• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Person of Interest – The Fifth and Final Season |OT| "Thank you for creating me."

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

Deleted member 325805

Unconfirmed Member
Great episode, I'm going to miss this show.
 

aaaaa0

Member
Harold said he was trying to decide how far he was willing to go, how many of his own rules he would break in order to kill Samaritan.

For interest, I was wondering what his rules are?

Has anyone compiled a known list of his rules mentioned or implied on the show?

1. Don't kill anyone, even the perpetrator?
2. Never use a lethal weapon? (Has Harold ever fired a gun?)
3. ??
 
I wrote it ya, and thanks :)
Awesome thanks you can also read reactions here on the poi sub red:
https://www.reddit.com/r/PersonOfIn...rson_of_interest_is_more_than_the_sum_of_its/

Also: :'(

MvoFsHy.jpg
 
Root :'(

Seldom have I been this emotional over a fictional character's death. This one really hit me, writing that article helped me process all this.
8Z6NBqU.jpg

Just going to keep posting them as they come along.

Also doing a project to help me and the community with the ending of PoI but I'll probably will start when the show is really done.
For now just thinking of how to attack the project first.
 

Doorman

Member
A little hypothetical that I've been idly wondering about for a couple days now, given some of the particular verbiage used on the show itself in the past.

When the Machine reveals her voice at the end of the episode, she says "No Harold...I chose a voice."

How do you feel the scene would have felt if, instead of that for the reveal, we simply heard "No, father."?
 
D

Deleted member 80556

Unconfirmed Member
I'm loving these Root-Shaw images.

A little hypothetical that I've been idly wondering about for a couple days now, given some of the particular verbiage used on the show itself in the past.

When the Machine reveals her voice at the end of the episode, she says "No Harold...I chose a voice."

How do you feel the scene would have felt if, instead of that for the reveal, we simply heard "No, father."?

Pretty fucking awkward. And I'm pretty sure I'm speaking for a good part of POI-GAF hahaha.
 

Doorman

Member
Pretty fucking awkward. And I'm pretty sure I'm speaking for a good part of POI-GAF hahaha.

Mostly I guess I just found it interesting that the Machine referred to Harold as "Harold," given that up to that point I only recall it ever explicitly referring to him as "Admin," or "Father" in the few instances of text communication that we saw. I can't entirely chalk it up to the Machine taking influence from Root's personality, either, considering that she typically called him Harry instead of Harold.

Some other thoughts, mostly brought on by my poor memory for detail: Did we ever get a resolution for the character of that young proto-Root that Samaritan recruited through the Nautilus game? Last I recall she was used to try and show Harold the good that Samaritan was doing for people. Similarly I can't remember if anything came around to conclude what happened with Harper Rose, after everything they'd done to build her up during last season and the whole Dominic arc, and her getting messages for jobs from Thornhill. Both of these feel right now like loose ends that could have some impact on the finale...or are just as likely to be overlooked and ignored.
 
D

Deleted member 80556

Unconfirmed Member
Mostly I guess I just found it interesting that the Machine referred to Harold as "Harold," given that up to that point I only recall it ever explicitly referring to him as "Admin," or "Father" in the few instances of text communication that we saw. I can't entirely chalk it up to the Machine taking influence from Root's personality, either, considering that she typically called him Harry instead of Harold.

Some other thoughts, mostly brought on by my poor memory for detail: Did we ever get a resolution for the character of that young proto-Root that Samaritan recruited through the Nautilus game? Last I recall she was used to try and show Harold the good that Samaritan was doing for people. Similarly I can't remember if anything came around to conclude what happened with Harper Rose, after everything they'd done to build her up during last season and the whole Dominic arc, and her getting messages for jobs from Thornhill. Both of these feel right now like loose ends that could have some impact on the finale...or are just as likely to be overlooked and ignored.

Yeah it's strange in that sense, but I can imagine they preferred that rather than having pseudo-Root calling Harold father.

And yeah, we've yet to see the conclusion to those archs. I'd argue we aren't seeing anything else from Harper, I don't know if we'll get anything from that young hacker. Doubt it as well. They probably had to cut all the fat in the season.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMQce8LUV-Q

If you can hear this, you're alone.

The only thing left of us is the sound of my voice.

I don't know if any of us made it.

Did we win? Did we lose? I don't know.

I'm not even sure I know what victory would mean anymore.

But either way, it's over.

So let me tell you who we were.

Let me tell you who you are.

And how we fought back.

Obviously, "So let me tell you Who We Were." = Team Machine

But "Let me tell you who you are." = Could this be a new AI that the Machine has created to fight Samaritan?

And can we assume now that the Machine has the "personality" of Root, she will also put her life in danger to accomplish her mission?

Even by creating a new AI to kill Samaritan, but that could also destroy her at the same time...
 

