Person of Interest 2x02
Oct. 7th, 2012 09:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dorindaThings have been a little tough around here lately, a lot of drop-dead-deadline-based stress and distress.
So, what does the doctor order?
Ohhhhh yeahhhhh, that's the stuff. Inject it right into my veins, POI, lemme feel the rush. I done had me an id-feedin' extravaganza.
* Reese, Mr. King Cool Lurker, actually getting visibly impatient and squirmy while waiting. (Another kinship with Bear...I'm almost surprised he didn't chew things up. *g*) This case is far, far different from any other case he's ever had, involvement-wise, and it sure does show.
* Poor Harold, who wouldn't be able to muster a stone face at the sight of human suffering if his life depended on it (which it kind of does). She really does have him well-pegged, that pain or even the threat of death is not the best way to truly motivate him (he's had plenty of both already); the real way to torture Finch is to make him watch others suffer, especially if he feels responsible for it.
* Reese all I AM NOT PLANNING TO SLEEP. He's plowing forward with that desperate energy the whole time (including making a nice little Finch-style crazy-map, aww). And I liked how realistically worn out Carter seems, even while Reese is rushing out the door all "OFF TO A PRIVATE PLANE FOR FINCH-RESCUING BAI". (Also: "Why is there a crossbow on the bed?" Oh, Carter, ILU, hang in there. Speaking of which, how much do I love her reaching out at the end to bond with Fusco? So much!)
* Fiiiiiinch leaving cluuuuuuues, I just have no way to express the awesome. Especially since it was clear that, as he says near the end, he really didn't expect Reese to come after him (Finch, you nut)--but when Root remarks that "your knuckle-dragging friend" has popped up, he instantly leaves Reese a CIPHER and a CUFFLINK which of course Reese will 1) figure out and 2) recognize because Finch's clothes I mean come on. (I also love how Finch is readying the other link in the train station, ready to drop it someplace that will hopefully lead Reese on the next leg of the chase.)
* I love the shooting style of the scene where Reese busts into the love nest! We get that Reese-POV as he comes just far enough in to see Weeks' partly-obscured bound hands, and then we cut back to a shot of Reese's face, as he lowers the gun and hesitates for a moment, looking visibly affected (wide-eyed, startled or even stricken). Only then do we get the closer shot as he sees it's obviously not Finch. I would not be surprised at all if juuuust for a moment there, he thought the worst had happened. OUCH. (Nom nom nom, id candy, thanks don't mind if I do.)
* And Reese is so clearly delighted by Finch's clues! I don't understand what he calls the code, when he's talking to Finch/himself, but he's happy for the first time since the whole thing went down.
* Then as soon as he figures out the cipher we again have that rushed/desperate body language, as he flies (practically flails) out the door. There's a consistency to the way that his general steady Terminator demeanor is undercut by his personal emotional connection--he fidgets, he rushes, he flings himself from clue to clue.
* AND OH THE RESCUE SCENE HI THERE. I am an aficionado of rescue scenes, and this one tastes delectable, with a rich full-bodied bouquet and a long finish. We've got our hell-bent Reese on the one hand, and on the other hand we have Finch, not just drugged and physically dominated, but threatened with someone else's harm or death. And it's Finch who throws himself (literally) into harm's way to stop her. Then, Reese charging right over the top of the furniture, practically levitating, toward the collapsed Finch...well. Food for the soul, really.
* And Reese doesn't go after Root to catch her, because that is not what has been motivating him at all, and it's not what he cares about. Instead, we have the grace notes that prove someone on the POI staff is tapping my phone, with the quiet "Don't move. Don't move.", and the instant and casually proprietary touching and gentle manhandling, into and under the jacket and waistcoat. And Finch's dazed and even perplexed "Am I hit?" AND Reese's "Sorry I took so long" as he hoists and supports Finch the hell out of there.
Unnnnnnnnnnf. So good. It's like that dozy L-tryptophan coma after Thanksgiving dinner--my id is lolling on the couch with its eyes half-closed, just basking.
And then there's the extra piece of pumpkin pie at the end! Not just the first meeting of Finch and Bear, which is adorable and shows Finch's good grace--he might be waspish about how, you know, FIRST EDITION ASIMOV, PLZ DO NOT EAT, but he takes Bear's presence in his cave without resistance. (And frankly, the fact that Reese has attached a trained guard dog to Finch's side when Reese can't be there is one of the most Reese-ian sublimation things in the whole world. ♥ AT LEAST YOU'LL LET THIS ONE SLEEP UNDER YOUR DESK, HAROLD.)
And thennnnn there's extra whipped cream on top, two dollops:
1) Finch, with a very interesting look on his face--vulnerable, even distressed, as he says with some effort, "Mr. Reese...I owe you a debt."
