History Recap / PersonOfInterestS02E12

-> ''"It’s funny, how the choices you make change who you become. Take one path or the other ... ''
-> ''All these years later, I still wonder... if I had re-upped when the Towers came down... who would I be now?"''
-->-- ''Reese''

With Donnelly demanding her assistance, Carter continues playing both sides of the fence to help Reese avoid being identified by the FBI, and Reese crosses paths with several old foes before finally being confronted with a figure from his past that he probably wishes would have stayed there. Meanwhile, Finch works on engineering an escape plan, and Fusco is doing... actually, we don't even know what was going on but it involved a supermodel, an Armenian gang, and the best unnecessary plot line ''ever.''

* [[AsHimself As Herself]]: This week's POI is supermodel Karolína Kurková
* BaitAndSwitch: The intro implies that the episode about Fusco saving the supermodel when really its just the side plot.

* BelligerentSexualTension: Resse/Stanton
* BerserkButton: InvokedTrope by Carter to make one of the alternate suspects attack her.
* BondOneLiner: Lampshaded by Reese. "That was my first triple homicide. Didn't know I was supposed to prepare jokes."

* EarpieceConversation: At one point, Donnelly and Finch are using the same earpiece to talk Carter through John's interrogation.

* FeetFirstIntroduction / HandOfDeath: "[[TermsOfEndangerment Hey lover, miss me?]]"

* ImplacableMan: Hersh gets himself thrown in prison just to kill Reese. When Elias offers to kill him, Reese quips, "I don't think you can."

* InterrogationMontage / TwoScenesOneDialogue: Carter's interrogation cuts between the various suspects.

* KillEmAll: Hersh's solution to the four suspects problem.

* ProperlyParanoid: Donnelly. Unfortunately even he gets blindsided.

* SlapSlapKiss / RomanceEnsues

-->'''Fusco:''' Are we gonna bust John out of there or what?
-->'''Finch:''' Oh, it sounds like such a bad idea when ''you'' say it...
* TermsOfEndangerment: Stanton greets Reese with, "Hey lover, still miss me?"

** Elias saving Reese from the Aryans (and, unbeknownst to anyone, Hersh).

* WeNeedADistraction: When one of the suspects cracks, [[EverythingIsOnline Finch sets off the fire alarm]], so he'll have time to give him AnOfferYouCantRefuse. Unfortunately Hersh uses the opportunity to take out one of his targets.

* KilledOffForReal: Donnelly.

* MultipleChoicePast: For Reese InUniverse, who presents an alternate history of himself if he hadn't rejoined the army after 9/11, as a cover story.

* NothingPersonal: A flashback reminds us that Stanton said this after killing Reese. Elias is the genuine article -- he was angry after Reese foiled his plans and landed him in jail, but is still grateful for the MysteriousProtector "who came out of nowhere and saved my ass."

* {{Hypocrite}}: When the warden complains that Donnelly is holding the men without charge or access to legal aid under an anti-terrorism act, Donnelly claims he's noticed several federal law infractions on the treatment of prisoners, to make the warden back off.

* MsFanservice: Karolína Kurkov&aacute in her [[HellBentForLeather tight leather pants]].

* HoldingHands: Fusco and Kurkov&aacute do the 'hold hands while running' version.

* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: One of the mercs has 'hung himself in his cell' after Hersh plays him a visit.

* EyesNeverLie: Donnelly worked out Carter was TheMole from the sympathy in her eyes when she spoke to Reese.
** It wasn't sympathy when she spoke to him that gave her away. It was showing 'genuine concern' while watching him being beaten by a gang in the prison yard.

* NothingPersonal: A flashback reminds us that Stanton said this after killing Reese. Elias is the genuine article -- he was angry after Reese foiled his plans and landed him in jail, but is still grateful for the MysteriousProtector "who came out of nowhere and saved my ass."

* ClickHello: Donnelly capturing Reese and Carter...even though he's carrying a Glock 19, which [[ArtisticLicenseFirearms doesn't have a safety catch or external trigger.

* NothingPersonal: A flashback reminds us that Stanton said this after killing Reese. Elias is the genuine article -- he was angry after Reese foiled his plans and landed him in jail, but is still grateful for the MysteriousProtector "who came out of nowhere and saved my ass."

* ClickHello: Donnelly capturing Reese and Carter.

* NothingPersonal: A flashback reminds us that Stanton said this after killing Reese. Elias is the genuine article -- he was angry after Reese foiled his plans and landed him in jail, but is still grateful for the MysteriousProtector "who came out of nowhere and saved my ass."

* HoldingHands: Fusco and the Number.

* ThirdActStupidity: After successfully fooling the FBI with some help from Carter, what made John think it was a good idea to go meet her in public the night he was released from prison? Likewise Donnelly has become so paranoid he doesn't take any backup when arresting someone as dangerous as Reese, leaving him vulnerable to Stanton's attack.

