This episode resurrects the anonymous villainous Voice of "Last Call" (season 3) who promised to get Finch some day. There is no mention of the Faraday Cage competition in this one, but I expect we will hear more about that. What will emerge from the cocoon, poetically described in "Truth be Told"?
In this episode, Team Machine wins primarily through simple human virtue: love, friendship, honesty, trust, courage, determination, justice, wisdom, etc., supported by intelligence from an Open-Class ASI.
Voice: "Compassion and loyalty make people weak, easy to exploit."
Elias: "That's just stinkin' thinking' and the reason you're gonna lose." (A credo for the whole series.)
SPOILERS!!!
Terry Easton is the person of interest, and as always, there's one essential question: Is he victim or perpetrator? Is his wife a victim? As the plot spins on — bombs busting and guns blazing — John Reese and Harold Finch begin to see Easton in a more complex role, both victim and perp. Not just a simple locksmith.
The plot spins faster, twisting and tangling around the rabbity Easton and two more characters: Amir Sadeek and Officer Chen. Fusco arrests Sadeek after linking his gun to a string of murders. He praises Chen for single-handedly arresting a murderous gang. But nothing is at it seems and Fusco is stuck in the middle. (Solid acting all round.)
Meanwhile, Finch, working from his Batcave, recognizes the perfectly modulated Voice that phones Easton, the same Voice that shanghaied a 911 Call Center a few years ago ("Last Call"). He steps out, sans Bear, to visit Elias for some info. Elias, who knows the bomb maker, insists on accompanying Finch on his dangerous hunt for The Voice. He counts Harold a good friend, despite their argument in the previous episode, and seeks to protect him. (Elias took a huge risk, leaving the safe-house, going out in public where SAM's myriad eyes run ceaseless surveillance. I worry for him now.)
Then back to Lionel Fusco, who requested a new partner in the previous episode. He continues to give Reese the cold shoulder at work, but they've totally got each other's backs when it counts, taking on a hail of gunfire in the eerily abandoned police station. Lionel, like the lion he's named for, leaps on the killer just as he fires at Reese, thereby sustaining a minor gunshot graze to the shoulder. The once-corrupt cop has earned his badge.
Feels go out to "the big lug" Reese, who usually defers to Finch regarding decisions about The Machine and Samaritan. Realizing there's no safety anywhere, not even at the police station, he makes an executive decision to FINALLY explain things to Fusco. Summarily tossing Fusco's smart phone off the building ("what the hell!!?"), Reese reads him in, with Finch's hesitant consent. In the next scene, Machine's perspective shows Fusco haloed in a shining yellow square, looking at Mr. Finch with the perfect mix of pride, excitement, and respect. Nicely done!
Shaw. A week after she escaped from Samaritan in South Africa, Shaw appears in Mexico, approaching the US border. Superb setting. Fast action scene, well played. Then Shaw dons a cowboy hat and strides north, into the dry scrub. (Great scene. Replayed it several times.)
Root and Shaw finally get their long-anticipated reunion, meeting by surprise while chasing down the same Samaritan agents. Root joyful. Shaw fearful yet soulful. Refusing to rejoin Team Machine, she tells Root about the 7000 simulations, in which she killed her friends — all except for Root. To protect her friends from herself, Shaw puts the gun to her own head. But Root, doing the unpredictable (what else?), completely derails Shaw, responding in a way that never played out behind virtual goggles. Self-oriented Samaritan probably never even considered Root's response to Shaw.
Highly emotional scene, quite credible. We've known Amy Acker is an extraordinary actor. In my view, Sarah Shahi is just as strong. Both of them express volumes without a word. Shahi has especially expressive eyes.
In the end, Elias happily did what had to be done, chiding a pseudo-horrified Harold, "Come on! You brought me along for a reason." And the Grinch didn't deny it. Harold Egret, I presume?
The very best scene? The finale, when Shaw is reunited with Team Machine — including Fusco — under the Queensboro Bridge. This is the same setting where Reese first met Finch, in the pilot episode. I played this scene several times, to study the expressions on everyone's face. Kudos to all! Brava! Bravo!
Team morale suffered in prior episodes, but no more. We only needed Bear in the bridge scene (and maybe Elias). The bridge scene is a metaphor for TEAM UNITED as another major "CROSSING" looms on the horizon. A battle bigger than Carter's epic confrontation with HR in season 3.
My only quibble is that The Voice created a highly convoluted plot to solve a relatively simple problem (kill his partner, the witness to his crimes). It's no wonder he gets burned at the end, after exposing himself so much. The plot needed a credibility boost.
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