Ricky Church reviews the ninth episode of Person of Interest season 5…
Person of Interest’s ‘Sotto Voce’ did something the show rarely has done over the course of its five seasons: it brought back a low level antagonist who appeared only in one episode. The Voice, who appeared in season three’s ‘Last Call’, decided to visit Reese’s workplace in his latest scheme to protect his identity. ‘Sotto Voce’ was another good stand-alone episode that tied up one of the series’ loose ends and further developed Reese and Fusco’s friendship.
Before I continue with what I liked about this episode, I have to note its placement in the season seems rather odd. I said in my review for ‘A More Perfect Union’ it seemed like the case-of-the-week format wasn’t going to be as dominant in the back half of the season since that episode had a strong calm before the storm feel to it, a notion which was solidified with ‘QSO’ and ‘Reassortment’s focus on Samaritan’s plans. While Shaw made her way back to New York and reunited with the team, ‘Sotto Voce’ largely took a step back from their recent approach. It might have been better if The Voice’s return was in the first half of the season so that way it didn’t slow the momentum of the main plot. I can understand wanting a break from the tension, but this somewhat seemed like the wrong time to wrap up this loose end.
Now, as for the actual episode, this was a good story that brought back one of the more memorable foes the POI team has encountered. The Voice’s plot had a few turns where it was difficult to predict what his next move might be, though it was clear early on Fusco’s investigation of the hitman would somehow be connected to The Voice. Though it was a surprise to learn an entire gang had been placed inside, giving Reese and Fusco a hard time fighting them off. The Wire’s Neal Huff gave a good performance as the timid Terry Easton and then The Voice, showing just how intelligent and charismatic the villain can be. It was also gratifying to see Fusco finally let in on the big secret and I’m glad out of everyone it was Reese who told him.
It was also fun to see Finch and Elias paired up as they investigated The Voice on the outside. Seeing Elias utilized in this manner was intriguing and brought some more depth to his relationship with Finch. While Reese and Elias’ relationship has always bordered on frenemies, Elias views Finch as an equal and friend. The two of them are really two sides of the same coin as they’re both highly intelligent and practical, but use their practicality in different ways. This was particularly telling when Elias killed The Voice and he told Finch “You brought me for a reason. You must have known I’d do something like this.” Where their dynamic goes from here and how Elias is used in the final episodes is something I’m very much looking forward to.
It was also a little surprising Shaw’s return wasn’t as big of a deal as it could have been. Perhaps the reason for that is because this was technically dealt with already in ‘6,741’ so it would have been treading on already trodden ground. That said, Shaw’s reunion with Root was great. Both Sarah Shahi and Amy Acker displayed a lot of emotion in that scene and Root’s solution to preventing Shaw from killing herself or thinking it was a simulation was a clever touch.
Though ‘Sotto Voce’ was oddly placed, it helped tie up one of the few lingering threads Person of Interest had in its run and now that Shaw is back, and with the next episode being the show’s 100th, we can expect focus to go back to the team’s fight against Samaritan.
Ricky Church
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published June 1, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
