Person of Interest (TV Series) SNAFU (2016) User Reviews

Tows The Line Between Good And Evil

[awoolfork · 10/10 · 9 May 2016]

Its hard to describe this... im trying hard to give a decent but spoiler free review but the level at which this episode operates is great and i mean great! Watching the machine trying to find its way and tow the lines between who's good and who isn't is marvelous. If last week showed us how scary Samaritan can be, then in many ways this was The Machine flexing its muscle also. The cast were awesome, style, experimentation, everything. Episode took the awesomeness from Episode 1 and turned it up even more. This is the best early start to a season the POI writers have ever written.

Everyone go watch this episode!

Transcends the Series

[A_Different_Drummer · 10/10 · 24 May 2016]

Everyone including reviewers should be able to admit it when they encounter things in Life they never expected.

I never expected that TV would not only evolve as it has in the last decade but that, in so doing, it would surpass theatrical film in terms of quality, acting, writing, production, directing.

I never expected that, having set the bar so high, TV -- led by auteurs like JJ Abrams and his team -- would then end up competing WITH ITSELF since there is no longer any other form of entertainment left on the playing field that can offer it a fair fight.

In the process of competing with itself, I never imagined that TV would toss the traditional "short arc" construct under the bus, and not only play the "long arc" like it's never been done before, but actually go one step further and periodically, within the context of a series, completely break itself down and then, with the full participation of the audience, rebuild itself.

Many shows are doing this now. Blacklist comes to mind. Banshee does this every few episodes. But at the end of the day, the "Grandmaster" of deconstruction and reconstruction, the man who possibly invented it, is still Abrams.

This single episode is not only remarkable for the way it deliberately messes with your head (only if you are a regular viewer of course) but for how it, almost effortlessly, delivers a treatise and Good and Evil as good as or better than anything Hollwood has ever done, even with a budget ten times what this show cost.

Best episode in the series. Actually transcends the series. Amazing TV.

SNAFU - TerrificallyHilarious (Spoiler)

[arpithanu · 10/10 · 10 May 2016]

Its always a pleasure to see POI's seriousness and meticulousness and superbly organized flashbacks in their plot. It was a different case this time; HUMOR - again with perfectionism. The Machine putting a hit on Reese and treating Finch as threat and taking Root as Hostage. Now, that was new. I absolutely love the story-line - the way they got back the machine to life; gave her the faults; very nicely handled and resolved to get back on track. The way the Machine talks to ADMIN is so adorable . . . . She has become a cast member and a Roomie for our ADMIN . . . AND as always, Today's SNAFU ends with a calm before the storm - a number which was ignored by the POI Team gets recruited by SAMARITAN just like how ADMIN did Reese . . . Cant wait for the next episode though I have a hard time accepting the countdown of the farewell season . . .

Machine stuck in time (vague spoilers)

[skipperkd · 9/10 · 10 May 2016]

8.5 stars. In this episode, the newly decompressed machine is stuck in R-Day mode and cannot see a progression of events over time. Cannot see that people can change with time and experience. This means she also cannot see shades of gray in people. Finch must teach her otherwise, but first he must gain her trust.

Based on their documented past actions, the machine labels Root and even Finch as threats. She labels Reese a terrorist. Now the machine is their enemy — as if good old Samaritan weren't enough to contend with!

How the three characters deal with a distrustful machine — and how the machine responds to them — makes up the core of the episode, but Fusco "The Fuscinator" and Reese do have some irrelevant numbers to track down. About 30 of them! Funny graveyard scene.

The ending nearly brought a tear. Once again, these brilliant writers have personified a machine, with our valiant ASI becoming increasingly human. At the same time, we see how context is everything to higher-level comprehension. Cold facts devoid of "story" can only create distance and the type of confusion the machine experienced here. Thank goodness, she also experienced several moments of Grace. Literally.

Despite some minor plot contrivance, I thoroughly enjoyed this episode and commend the writers for moving the final season along at a good clip. Never a dull moment, yet time for heartwarming — and humorous — moments with the machine, the team, and Bear. Now all we need is Shaw!

The episode ended on an ominous note. A portent of the things to come (probably involving the police department, I'd guess).

Genius

[gridoon2024 · 9/10 · 22 April 2021]

Even if only for the ingenious opening sequence ("Facial Recognition Error", which gives the main cast members the chance to briefly play each other), SNAFU would have been worth seeing. But the rest of the episode stays on the same high level. The idea of the Machine being unable to contextualize and turning on its "assets" for their regular use of violence is one that was long overdue for exploring - it should have happened long ago; the Machine "unstuck in time" is another great idea. This episode manages to be both dark and laugh-out-loud funny. And how hot is Paige Patterson? Off the scales. ***1/2 out of 4.

Reboot, Malfunctioning and Day R

[claudio_carvalho · 9/10 · 10 March 2024]

Finch reboots The Machine, but it has problem to perform facial recognition. Reese and Root heist 64 state-of-art GPY blade servers to help The Machine to retrieve lost information. Finch decides to test irrelevant numbers, and The Machine delivers 30 numbers together. Soon Reese and Fusco learn that the outcome is failed since refers to closed cases of dead people, or just a theater play. Out of the blue, The Machine checks Root and Finch background and considers them a threat, closing them inside the train. Further, The Machine sends the gun for hire Jessica Granger to kill Reese. Finch finds that The Machine is not anchored to a date but using the reference of the real numbers (R) day. Therefore, she is considering past cases and Finch has to teach it, showing the cases they have succeed to save irrelevant numbers to calibrate her.

"SNAFU" is another great episode of "Person of Interest", with the attempt of Finch, Root and Reese to recover The Machine. The episode is a funny sequel of the last show, with the malfunctioning of The Machine. The conclusion with the team relaxing at the Central Park is different. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "SNAFU"