- Flashbacks to Finch's adolescence provide insight into his creation of The Machine. Also, the team receives the number of an already dying man, and Reese leaves the POI team behind in the aftermath of the war with the crime organization.
- During his physical recovery, Reese leaves without telling anyone, or where he is going. As such, Finch decides to ignore the Machine, which is trying to give him a new number. However, Finch can't ignore the indirect source of that next number, that source which may be more troubling to him. That number, which he will be working on with Shaw, belongs to Arthur Claypool. Shaw does not notice by Finch's reaction that he actually knows him. They are certain that Arthur is the intended target as he has a brain tumor and is not expected to live much longer. The tumor is causing his memory to go in various ways, such as not recognizing his long-term wife, Diane. What is more problematic is that Arthur is beginning to ramble. Finch and Shaw see that he is being protected by Secret Service which means that he has been working for a government agency probably on some top secret projects. Those ramblings are often about something called Samaritan, which they surmise is one of those secret projects. Finch and Shaw have to find out the nature of Arthur's work, most specifically Samaritan, and who would want to get information from him before they either kill him or he passes from the tumor. Meanwhile, Reese has headed back to a place from his past where he plans to escape from what he sees as the now meaningless work with Finch in light of Carter's death. There someone may provide him with a different view of that work. And in flashbacks Finch's youth and teenaged years and the genesis for the rationale of creating a machine with artificial intelligence are shown.—Huggo
- Reese is recovered and leaves Finch and his team, heading to Colorado, but they do not know his whereabouts. The Machine delivers the next number to Root, and Finch is surprised to see how she can communicate with The Machine. He gives the name of the IT consultant Arthur Claypool to Shaw, who has a terminal brain cancer. Shaw poses as a doctor and sees that Claypool has three secret agents protecting him. She talks to Claypool and sees that he has memory issues and is unable to recognize his wife Diane, who has been married with him for twenty years. When Claypool is sent to the radiology room, she sees sodium pentothal in the trash and the false technician interrogating him. She protects him but is arrested by the agents and locked in a room. When the agent arrives to interrogate her, he faints, and Finch tells her that the Vigilance is trying to abduct Claypool. She goes to Claypool's room and finds the other agents unconscious. She asks Diane to help her to dress Claypool to escape, since they are in danger. Finch drives the getaway car and heads to a safehouse. Soon Shaw learns that Finch and Claypool studied together in MIT. Claypool remembers their time together and discloses that he has built a machine name Samaritan. They question him why he did not recognize Diane and they find the truth. Meanwhile, Fusco has tracked Reese down and is in a bar with him, but Reese does not like he found him.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- We open with Shaw calling Finch and them talking about the fact there hasn't been a number for a while. Reese left as soon as he recovered and Finch hasn't heard from him. We see that Finch seems to be ignoring the machine.
Reese is in Colorado. He orders a drink in a bar and completely ignores a man being pummeled outside.
Root asks Finch for a specific book. She tells him that he's been ignoring the machine and shows him numbers from three books. Finch is shocked that she seems to somehow still be communicating with the machine.
Shaw arrives and Finch reluctantly gives her the new number. It's an IT consultant named Arthur Claypool. Finch seems to have a reaction to the name.
Shaw goes to a hospital and poses as a doctor. There is no record of him in the hospital's system, but Finch finds his credit card has been used in the gift shop there. Finch hacks the hospital's files and sees he has a terminal brain tumor.
Shaw talks to Claypool, who is battling issues with his memory. Stuff comes and goes, he tells her. Shaw sees that Claypool has a secret service security detail and wonders who exactly this man is.
We flash back to 1969. A young Finch works with his father on the car. His father seems to be having memory issues and we see a glimpse of Finch's enormous intellect.
A woman visits Claypool in the hospital. Based on her face Finch confirms that it is his wife of 20 years, Diane. Claypool doesn't seem to remember her. Shaw hears him make reference to clearance and a program called Samaritan.
Shaw takes Diane aside in the break room and learns that Claypool worked for the NSA. She tells him that Claypool never told her anything about his work and that she keeps coming back just in case he'll remember her.
Shaw walks to the hallway and finds that Claypool has been taken from his room to radiology. She finds him in a scan and sees a sodium pentothal in trash can. A woman is asking him questions about "who has them" to which Claypool answers "Rudy." Shaw chases her away and is grabbed by Claypool's security.
Back in 1971 we see that Finch's father is suffering through the early stages of dementia. Finch is trying to build a machine he hopes will help replace his father's memory.
In present day Shaw is locked in a conference room. Finch travels to the hospital to help her from a car in the parking lot. One of the secret service agents comes in and interrogates her.
We cut to Reese discovering Fusco spying on him in the bar. Reese says if he's going to stay he needs to drink with him.
Shaw tells the agent he should be worried about the people after Claypool. The agent, who has been eating his lunch, falls to the ground unconscious. She grabs his gun and calls Finch. Finch realizes they're dealing with Vigilance, simultaneously seeing Collier and his minions get out of a truck.
Shaw rushes to Claypool's room and tells Diane he needs to bring her and Claypool to safety. Finch walks in and we can see that he and Claypool know one another.
In 1979 we see Finch and his buddies hanging out. He's able to hack a pay phone and get it to call Europe. A police car pulls up and tells Finch there is something going on with his father.
Shaw and Finch bring Shaw and Claypool out of the hospital. Finch and Claypool attended MIT together. Shaw has to shoot their way out of the building.
Finch and Shaw take the Claypools to a safe house. He asks him about Samaritan and initially Claypool has trouble recalling. Later in the evening Claypool describes Samaritan, making it sound almost identical to the machine.
Back in 1979 the police officer tells Finch that his father wandered off and perhaps needs additional care. Finch's father wants his father to leave him, and Finch responds he'll find a way to bring information to him.
Claypool tells Finch that Samaritan was shut down weeks before he got it to work. Several other comparable programs were also closed at the same time.
We learn that Reese is at his father's bar. Reese tells Fusco that Carter's death proved to him that no matter what they do in life it's all basically pointless. Fusco responds by saying he wants to fight. The two exchange a few blows outside before a cop break it up.
Claypool has a moment of clarity and remembers that his wife died several years ago. Diane says "go" into her sleeve and several people break down the door and grab shaw. One of them is Hersh. He refers to Diane as "ma'am" and we realize she is Control, Shaw's former boss. Control points a gun at Shaw and Claypool and says that the one who tells her what she wants to know about their machine will be the one who gets to live.
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