Person of Interest Review: ‘QSO’ and ‘Reassortment’ (Season 5 Episodes 7 and 8)

The truth is out there…and Person of Interest is probably going to get to it before Fox Mulder does (sorry, Mulder).

Airing back to back ‘QSO’ and ‘Reassortment’ take Team Machine on a hell of a journey — from Root as a UFO conspiracy radio producer, to Reese and Finch dealing with a viral outbreak in a hospital, to Fusco quitting Team Machine once and for all. Oh, and the final escape of Shaw from Samaritan’s grasp.

The biggest highlight from the double-showing is the showcase of Root and just what she gets up to with the Machine. We’ve seen glimpses of her escapades that are often used as scene ice-breakers (remember the bear costume?), but very rarely do we get to follow Root along as she barrels through identities in her search for Shaw.

ROOT: What I’m doing is going to lead me to Sameen.

Root’s desperation to find Shaw is a raw, palpable thing. Ever since her disappearance in season 4’s fantastic ‘If-Then-Else’, Root has been unstoppable in her dogged persistence of the truth of Shaw’s fate. Mulder would be so proud.

As heart-wrenching as it’s been to see Root get small clues that Shaw is alive and well, her being able to make actual contact (albeit one-sided) with Shaw is beyond satisfying.

Of course, in typical Root fashion, she just has to land a punchline while she does it: she uses a radio code to send Shaw the phrase “4A”, which makes perfect sense in hindsight. What else could Root possibly have sent that would sum up she and Shaw’s relationship so succinctly?

The two together may indeed be a four-alarm fire in an oil refinery, as Shaw once told her, but who’s to say a little fire is a bad thing?

SHAW: Root.

Far from New York, we finally come to the end of Samaritan’s increasingly tricky simulations. I really enjoyed that the simulations were as confusing for us as they were for Shaw — trying to figure out what was real and what wasn’t was part of the fun, but it’s nice to have concrete (I hope) proof that Shaw is finally free of Samaritan’s grasp.

Root’s message grounds her in a way that nothing else can: if Shaw is out at sea, Root is the north star guiding her home. Root really is her safe place. The reality of Root’s message in a bottle helps galvanize Shaw into finding her footing with Samaritan, and finally get the upper hand once and for all.

Shaw reverse Shawshanks herself by breaking into a prison, which is a piece of narrative brilliance. Shaw goes from one cage to another (with the death of Lambert along the way — RIP, Lambert, I liked your accent), and just rolls with the punches.

Only Sameen Shaw could break out of a heavily guarded hospital and a prison within a few hours of each other — that’s just another day in the life for a vigilante.

Now that Shaw is free and knows that Root is looking for her, I’m absolutely dying to see their reunion.

Stray Thoughts:

• Fusco quitting Team Machine was a long time coming, but it doesn’t make me any less worried for his fate. Just because he and John aren’t partners anymore doesn’t mean he isn’t still on Samaritan’s radar.
• Blackwell is everything John could have been if the right person hadn’t found him in time. Finch and Carter saved him, but no one is there to save Blackwell from Samaritan’s grasp. How far is he going to be forced to go before he snaps?
• Root as a ballerina is the thing none of us knew we needed, but I’m so grateful that it’s out there in the world now.
• Speaking of Root, what on Earth is she going to do with that missile silo?

What did you think of this episode of Person of Interest? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Person of Interest airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 10/9c on CBS.

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