Lonestar

I joined for Erin Brockovich discussion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMQce8LUV-Q



Obviously, "So let me tell you Who We Were." = Team Machine

But "Let me tell you who you are." = Could this be a new AI that the Machine has created to fight Samaritan?

And can we assume now that the Machine has the "personality" of Root, she will also put her life in danger to accomplish her mission?

Even by creating a new AI to kill Samaritan, but that could also destroy her at the same time...

Now knowing that the voice wasn't Root, but TM, and adding it to what I think might be TM's solution, or at least what I think it might do, the statement makes me think this:

Speculation of ending:
TM/Finch find a way to cripple/kill Samaritan in some way, while opening up the Machines location to Decima/government, leading to a last battle with little hope of survival. Only one I think will get out, is Finch, via the subway car busting out the wall and away. This cuts off TM from most of its ability to do what it normally does, but it still "exists." The subway car was "the brain"

At some point, Finch is in Time Square when the power goes off (see the season 5 trailer, this scene has to be important as Jonathan Nolan is standing next to Michael Emerson). I believe that is when TM might be using what it has left, to talk to the world. Some of those lines, to me, could read like "you're alone" because us, the AI, are gone, except for the sound of TM's voice. It's not even sure if it's getting out to the world, and it doesn't know who made it from TM. It's final message would be about the brave members of Team Machine, and what they did, not only saving the world from AI oppression, but saving people, one number at a time.
 

Leeness

Member
Finally watching this week's episodes.

First episode: yaaaaaaaaas Fusco finally <333333 That yellow box on him was glorious.

Starting second episode, I already know what happens, preparing myself for it. :'(

Audibly gasped at Elias. Fuck. &#128557;

Root, ilu girl. :(

"It was warning us what he might do to them." Good. Get fucked, Samaritan.
 
A couple days later and I can still barely process this. What a ride.

There's so much going on in this episode that I'm still feeling like the season has been noticeably compromised. I thought 13 episodes would be fine but nah, some of these story beats deserve so much more time. There's thematic material in Root's speeches that really could have used a full season order to explore. This show still had some damn good places to go. Still, I know it was the right call. I'm just really going to miss this damn show.

A few quick thoughts, rolling around in my head:

The major character deaths were appropriate. Elias died on the mat. That he died for Harold was incredible. The show's two major villains, all the way from S1, fighting to save Finch in S5 and making the ultimate sacrifice. Root went to the big simulation in the sky. These character arcs have been perfect.

Also, I want to point out how appropriate the deaths were handled stylistically, and how that fit their beliefs. Elias took a bullet to the head. There's a close up of it. It's graphic. Reese kneels over his corpse and removes his glasses. He's the victim in a shootout, at a crime scene, with people everywhere watching. With Root, we don't even see her wounds. We don't see her die on screen. I've seen some people complain about this (they wish Shaw was with her, or she had a proper goodbye or something) but that doesn't work (I actually found it quite touching that it was Fusco there at the end). This is important because Root's death is not like Elias's death. Elias is a corpse in the streets, it's where everybody in his world ends up. Root dies, but she's not gone. There is a finality with Elias. With Root, transcendence. It's important that the brief moment with Fusco finding Root's body is a cutaway in the middle of a conversation between Finch and the Machine, taking Root's voice. Emerson's monologue was the obvious showstopper, but his acting in this scene, on the phone, was the scene that really hit me.

After Reese talking to the Machine at the end of the S1 finale, this is maybe the most powerful moment in the series for me. Reese talking to the Machine was the moment I knew this show was something special. Root's transcendence brings the whole experience full circle.

I didn't cry, though. Both deaths were surprising, and shocking, but they didn't get to me. They were a long time coming, appropriate ends to their arcs, and handled about as well as they could. That ending had me legit shook, no doubt. I can't wait for next week. But I didn't cry. Not when they died.

I cried earlier, in the car. When Finch and Root have what will be their final conversation. When Root was explaining to Finch the nature of the world he had created and refused to see. Pretty much the moment all this simulation stuff was preparing us for. The Machine is watching them, modeling them, simulating them... not just the people who are alive, but the people who have died. Like Carter.

The Machine is watching over Carter, even now.

I'm starting to cry just typing this up.

Bless this fucking show. I miss Carter.
 
759.gif


As a Shooter, that was absolutely heartbreaking. I was in shock and denial for a few hours after watching the episode (She just faked her death, right?!). The machine potentially flirting with Shaw is going to break me.

It may be a little (very?) naive of me, but I didn't think we'd see any Team Machine casualties until the finale. That's going to be an emotional roller coaster, isn't it? I think at least Reese will die.
 

Sheppard

Member
In an "Empire Strikes Back" the bad guys win ending, I feel Harold will work on/with Samaritan of his own free will, after a very dead Resse states that it is the only way to bring a bit of good to Samaritan. The statement from Root explaining that we are all still alive in the machine, kinda points me in the direction.
 

