Pilots and Person of Interes

Three in three days? Do I need to get a life?

Hello again! So this should be my last post of the week, depending on whether or not we get news of which pilots are being picked up or not. So let me start there with a quick roundup of the ones I'd like to see and where they currently stand.

Pilots 2016-17

According to a Deadline article, shows are ranked from "already ordered" to "top of the crop", "hot", "in contention" and "cooling down". (Thankfully none of my top picks are in the final bracket.) As of an article posted on May 9th, this is where the shows are at:

• ABC
• Presence
• "Top of the crop"
• Presence Foster, an ex-army veteran, becomes a PI in Los Angeles. This appeals to me because I simply love cop procedurals and the like, but also because Rick Gonzalez (of Reaper [damn you CW!]) co-leads, and it's healthy position suggests a likely series pick-up.
• Conviction
• "Hot"
• A dedicated "Conviction Integrity Unit", led by the daughter of a former president, re-investigate cases where there is credible belief that the wrong guy was convicted. This is promoted as a legal drama, something I don't usually go for, but it sounds very interesting nonetheless and I'm excited that it's getting such good reviews at the pilot stage.
• CBS
• Bull
• "Top of the crop"
• Michael Weatherly (DiNozzo, NCIS) leads this show (and is presumably that is a huge part in why it is top of the crop) which is based on the days of the real-life talk show host's work on a trial consulting service. Also stars Freddy Rodriguez (Ragosa, The Night Shift) who I love as an actor. Very glad this is so high up.
• Bunker Hill
• "Hot"
• A medical drama based around a tech mogul who partners with a surgeon to create a modern hospital with cutting-edge procedures. A very interesting twist to a medical show that I'd like to see explored.
• Drew
• "In contention"
• Arguably my favourite of all of these purely based on its cast of Sarah Shahi and Anthony Edwards, I'm disappointed it's only "in contention". It sounds right up CBS's street if I'm honest, though it might be being hurt by it's pasting a famous fictional sleuth into yet another uninspired cop procedural. Fans of the original Nancy Drew know this show will be nothing like the stories, and this may be its downfall.
• Fox
• A.P.B.
• "PICKED UP"
• Excellent news. Since my first post two days ago, A.P.B., the pilot where a billionaire buys and tries to modernise a police precinct (basically Fox's police version of "Bunker Hill"), has been picked up. I don't know any more details, but I'll be posting them as soon as I do.

Again, this list still isn't comprehensive (I'm also interested in shows like Spark and MacGyver), but it contains my top picks.

Person of Interest 5x03 - "Truth Be Told"

The third episode of Person of Interest's fifth and final season proves that no TV show can avoid creating a dull episode here and there.

Let's start with the opening credits. The first two episodes did not have them, because of the storyline about the Machine being offline and then glitchy. But Truth Be Told had a shock for everyone - Greer narrating half of a much darker opening credit sequence alongside Finch's tried-and-tested one - and it was perfect. Greer, as we will see, doesn't look set to feature in many of the upcoming episodes, but, depending on how the opening credit sequence rolls out for the rest of the season, his voice will become a very important feature of the most important feature of the show.

Unfortunately, this was the biggest and most interesting twist of the whole episode.

In the first episode to show flashbacks of Reese since 3x10's "The Devil's Share" (4x20's "Terra Incognita" does not count), we are shown another of the missions that he and his long-deceased ex-partner Kara Stanton were sent on by their boss at the CIA, Beale - to the Middle East, to identify whether a volunteer is responsible for selling Stinger missiles to terrorists.

In the present, the newly-fixed open-system Machine has been giving out a steady stream of numbers, and today's marks that of Alex Duncan, who has attracted the CIA's attention after trying to access confidential files about the death of his brother. The CIA promptly kidnap him, and Reese, to maintain his anonymity, has to be very stealthy about how he rescues Duncan. He isn't stealthy enough, however, for Beale recognises one of Reese's old car-disabling moves and realises Reese is indeed still alive.

As it turns out, the flashbacks are showing how Reese was the one to kill Duncan's brother for indeed selling the Stinger missiles to terrorists, and the majority of the second half of the episode, including when the CIA catch up to both Reese and Duncan, involves Reese pondering the moral question of whether he should divulge to Duncan that he was responsible for his brother's death. He doesn't, and Beale (obviously, although I did wonder for a split second) plays along, but Reese gives Duncan closure by lying and telling him his brother died a hero. Afterwards, Beale allows Reese to live and promises to keep his anonymity since Reese didn't kill him when he could have (really? That's weak.)

Elsewhere, Root, now receiving orders from the Machine once more, gets a job as a package delivery trainee, which turns out to be how Samaritan distributes technology around New York that will infect computers with its malware. En route, Root knocks out her trainer, hijacks the truck, hides in a camera dead zone and enlists Finch to help download some of the malware so it can be returned to the subway and investigated, a precarious but necessary move to begin bringing Samaritan down. This was easily the more interesting of the episode's two focuses, although it probably got a maximum of 8 minutes airtime.

