Person of Interest Season 5 Episode 5 Review: Shotseeker

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It really shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Samaritan was behind the attack on the most recent number to the POI team.

Shotseeker technology? A phone call originating from a nonworking pay phone?

The whole ordeal on Person of Interest Season 5 Episode 5 had that enemy artificial intelligence’s digital fingerprints all over it.

Per usual, Person of Interest successfully combined the larger story with its case of the week, and the hour definitely felt busy with its various plot threads.

And while the team did manage to save the main number of the week, I liked that Samaritan’s ultimate reasons for trying to keep the research from being published weren’t revealed.

Why was the research so dangerous to Samaritan?

Either way, it forced Root and Finch to make a big decision in publishing the work to save one life.

But will that have repercussions down the line?

It was great to see the core characters all get a piece of the action, especially Fusco, considering he’s still an outsider to what’s really going on behind the scenes.

I totally understand why the POI team has kept him in the dark, and I understand Fusco’s frustrations with being kept out of the loop, but it almost seems a smarter play to clue him in at this point.

And with the way things ended, it almost seems inevitable at this point. He’s gotten Samaritan’s attention with his determination to keep digging.

But it’s that determination that pushed him to find Reese, his partner and friend.

Fusco really stepped up, and he got a much deserved thank you from Reese no less. That phone call to Fusco was a huge step forward for their relationship and friendship.

Remember when Fusco was just being used by Reese back in Person of Interest Season 1? There’s been a definite shift in how those two work together and how Reese feels about Fusco.

Maybe that’s just the stepping stone to actually telling Fusco the truth?

Can you imagine the quip Fusco would make if he knew that the team’s biggest ally, the Machine, was getting crushed in the simulation battles against Samaritan?

I know the odds are stacked against the POI team, but we’ve got to believe that they’ll pull the knockout win in the end, right?

It does make me wonder if the reveal of Elias being alive will somehow tip the scales in their favor.

That’s right, the presumed dead Elias made a miraculous return in probably the biggest twist of the hour.

I just didn’t really care about the plot involving his childhood friend Bruce trying to find out what happened.

Maybe not recognizing Bruce or remembering his connection to Elias initially might have contributed to my disinterest, but I really was surprised Person of Interest was diving back into the crime boss storyline.

Sure, I like the Elias character, but after the events of Person of Interest Season 4 Episode 22, it seemed like things was shifting beyond the kingpin/crime boss arc and moving up to the bigger battle with Samaritan.

So why bring Elias back?

I was just lukewarm when it came to that story for the hour, but I hope that maybe some decent payoff in the coming episodes will make Elias’ comeback worthwhile.

This was a solid episode that highlighted again the power of Samaritan and just how stacked the odds are against the POI team. Things are sure to keep heating up, and hopefully, the POI team can find some way to take down its biggest enemy.

Were you glad to see Elias back? Should the team tell Fusco the truth? Sound off below, and catch every episode when you watch Person of Interest online now!

NOTE: Person of Interest Season 5 Episode 6, "A More Perfect Union," airs May 23 at 10 p.m.

Shotseeker Review

Editor Rating: 4.3 / 5.0
  • 4.3 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.8 / 5.0 (119 Votes)

Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.

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Person of Interest Season 5 Episode 5 Quotes

There's something going on right now, and I'm going to investigate it with or without the nerd herd.

Fusco

Don't worry. If there's trouble on the playground, I'll push first.

Root