Person of Interest: Critical
December 5, 2024 10:41 AM - Season 2, Episode 7 - Subscribe
The Machine gives Finch and Reese the number of a brilliant surgeon, but they soon discover that a resourceful third party has raised the stakes for this POI, forcing them to turn to an unlikely source for help.
Reese goes to an address where Finch tells him that they have a repeated number. Leon Tao comes flying out of a window and greets Reese, as two men come out. Reese asks them to let it slide but the men keep coming, and Leon explains that he's been running online game gold-farming and the Russian mob is involved.
After he takes out the mobsters, Reese takes Leon to the library. The accountant realizes that Finch is the boss ,and he explain that they have another Number to deal with. Since the Mob is still after Leon, they tell him to stay put while they deal with it and warn him that Bear will kill him if he touches the computer.
Finch as Reese, posing as Mr. Crane and his asset manager John Rooney, arrive at the hospital after Finch donated money for a new wing. The administrator, Sebastian Alta, shows them around and introduces them to Dr. Madeleine Enright, their leading cardiologist and trauma surgeon.
Madeleine takes Veldt Corp. CEO Oliver Veldt and his assistant Leland Rains, to an operating room.Later when Madeleine goes back to her office, she finds a man waiting for her. He introduces himself as Alistair Wesley (played by the late great Julian Sands) and says that he wants to discuss Oliver Veldt. Wesley takes out a datapad and shows Madeleine that he has a marksman with a bead on Amy. If Madeleine doesn't make sure that Veldt dies, Amy will die.
Finch and Reese listen in as Wesley gives Madeleine precise instructions on how to kill Veldt. Finch calls Leon to find out who would target Veldt and follow the money trail. Leon points out that Bear won't let him near the keyboard, and Finch talks to Bear on the speakerphone, giving him a command in Dutch to stand down. Leon goes to work, and Finch warns him not to test the limits of his system.
Madeleine goes to the OR and prepares the syringe with the anticoagulant. Finch dressed as a member of the surgical team enters the OR. He says that he knows what is happening to her and asks Madeleine to trust him. When she wonders why she should trust him, Finch explains that he set up the delay and assures her that they can save Amy before Madeleine has to make an incision.
Leon calls to tell Finch that he's hacked Veldt's company servers and found a multi-million dollar proposal for offshore wind farms. Veldt refused to take the proposal and Leon has discovered that someone has been short-selling Veldt Corp. stock. If the stock plummets then the investor will make a fortune. Leon has found an active server for the sales and tells Finch that he'll keep digging.
Leon calls Finch back and says that he hacked the server and found medical file signed by Veldt. Finch realizes someone on the inside told Alistair about Veldt's surgery and tells Leon to send him everything he's dug up.
Carter, while investigating a murder, follows Agent Snow into the access tunnels and orders him to freeze. He tells Carter that there's no cell reception and the woman running him can't hear him. Carter realizes that Snow killed Babic to get the ID so he could break into Fujima. He tells Carter that something big is going down and "she" won't stop. When she wonders why he killed a man, Snow reveals that he's wearing a bomb vest. Before he can explain further, someone opens fire, shooting out the light. Carter loses track of Snow in the darkness.
Amy is able to escape with Reese's help, and Madeleine is able to ensure Veldt survives the surgery.
Finch and Reese put a hood on Leon and drop him off. Reese gives him a paper showing that Veldt survived. All of the conspirators will take a loss and Leon realizes that they won. Finch tells him to keep that in mind and stay out of trouble. As he takes a taxi away, the sniper's phone rings.
Later, Carter meets with Reese and shows him Snow's security badge. She figures that someone is holding Snow on a string and tells Reese that "she" is planning something. Carter wonders what it's about and if Reese would tell her if he did. He refuses, saying that he can't stop her from looking into it. Reese points out that she still has her son and suggests that she consider how much she really wants to know.
Points of Interest
While this is a repeated. number, this is the first time Finch has encountered Leon. The first time Leon was a POI in The Contingency s2 e1, Finch was still with Root.
This is the second time Reese has used Bear to threat to Leon in order to keep him out of trouble. The first time is when Reese locked Leon's bearer bonds in the car and warns him the dog will kill anyone who attempts to get into the car including Leon. Bear is named after those bearer bonds (which he subsequently chewed up while in the car).
This is not the first time the Machine has listed the same number multiple times. Finch mentions in Many Happy Returns s1 e21 that the Machine has previously done this in domestic violence situations. However, this is the first time it's happened since Reese and Finch started working together, and the first time we've had a POI character return because they are the POI again.