Goodstyle

Member
In an "Empire Strikes Back" the bad guys win ending, I feel Harold will work on/with Samaritan of his own free will, after a very dead Resse states that it is the only way to bring a bit of good to Samaritan. The statement from Root explaining that we are all still alive in the machine, kinda points me in the direction.

That would be a deeply unsatisfying ending after Finch's "I'm going to kill you" speech. Samaritan and everyone we know working for it better get fucked by the time the series is over.
 

darkwing

Member
In an "Empire Strikes Back" the bad guys win ending, I feel Harold will work on/with Samaritan of his own free will, after a very dead Resse states that it is the only way to bring a bit of good to Samaritan. The statement from Root explaining that we are all still alive in the machine, kinda points me in the direction.

this is a possible ending, after all Samaritan already calculated Harold would work for it
 
In an "Empire Strikes Back" the bad guys win ending, I feel Harold will work on/with Samaritan of his own free will, after a very dead Resse states that it is the only way to bring a bit of good to Samaritan. The statement from Root explaining that we are all still alive in the machine, kinda points me in the direction.

Why would Finch go work for it after he stared down the camera and threatened Samaritan's death? If anything, working for Samaritan is not even the last thing he'd want to do. He'd probably rather die than work at the behest of a broken system. Also, you could argue that in S3/4, there was a bad guy ending and now S5 is about bringing down Goliath and winning the war against all odds (while suffering massive casualties).

this is a possible ending, after all Samaritan already calculated Harold would work for it

It already calculated but I think that's where the fatal flaw comes in. It's assuming that Finch will comply and work for it without Finch or Team Machine taking drastic measures to prevent that from happening. Not to mention, Samaritan branded Finch with a threat sign after Finch escaped from Greer. So I don't think working for Samaritan is a viable ending. Finch is going to go off the deep end and do anything to destroy Samaritan, and is highly motivated for doing so after the death toll.
 
It already calculated but I think that's where the fatal flaw comes in. It's assuming that Finch will comply and work for it without Finch or Team Machine taking drastic measures to prevent that from happening. Not to mention, Samaritan branded Finch with a threat sign after Finch escaped from Greer. So I don't think working for Samaritan is a viable ending. Finch is going to go off the deep end and do anything to destroy Samaritan, and is highly motivated for doing so after the death toll.
The only way I could see Finch "cooperating" with Samaritan is if Finch essentially breaks so many rules that there is no real difference between the Machine and Samaritan in the end.
 

faridmon

Member
No other show will even be close in giving me the feels, enjoyment and the Adrenalin like this one does.

I don't want it to end :(
 
D

Deleted member 80556

Unconfirmed Member
this is a possible ending, after all Samaritan already calculated Harold would work for it

It has been shown that Samaritan doesn't really know the Team Machine 100%, for instance in the 7 thousand simulations they ran on Shaw, none of those showed Root pulling the gun on herself as well. I very much doubt that Samaritan was even able to see that Finch was about to begin to go on a march of revenge.
 
I could see the final episode be a battle between the Machine and Samaritan. Have the battle take place as a simulation where the Machine and Samaritan are trying to out maneuver each other. Like a giant chess battle, the two ASIs would use all of their assets in the simulation world to try and defeat each other while still maintaining the appearance of a regular world. By using a simulation the Machine could bring back anyone including Root, Carter, Elias, Control and other reoccurring characters as well as previous PoIs. Samaritan could also bring back some of their deceased agents/other adversaries throughout the series.

I would love to see Team Machine fully together working to save the world and I think it would be a pretty good conclusion to the series.
 

jdstorm

Banned
I think Harold will, they brought in Grace for a reason

I think that hints the opposite
Speculation
Everyone On team machine dies and are branded terrorists for the actions they took to take down samaras in and save humanity. Only the machine survives and after the death of her father. she goes to. Find her mother (Grace) and tells her the whole truth
 
Yeah, at this point I'd actually flip my earlier prediction and say Harold is going to die. He's on the path of no return.

Apparently, there was an interview with Nolan before S5 began where he revealed the original title of the series finale:
Everybody Dies Alone.
It's what I've always suspected in some way but not like this. In fact, I'm not even convinced Reese will make it to the finale. This is absolutely the end of Team Machine.

I think that hints the opposite
Speculation
Everyone On team machine dies and are branded terrorists for the actions they took to take down samaras in and save humanity. Only the machine survives and after the death of her father. she goes to. Find her mother (Grace) and tells her the whole truth

That's an interesting prediction.

