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Recap / Person Of Interest S 03 E 13

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Season 3, Episode 13:

4C

"The only relevant number on this plane is one hundred and thirty people."
Reese

After resigning from Team Machine, Reese tries to leave the country. But an overbooked flight to Istanbul causes him to be bumped to a different plane, which happens to be carrying a witness to a major criminal case about an online drug market, who several parties don't want to let off the plane alive.


Tropes present in this episode include

-.."Reese:' Nice shot.
  • Breather Episode: After the brutal one-two punch of the Endgame trilogy and the 'birth' of Samaritan, this is a much-needed moment of levity.
  • Brick Joke:
    • The jerkass businessman that Reese knocked out giving Reese a look as he leaves the plane.
    • Finch's twig comment (see Stealth Hi/Bye) takes on a new context in "RAM" which shows Finch was nearly killed by Shaw after stepping on a twig.
  • …But He Sounds Handsome: Owen describes the Sphinx as a smart guy who's just misunderstood.
  • Butt-Monkey: Owen Matthews, although it's hard to argue he deserves some of it.
  • Cacophony Cover Up: An accidental version, when the film North By Northwest drowns out Reese dueling various hitmen, including a gunshot that goes off at exactly the right time.
  • Call-Back: Shaw makes a point of reminding the ISA travel agent of the events of "[Person of Interest S02 E16 Relevance]", having assigned all the hit teams sent to kill her and Cole.
    • We know that Finch is a qualified pilot (of small prop planes) thanks to "[Person of Interest S02 E17 Proteus]" the previous season.
  • Carnival of Killers: Five assassins from three different groups are trying to kill Owen Matthews, each for their own reasons.
  • Covert Group with Mundane Front: The ISA 'travel agency' used to assign hit teams.
  • Crash Course Landing: Finch - who is only certified to fly prop planes - has to land the airliner. By remote control. He succeeds, but it's not exactly smooth.
  • The Chessmaster: The Machine.
  • Chronic Hero Syndrome: Why Reese's retirement only lasts ten minutes.
  • Comes Great Responsibility: Finch, re: his decision to introduce the human element to the Machine's warnings.
  • Death in the Clouds: Involving the identification of several potential murderers instead of a single murderer.
  • Dirty Coward: Foster, who makes travel preparations for Northern Lights, quickly folds when threatened by Shaw.
  • The Dog Was the Mastermind: Owen is The Sphinx.
  • Elite Mook: As to be expected from a government agent working for Northern Lights, Indigo 6 Alpha is one of the tougher opponents to appear and gives Reese a decent fight.
  • Episode on a Plane: Yes.
  • Everybody Lives: Assuming that the shot pilot made it to the hospital in time, not a single person — passengers, crew, Team Machine, or assassins — is actually killed in this episode.
  • Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Reese is talking to Finch, wondering out loud why so many people are trying to waste one lowly website designer...instead of the mastermind. Then he realizes that the designer IS the mastermind.
  • Foreshadowing: Finch talks of the importance of keeping a human in the decision-making process, rather than leaving it to the Machine. In "Death Benefit" the Machine leaves a choice to Finch that he really doesn't want to make.
  • Funny Background Event: Reese knocking out the businessman who's patronizing the stewardess.
  • Harsher in Hindsight: Someone overriding the cockpit door's code so they can crash an airplane? It happened for real a little more than a year after the episode aired with 150 fatalities.
  • He Knows Too Much: Initially subverted, then played straight. Reese first suspects the assassins are out to kill Owen because he knows the real identity of The Sphinx.
    • Then it turns out that the ISA actually does want to kill Owen because he knows that they've been skimming money from the drug trade. He knows a lot about the drug cartels activity too, but they might be more concerned about the fact that he's been skimming from them too. The Israelis just want to eliminate the competition.
  • He's Back!: In Italy, Reese decides to get himself fitted for a new suit, signaling his willingness to stop grieving and get back to work at Team Machine.
  • "Hey, You!" Haymaker: Reese drops one on the ISA assassin.
  • Implacable Man: As befits an ISA assassin, being knocked unconscious by Reese once doesn't stop him.
  • Improvised Weapon: Since the fight scenes take place on a plane, where obvious weapons like knives and guns would not be easy to bring in or get, Reese and the assassins end up having some creative moments. Reese pulls off some brutal ones like trying to pin a man's hand to a wall using a wine corkscrew and burning another with a makeshift flamethrower using hairspray he dug out of someone's luggage.
  • I Know Mortal Kombat: Played with when Finch uses a PC flight simulator yoke-and-throttle setup to land the plane. He was previously established to be a certified pilot (for prop planes), so it's not a surprise that he owns the equipment. It is pretty impressive that he manages to connect it to the actual plane's flight controls.