* BookEnds: Donnelly's hunt for the Man in the Suit begins and ends when someone crashes into his car while he's transporting a prisoner. Poor guy can't catch a break.

** Also doubles up as RefugeInAudacity.

* {{Hypocrite}}: When the warden complains that Donnelly is holding the men without charge or access to legal council under an anti-terrorism act, Donnelly claims he's noticed several federal law infractions on the treatment of prisoners, to make the warden back off.

* {{Montage}} / TwoScenesOneDialogue: Carter's interrogation cuts between the various suspects.

* WeNeedADistraction: When one of the suspects cracks, Finch sets off the fire alarm, so he'll have time to give him AnOfferYouCantRefuse. Unfortunately Hersh uses the opportunity to take out one of his targets.

** Carter is trying to interrogate Reese aggressively enough that Donnelly doesn't suspect anything]], but without eliciting an answer that blows Reese's cover--and simultaneously trying to frame one of the mercenaries as "the Man in the Suit."

* It wasn't sympathy when she spoke to him that gave her away. It was showing 'genuine concern' while watching him being beaten by a gang in the prison yard.

* CarFu: [[spoiler:Stanton rams Donnelly's car with a garbage truck.]]

** Donnelly is trying to [[spoiler: identify which prisoner is the "Man in the Suit,"]] ''and'' simultaneously [[spoiler: determine if Carter is the "mole" in his investigation]], by [[spoiler: having Carter aggressively interrogating Reese and the others]].
** Carter is [[spoiler: trying to interrogate Reese aggressively enough that Donnelly doesn't suspect anything]], but without [[spoiler: eliciting an answer that blows Reese's cover]]--and simultaneously trying to [[spoiler: frame one of the mercenaries as "the Man in the Suit."]]

** Finch is listening in and [[spoiler: adding supporting documentation for Reese's cover ''on the fly'' so that if Donnelly runs a search to confirm what Reese is saying, he won't find any gaps in the tale.]]
** Pennsylvania Two just wants to [[spoiler: KillEmAll]].
** ...and then there's whatever gambit [[spoiler: Kara Stanton]] is playing on top of all that!

* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: [[spoiler:Donnelly]].

* RoguesGalleryShowcase: Reese has to deal with Donnelly, Elias, Hersh ''and'' the Aryans from [[Recap/PersonOfInterestS02E01 "The Contingency"]]. Stanton is in the episode too, but as a flashback character. [[spoiler:Until she's not.]]

* ThirdActStupidity: [[spoiler:After successfully fooling the FBI with some help from Carter, what made John think it was a good idea to go meet her in public the night he was released from prison? Likewise Donnelly has become so paranoid he doesn't take any backup when arresting someone as dangerous as Reese, leaving him vulnerable to Stanton's attack.]]

** [[spoiler:Stanton saves Reese and Carter from Donnelly by murdering him.]]

* ShoutOut: Finch tries to ignore the ringing public phone because he's going to save Reese, but other phones ring as he walks past them, similar to the AI contacting the protagonist of ''{{Neuromancer}}''.

* ShameIfSomethingHappened: When one of the suspects is about to talk, Finch calls him up with his true identity, the address of his family, his mortgage details...and the fact that he's just transferred all the money in his offshore account and won't get it back unless he fingers his colleague as the Man in the Suit.

** Reese doesn't like Elias approaching him, pointing out that Donnelly once assumed they were working together. Elias points out that [[Recap/PersonOfInterestS01E07 he had in fact made that offer]].

* KindaBusyHere: Finch calls Fusco, but he's busy being tear-gassed in the face by the POI. He decides to call back later. Later he calls as the two are dodging Armenian gangsters on the street, but when Fusco asks for help, Finch hangs up as he's busy helping Reese. PlayedForDrama when Finch is rushing to rescue Reese and Carter, only for the Machine to ring with another number.

** Fusco's day starts with him getting maced in the face by the POI, and ends with her giving him a SmoochOfVictory and asking him to call her.

* [[AsHimself As Herself]]: supermodel Karolína Kurková

** Reese doesn't like Elias approaching him, pointing out that Donnelly once assumed they were working together. Elias points out that he had in fact made that offer.

** Donnelly in turn later derides Carter's naivety in helping Reese, saying he's a ProfessionalKiller who's conned her into becoming an intelligence asset.

** Donnelly in turn later derides Carter's naivety in helping Reese, saying he's a ProfessionalKiller who's conning her.

* CoverIdentityAnomaly: All the suspects have impeccable cover identities, and it becomes a race to maintain Reese's cover in the hope that one of the others will reveal a flaw first. It helps that Reese's story has a military background (as Finch tried to match it as closely as possible) whereas the others do not.