It has become increasingly apparent over the seasons (and I'm now like 100% convinced of this after the whole meta "The Machine is always watching us" stuff with the Machine POV and flashbacks built into the show's storytelling DNA) that Person of Interest is a story told by The Machine to some unknown third party. For the last season or two, I thought it might be another ASI, one even that The Machine creates.

If it's actually
The Machine telling Grace about everything
that would fit pretty well. There's only thing that doesn't jive though, when we consider Root's monologue at the beginning of the season. "Let me tell you who we were... and let me tell you who you are." There has to be some significance to that emphasis on the "who you are" that I'm not getting yet. That's why I doubled down on my ASI prediction but who really knows at this point. I have no idea where this is heading.
 

Particle Physicist

between a quark and a baryon
Yeah, at this point I'd actually flip my earlier prediction and say Harold is going to die. He's on the path of no return.

Apparently, there was an interview with Nolan before S5 began where he revealed the original title of the series finale:
Everybody Dies Alone.
It's what I've always suspected in some way but not like this. In fact, I'm not even convinced Reese will make it to the finale. This is absolutely the end of Team Machine.



That's an interesting prediction.

It has become increasingly apparent over the seasons (and I'm now like 100% convinced of this after the whole meta "The Machine is always watching us" stuff with the Machine POV and flashbacks built into the show's storytelling DNA) that Person of Interest is a story told by The Machine to some unknown third party. For the last season or two, I thought it might be another ASI, one even that The Machine creates.

If it's actually
The Machine telling Grace about everything
that would fit pretty well. There's only thing that doesn't jive though, when we consider Root's monologue at the beginning of the season. "Let me tell you who we were... and let me tell you who you are." There has to be some significance to that emphasis on the "who you are" that I'm not getting yet. That's why I doubled down on my ASI prediction but who really knows at this point. I have no idea where this is heading.


the machine makes another machine to continue its fight, its 'child' ... maybe?
 

Sesuadra

Unconfirmed Member
Over the last two weeks I watched the show from season one until the last episode from season 5. It was a great ride!
I actually think the machine and Samaritan will become one in the end of season five but we will see :D
 

Prurient

Banned
It has been shown that Samaritan doesn't really know the Team Machine 100%, for instance in the 7 thousand simulations they ran on Shaw, none of those showed Root pulling the gun on herself as well. I very much doubt that Samaritan was even able to see that Finch was about to begin to go on a march of revenge.

That episode also doesn't have Fusco in it at all. He's a potentially huge blindspot for Samaritan.

Over the last two weeks I watched the show from season one until the last episode from season 5. It was a great ride!
I actually think the machine and Samaritan will become one in the end of season five but we will see :D

I honestly think that the ending will be determined by how much hope they had at the show being picked up by another network before they finished writing. A merged machine gives a satisfying ending with potential to pick the show up again if needed. If they knew they were done for good, then I think it might be more crazy and final.

So glad I have my account activated before the show ended, I've been watching the show since it started and following the Gaf threads throughout.
 
the machine makes another machine to continue its fight, its 'child' ... maybe?
I have a feeling that those two pocket ASIs that Finch has could come into play later. Maybe they merge into one ASI that takes over after Samaritan and the Machine die.


I'm doubtful Grace will appear on the show. I think Samaritan was putting Grace lookalikes throughout the city to try and lure Finch out. I have a feeling Harold could fall victim to a trap involving the Grace lookalikes now that Samaritan knows that is his weakness.

I'm also curious if the people the Machine has been recruiting will come into play in the final episodes. We've seen since the 2nd half of S4 that the Machine has been hiring people such as Harper to assist it in various tasks. I wonder if the Machine will actively recruit those people in the fight against Samaritan.
 

Sober

Member
Final stretch. 3 episodes to go.

"Synecdoche"

The team needs to unravel a conspiracy when the president of the United States becomes the latest POI; Finch considers drastic action to combat Samaritan.
 

Alastor3

Member
I just started watching the first season, im at episode 6. But the show is so predictable, the writing if cringy and cliché, I know it's suppose to become really good later on but how im I suppose to continue this show and this guy who is a god in everything he touch? Seriously, there is not a god damn thing he can't do... There seems to be a lot of plot hole too :(
 

demon326

Member
I just started watching the first season, im at episode 6. But the show is so predictable, the writing if cringy and cliché, I know it's suppose to become really good later on but how im I suppose to continue this show and this guy who is a god in everything he touch? Seriously, there is not a god damn thing he can't do... There seems to be a lot of plot hole too :(

Hold on until you reach episode >13 , then its when it gets real :)
 

Veelk

Banned
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ9UM5-csGo

I was hoping someone put something like this out. I was looking up old Finch-Machine scenes, but this helps put into perspective how well crafted the history of the show is. There are many other shows where the present-flashback-present-flashback-present pacing is more damaging to the show than otherwise. But this show makes them very engaging. Totally forgot about Reese's dark bae Kara.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom