

[close]

Machine storyline (8/10):

Spoiler

It only really poke its head out here, but by the season finale everything is out on the table. It wisely slides the viewer into the more sci-fi side of the world very gently. If you aren't used to it by the end, well, you should be. It only gets weirder from here.

[close]

Season Two (2012-2013) - 22 episodes

Street level storyline (9/10):

Spoiler

It really hits the fan here. HR proves itself an even worse threat and Elias bares his fangs. Though they don't get solved 100% there are a lot of good reveals that lead into season 3 to really whet your appetite. On the other hand, the Numbers in this season, for the most part, are a step down from the ones from season 1 which keep it shy from a perfect score. Some episodes, unlike season 1, actually ARE totally skippable. Bad idea. The ones with Leon are pretty strong, though.

[close]

Past storyline (10/10):

Spoiler

Almost everything clicks into place to give you an excellent idea of how everyone got to where they are. There's still more to tell, but Finch's backstory is almost totally laid on the table and its pretty messed up. The season also ends tying a lot of loose ends from before. The series probably would have had a satisfying conclusion if it ended here, but thankfully, it didn't.

[close]

Machine storyline (9/10):

Spoiler

Everything follows on from season 1, but where it really shines is in the back half of the season, especially the ending. By the end of season 2, The Machine has changed a lot, the government changes strategies, and a certain character is given a very precious key.

[close]

Season Three (2013-2014) - 23 episodes

Street level storyline (10/10):

Spoiler

Not only does the HR storyline come to a very satisfying conclusion, but Elias is hanging back in the shadows striking out where he can. This is probably the best the street level storyline has ever been in the show. Not to mention, the Numbers are hands down the best in the entire run of the show. Season 3 delivers.

[close]

Past storyline (10/10):

Spoiler

While we learned almost everything about Finch, Reese, and the others, pretty well by season 2's end, season 3 goes deeper. Deeper into Finch's childhood, deeper into Carter's past, and basically goes to the core of every character. This is the last season that really uses the past storyline, but it is the best one by far.

[close]

Machine storyline (10/10):

Spoiler

Vigilance, Samaritan, the intertwining between the Numbers, the street level story, and the past, is simply magnificence. The end of the season is a real shocker, too. Where else can they go from here?

[close]

Season Four (2014-2015) - 22 episodes

Street level storyline (9/10):

Spoiler

The Dominic storyline, the crumbling of Elias' world, the Numbers frequently intertwining with both is really cool. Not to mention, the final episode of the season pretty much puts a bullet in the street level stuff, meaning that from this point on, we'll mostly be dealing with The Machine storyline in the final season. Really good stuff.

[close]

Past storyline (N/A):

Spoiler

There aren't really any past storylines. Just normal flashbacks for the most part. Which is fine. There was no way they'd top season 3, and it's nice to see the story moving on instead of mining old territories.

[close]

Machine storyline (8/10):

Spoiler

Honestly, my my problem with this season is that despite a lot of good turns and awesome episodes, the overall storyline has no ending here. I mean, there's no logical endpoint. The season finale basically ends with a lot of bodies and our heroes on the run. Not to mention the victories in the season are very small in comparison to every other season. But I can't fault it too much as it is leading into season 5, and most likely hitting its end there.

[close]

So this is the thread for Person of Interest. Anybody else like it as much as me, or even at all?

[Foggle]

Sounds cool! I've heard of this show but never watched it (and also had no idea what it was about). I'll have to check it out sometime since I love science fiction stuff.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I've been meaning to get into this show. I've just had a lot on my plate this year, along with limited Internet access. The good news is that my life will go back to normal after Thanksgiving, so I can focus more on catching up with TV stuff.

For the record, I followed a lot less shows this year. I only watched Better Call Saul, Daredevil, Game of Thrones, Narcos, and am currently keeping up with Ash Vs. Evil Dead, Arrow, The Flash, and South Park. I need to play catch-up with Supergirl.

I also need to get back to Boardwalk Empire, Sons of Anarchy, House of Cards, The Wire (which I'll probably just start from scratch at this point), and catch up with Archer since I never finished season six after I came to Ohio.

And that's not even including all of the anime that I plan to either get back to or start once I come back home to New Jersey.

