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The original was posted on /r/television by /u/keepfighting90 on 2024-12-27 18:06:25+00:00.
After finishing and loving Fallout, I realized that he had also created Person of Interest so I decided to give it a shot. My expectations were low to neutral - I really loved the first season of Westward but not the rest of it and PoI, given that it looked like a typical network procedural (really cool premise aside), just seemed like it would be a pleasant diversion. But I gave it a shot anyway because hey, 5 full seasons and about a 100 episodes so at least I'm getting a good amount of content. Worst case scenario I still get to watch Michael Emerson, who as Ben Linus on Lost gave one of my all-time favourite TV performances.
Tbf for about the first half of season 1, I thought the show was just decent at best. It really did feel like a bog standard network procedural for the most part. But the premise, the chemistry between Reese and Finch, and little bits of interesting plot developments kept me going. As the season went on though, I found that the narrative got stronger, with more hints of a larger story arc. It finished on a really strong note with the introduction of Root and that was enough to keep me going into the 2nd season.
I was pretty much all in at that point - the 2nd season is better in every way with a more serialized feel, and more integration of ongoing storylines like Elias' takeover of the criminal underworld, as well as the HR conspiracy.
By the midpoint of the 3rd season, after the 3-parter of Endgame, The Crossing and The Devil's Share, following Carter's death and the takedown of HRI am completely on board as this show being legitimately awesome. The Devil's Share episode was a real turning point for me - it felt on par in quality as anything HBO, Apple TV or AMC can put out in its storytelling, acting and writing. Actually, some of the best episodes of the show are among the best TV episodes I've ever seen, such as the aforementioned Devil's Share, as well as If-Then-Else from season 4 - I think I watched that one 3 times in a row, that's how good it was.
The best thing about PoI is how it just continuously gets better and better, and how much its storytelling evolves throughout the course of the show. We go from a stock formulaic procedural to something completely unrecognizable by around 75% of the show's run, where it basically becomes this incredible science fiction thriller about duelling AIs and how it affects the world around it. Thinking back now, I can see how all the episodes play a part in either setting the groundwork for the "real" story and giving it the expansive scope that it has. Someone said that PoI is basically Batman with Reese and Finch as the Dark Knight/Bruce Wayne counterparts and I completely agree - it even has the ongoing villains and storylines like Batman would lol.
And the 20+ episode count goes a long way towards doing a fantastic job in developing all the characters and making you truly care for them. Finch, Shaw, Root, Fusco, Reese - all amazing characters with a lot of depth and complexity. They did an excellent job with the villains as well, especially guys like Simmons and Greer, as well as anti-heroes like Elias.
The mark of a great show is when it leaves you wanting more and that's what PoI did for me. The last season felt a tad bit rushed (I understand it was because the series was cancelled and they had to wrap it up in the limited episode count) but the series finale is actually fantastic - and emotional - and wraps up the story in a really satisfying way. I could have taken at least one more season but I was also happy with how it ended, and that's all you can ask for from a conclusion to a long narrative.
So if anyone is looking for a really damn good thriller with awesome sci-fi elements, great characters and amazing twists, I can't recommend PoI enough. It really changed my perception of how good a contemporary network show could be in a time when premium cable shows have completely taken over as the top dogs. While I wouldn't quite put the show in my top 5-7 of all time, I think it would probably make the cut as either at the end of the top 10 or just barely outside it.