Although Finch insists that he no longer wishes to help with new numbers, his interest is piqued when Reese learns that the newest POI is a brilliant college student engaged in a mysterious, life-and-death scavenger hunt.
For awhile, I thought "Nautilus" was just going to be another procedural episode of Person of Interest. The hour would focus on one POI and the team's reaction to whatever is going on - this week it's a college student involved in a deadly scavenger hunt - while the serialized elements would simmer on the back-burner. They would be referenced but not play an important role in how the events of the episode play out. Person of Interest is capable of doing those episodes - and doing them well. Within a 22 episode season, there's bound to be a handful of formulaic episodes that are non-essential.And then came the reveal that the scavenger hunt was actually an elaborate game created by Samaritan to recruit brilliant minds as assets. That knowledge greatly ramped up the tension and urgency of the episode. I thought it was peculiar that the show would get back into that episodic mood so quickly in the fourth season after completely reinventing itself. So, I'm really glad that the reveal did occur. I just wish it came a bit earlier in the hour because then my enjoyment of the overall hour would have been greatly improved.
This hour is also the first confirmation I've had that Quinn Shephard is more capable as an actress than the annoying teenage roles she's had in the past. Her character on Hostages (remember that show?) was infuriating and she was completely forgettable in an episode of The Blacklist. She carries Claire well. She has a rough edge but also a sense of naivety. She is a very capable woman - the show continues to excel at making sure its female characters are just as active as its males. And yet, she isn't aware of the full scope of the world. She is searching for meaning. Her parents died for no reason and now she's trying to make sense of a world that is cold and unapologetic.
Harold, too, is having a crisis of faith - faith in the machine and how good the work that he, John and company are actually doing. He's not unaware of how the world is changing. He would just rather keep his head down. He'll aide John and Shaw so that they can continue to safely do the work protecting people without being caught by Samaritan. But he would rather not get involved with any of the cases anymore. He started this war of artificial intelligence. And now, he too is searching for meaning on how this is making the world a better place. In the third season finale, he felt relief from finally being able to openly talk about and take credit for the creation of the Machine as well as all the good that it has done despite the constant invasion of people's privacy. That was a freeing experience that changed nothing.
Now, he is brought into Claire's orbit. He doesn't want to be drawn into another case but over the hour you can subtly see him changing his mind and becoming concerned with this woman and her future. A future with Samaritan could be potentially dangerous - not just for the team but for her as well. He approaches her and tells her as much information as he possibly can. And yet, it all seems too vague. He can't reveal the truth because then Samaritan will label him a threat and eliminate him quickly. But the lack of concrete knowledge leads Claire to the rendezvous she always wanted to get to. Now, she's under the protection of Samaritan and to her that's one of the most liberating things to feel. That there's someone out there willing to care about her and give her structure and understanding. That's ultimately what she wants. And yet, she has no clue about what she did in order to get that clarity. She solved the puzzles because she was good at them. But she wasn't aware of the multiple times trained assassins tried to take her out and the team intervened to help her. Or that the documents she stole included the information of yet another surveillance machine - destroyed because the files went public.
She made a choice. And now, that choice will have consequences. She is under Samaritan's protection. Harold, too, has made his choice and rejoined the team officially. It's the outcome we all expected. But it's reasoning that I understand. He just can't sit idly by as the world is about to change with no one realizing it. The metaphor of the abandoned train repair station to the team is wonderful. They are relics of the old world but they are still quite effective.
Some more thoughts:
- "Nautilus" was written by Dan Dietz & Melissa Scrivner Love and directed by Chris Fisher.
- I've always loved the opening credit sequence and how there is always minor alterations episode-to-episode. That trend continues with the sequence now being shown through the Samaritan spectrum.
- Where is Root flying off to? Someplace tropical? I hope we find out soon.
- Another episode with just a little bit of Fusco. At least he got to help John figure out the clue in the scavenger hunt. Plus show off his musicality.
- The look on top of the Rockefeller Center is stunning. Stating the obvious but it really does look great in the background of Harold and Claire's big scene.
