Line #41 Recap/PersonOfInterestS03E16


1	'''Season 3, Episode 16''':
2	!RAM
3	->''"You mercs are all the same. You never think things through."''
4	-->-- '''Reese'''
5
6	The year is 2010. Harold Finch and his current partner, a mercenary by the name of Dillinger, are trying to protect a network security specialist by the name of Casey, who had been hired by the government to try to hack a computer system capable of adapting to protect itself, in the process drawing the negative attention of Northern Lights and Decima Technologies.
7
8	-----
9	!!Tropes present in this episode include
10
11	* AlwaysABiggerFish
12	-->'''Finch:''' It's like you said, the code is blood in the water, and you're not the only shark.
13	* ArcWelding with a WholeEpisodeFlashback, linking a few threads:
14	** Who was Root referring to as the "helper monkey" who worked for Finch before Reese? That's cleared up, see [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter Contrasting Prequel Main Character]] below.
15	** The stuff that happened in [[Recap/PersonOfInterestS01E20 Ordos]] in the first season? Decima was in the mix the whole time. Reese, Stanton, Shaw, Control and Special Counsel all played a role in how that laptop got to Ordos in the first place.
16	** The party responsible for slaughtering those in the facility at Ordos? Decima. Greer authorizes an operation at the end for his employees to take possession of the laptop.
17	** When we are brought back to the present day at the end of the episode, Root has found the Number from the flashback. She informs him that he is to work with "[[Recap/PersonOfInterestS03E06 a man named Greenfield]]" and how to find him.
18	** This also explains Finch's BatmanGambit from Season 2: he learned that Northern Lights was trying to hack The Machine, so he prepared Casey's laptop with the vaccine for the Machine.
19	** In "[[Recap/PersonOfInterestS02E22 God Mode]]", Finch was able to tell Root The Machine's physical location after her lead, Szilard, was killed. In the library, there's a map (which The Machine led Reese and Shaw to) that Nathan Ingram used to narrow down the Machine's location to one of three restricted nuclear facilities in the US. In this episode, Casey tells Finch that he was brought to the Pacific Northwest to test breaking into the system--which is how Finch knew that The Machine was in Hanford, Washington, and not one of the other two sites. Reese and Shaw didn't know which one to pick until they found an old ticket from Oregon in Szilard's possession.
20	* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Casey asking Finch how long he's been running.
21	* ArtificialBrilliance: The Machine adapted to lock Casey out.
22	* BaitAndSwitchGunshot
23	* BirdsOfAFeather: Finch and Casey
24	* ButHeSoundsHandsome:
25	--> '''Finch''': The code you pulled; any idea what it was?
26	--> '''Casey''': It's so advanced it's almost alien...
27	* ButLiquorIsQuicker: A subtle version since Dillinger is, on-the-surface, suggesting INeedAFreakingDrink to the grateful DamselInDistress who no doubt would want to down a few herself after her near-death experience, followed by GladToBeAliveSex...
28	* CallBack:
29	** Reese's comment about looking into the eyes of traitors is a reference to his [[Recap/PersonOfInterestS03E10 interview with a military officer who was selling information to the Chinese]].
30	** Casey tells Finch that he unsuccessfully tried to hack The Machine for days before he made some progress by discovering a backdoor. This was Nathan Ingram's "CONTINGENCY" backdoor, which Finch had argued against using Nathan's own aphorism: "[[Recap/PersonOfInterestS01E22 Any exploit is a total exploit.]]"
31	** "Cartagena, Colombia. You're looking for a man named [[Recap/PersonOfInterestS03E06 Greenfield]]."
32	* CallForward:
33	** Dillinger suggests that Finch [[Recap/PersonOfInterestS02E01 get a dog]].
34	** While staking out the entrance of the [[Recap/PersonOfInterestS02E15 Coronet Hotel]], Dillinger quips about possibly going undercover as a bellhop.
35	** Dillinger quits his job using the same words as Reese in "[[Recap/PersonOfInterestS03E12 Aletheia]]."
36	-->"Thanks for the job, Harold. Don't try to follow me."
37	** Control warns the Special Counsel that Nathan Ingram [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness outlived his usefulness]] and was disposed of. Explains the Special Counsel's quiet acceptance [[Recap/PersonOfInterestS02E22 later on]].
