Person of Interest S2x12 "Prisoner's Dilemna"

I cover last Thursday's Person of Interest, the latest episode of the series to have aired in the UK, starring Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson and Taraji P. Henson with the series created by Jonathan Nolan.

Person of Interest is my favourite crime show on TV, and has proved it once again with another tense episode detailing with Reese’s incarnation, and looking at Carter, who had to interrogate each of the four accused of being the Man in the Suit respectively, ending once again in a massive cliffhanger that should have interesting repercussions for next week’s episode.

The Person of Interest actually took a back seat this week, with Fusco having to protect a supermodel. The main attention was all about Reese, and dealing with Carter’s interrogation tactics being used along with the FBI to catch the Man in the Suit, with them little knowing that Carter is in fact working with Reese, and Finch is the one readily supplying false information to back up Reese’s cover as the FBI frantically search for it.

The focus on the Carter/Reese/Finch storyline was handled very well. We got a good look inside Prison and it was great to see the interrogation methods being used by Carter backfiring because Finch was able to create backups for Reese within seconds. This episode also, despite the serious element, utilised some great humour – when Reese is being released from prison for example, we cut to Finch in a suit of body armour, presumably about to go in and attempt to rescue Reese himself.

The cliffhanger at the end of the episode was pulled off incredibly well. It came completely unexpected and really makes the wait for the next episode even harder – and proves that we’ve gone from the early relative standalone episodes of Season 1 into a much longer, over-arching plotline that really pays off if you watch it from the beginning – even though each episode is relatively simple to understand.

The acting talents are pretty great in this episode as well, namely from Brennan Brown, who plays Agent Donnelley. Dedicated to capturing the Man in the Suit this episode showcases just how far he’s willing to go, including letting a captured Reese into a Prison Yard full of inmates in order for Reese to fight his way out, using fighting skills that would confirm that he is the Man in the Suit.

The Fusco thread is mainly played for laughs – for a change, the number that the machine gives us isn’t the main focus of the storyline and it’s handled well, with some good comic relief moments to balance out the otherwise darker tone in the episode. They don’t feel massively out of place – and proves once again that the more packed a Person of Interest episode, the better it is, with a lot of dense plotting and some scenes unfolding throughout, capturing the tension/humour split well.

The flashback elements involving Reese were handled well, shifting the focus from where previously we had elements touched on with Finch’s part. It’s revealing and although interesting, wasn’t as engrossing as the main storyline.

This episode might just be the best of season 2 so far. It blends some great humour, action and plot together and delivers a perfect execution of an awesome series that leaves fans begging for more.

VERDICT: 4/5