Leon Tao becomes a POI for the second time when he engages in gold farming. Gold farming is the process of acquiring large amounts of online currency in a so-called massively multi-player online game (such as World of Warcraft), then selling it online for real-world money. Although prohibited by most games, gold farming has become an industry with full-time employees in some developing countries, and is dominated by China.
While reviewing Madeleine's background with Reese, Finch notes she married Amy in June, 2011. New York legalized same-sex marriage on July 24, 2011, one of only nine states to have done so as of the time of broadcast.
The article describing Veldt's wind farm initiative was written by Maxine Angelis, who was a POI this season in Bury the Lede s2 e5.
Wesley addresses Reese over the phone as "Mr. Mystery Guest", Hans Gruber's original designation for John McClane in Die Hard.
Finch makes plain that part of the cost of the work he and Finch do is not having anyone close to them. He references Carter's son and a "life that is still his" when Carter pushes to know more.
Julian Sands died in January 2023. The exact date is unknown because he disappeared while hiking in Mount San Antonio, California. His body was found on June 24th of that year after eight official search missions, exceeding 500 volunteer search hours
Reese goes to an address where Finch tells him that they have a repeated number. Leon Tao comes flying out of a window and greets Reese, as two men come out. Reese asks them to let it slide but the men keep coming, and Leon explains that he's been running online game gold-farming and the Russian mob is involved.
After he takes out the mobsters, Reese takes Leon to the library. The accountant realizes that Finch is the boss ,and he explain that they have another Number to deal with. Since the Mob is still after Leon, they tell him to stay put while they deal with it and warn him that Bear will kill him if he touches the computer.
Finch as Reese, posing as Mr. Crane and his asset manager John Rooney, arrive at the hospital after Finch donated money for a new wing. The administrator, Sebastian Alta, shows them around and introduces them to Dr. Madeleine Enright, their leading cardiologist and trauma surgeon.
Madeleine takes Veldt Corp. CEO Oliver Veldt and his assistant Leland Rains, to an operating room.Later when Madeleine goes back to her office, she finds a man waiting for her. He introduces himself as Alistair Wesley (played by the late great Julian Sands) and says that he wants to discuss Oliver Veldt. Wesley takes out a datapad and shows Madeleine that he has a marksman with a bead on Amy. If Madeleine doesn't make sure that Veldt dies, Amy will die.
Finch and Reese listen in as Wesley gives Madeleine precise instructions on how to kill Veldt. Finch calls Leon to find out who would target Veldt and follow the money trail. Leon points out that Bear won't let him near the keyboard, and Finch talks to Bear on the speakerphone, giving him a command in Dutch to stand down. Leon goes to work, and Finch warns him not to test the limits of his system.
Madeleine goes to the OR and prepares the syringe with the anticoagulant. Finch dressed as a member of the surgical team enters the OR. He says that he knows what is happening to her and asks Madeleine to trust him. When she wonders why she should trust him, Finch explains that he set up the delay and assures her that they can save Amy before Madeleine has to make an incision.
Leon calls to tell Finch that he's hacked Veldt's company servers and found a multi-million dollar proposal for offshore wind farms. Veldt refused to take the proposal and Leon has discovered that someone has been short-selling Veldt Corp. stock. If the stock plummets then the investor will make a fortune. Leon has found an active server for the sales and tells Finch that he'll keep digging.
Leon calls Finch back and says that he hacked the server and found medical file signed by Veldt. Finch realizes someone on the inside told Alistair about Veldt's surgery and tells Leon to send him everything he's dug up.
Carter, while investigating a murder, follows Agent Snow into the access tunnels and orders him to freeze. He tells Carter that there's no cell reception and the woman running him can't hear him. Carter realizes that Snow killed Babic to get the ID so he could break into Fujima. He tells Carter that something big is going down and "she" won't stop. When she wonders why he killed a man, Snow reveals that he's wearing a bomb vest. Before he can explain further, someone opens fire, shooting out the light. Carter loses track of Snow in the darkness.
Amy is able to escape with Reese's help, and Madeleine is able to ensure Veldt survives the surgery.
Finch and Reese put a hood on Leon and drop him off. Reese gives him a paper showing that Veldt survived. All of the conspirators will take a loss and Leon realizes that they won. Finch tells him to keep that in mind and stay out of trouble. As he takes a taxi away, the sniper's phone rings.