38	** Stanton half-jokingly suggests taking over the drug trade, which is precisely what [[Recap/PersonOfInterestS01E15 L-O-S did]].
39	** Dillinger justifies selling out Finch by saying he will probably end up dead if he keeps working for him. Presumably this is why in "Pilot" Finch makes it clear that Reese will end up dead if he works for him, and offers Reese enough money to disappear if he wants to refuse.
40	* ClothesMakeTheLegend: Averted; Dillinger may be a BadassInANiceSuit, but the real Man in the Suit easily trounces him.
41	* ContinuityCavalcade: And how!
42	* ContinuityNod:
43	** Finch doesn't see Shaw's face, which fits with "Relevance" where Finch said he didn't realise who she was at first.
44	** He's also using a wheelchair, as per the flashback scene in "Many Happy Returns".
45	* [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter Contrasting Prequel Main Character]]: Dillinger is much rougher (literally and figuratively), more brash, and less sympathetic than Reese has ever been even at his darkest moments. Also, he isn't as careful or as observant as Reese; Dillinger makes Reese and Stanton, but doesn't realise Reese has made him, whereas Reese instantly knew [[Recap/PersonOfInterestS02E16 Shaw]] had made him and broke off; also Dillinger first pegs Finch's preferred tea as black chai, whereas Reese picked up that it was Sencha green tea. Dillinger is arrogant, while Reese is confident.
46	* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: The captured Decima operative [[DestinationDefenestration throws himself out a window]] rather than be tortured into revealing information.
47	* BulletproofHumanShield: Poor Lester Strickland
48	* [[CallingTheCopsOnTheFBI Calling The Cops On The CIA]]: Finch starts dialing 911 on seeing Reese about to execute Casey.
49	* ClimacticMusic: Radiohead's "I Might Be Wrong" during Shaw's hit.
50	* ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind / InTheBack / OffhandBackhand: Dillinger saving the first POI.
51	* DeathFakedForYou: Reese realizes that Casey isn't really a traitor, and helps him get away after faking his death. Finch saw him do this, which might have contributed to his decision to recruit him a year later.
52	* DidNotThinkThisThrough:
53	** Dillinger, as Reese points out in the page quote. He turns out to be TooDumbToLive trying to sell something that he already knows the US Government is willing to kill for.
54	** As a billionaire Finch assumed that hiring the best private security operative that money could buy was the thing to do. But if someone's only motivated by what you pay them, they don't have much incentive to die for your cause.
55	* DisposingOfABody: Despite his disability, Finch takes Dillinger's body off into the woods and buries him, because he has to maintain his own secrecy.
56	* DoYouTrustMe: An important question for Team Machine at this stage. Turns out neither trust each other, with fatal results.
57	* EmergingFromTheShadows: Sameen Shaw
58	* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Dillinger shoots dead two criminals, then sleeps with the grateful DamselInDistress.
59	* EyesNeverLie: Reese says he knows Casey is not a traitor this way, though earlier actions (like Casey approaching someone he thinks is in the US government for help) also cue him in.
60	* {{Foil}}: Not only Reese and Dillinger, but compare the sadistic and self-justifying Stanton to the coldly efficient Shaw.
61	* FreezeFrameBonus[=/=]ShoutOut: The names of the horses on Strickland's racing form include "[[Film/{{Spartacus}} I Am Spartacus]]" and "[[Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory Veruca's Golden Egg]]."
62	* GoodCopBadCop: Lampshaded by the prisoner. Stanton quickly shows which one of them is the bad cop.
63	* GonnaNeedABiggerWarrant: Dillinger is entirely in his element handling local thugs and damsels in distress, but starts to get nervous in the presence of a GovernmentConspiracy. Eventually he decides selling out Finch is safer than continuing to work for him.
64	* ICallHerVera: Or Greta, in this case. "Blackwater souvenir. If only she'd cook me dinner."
65	* ImprovisedWeapon: Root constructs a TimeBomb using an electric heater and the gas system, against the anonymous gunmen she says are going to shortly kick down Casey's door.
66	* InTheBack: Dillinger's EstablishingCharacterMoment, in contrast to Reese's preference for kneecapping. As in "Matsya Nyaya", this trope foreshadows Dillinger's treacherous nature.
67	* ItsALongStory: Finch when asked how he recognises Reese on sight. As this is before he bumps into Reese at the New Rochelle hospital, it implies their involvement goes back further than we expect.
