Person of Interest Review: .exe (Season 5 Episode 12)
The apocalypse is upon us, and according to Person of Interest, it’s going to be one hell of a flood.
Religious imagery is abound in ‘.exe’: Samaritan has finally revealed its Moses-like plan to treat the parts of humanity it deems worthy as animals on its proverbial ark.
Also included in Samaritan’s plan is the Machine — it seems that the malevolent ASI has discovered the tried-and-true AI trope of needing an opponent to keep itself entertained.
After all, what would Samaritan do with humanity “saved” and herded as it deemed necessary? It wouldn’t do for an ASI to get bored.
Greer’s confrontation with Finch truly cements how Samaritan feels about humanity. Even her most trusted asset is a pawn to it, and Samaritan makes the ultimate sacrifice by killing Greer in an attempt to end Finch’s life, too. Lucky for Finch, his ASI loves him, and thus aids him in escaping Greer’s fate.
It’s truly a shame to see John Nolan go after so many seasons as John Greer. He was a formidable, monologue-loving villain with a truly horrifying world view, and any scene he shared with Michael Emerson immediately became electric. It was fitting for Greer to die at the hands of Samaritan, however, and it was past time that he get his due. RIP, Greer, you became fanatical and insane, but you had such a great voice.
ALTERNATE ROOT: They’ll never truly appreciate all that Samaritan’s given them. They’re just bad code.
Much of the emotional core of the whole show is showcased in the episode. We get glimpses of a Lost-esque “flash-sideways” that shows us the alternative lives Team Machine could have lived if Finch had never built the Machine at all.
The use of an alternative universe exploration should feel like wasted time with the show so close to the end, but here it feels so right: we must revisit where our characters started before we see their ends.
Having each story continue to be told in Root’s voice adds extra heartbreaking impact to the sad realities of a world without the Machine: Finch lives a mundane life without Grace, Fusco becomes a disgraced ex-cop (taken down by Carter!), Shaw continues working for the ISA (and, by extension, Samaritan), Root chooses to work directly for Samaritan, and Reese is years dead.
FINCH: Goodbye, John.
It’s clear a reality with the Machine is a better reality than one without her. However, with two episodes left and one ASI-killing virus activated, it’s looking less and less likely that the Machine will make it out alive.
And with Finch on the warpath, Fusco in limbo, and the Mayhem Twins determined to catch Finch before they lose him forever, it’s also looking unlikely that any of our heroes will make it out alive, either.
STRAY THOUGHTS
- The Machine chose to use her regular, computer-sounding voice with Reese and Shaw. I’m anxiously waiting for the moment Shaw hears Root’s voice once more.
- Samaritan and the Machine may be in danger from Ice-9, but the baby ASIs Harold used as experiments are still locked in the subway. Will they play a role in the finale?
- I’m so not ready for Reese and Finch’s final goodbye. After five seasons of friendship, the ultimate conclusion of their partnership is going to hurt like crazy.
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 Tuesdays at 10/9c on CBS.
Brittany Rae
Brittany is a writer and avid TV blogger hailing the infamous year of 1989. She trained at Vancouver Film School in screenwriting for television and film, and has gone on to become a graphic designer and blogger in her free time. When she’s not watching the Food Network, she’s trying to consume every bit of sci-fi television she can get her hands on (current favorites include The 100, Person of Interest, and Doctor Who). She’s always up for female-led dramas and, of course, a literal interpretation of the phrase “Netflix and chill."
One thought on “Person of Interest Review: .exe (Season 5 Episode 12)”
I never liked Greer, or any part of Samaritan.
It would have been more interesting if we’d had the chance to see Samaritan’s development, how it came to think the way it does, why it chooses what it does. Instead, we immediately jump to a fairly standard battle of two super powered enemies. One side values human life, free will, compassion and individuality, the other side doesn’t.
Not a big fan of rambling speeches either, so it was kind of satisfying that Greer died at least in part because he couldn’t or wouldn’t stop talking. Somehow I keep thinking that Greer’s death might have been some sort of elaborate fakeout, but then again, he’s always seemed to express the idea that everyone is expendable, so maybe he’s not such an indestructible cockroach after all.
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