Just a few quick bullets…
-Man, how great is Saul Rubinek in this episode? He goes through the full range of emotions–wonder, curiosity, fear, sadness, you name it–in the span of 42 minutes, and it all culminates in a truly heartbreaking scene in which the Machine acts as the gateway Finch wanted to be to his father. This whole storyline raises intriguing questions about the relationship between humanity and technology, and in Finch and Arthur’s conversation in the bank vault, we see the Samaritan tech being referred to almost as a child, a fully fleshed out being worth protecting and destroying.
-It’s really an addition to Root’s ongoing storyline with the Machine, and once again, Amy Acker blows it out of the park here. Her interactions with Control are absolute dynamite in “Aletheia”, and it’s chilling to watch her not only endure torture, but to slowly turn the tables on her torturer.
-The episode is all about becoming trapped: trapped in the past, trapped in a sort of physical limbo, trapped in a bank, a chair, etc. It’s all about the world closing in around us as we try to hold on to that sliver of hope from our earlier lives.
-I doubt Hersh is actually dead.
-Shaw’s on fire here. “I’ve got finesse coming out of my ass.” and “It’s HammerTime!”
-The Reese storyline is getting a bit repetitive now, although it’s not that much of a problem considering the brilliance of the supporting cast. I do understand this storyline is a slower process, but I hope to see Reese in a more expanded role again.
-Well, we once again have a very intriguing setup for the subsequent weeks; this time, Decima has the Samaritan tech. I’m looking forward to where the show goes from here.
GRADE: A-
Photo credit: CBS, Person of Interest
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