And!
2) Reese, with Root on the phone, steely-intense, thousand-yard-stare, "Come near us again...and you will be sorry."
YOU GUYS. It's like a one-two punch right in the CLAMBASKET. Those moments are the clam equivalent of a frickin' Swan Lake pas de deux.
Definitely good for what ails me.
So, what does the doctor order?
Ohhhhh yeahhhhh, that's the stuff. Inject it right into my veins, POI, lemme feel the rush. I done had me an id-feedin' extravaganza.
* Reese, Mr. King Cool Lurker, actually getting visibly impatient and squirmy while waiting. (Another kinship with Bear...I'm almost surprised he didn't chew things up. *g*) This case is far, far different from any other case he's ever had, involvement-wise, and it sure does show.
* Poor Harold, who wouldn't be able to muster a stone face at the sight of human suffering if his life depended on it (which it kind of does). She really does have him well-pegged, that pain or even the threat of death is not the best way to truly motivate him (he's had plenty of both already); the real way to torture Finch is to make him watch others suffer, especially if he feels responsible for it.
* Reese all I AM NOT PLANNING TO SLEEP. He's plowing forward with that desperate energy the whole time (including making a nice little Finch-style crazy-map, aww). And I liked how realistically worn out Carter seems, even while Reese is rushing out the door all "OFF TO A PRIVATE PLANE FOR FINCH-RESCUING BAI". (Also: "Why is there a crossbow on the bed?" Oh, Carter, ILU, hang in there. Speaking of which, how much do I love her reaching out at the end to bond with Fusco? So much!)
* Fiiiiiinch leaving cluuuuuuues, I just have no way to express the awesome. Especially since it was clear that, as he says near the end, he really didn't expect Reese to come after him (Finch, you nut)--but when Root remarks that "your knuckle-dragging friend" has popped up, he instantly leaves Reese a CIPHER and a CUFFLINK which of course Reese will 1) figure out and 2) recognize because Finch's clothes I mean come on. (I also love how Finch is readying the other link in the train station, ready to drop it someplace that will hopefully lead Reese on the next leg of the chase.)
* I love the shooting style of the scene where Reese busts into the love nest! We get that Reese-POV as he comes just far enough in to see Weeks' partly-obscured bound hands, and then we cut back to a shot of Reese's face, as he lowers the gun and hesitates for a moment, looking visibly affected (wide-eyed, startled or even stricken). Only then do we get the closer shot as he sees it's obviously not Finch. I would not be surprised at all if juuuust for a moment there, he thought the worst had happened. OUCH. (Nom nom nom, id candy, thanks don't mind if I do.)
* And Reese is so clearly delighted by Finch's clues! I don't understand what he calls the code, when he's talking to Finch/himself, but he's happy for the first time since the whole thing went down.
* Then as soon as he figures out the cipher we again have that rushed/desperate body language, as he flies (practically flails) out the door. There's a consistency to the way that his general steady Terminator demeanor is undercut by his personal emotional connection--he fidgets, he rushes, he flings himself from clue to clue.
* AND OH THE RESCUE SCENE HI THERE. I am an aficionado of rescue scenes, and this one tastes delectable, with a rich full-bodied bouquet and a long finish. We've got our hell-bent Reese on the one hand, and on the other hand we have Finch, not just drugged and physically dominated, but threatened with someone else's harm or death. And it's Finch who throws himself (literally) into harm's way to stop her. Then, Reese charging right over the top of the furniture, practically levitating, toward the collapsed Finch...well. Food for the soul, really.
* And Reese doesn't go after Root to catch her, because that is not what has been motivating him at all, and it's not what he cares about. Instead, we have the grace notes that prove someone on the POI staff is tapping my phone, with the quiet "Don't move. Don't move.", and the instant and casually proprietary touching and gentle manhandling, into and under the jacket and waistcoat. And Finch's dazed and even perplexed "Am I hit?" AND Reese's "Sorry I took so long" as he hoists and supports Finch the hell out of there.
Unnnnnnnnnnf. So good. It's like that dozy L-tryptophan coma after Thanksgiving dinner--my id is lolling on the couch with its eyes half-closed, just basking.
And then there's the extra piece of pumpkin pie at the end! Not just the first meeting of Finch and Bear, which is adorable and shows Finch's good grace--he might be waspish about how, you know, FIRST EDITION ASIMOV, PLZ DO NOT EAT, but he takes Bear's presence in his cave without resistance. (And frankly, the fact that Reese has attached a trained guard dog to Finch's side when Reese can't be there is one of the most Reese-ian sublimation things in the whole world. ♥ AT LEAST YOU'LL LET THIS ONE SLEEP UNDER YOUR DESK, HAROLD.)
