Line #19 Recap/PersonOfInterestS02E02


1	'''Season 2, Episode 2''':
2	!Bad Code
3
4	->''We've managed to perfect the apple--a genetically modified version that never goes brown--and yet, we still haven't upgraded human beings. The human race has stalled out, Harold. And from what I've seen, most of it is rotten to the core.''
5	-->--'''Root'''
6
7	Following a lead from the Machine, Reese and Carter head to a small town in Texas to investigate the twenty-year-old disappearance of Hanna Frey, a teenage girl who was last seen leaving a public library late at night. Between their combined experience, they managed to figure out who kidnapped Hanna all those years ago, as well as Root's true identity. The investigation also yields a lead on Root's source of funds, and Reese is able to track her as far as a small town in Maryland.
8
9	Meanwhile, Fusco is left to stay in New York and do what he can on the Alicia Corwin investigation. Hersh, Pennsylvania Two's chief {{Mook}}, is also hanging around the New York Police Department to stymie any police investigations, posing as a detective, but Fusco quickly spots the rat and starts tailing him. Thanks to a technological leg-up from Reese, Fusco is able to monitor Hersh's calls and finds out he's a government agent, investigating links between Alicia Corwin and the recent disappearance of Denton Weeks. When Hersh gets word of Denton's love-nest in Maryland, Fusco passes the information along to Reese, who's able to narrow his search.
10
11	Meanwhile, Root tortures Denton Weeks and taunts Finch that soon, his "bad code" will cause him to give up the Machine for self-preservation. Later, when she leaves the two tied up and alone in the house for a little while, Denton convinces Finch to help him escape, which Finch does. When Root returns, Denton takes her by surprise, gets her gun and knocks her out. After getting Finch to confirm that no one can alter the Machine unless they physically access the hardware, Denton apologizes and tries to shoot Finch -- but the gun isn't loaded, and Root springs her trap and uses a taser to take Denton out, believing she's proved her point to Finch about humans and their bad code. She questions Denton but when he doesn't have anything to say, Root kills him. While she's distracted, Finch drops one of his cufflinks and tries to dial the phone, but Root has disconnected the phone lines. She sedates Finch, and they leave for the train station.
12
13	Following Fusco's lead, Reese locates the house and finds Finch's cufflink next to the phone; the number he dialed is a cypher for "TRAINSTN". Reese heads to the train station, but when Root realizes Finch has tipped Reese off, she tries to make good on her threat to hurt innocent people. Despite being mildly sedated, Finch tries to stop Root and spoils her aim. In the confusion, Root escapes, but Reese gets Finch back. They return to New York, where Reese introduces Finch to Bear, their new teammate. Root calls Reese to thank him and Carter for getting justice for her friend, and to let Finch know she'll be coming for him when she's ready. Reese tells her never to return to New York, but Root simply hangs up, and returns to the task of photographing Hersh and a team of [[TheMenInBlack suits]] as they take custody of Denton's body.
14
15	----
16	!!Tropes in this episode:
17	* BaitAndSwitch: For most of the episode, we are led to believe, along with Reese, that Hanna grew up to be Root, an impression enhanced by casting an actress to play Hanna whose facial features are similar to Creator/AmyAcker's.
18	* BarBrawl: Ending in the requisite DestinationDefenestration.
19	* CallBack: InUniverse example. Barbara receives a copy of ''Literature/FlowersForAlgernon'' in the mail every year on the anniversary of Hanna's disappearance, reminding her of what Trent did, and the fact that she covered it up.
20	* CassandraTruth: Root's attempts to report what really happened to Hanna being ignored is what triggered her StartOfDarkness.
21	* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: During the PreviouslyOn, we see Root's ID bracket change from yellow to red, and it remains red throughout the episode. Viewers paying close attention will have noticed that during "Firewall", Root's bracket as Caroline Turing was always yellow - indicating someone with knowledge of The Machine.
22	* ContinuityNod: Reese buys Carter and Fusco the round of drinks he promised them at the end of "Firewall." At 8 in the morning.
23	* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Again, Fusco proves to be a very good detective who turns a simple hunch into one of Reese's best leads.
24	* DeadAllAlong: Hanna isn't Root: she was abducted and murdered by a pedophile, and Root, real name Samantha, witnessed it.
25	* DecoyBackstory: Reese and Carter, looking for Root and Finch, are pointed toward a missing girl, Hanna Frey, and the details of the case lead them to believe Hanna became Root. However, Carter eventually confirms that Hanna was abducted and murdered; Root is actually Hanna's friend Samantha, who [[CassandraTruth saw Hanna get abducted but couldn't make anyone believe her]].
26	* DeliveryGuyInfiltration: Reese stealing the file from the police station.
27	* EvilCounterpart: Root for Finch.
28	* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: At the end of the episode Root has changed back to being a blonde, as per her child self. It doesn't last long.
29	* FinallyFoundTheBody: Hanna Frey, until Reese and Carter showed up.