  • Ill-Timed Sneeze: When Owen manages to ditch his stun belt and sneak away, he spoils his hiding spot by sneezing.
  • I Need a Freaking Drink: Reese as a Running Gag. The stewardess knocks back a few during her rant about how her job sucks.
  • In the Back: Reese gets stabbed with a dinner fork by a female ex-Mossad agent. Who then gets clonked by the stewardess with a coffee mug.
  • It's What I Do: When Reese indignantly refuses payment from a grateful Owens, the latter comments that he talks about helping people like it's his job. At the end of the episode Reese finally accepts this, returning to Team Machine.
  • Kinda Busy Here: Finch is shouting to Reese that the plane is crashing, which he already knows because he's fighting with a hitman in the cockpit. Finch has to take charge of things himself.
  • Knight in Sour Armor: Reese can't stop himself from helping people, but that doesn't mean he's going to be happy about it.
  • Knuckle Cracking: The ISA agent cracks his neck before throwing down with Reese.
  • Make It Look Like an Accident: Owen is nearly stabbed with a syringe containing blood coagulant so he will die of apparent deep vein thrombosis. Reese of course says That's What I Would Do.
  • Mythology Gag: Back in season one, Reese mentioned that the CIA was using the War on Drugs to fund their black operations. Now it appears that Northern Lights is doing the same.
  • Not Me This Time: After a series of computer errors land him on the Rome flight, and he gets a text message on a phone that's not his own directing his attention to the man in seat 4C, Reese calls up Finch and accuses him of arranging things. Turns out Finch knows nothing about it and is as surprised as Reese is.
  • Oh, Crap!: The ISA travel agent the moment Shaw walks in the door.
  • One Dialogue, Two Conversations: Owen quickly realizes the "Reason You Suck" Speech Reese is directing at him is actually about Finch, who's listening in.
  • Person with the Clothing: The elderly woman next to Reese mentions how you don't need a suit to fly these days. At the end of the episode, Reese decides to get a tailored Italian suit.
  • Pet the Dog:
    • When Shaw meets up with Hersh, he asks how her new employer is treating her. His tone makes it clear he's honestly concerned about her well-being, despite having once tried to kill her.
    • She also says off-handedly that she always liked him, even after he tried to kill her. Given Shaw's personality, it's most likely nothing more than professional respect, but it's still more affection than she shows for anyone besides Bear.
    • After abusing Finch earlier in the episode, Reese holds up the mobile so Finch can hear the passengers clapping and cheering his successful landing.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: When Owen tries to justify his creation of the online drug market by saying it will avoid costly gang wars, Reese lets loose his frustrations over computer geeks who think they can save lives via their behind-the-scenes manipulations, but end up getting people killed instead. Owen quickly realizes Reese isn't referring to him.
  • Resignations Not Accepted: Finch may have accepted Reese's resignation, but the Machine didn't.
  • Rescue Romance: It's implied that Reese spent a night with the stewardess, who leaves her number with Reese the next day.
  • Ripped from the Headlines: that "online drug market" that only took payment in Bitcoins sounds awfully familiar.
  • Running Gag:
    • Reese asking for blankets and scotch whenever he knocks someone out.
    • Shaw sneaking up on Finch again.
    • Reese answers the Who Are You? question by claiming to be a "concerned frequent flyer."
  • Say My Name: Shaw to Foster. Doubles as a Badass Boast without needing to boast—if he knows who she is, he knows what she can do.
  • Shock Collar: Reese has a lot of fun when he discovers Owen is wearing a stun belt. Then he hands the remote to the stewardess, tells her that it's his beeper and that she should 'summon' him if Owen gets out of his seat.
  • Show Some Leg: The female ex-Mossad agent reaches for an overhead locker, given Owen a good look at her bare midriff while her partner sneaks up with a garotte. For good measure, what she's reaching for is a pillow to smother him with.
  • Silver Fox: Reese, according to Owen.
    Owen: "That salt and pepper thing's like catnip to soccer moms."
  • Somebody Else's Problem: Reese tries arguing this, but events (and his Chronic Hero Syndrome) overtake him.
  • Stealth Hi/Bye: Subverted. While Shaw does sneak up on Finch, we actually see her walk into frame.
    Finch: Would it be too much to ask you to snap a twig?
    Shaw: [obviously suppressing a smile] Not my thing.
  • There Is No Kill Like Overkill: The first Colombian assassin having failed, his partner plans to crash the plane. The Machine realizes this, and thus Owen becomes a relevant number.
  • Truth Serum: Shaw drugs Hersh's drink with scopolamine.
  • Wham Shot/Wham Line:
    The Machine: Mass casualty event: 94.50%
  • Who Is Driving?: "Mister Reese, who is flying the plane?"

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