Person of Interest: Code Blue
November 28, 2024 7:15 AM - Season 1, Episode 15 - Subscribe
Reese discovers there's more to the story after he infiltrates a smuggling ring to get close to his latest POI.
2008
Reese is working with Stanton at an operations safehouse. CIA agent Mark Snow comes to see them and confirm that they have the “package”, a local government man that they have tied and gagged in the tub. Snow advises them not to worry about what will ultimately happen to their prisoner, who sold U.S. software secrets to the Chinese. The agent tells them to eliminate the prisoner if they have problems dropping him off and then suggests that Reese take some time off.
Reese goes to a bar for a drink and strikes up a conversation with the man next to him, a salesman named Peter. The conversation turns to how Peter and his wife have just bought a house, and that she’s from the same town where Reese grew up. Peter goes to call his wife and Stanton sits down next to Reese. She knew where he was going and points out that he’s talking to the man who married his ex, Jessica.
Stanton tells Reese that Peter will take better care of Jessica than Reese ever did, and that Reese can never be a normal person. Peter comes back and Stanton pretends to be Reese’s wife, and offers to introduce them to Jessica. When he goes to get her, Stanton tells Reese that she understands because the first time she got back, she just sat in a car and watched her family from a distance. However, she realized that they could never understand what she saw and heard. When Peter brings Jessica over, they discover that Reese and Stanton have left.
2012
Finch is checking on Michael Cahill, their new Person of Interest. Cahill is currently working as an EMT picking up a transplant patient from a helicopter and delivering him to the hospital. In reality, Cahill is a smuggler, one of a gang run by a man named Neil Vargas, and they’ve paid a man to pretend he is a patient to let them smuggle diamonds in his stretcher. The smuggling gang is unaware that Reese has already infiltrated their gang posing as their new driver.
Reese follows Cahill to a home in Brooklyn and Finch confirms that it belongs to a police officer named Daniel Tulley. Reese figures that Cahill is going to kill Tulley and prepares to shoot him as he goes inside… until he sees Cahill greet his son and pregnant wife. Finch confirms that Cahill is Tulley, working undercover to infiltrate the gang.
As Carter leaves the station, Snow approaches her and says that they found Reese’s fingerprints in Connecticut at a veterinary clinic. He figures that someone planted them there, an unsuspecting partner, and warns Carter that Reese killed his old partner.
Reese insists that Fusco go back to being a dirty cop in order to infiltrate HR even though it puts Fusco in grave danger.
The plot to this episode is extremely complicated as it involves the delicacy of what being an undercover agent/spy actually involves in terms of balancing who you "really are" vs who you pretend to be for the sake of the mission. In addition, the POI is a cop posing as a smuggler posing as an EMT.
2008
Reese is working with Stanton at an operations safehouse. CIA agent Mark Snow comes to see them and confirm that they have the “package”, a local government man that they have tied and gagged in the tub. Snow advises them not to worry about what will ultimately happen to their prisoner, who sold U.S. software secrets to the Chinese. The agent tells them to eliminate the prisoner if they have problems dropping him off and then suggests that Reese take some time off.
Reese goes to a bar for a drink and strikes up a conversation with the man next to him, a salesman named Peter. The conversation turns to how Peter and his wife have just bought a house, and that she’s from the same town where Reese grew up. Peter goes to call his wife and Stanton sits down next to Reese. She knew where he was going and points out that he’s talking to the man who married his ex, Jessica.
Stanton tells Reese that Peter will take better care of Jessica than Reese ever did, and that Reese can never be a normal person. Peter comes back and Stanton pretends to be Reese’s wife, and offers to introduce them to Jessica. When he goes to get her, Stanton tells Reese that she understands because the first time she got back, she just sat in a car and watched her family from a distance. However, she realized that they could never understand what she saw and heard. When Peter brings Jessica over, they discover that Reese and Stanton have left.
2012
Finch is checking on Michael Cahill, their new Person of Interest. Cahill is currently working as an EMT picking up a transplant patient from a helicopter and delivering him to the hospital. In reality, Cahill is a smuggler, one of a gang run by a man named Neil Vargas, and they’ve paid a man to pretend he is a patient to let them smuggle diamonds in his stretcher. The smuggling gang is unaware that Reese has already infiltrated their gang posing as their new driver.