30	* FiveFingerDiscount: Reese helps himself to a laptop and a cool crossbow.
31	* {{Flashback}}: More in the style of other procedurals, the flashbacks follow Reese and Carter's investigation of Hanna's disappearance.
32	* ForcedToWatch: Root forces Finch to watch her torture Denton Weeks.
33	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
34	** The reference to ''Literature/FlowersForAlgernon'' [[spoiler:foreshadows what Root experiences in "[[Recap/PersonOfInterestS02E21 Zero Day]]" and "[[Recap/PersonOfInterestS02E22 God Mode]]": first gaining, then losing, extraordinary abilities.]]
35	** Root opening an account using Hanna's name seems rather stupid for someone who apparently wanted to disappear - and far more stupid than the Root we know. Turns out that Root was using her dead friend's name to drop some LaserGuidedKarma on Trent Russell.
36	* FreudianExcuse: Finch assumes this is why Root has such a dark view of humanity, which she describes as "sweet." Whether or not he was right is never confirmed - although it can be safely assumed.
37	* GetItOverWith: Finch to Root. Also counts as a ShutUpHannibal.
38	* InterserviceRivalry: The sheriff refuses to hand over his file on the Hanna case unless Carter reveals the name of her suspect. Understandable as this case has clearly been hanging over the town for years. To Carter's credit she calls in the sheriff when she does get a lead in the case.
39	* ItHasBeenAnHonor: Subverted; Weeks says this to Finch as the creator of the Machine, but [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness intends to kill him.]]
40	* ItsALongStory: "Why is there a crossbow on the bed?"
41	* ItWorksBetterWithBullets: [[spoiler: Root does this in a BatmanGambit to show Finch just how bad Denton Weeks is.]]
42	* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique
43	* LaserGuidedKarma:
44	** What Root does to Trent Russell, the man who murdered her childhood friend. She hacked a drug cartel's bank account and transferred funds to an account in the joint names of the killer and her deceased friend. Then she made sure the drug cartel found out about it....
45	** Denton signed off on the use of torture ("enhanced interrogation") against terrorists; Root uses the exact same technique he authorized to torture him.
46	* MeaningfulName: Other aliases used by Root are "Dyson" and "[[VonNeumannMachine Von Neumann]]."
47	* OhCrap:
48	** Root realises she's seriously underestimated John's intelligence and fanatical loyalty to Harold when they meet in a train station.
49	** She has a more subdued one earlier when she realizes that the Machine itself must be helping Reese.
50	* PreviouslyOn: From the Machine's point of view.
51	* RoaringRampageOfRescue: Ends happily.
52	* RousseauWasRight: As Finch points out, despite all Root's claims that HumansAreBastards and only follow their worst impulses, a supposedly heartless CIA hitman moved heaven and earth in order to rescue his only friend.
53	* ShutUpHannibal: When Root tries to convince Finch that she's on his side, he promptly calls her out and tells her to just kill him already.
54	-->'''Finch:''' No. You're worse than Weeks, you're worse than all of them. I'd rather die than give you the Machine so please kill me now. At least I won't have to listen to you anymore.
55	* StartOfDarkness: For Root, via flashback. She saw her best friend get kidnapped and tried to report it, but the police did nothing and the kidnapper's girlfriend tried to suppress the information. Root then took matters into her own hands (see LaserGuidedKarma entry above).
56	* TemptingFate: "You're not going to sucker punch me again--" ''[GroinAttack]''
57	* ThereIsOnlyOneBed: But not used for ShipTease. Reese volunteers to sleep in the tub. After learning that there's only a shower stall, he volunteers to sleep on the floor. In the end, the matter becomes moot, as he and Carter finish their business in town before sleeping arrangements become more than a hypothetical problem.
58	* TrojanPrisoner: Root lets Weeks overpower her and even deliver a savage beating, knowing he and Finch will reveal more information if they believe they have the upper hand.
59	* UngratefulBastard: Weeks tries to kill Finch after Finch helps him to escape his bonds.
60	* VillainEpisode
61	* VillainBall: Come on, Root. Did you really think it was a good idea to try and shoot an innocent person in order to punish Finch when you knew darn well that Reese was there too?
62	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Trent Russell. Root was forced to keep silent about his kidnapping Hanna because he was respected and liked in the town, most of all by the librarian.
63	* WeWillMeetAgain: Reese threatens to kill Root if she comes near them again. Root makes it clear she isn't finished with them. She's not wrong.
64	* WhyWeCantHaveNiceThings: Bear chews up a first edition book by Creator/IsaacAsimov.
65	** This may also be a MythologyGag, as Asimov wrote a [[Literature/AllTheTroublesOfTheWorld short story]] about a supercomputer that could predict crimes before they happened in ''1957''.
66	** And of course, Asimov is famous for the Three Laws of Robotics, which deal with the ethical limitations placed on artificial intelligences and how they react.

Context Recap / PersonOfInterestS02E02