Person of Interest: Til Death
December 7, 2024 7:15 PM - Season 2, Episode 8 - Subscribe

The team is spread thin when a husband and wife's numbers both come up.

Finch takes Grace to a coffee shop and they talk about the time she spent in Venice. She talks about the paintings she saw and how she knew she wanted to become an artist.

Finch is walking Bear at the park and watches Grace from a distance as she leaves her apartment. As she walks down the street, a phone rings nearby and the Machine gives Finch his new number. By the time he looks back, Grace is gone.

Back at the Library, Reese arrives, and Finch tells him that they have two numbers for their next case. Sabrina and Daniel Drake are co-publishers and married in 1992.

The Drakes to their office and Sabrina complains about how Daniel didn't back her on refusing the sale. She accuses him of being spineless but Daniel insists that he's just being fiscal. As they argue over which universities they went to,Daniel tells Sabrina that it's time to sell the company.

Reese realizes that the Machine gave them both numbers because the Drakes are planning to kill each other.

Finch meets with Nathan at a restaurant and apologizes for running late. Nathan points out that he's late and jokingly asks if he has a date, and then realizes that his partner does have a date. Finch doesn't want to talk about it and Nathan warns his friend that a little mystery goes a long way. Finch asks if Nathan has spoken with his wife Olivia recently, and Nathan admits that he doesn't even remember all of the lies he's told her. He warns Finch that the truth always catches up to people.

Finch suggests they leave the Drakes to their own device and help someone who needs it. Fusco has taken the battery out of his cell phone to duck Finch's calls and Reese figures that something is wrong and tracks him by his last phone call.

Fusco takes a woman, Rhonda, to a fancy restaurant for dinner. Their friend Larry has set them up on a date and they talk about their children. Rhonda figures that Fusco doesn't see much of his son because of his long hours and tells Rhonda that she'd be bored. A waiter informs Fusco that he has a call and he reluctantly takes it. It's Finch, who has been listening in and tells him to work on his conversational skills. Finch tells him to put his cell phone battery back in. Fusco lies and tells Rhonda that he was called to a stakeout, but Rhonda says that she has a cop for a cousin and suggests going with him. She'd rather get falafels and Fusco eagerly agrees.

Reese takes the Drakes to a safehouse and ties them both to chairs. They argue with each other and Reese finally tells them that they each hired hitmen to kill the other. Neither one of them know where they're hired guns are and Reese leaves them to argue as he goes into the next room where Finch and Carter are waiting. Reese figures that the couple could use some counseling and Finch suggests that they take a different tack.

Fusco takes Rhonda home and she admits that it was fun. She hopes to do it again and Fusco admits that it's a possibility. They kiss and Rhonda goes inside.

Reese blindfolds the couple and then Finch goes in with food and wine. He tells them that he's someone who helps people even if they don't deserve it. Finch figures that they're just a couple who grew frustrated, and whose frustration turned to hatred. He puts a photo of the two of them in their younger years on the table, removes the blindfolds, and leaves.

Grace waits for Finch at a restaurant and a messenger comes in to give her an envelope. It's an invitation to a birthday scavenger hunt and directions to the first location. Grace sets out across the city, following Finch's directions, which lead her also to the ice cream man who has her favorite chocolate bar and another set of directions. The hunt continues throughout the day and finally takes her to the Guggenheim Museum.

Grace finds Finch waiting for her inside the museum after hours. She thanks him for the scavenger hunt and Finch takes her up to the gallery. He tells her that the day isn't over yet and shows her the painting that she admired in Venice. Finch says that it came from an anonymous donor and wishes her happy birthday.

The Drakes realize that neither one said what they were really thinking.Sabrina wanted the company because it was the only thing she had left, while Daniel wanted to get rid of everything. They agree to try again when they get out of their current situation, and apologize for trying to kill each other.

The next morning, the police take away the killers and the Drakes.

When Reese returns to the library, Finch puts away the photo of himself and Grace and tells him that the Drakes are refusing to testify against each other. The two men figure that the Drakes won't serve much time once they hire some expensive lawyers. When Reese says that it was a lot of trouble just to figure out they love each other, Finch says that anything is worthwhile when life gives a person a second chance to be with the one they love.

As Grace and Finch leave the museum, she asks what's on his mind. They sit down and he tells her that she needs to know what he does. Grace assures him that nothing he could say that would make her run away, but tells him to do it in his own time. She assures Finch that their journey starts there and they'll discover the mysteries together. After a moment, the couple shares a kiss.

Points of Interest

Cal Beecher, a narcotics officer, is introduced.

Finch talks wistfully about first seeing Venice through a Viewmaster. A Viewmaster is a stereoscopic 3D viewer which was developed in 1939, shortly after the advent of color film. The viewer uses small circular reels with a series of opposing pairs of images around the perimeter; when viewed through the Viewmaster, the viewer sees each image in 3D. The Viewmaster was a popular early way to see the world when the price of travel was prohibitive, and Viewmaster reels could be purchased at most popular tourist sites.

Carter's retort "Am I my partner's keeper?" is a play on Cain's response when asked where his brother Abel was in Genesis 4:9.

In this episode, Rhonda suggests to Fusco that they can leave the fancy restaurant and eat falafel. In “Masquerade”, Fusco asks Sofia whether she likes falafel.
posted by miss-lapin (3 comments total)
 
"Who are you and why are you doing this?"

Finch: "We help people, even those who don't necessarily deserve it."
posted by porpoise at 4:17 PM on December 8


Partner: "oh, this is a RELATIONSHIPS episode, huh."

The Mr. and Mrs. Smith Drake plot is kinda silly? but also kinda fun. Also, Lost alum watch: hi Jacob.

Finch says that anything is worthwhile when life gives a person a second chance to be with the one they love.

Pulling up a thread for a later Finch-rekindles-his-relationship-with-Grace storyline? We'll see.

Is Finch wealthy at the time of the flashback? The "anonymous donor" of Grace's favorite De Chirico strongly implies yes. That and the "oh, I'm a docent here" lie: he's not being particularly honest with her. Maybe that's what leads him to the "there's something you should know about me" conversation outside the museum, which she rather deflects -- she likes that he's mysterious, she wants the thrill of discovery? There are secrets in all this episode's relationships.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:01 PM on December 9 [1 favorite]


Yes, Finch is wealthy in the flashback, and the implication is that he bought and then donated the painting for Grace. Since it seems clear Finch is going to confess who he really is to her, he doesn't donate it as a cover story, but understands Grace wouldn't want the painting to be privately owned but instead exhibited where others can be as touched by it as she is. It's a really beautiful gesture on his part.

I don't think Grace necessarily likes the mystery as much as she doesn't think his secret is important. Grace trusts Harold and sees that he's willing to tell her something that makes him uncomfortable and that's enough for her. She's basically re-assuring him that if it's important, it will come out naturally, and he doesn't need to put himself through this for her sake as she already loves him. To be fair, I don't think anyone would expect their partner to confess that they are secret genius billionaire who sold a sentient surveillance machine to the government to detect terrorism.
posted by miss-lapin at 12:14 PM on December 9 [2 favorites]


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