And thennnnn there's extra whipped cream on top, two dollops:
1) Finch, with a very interesting look on his face--vulnerable, even distressed, as he says with some effort, "Mr. Reese...I owe you a debt."
And!
2) Reese, with Root on the phone, steely-intense, thousand-yard-stare, "Come near us again...and you will be sorry."
YOU GUYS. It's like a one-two punch right in the CLAMBASKET. Those moments are the clam equivalent of a frickin' Swan Lake pas de deux.
Definitely good for what ails me.
no subject
Date: 2012-10-08 03:49 am (UTC)HEE. ♥ My post-
coitalep aftermath was a tad more flaily, with some bonus hyperventilating and emitting noises only dogs could hear. *G*I mean, there was SO MUCH AWESOME, I can't even...! It almost sent me into squee-overload. That moment where Finch wheeled back just a smidge, and John saw him, my heart was pounding like a jackhammer and I was totally shrieking into a pillow. OMG. *swoon*
Btw, when he saw the numbers Finch typed into the phone, John said, "Tap code, Finch? Really?"
I have to say, I really appreciate that the writers and showrunners actually seem to understand why their show became popular, and what about it appeals to their viewers. Because, knock wood, they didn't rejigger or fuck about with it for S2, like so many other shows have done. And I'm so, SO grateful for that!
no subject
Date: 2012-10-08 08:05 pm (UTC)In the future, when there is world and time enough, I do so look forward to a series marathon rewatch!
no subject
Date: 2012-10-08 02:56 pm (UTC)hitepisode.Oh, gosh, all the things you mentioned! I also really like the, well, the damaged way that Reese is behaving, if that makes any sense. He's so focused, to the point--as you mentioned--that he seems befuddled by the idea of sleep. It's like he's operating in one mode and can't really get out of it. And so, when he gets the lead he needs, he leaves Carter and goes. He's highly focused when Finch is working with him, but it's not like this--he's not so lost-looking. (And I love the parallels there with Bear and with Root herself, who knows something about obsession and also about wanting to be Finch's partner.)
I love that "Sorry I took so long" paired with Finch's contingency plan that backfired because he doesn't understand that Reese will not cooperate in it. And yes to all you said about Finch's immediate plan of action when Root inadvertently reveals to him that Reese is on his way. And of course Finch knows Reese will, indeed, find the place, and understand the clues. Because, after all, Reese is "good code". (Even though Reese would disagree with that completely.) See, I love the turns and twists in characters here! Oh, so much!
Ooh, and I hadn't thought that Reese didn't know that wasn't Finch when he spies the body... I shall have to rewatch. ( Gosh, darn.)
Root seriously underestimates Reese, which I find fascinating. It's interesting, given that I'm sure most of the villains underestimate Finch. Both are dangerous. And, really, given her own obsessive personality, she ought to recognize the danger. But she sees no value in Reese--sees him as clearly an inferior "ant" rather than the partner that Finch deserves. (Although I also love it that the she acknowledged the importance to her that he found Hanna's body.) She really hasn't got a clue.
no subject
Date: 2012-10-08 08:23 pm (UTC)the damaged way that Reese is behaving, if that makes any sense
It makes perfect sense. When his life is in balance and he has Finch there, he can almost pass for an ordinary guy, with his coffee making and his Chinese chess playing and his browsing through books about stress fractures in titanium. You see the life he is building, alongside Finch and with Finch's help.
But take away the Finch part of that equation, and it's like Reese's abilities to be an (almost) ordinary guy just fly right out the window. He invites Carter and Fusco for booze first thing in the morning. He seems to stop sleeping. He can't sit still. He's obsessed and lost, all at the same time.
Root really does underestimate him, doesn't she. She sees him as the Muscle, the "knuckle dragging friend," the gorilla completely lost in the shadow of Finch's amazing mind. (And surely not as someone who would pick up Finch's tap code so quickly!) She has no respect for Reese (unless she picked up a little healthy wariness of him this time around after he caught up so soon), but has all the respect and admiration in the world for Finch (and interestingly, none of her respect for Finch ever spills over onto Reese--like, thinking that if Finch trusts him so much he must have something good to offer). Not that that ever stops her from hurting Finch, but I suppose she figures she's doing it for his own good.
I must take a moment to sigh blissfully over the part when Finch says so fiercely to Root that Reese proves her wrong. Implying that Reese is 'good code', and oh, the layers there! Good code is beautiful and elegant and strong and admirable, and we see Harold's passion for it in the flashbacks with Nathan, his eyes totally lighting up.
no subject
Date: 2012-10-09 02:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-10 11:09 pm (UTC)