I'll definitely find time for POI before too long, though.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I've been meaning to get into this show since it first came out, but just have never found the right opportunity and time. If the show is ending with the current season, then I might wait until it finishes to marathon it.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Might be a good idea due to how addicting the show can be and how every season finale, while awesome, simply leaves you wanting more. Though I don't know how long it'll take for it to be added to Netflix since I don't even think season 4 is on there yet.

But it is a ride. Finch and Reese are two of my favorite TV protagonists.

[Peanutbutter]

Finally! I was thinking about making a thread for this show a long while, but I was too afraid too many people here didn't like it. Should have just went ahead and made it.



Anyway, I love this show. With Burn Notice long gone, and 24 having finished this is my current favorite show on TV. I love it even more than Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. It's unlike anything aired before on CBS, and likely after it's gone too. It's a sharply written show that manages to balance different characters and storylines at once. It's a big shame that thanks to the Samaritan story running a little longer than it should have that its ratings dwindled.


Hopefully season 5 will have a great ending that will wrap things up, but I wish CBS would give the show another chance or that they might could do two or three more seasons on Netflix. As far as I'm concerned, this and The Blacklist are the best shows on broadcast and stand tall with other great shows like Breaking Bad, The Wire, and The Sopranos.

[Spark Of Spirit]

CBS is burning off season 5 in May. They also confirmed it's the last season.

Shame CBS screwed it over, but at least it had a chance to wrap up. Now to wait for May to see the ending.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Seeing as how this is on Netflix now, I should finally get around to checking it out. Perhaps after I binge-watch Daredevil season two.

[Peanutbutter]

Sad thing is, it wasn't CBS that screwed the show.....it was the ratings. More specifically, it was the fact that the show's biggest demographic is older people whom are old-fashioned TV watchers that prefer good always prevailing over evil. The last season didn't deliver that really. Save a few battles, Samaritan won the war against Team Machine last season. Hopefully, the show will get enough promotion and get good enough ratings so that maybe an extra season or two or a spinoff can be viable on Netflix.



No matter what, I'm going to really miss this show when it ends. Best action show since Burn Notice, and by far one the greatest shows to ever air on broadcast. Its just as good as Breaking Bad and others as far as I'm concerned.

[Spark Of Spirit]

So they are currently airing the final season right now, but WB has already announced a date for both the Fifth Season DVD and Blu-Ray release as well as the Complete Series for July release.

I'm really amazed at how fast they're trying to bury this show. Still, at least the last season has been great so far, so at least they're ending on a strong note.

[Peanutbutter]

If they wanted to bury the show, the new DVD releases would never see the light of day.


I watched the first episode and loved it, will have to check out last night's episode later as I missed for wrestling.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Here's an interesting article about the cancellation of Person of Interest, why it happened, and how the showrunners handled it.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Not really a fan of BuzzFeed, but it was pretty informative.

Even when Person of Interest was a massive hit, they felt the negative effects of these corporate tensions. For its first two seasons, the show didn't stream anywhere: not on Hulu, not on Netflix after the season ended — and not even on CBS.com. "We literally existed in primetime," Nolan said. "If you didn't see the show or didn't DVR the show, you weren't going to see the show. And the only way to catch up on the show was by way of DVDs." After the second season, CBS.com began streaming episodes; after Season 4, Person of Interest finally became available on Netflix. But considering viewer behavior at this current moment, it was a recipe that created an eroding, aging audience. And so, after the fourth season, CBS decided to try a new show in the fall in Person of Interest's former time period: the now-canceled Limitless.

The show was never treated particularly well, despite how well it did. But hey, if there's one less reason to watch CBS, that's fine with me.

But just because the writers decided to take matters into their own hands didn't mean they ran amok. CBS had always wanted the show to keep its case-of-the-week spine rather than chucking it and making it a pure mythology show. Going into Season 5, "there was a conversation about the amount of stand-alone versus serialized storytelling that, somewhat to my surprise, remained something of importance to them," Nolan said. "And to the degree that there are compromises in this final season, it's in that area. I wish we'd had a few more episodes to continue telling the bigger story. But I'm very, very proud of what we did."

It's funny that the network didn't like when it became a full serial, because that had already been happening behind the scenes since season 1. Where it is now in season 5 is where the story logically should have gone.

I'm eager to see how it ends now.