Person of Interest: The Complete First Season
Created by Jonathan Nolan.
Starring Jim Caviezel, Taraji P. Henson, Kevin Chapman and Michael Emerson.
From Jonathan (brother of Christopher) Nolan and Star Wars: Episode VII director J.J. Abrams, Person of Interest is a TV show that often feels like a throwback to classic TV programs of the 80s and 90s. From its retro narrated opening (reminiscent of The A-Team and Quantum Leap) to its self-contained episodic nature, Person of Interest at times is a great show, but at others it’s incredible repetitive.
The main problem with self-contained story TV shows is that one week you’ll have a really interesting story and then in the next you might not (take The X-Files for example). Person of Interest sadly is more miss than it is hit with most of the stories falling into the “meh” category of television. However, when the show hits the right notes, it hits them loud and it hits them well.
Jim Caviezel plays John Reese, a man with a “troubled past” who is recruited by tech wiz Harold Finch (played by Michael Emerson) to save ordinary people who might be in danger via a machine he built to initially spy on potential terrorists. Each episode Finch gives Reese a person and it’s his job to work out why this person is in danger and how he can save them. Meanwhile the pair of them are being hunted down by Detective Carter (Taraji P. Henson) who wants to find out who they are.
Just based off the above paragraph you can see just where the show could get repetitive. Reese gets given a number, he tracks them down, pairs his phone with theirs, does surveillance, finds out why they’re in trouble, and does his thing to save the day. Rinse, repeat.
Nolan does show some really good creative flair with his writing and you can see the influence he had on his brother’s Dark Knight trilogy in terms of mood, dialogue and characterisation. Reese himself comes across like a cross between Christian Bale and Eric Roberts while Finch feels like the Lucius Fox to Reese’s Bruce Wayne. And while every episode has its moments, the show as a whole doesn’t grip the way that it should.
I do like the set-up of the show and the ‘we’re always watching you’ theme is played very well. They use the New York camera system as the show’s segues and it gives the show a real genuine feel within its wacky premise. In this post-911 world the idea of not knowing who is watching you or who is listening in on your calls is a really interesting premise and if the show had stuck to a more structured format it could have fared a lot better.
But with all that said, I like the way the show is set out. I do think there is a lot to like about Person of Interest and if you were to watch it on a week to week basis it could be absolutely enthralling. But I don’t think watching them back to back is the best way to enjoy the series.
Person of Interest Season One is released on DVD Monday March 18th. The season finale airs on Channel 5 at 10pm on Sunday April 21st.
Luke Owen is one of the co-editors of Flickering Myth and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @CGLuke_o.
Originally published March 15, 2013. Updated November 6, 2019.