Reese follows Cahill to a home in Brooklyn and Finch confirms that it belongs to a police officer named Daniel Tulley. Reese figures that Cahill is going to kill Tulley and prepares to shoot him as he goes inside… until he sees Cahill greet his son and pregnant wife. Finch confirms that Cahill is Tulley, working undercover to infiltrate the gang.
As Carter leaves the station, Snow approaches her and says that they found Reese’s fingerprints in Connecticut at a veterinary clinic. He figures that someone planted them there, an unsuspecting partner, and warns Carter that Reese killed his old partner.
Reese insists that Fusco go back to being a dirty cop in order to infiltrate HR even though it puts Fusco in grave danger.
The plot to this episode is extremely complicated as it involves the delicacy of what being an undercover agent/spy actually involves in terms of balancing who you "really are" vs who you pretend to be for the sake of the mission. In addition, the POI is a cop posing as a smuggler posing as an EMT.
The title is "Blue Code" -- in reference to the police thin-blue-line -- not "Code Blue", I think?
The warehouse "one of you is a cop" scene seemed pretty much a direct reference to Reservoir Dogs.
The Fusco storyline here is heartbreaking. He's been on a redemption arc from dirty to decent as a result of his involvement with Reese ("I even got a commendation") -- but Reese dismisses that ("your ass got you that commendation") and insists he remain in the dirt, with the result at the end here that he is seemingly hopelessly indebted: "you belong to HR now, my friend."
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 11:55 PM on November 30
The warehouse "one of you is a cop" scene seemed pretty much a direct reference to Reservoir Dogs.
The Fusco storyline here is heartbreaking. He's been on a redemption arc from dirty to decent as a result of his involvement with Reese ("I even got a commendation") -- but Reese dismisses that ("your ass got you that commendation") and insists he remain in the dirt, with the result at the end here that he is seemingly hopelessly indebted: "you belong to HR now, my friend."
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 11:55 PM on November 30
I think the opening sequence of the 2008 plot here is particularly worth noting for how it plays with our expectations about its setting.
It's got the stereotypical orange color grading that Hollywood uses for Middle Eastern scenes. It starts with Reese listening to a numbers station, as some kind of diegetic South Asian-sounding music is playing faintly in the background. The hotel room decor is vaguely exotic-looking.
Stanton says, "We're not even supposed to operate in this godforsaken country." She tells Snow, "The natives don't like us taking their people." Snow asks Reese: "When was the last time you were in country, my friend?" Then he dismisses him to go get "some R&R", but cautions him: "Don't forget, you're behind enemy lines."
And then Reese steps outside... and we see he's in NYC.
I'm not saying we never had prime-time network TV shows offering such cynical takes on the CIA prior to this, but it still felt bracing when I watched it on its first airing.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 6:27 PM on December 3 [1 favorite]
It's got the stereotypical orange color grading that Hollywood uses for Middle Eastern scenes. It starts with Reese listening to a numbers station, as some kind of diegetic South Asian-sounding music is playing faintly in the background. The hotel room decor is vaguely exotic-looking.
Stanton says, "We're not even supposed to operate in this godforsaken country." She tells Snow, "The natives don't like us taking their people." Snow asks Reese: "When was the last time you were in country, my friend?" Then he dismisses him to go get "some R&R", but cautions him: "Don't forget, you're behind enemy lines."
And then Reese steps outside... and we see he's in NYC.
I'm not saying we never had prime-time network TV shows offering such cynical takes on the CIA prior to this, but it still felt bracing when I watched it on its first airing.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 6:27 PM on December 3 [1 favorite]
Also worth noting: Snow says that the man they're holding prisoner "tried to sell something of ours to the Chinese ... software or something." That is the first breadcrumb of a *very* long trail that will unfold over the rest of the series.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 6:28 PM on December 3 [1 favorite]
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 6:28 PM on December 3 [1 favorite]
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Carter's badass stride-and-shoot just like out of Tombstone.
Reese: "You've done some nice work, Lionel. I'm sorry but you're more useful inside."
posted by porpoise at 6:27 PM on November 29 [1 favorite]