Later, Carter meets with Reese and shows him Snow's security badge. She figures that someone is holding Snow on a string and tells Reese that "she" is planning something. Carter wonders what it's about and if Reese would tell her if he did. He refuses, saying that he can't stop her from looking into it. Reese points out that she still has her son and suggests that she consider how much she really wants to know.
Points of Interest
While this is a repeated. number, this is the first time Finch has encountered Leon. The first time Leon was a POI in The Contingency s2 e1, Finch was still with Root.
This is the second time Reese has used Bear to threat to Leon in order to keep him out of trouble. The first time is when Reese locked Leon's bearer bonds in the car and warns him the dog will kill anyone who attempts to get into the car including Leon. Bear is named after those bearer bonds (which he subsequently chewed up while in the car).
This is not the first time the Machine has listed the same number multiple times. Finch mentions in Many Happy Returns s1 e21 that the Machine has previously done this in domestic violence situations. However, this is the first time it's happened since Reese and Finch started working together, and the first time we've had a POI character return because they are the POI again.
Leon Tao becomes a POI for the second time when he engages in gold farming. Gold farming is the process of acquiring large amounts of online currency in a so-called massively multi-player online game (such as World of Warcraft), then selling it online for real-world money. Although prohibited by most games, gold farming has become an industry with full-time employees in some developing countries, and is dominated by China.
While reviewing Madeleine's background with Reese, Finch notes she married Amy in June, 2011. New York legalized same-sex marriage on July 24, 2011, one of only nine states to have done so as of the time of broadcast.
The article describing Veldt's wind farm initiative was written by Maxine Angelis, who was a POI this season in Bury the Lede s2 e5.
Wesley addresses Reese over the phone as "Mr. Mystery Guest", Hans Gruber's original designation for John McClane in Die Hard.
Finch makes plain that part of the cost of the work he and Finch do is not having anyone close to them. He references Carter's son and a "life that is still his" when Carter pushes to know more.
Julian Sands died in January 2023. The exact date is unknown because he disappeared while hiking in Mount San Antonio, California. His body was found on June 24th of that year after eight official search missions, exceeding 500 volunteer search hours
Correction: John Nolan is Jonathan Nolan's uncle.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 12:52 PM on December 5 [1 favorite]
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 12:52 PM on December 5 [1 favorite]
Julian Sands really makes this episode work, he's one of those actors who can instantly be a believable evil genius without requiring a few minutes of establishing backstory.
I liked how they featured two women married to each other and didn't have any sort of "Oh, that's unusual" reaction. They could have so easily had someone like Fusco raise their eyebrows over the very idea but they treated it just like any other relationship. Not THAT common in 2012.
posted by mmoncur at 1:55 AM on December 6 [3 favorites]
I liked how they featured two women married to each other and didn't have any sort of "Oh, that's unusual" reaction. They could have so easily had someone like Fusco raise their eyebrows over the very idea but they treated it just like any other relationship. Not THAT common in 2012.
posted by mmoncur at 1:55 AM on December 6 [3 favorites]
All that e-waste that gets generated every episode makes the former-regulator in me cry.
posted by porpoise at 10:59 AM on December 8
posted by porpoise at 10:59 AM on December 8
This was an excellent case-of-the-week episode -- and yeah, Wesley did feel to me very much like a "we'll meet again" villain; Julian Sands played it very well. Also: he felt very firmly an antagonist for Reese -- similar background and skillset; much as Root is for Finch.
Leon's back! and again I feel the writers are slyly playing up the Lost connection; the "who the hell are you" Leon/Finch scene played very much like any number of Miles/Ben scenes in Lost.
I liked how they featured two women married to each other and didn't have any sort of "Oh, that's unusual" reaction.
That struck me too; the introduction of "her wife" was completely matter-of-fact, not at all plot-relevant, just a nice little "hey, gay people exist in this show too and we're not going to be weird about it" note to strike. (Have we seen any queer characters before now? don't remember.)
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 3:25 PM on December 8 [2 favorites]
Leon's back! and again I feel the writers are slyly playing up the Lost connection; the "who the hell are you" Leon/Finch scene played very much like any number of Miles/Ben scenes in Lost.
I liked how they featured two women married to each other and didn't have any sort of "Oh, that's unusual" reaction.
That struck me too; the introduction of "her wife" was completely matter-of-fact, not at all plot-relevant, just a nice little "hey, gay people exist in this show too and we're not going to be weird about it" note to strike. (Have we seen any queer characters before now? don't remember.)
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 3:25 PM on December 8 [2 favorites]
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But in the end, they gave that role to John Nolan, father of POI showrunner Jonathan Nolan.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 12:47 PM on December 5 [3 favorites]