Person Of Interest Episode 1.03 Mission Creep

Shooter · May 24, 2013, 12:19pm

The Machine produces the Social Security number of Joey (James Carpinello), a former soldier. Upon returning from Iraq, Joey joined a gang of former soldiers who have taken to robbing banks once they rejoin civilian life. Reese infiltrates the gang for their final robbery at an NYPD evidence lockup. They steal a file marked “Elias, M.” before Latimer (Ruben Santiago-Hudson), the ringleader, starts killing the gang members off and escapes. Reese starts trying to track Latimer down, but discovers that Latimer has himself been murdered after handing the Elias file over to his client. The file is revealed to contain photos from the scene of a brutal murder.

Please use this thread to discuss the series’ second episode Mission Creep. Rule: Please keep spoilers limited to those revealed during the series up to this episode only.

Shooter · May 25, 2013, 12:03pm

We learn a bit more about John Reese in this episode. We learn that in 2006 he refused to ask Jessica to wait for him telling her “That’s one of the things you learn over there. In the end we’re all alone. And no ones coming to save you.” Words I’m sure will come back to haunt John. He also had asked Jessica to wait for him…only after she walked away from him. Another event I’m sure will come back to haunt him.

We also learn more about Detective Carter. We learn that she served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Carter and Reese’s conversation was very interesting. She admitted that she didn’t think he had done any of those crimes but that sooner or later he would end up in jail. John seems very confident that he would indeed not end up in jail. Carter’s stance against John seems to have softened a bit in this episode. Possibly a result of John’s trusting Carter with Teresa last week.

Finch, again, rushes out to help John by intercepting him at the police locker. He is no stranger to be in the middle of the action. However he slipped a little. He failed to find the person on the other end of the phone with Latimer as he was explaining to his customer how the job was going to go down. At the end of the episode we find out that this information would have been very useful since Latimer is dead and neither Reese nor Finch have a clue who Elias, M is - the name on the evidence box.

This episode was filled with emotion for me given the returning soldier storyline and the father that will never meet his daughter so it resonated with me. Possible more than it normally would have. I’d be interested to hear any other take on the episode since I suspect it might not be as good as it appears to me.