“Don’t forget, you’re behind enemy lines.”I like my television like I like my chocolate: dark. Add to the darkness plenty of glib one-liners and an awesome conspiracy theory, and I’m one happy girl.
I’m rarely surprised by anything in crime procedurals. It’s generally not the writers’ fault; I’ve just seen far too many of them. That said, the CIA being behind LOS really shocked me. I was sure LOS would lead back to Elias. ‘LOS’ sounds like ‘Elias,’ plus HR was involved. It was a nice red herring. According to Reese, “The government couldn’t win the war on drugs, so they’re using it to fund the war on terror.” What a truly frightening concept.
In this week’s flashback, we see Reese working with Snow and Stanton in a “godforsaken country” that turns out to be this “godforsaken country.” Saw it coming. Especially when Stanton said they weren’t supposed to be operating here. No, they’re really, really not. It was still creepy thinking that they had some government employee bound and gagged in the bathtub of a motel in the middle of New York.
I’m so conflicted over Stanton. On the one hand, I love a good ass-kicking female spy as much as anyone else. On the other hand, it’s pretty obvious how much she warped Reese. Sure, she had to do it, but it’s still hard seeing the damaged man he’s become and then flashing back to a time when he was still whole. It’s kind of a weird comparison, but she reminds me of Lorena from True Blood in a way. She made Reese what he is today. She ripped away what he loved, the part of his life that humanized him and turned him into a killer. Unlike Lorena, of course, Stanton had to do this. In the PoI-verse, you can’t go trudging across the world doing the CIA’s bidding with a fully formed conscience. You’d go insane.
Poor Fusco! He’s been trying so hard to go straight and be a good cop, but he keeps getting pushed back into dirty cop-dom. That scene with Reese and Fusco in the woods (or wherever the heck they were) almost drove me to tears. He wants so badly to be good, but Reese just can’t let him. He’s having trouble with his identity. Is he a good cop that does bad things or a bad cop that does good things? Once a dirty cop, always a dirty cop? The way he talked about his son finding out broke my heart a little.
Bits and Pieces:
I loved Vargas’s “cut” from their first job. I would totally be a criminal for that many carats.
They seem to be letting Carter get prettier. She’s been rocking a softer hairstyle for a couple of weeks now, and they seem to be putting her in lighter, less severe colors. Just because you’re pretty, doesn’t mean you can’t have a trunk full of automatic weapons.
Puyallup, which I dutifully looked up, is a city of about 40,000 people five miles east of Tacoma. Apparently they’re known for their antique stores.
Our cabal of corrupt cops got a name: “HR.” I get the irony, but I think the writers could have done better. It just doesn’t sound that threatening.
Fusco has so much faith in Reese. I don’t think he doubted for a second Reese would rescue him. The only thing Fusco said when Reese got there was “Cutting it kind of close, don’t you think?” It makes it all the sadder that Reese is forcing him back into HR.
Quotes:
“In the Army, they taught us the fastest way to get shot was to fail to clean your weapon.”
“In the Marines, they taught us the fastest way to clean your weapon was to shoot a couple people with it.”
Okay, I do love Stanton. I am surprised she was in the Marines, though. They have the lowest percentage of women in all the branches of the US armed forces.
“Words wound, detective.”
Oh, Finch.
“Anything else I should know?”
“Yeah, don’t get caught.”
Sage advice.
“We’re not walking in the dark. We are the dark.”
I saw this line coming, but it still gave me chills.
“Oh, I’m fine Finch, thanks for asking.”
Please, Reese. You were only beaten, shot, and locked in the trunk of a burning car. Finch knew you’d be just fine.
“I’ll keep an eye on Cahill. Make sure he stays safe and sound.”
“He’s about to have a screaming infant. I doubt he’ll be anywhere close to sound.”
Three out of four very clean guns
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sunbunny
I really liked this episode, so I guess like you, sunbunny, I like darkness too. :D
ReplyDeleteAnd there was enough darkness to pass around. We see how Reese turned dark. We have the scary idea as you pointed out that the CIA funds the war against terrorism with drug money along with the idea of them operating domestically. The undercover cop didn't really accomplish anything as the bad guy he was after would never face prosecution though he did eventually face a form of justice. Fusco is forced by Reese to infiltrate HR.
Still a good episode that I enjoyed.
Our cabal of corrupt cops got a name: “HR.” I get the irony, but I think the writers could have done better. It just doesn’t sound that threatening. Clearly, you don't work where I do. :)
ReplyDeleteI also noticed that they were letting Carter be prettier. And that's good. She's got such a striking face.
Actually, I kinda like the name "HR". Let's be honest. If you were a group of people who are supposed to be the good guys, and you're in the real world instead of a comic book or a James Bond movie, you're not going to name your organization something like the Masters Of Evil or SPECTRE. You're going to call it something that won't raise any eyebrows if you're overheard.
ReplyDeleteThe thought of the CIA running drugs scares me. As is true of so many things in this show, it makes sense in this world so it just might make sense in ours. Shiver.
ReplyDeleteMy heart broke for Fusco. I have really come to like him as a character and the look on his face when he realized he was now working for HR was so sad, yet somehow resigned. I do hope he gets his redemption some day.
ChrisB, Fusco really is like a cuddly cop teddy bear. Kevin Chapman does such a great job with the character. He's your standard issue blue collar cop, but he adds a vulnerability and humanity that keeps it interesting. It still hasn't happened, but I hope eventually we get into his relationship with his son. He seems so devoted to him!
ReplyDeleteWhoah ! Powerful.
ReplyDeleteAnd it gets more and more complicated. You can't have darker chocolate than this.
Quoting you know : "a cuddly cop teddy bear". Aw, you've just made my day.
Billie
ReplyDeleteTrue story, a colleague of mine called our HR the Inhuman Resources. He was introduced to a big boss. Her face when he said that ? Priceless. Still a fun/fund memory.
"Blue Code" is one of the darkest episodes of Person of Interest's first season. It also happens to be one of the best. The main story is engaging enough-there isn't that much exposition or set up, which also helps-then it kicks into high gear with more character development for Fusco and a chilling ending. Person of Interest may be stuck in a procedural box for now, but that doesn't mean it can't be put to good use. Case and point, "Blue Code"
ReplyDelete3.5 out of 4.