I honestly wasn't expecting much from this episode, going by the previous week's preview. It focused entirely on Walter, this week's number, and his comic antics. And while that obviously does play a part in 'Pretenders', it is evenly paced, and manages to stay on the right side of humour. 'Person of Interest' often walks the line of what humour works and what doesn't, but for the most part hasn't crossed over into humour that doesn't work. Fortunately, I only have two nitpicks about this episode: The first comes in the form of a brief slow-motion scene with Fusco and Shaw walking towards Reese and Walter, set to some very out-of-place music. To be fair, I've read a lot of comments saying that they loved this little moment, but it didn't work for me. The second happens a little earlier in the episode, and it's something many series seem to rely quite heavily on, but especially 'Person of Interest', and especially this season. The old trope of hitting somebody on the head and automatically rendering them unconscious is a really lazy writer's tactic, and needs to discarded, in my opinion. It's one of my pet peeves.
But beyond those brief moments in this 44-minute episode, everything works. And equally important is that the episode is more meaningful to the overarching story than it first appears. 'Person of Interest' has really mastered the art of making you think an episode is about one thing, then shocking you when it turns out to be about more. Even as a fan from the pilot episode, who is expecting some kind of twist, the writers keep catching me off-guard. A little over halfway thru the episode, events become a lot more interesting than they seem, rooted in previous conflicts. I am especially fond of episodes that brings multiple antagonists into a single episode, which 'Pretenders' does quite nicely. Local organized crime is brought closer to the forefront of the story than it has since the first season, and it's always nice to see Elias get more screen time. His scene with Dominic is especially intriguing, given how they are both so similar and dissimilar in various ways. Still, probably the highlight of the episode is Finch's storyline. He claims to be off to Hong Kong as part of maintaining his cover identity, and there he meets a woman* who he is inordinately drawn to. It is revealed at the very end of the episode that his supposed attraction is merely a ruse to track a woman who both The Machine and Samaritan have taken an interest in. Finch has now gone from a mission of survival (since last season's 'Beta', or the end of 'Death Benefit') to engaging an unchained artificial intelligence in a game of chess. Intriguing times ahead.
*The woman in question, Beth, is played by Jessica Hecht. Surely known to television fans as Gretchen in 'Breaking Bad', it is also interesting to note that she played Finch's psychiatrist in last season's episode 'The Devil's Share' (which I would argue is the best episode of the series to date, and also the highest-rated on this site).
But beyond those brief moments in this 44-minute episode, everything works. And equally important is that the episode is more meaningful to the overarching story than it first appears. 'Person of Interest' has really mastered the art of making you think an episode is about one thing, then shocking you when it turns out to be about more. Even as a fan from the pilot episode, who is expecting some kind of twist, the writers keep catching me off-guard. A little over halfway thru the episode, events become a lot more interesting than they seem, rooted in previous conflicts. I am especially fond of episodes that brings multiple antagonists into a single episode, which 'Pretenders' does quite nicely. Local organized crime is brought closer to the forefront of the story than it has since the first season, and it's always nice to see Elias get more screen time. His scene with Dominic is especially intriguing, given how they are both so similar and dissimilar in various ways. Still, probably the highlight of the episode is Finch's storyline. He claims to be off to Hong Kong as part of maintaining his cover identity, and there he meets a woman* who he is inordinately drawn to. It is revealed at the very end of the episode that his supposed attraction is merely a ruse to track a woman who both The Machine and Samaritan have taken an interest in. Finch has now gone from a mission of survival (since last season's 'Beta', or the end of 'Death Benefit') to engaging an unchained artificial intelligence in a game of chess. Intriguing times ahead.
*The woman in question, Beth, is played by Jessica Hecht. Surely known to television fans as Gretchen in 'Breaking Bad', it is also interesting to note that she played Finch's psychiatrist in last season's episode 'The Devil's Share' (which I would argue is the best episode of the series to date, and also the highest-rated on this site).
