Person of Interest 2.05 Recap: Reese Avoids Becoming the Story

“Okay Finch, how am I supposed to save a woman who wants to put me on the front page?”

That’s the problem facing Finch and Reese this week as the Machine points them to an investigative reporter caught up in a number of dangerous potential scandals including the mysterious HR organization, and the just as mysterious man in the suit story. That’s right, Person of Interest is reminding us all that Finch and Reese are both supposed to be dead men so maybe they should be a smidge more careful when protecting their charges.

The first big event in “Bury the Lede” is the massive bust facing HR when over 75 police officers are taken in by the FBI, lead by Agent Donnelly, on corruption charges among a long list of other offenses in many cases. Fusco gets his first big story that goes outside of being Reese’s lackey when Simmons takes it upon himself to threaten that he’ll go down too If he doesn’t play his part in keeping the right people at the top of HR from being caught as well. Simmons wants Fusco to get his hands on a ledger that HR’s dirty dealings are listed in–handily itemized and listed by name of course. It coincides with the POI plotline as Maxine Angelis (Gloria Votsis recognizable for her turn as recurring thief Alex Hunter on White Collar) gets a lead as to who the ringleader of HR is and finds herself getting more than even a daring journalist can handle on her own when it turns out she was set up to be discredited. Finch warns Reese during his usual surveillance of the POI of the week that this woman is aware of the man in the suit so they can’t just approach her normally.

Instead, we get perhaps one of the best awkward John Reese is awkward scenes as Finch fakes an online

dating profile for him so that he can stay close to Maxine legitimately without exposing their entire operation. It was pretty great that a character many people, including myself, have compared to a sort of Batman-type vigilante got the chance to switch the cowl out for the cape as he pulled on more of a Superman act this episode. That meant he had to wear glasses to hide his true identity behind a mask of bookish-ness ala Clark Kent–Maxine would of course be the Lois Lane in this equation. Even though it was Finch who clearly needed a moment after the beautiful career-driven woman quoted Orwell on her first date with ‘John Anderson’. I think what made the concept work so well was that cheesy profile Finch crafted for John including many photos of scene/show/heart-stealer Bear. We even got a couple of all too brief appearances from POI recurring character Zoe Morgan (Paige Turco) as the asset that maintained Maxine’s interest in Mr. Anderson as well as helped them out with the HR mess later on.

When the man initially suspected of leading HR turns up dead, John has to protect Maxine without kicking in faces or shooting kneecaps. Bummer for him. Ultimately, it winds up with Maxine and John in harm’s way when the true perpetrators of the episode, a couple of ex FBI agents, reveal themselves and try to put a stop to Maxine’s inquiries permanently. Detectives Carter and Fusco show up in the nick of time to help save them, but not without Fusco smoothly obtaining the ledger and tearing out the pages with both his and Simmons’ names on them. Tell me that isn’t going to find a way to come back and screw the guy over.

Maxine did manage to see one name in the ledger and the episode ends with mayoral candidate Landon Walker apprehended outside of his campaign office while Maxine puts an end to her short relationship with John. She clearly knows there’s something up with John but she’s choosing, for now at least, to keep quiet. Fusco meets with Simmons again to assure him if he threatens his son again things will end badly, everything seems to be fine, Finch even removed that troublesome squeaker from Bear’s favorite new toy.

Yet the story isn’t quite over. I waited until now to mention that this episode featured a guest starring turn from the incomparable Clarke Peters, a man known for a number of roles but who resides in the hearts of many a TV fan as Detective Lester Freamon from The Wire. You don’t just hire someone like that to appear a couple of times in the episode. Thankfully, POI gave him a far more significant role as his character Quinn is the true leader of HR. He has a celebratory drink with Simmons in the episode’s final moments–undetected for now as the man behind the big show. Clearly, we’ll be seeing him clash with the Machine team again in a more direct way before the season is done.