And finally, the whole episode missed Fusco. This is unsurprising, since it was Reese-centric, but he still has the most interesting storyline so far. (Apparently, though I have not checked and can't remember, Fusco was in all 22 episodes of season 4, a feat he'd never managed before, always falling short by 3/4 episodes. I was rather hoping he'd make all 13 this season, given his important storyline, but I guess not. There should not, however, be many, if any, more of these Fusco-less episodes).

Overall, this episode was distinctly average. It felt very "filler", which I didn't think any episode would in this shortened season. For me, it doesn't hold any replay value and it certainly won't be among the most memorable episodes, but it was enjoyable enough the first time round and any POI is good POI to me (except "Terra Incognita". That was abominable).

What's to come in Person of Interest?

The following are my reworded descriptions of press releases on the next 7 episodes, and my questions about what could occur based on that and the guest star information.

5x04 - 6,741 - Shaw escapes from Samaritan and Greer, but the team worry about her newfound (over)-recklessness. The first episode to feature Greer or Lambert this season, and the first to feature Shaw since 4x11 (except for a couple of cameos thereafter). We will see what Samaritan has been doing to her all this time, and where they moved their base of operations to after it was accidentally uncovered by Root and Finch at an abandoned mental asylum. Producers Greg Plageman and Jonathan Nolan picked this as one of their favourite POI episodes, so it must be stonking!
(I must admit, this seems like it would do well to begin right from the moment Shaw was captured by Samaritan, but she was captured by Martine and since Martine is not listed as a guest starring character I can only presume it won't do that. A shame, really, though perhaps, as ever, there was not time. Another clear point which shows how this final season would have benefited from a full 22+ episode order...)

5x05 - ShotSeeker - This episode's POI is an NYPD analyst who has had the misfortune to attract Samaritan's attention, and with Reese and Fusco detectives inside the NYPD, we should see a lot of both of them. Also, both characters are endangered by an old ally of Elias's. I was hoping this old ally would be Elias's moneyman and childhood friend Bruce Moran, and the cast list certainly suggests that. We'll also see the guy from the second episode who got the job at Samaritan (named Blackwell), and also ... Elias? Flashback? Or is he actually alive? This will answer and open some biiiiiig questions.

5x06 - A More Perfect Union - Reese and Finch protect a wedded-couple-to-be, and Fusco, left out of the loop, goes rogue with his investigation. This episode looks to be very promising. Bruce Moran again supposedly guest stars, with the Samaritan presence in Greer (making only his second appearance this season) and Samaritan's human avatar, Gabriel (Samaritan tries to make a deal with the Machine, perhaps). This episode leaves us to wonder as to its content more so than the rest, but I'm very happy to see Fusco's storyline return.

5x07 - Root protects a conspiracy theorist whose beliefs could get him killed, while Samaritan tries to convince one of the team they are good guys. There is no Greer here, but instead his right-hand man Lambert, so this episode looks on this basis a little less Samaritan-focused. And Root, who doesn't really deal with POIs (her character usually fights the good anti-Samaritan fight in tiny side plots), looks to get centre stage for once. A very interesting shuffle of the cast indeed. Any Fusco here?

5x08 - Reassortment - Finch and Reese are trapped in a hospital where a deadly virus gets loose. Blackwell (presumably) contends with his conscience as Shaw does with reality. How this episode will work I'm very interested. With Finch and Reese stuck, Root surely is left alone with Shaw, who she cares for immensely. That dynamic could make Shaw's struggle very interesting, and Blackwell could from here start proving to be a potentially very important ally in the fight against Samaritan. Elias, somehow, also guest stars (come on, he must be alive - we can't have two flashback episodes on him, surely?)

5x09 - Sotto Voce - The mysterious criminal known as "The Voice" (3x15's Last Call) returns, and Fusco and Reese are trapped in the precinct by their latest POI. A side plot involves Root making a shocking discovery. Seeing the clip of all the men in the precinct surrounding Reese made me very happy and this is going to be that episode (it also promises lots of Fusco). I'm intrigued by "The Voice" and Root's discovery, though what Finch's involvement in either plot will be remains uncertain. Elias guest stars again? He's got to be alive!

5x10 - The Day the World Went Away - Finch's cover identity is blown and his number comes up. This looks like an absolutely cracking episode, and the idea of Finch's number coming up was the perfect plot for the show's 100th episode. The title itself is epic, but the plot is just wow. Greer makes only his third appearance in 10 episodes (odd, considering his all-round importance to the serial plotline), and his other right-hand man Zachary returns, as does Blackwell. Could he be the one to save Finch? Also, Elias guest stars for a fourth time, more than Greer by this point. Right, he's definitely alive. What the hell POI? You amazing!

Final words

OK, so this season looks incredible, and upcoming plotlines suggests that last night's "Truth Be Told" is the only real filler of the season. I can deal with that. However, even though this whole season is being aired at a rapid pace at two episodes a week, it's not quick enough. This season looks unbelievable; I need it right now! NOW! NOOOOOOOOOW!

Yeah, I need a life......

Anyway, thanks all for reading, see you next time!

Sam