68	* MeaningfulEcho: "Who are/were you talking to?" "None of your business."
69	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Finch, when he realizes that his refusal to share any information with Dillinger has [[FaceHeelTurn turned Dillinger against him]]. This is almost certainly why he tells Reese about the Machine very early in their partnership.
70	* NotStayingForBreakfast: In fairness, Finch called Dillinger away to work, but this trope is written all over the face of the girl he's with.
71	* ObviouslyEvil: Dillinger mentions early on that he's former Blackwater. So it's no surprise at all when he turns out to not be all that noble.
72	* OneDegreeOfSeparation: It turns out Finch had seen Reese and encountered Shaw long before he received their numbers from the Machine. And while he may not have known their name at the time, this is apparently his first brush with Decima before the main timeline.
73	* OneManArmy: Shaw wipes out the Chinese team except for a SoleSurvivor.
74	* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Dillinger, which plays a part in his decision to betray Finch. This is why when Finch looked for a replacement, he sought out someone who had not only the skills to intervene, but had enough heart to bring himself to care about the consequences of not intervening.
75	-->'''Finch:''' "I think all you ever wanted to do was protect people." ("[[Recap/PersonOfInterestS01E01 Pilot]]")
76	* TheNicknamer: Dillinger affectionately dubs his MissionControl "The Finchinator".
77	* PerspectiveFlip: Reese and Stanton are the anonymous government hitmen threatening this week's POI.
78	* PetTheDog:
79	** Finch is surprised when coldly efficient CIA hitman John Reese spares the life of the POI. Presumably it's this act which has a lot to do with Finch taking the risk of recruiting Reese, despite his involvement with the same people who killed Nathan Ingram.
80	** Dillinger is an a-class asshole, but remarkably he chooses to spare his former employer both times Finch tries to stop him, even though as a witness Finch really should be the first person he should kill.
81	* ProperlyParanoid:
82	** Finch of course: "You sure they haven't made you, as well?"
83	** Daniel Casey isn't half-bad, either.
84	* PunkInTheTrunk: Casey was injected with a knockout drug, and woke up in the trunk of a car [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident with a suicide note in his pocket]]. Only a fortuitous car crash saved him.
85	* RefugeInAudacity: Reese and Stanton abduct Casey in broad daylight, forcing Decima to move prematurely.
86	* RescueSex: [[EstablishingCharacterMoment Our first sign]] that Dillinger doesn't have Reese's moral standards is when he accepts this from a grateful DamselInDistress, much to Finch's disapproval.
87	-->"The next time an attractive woman wants to thank you for saving her life, a simple "You're welcome" should suffice."
88	* SayingTooMuch: Finch quickly interrupts when Casey starts to explain to Dillinger how the government hired him to tiger team this machine...
89	* SoMuchForStealth: Finch nearly gets killed when he steps on a twig, but as he's behind a tree Shaw doesn't see him when she looks towards the sound. Could be a MythologyGag, as Finch asked if Shaw couldn't step on a twig when doing her StealthHiBye in "4C".
90	* ShoutOut: Dillinger refers to Reese/Stanton as ''Film/MrAndMrsSmith2005''.
91	* SinisterScrapingSound: Finch winces at Dillinger sharpening his knife.
92	* SlippingAMickey
93	* SpecialEditionTitle: This episode begins with the [[OpeningNarration opening narration]] from Season 1. It gets to the point where Finch says, "But I needed a partner--" and [[IdiosyncraticWipe rewinds itself]] all the way back to 2010.
94	* TheSpook: Greer. Apart from Finch, he is the only person that the Machine doesn't name (giving him a [REDACTED]).
95	* SpotTheImposter: Suspicious of the SSCI man, Casey asks him when the organisation was founded. When he can't answer, he leaves immediately.
96	* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Finch vs. Dillinger, [[SimilarSquad unsurprisingly]].
97	* TemptingFate: Dillinger asks if Finch has come to bury him if it all goes wrong. Earlier he says that if Finch doesn't like how he does things, "you're more than welcome to come get dirty in the trenches." Their relationship ends with Finch burying him.
98	* ThouShaltNotKill: Averted by Dillinger, who seems indifferent at best.
99	-->'''Finch:''' I hope the threats required an ambulance, and not a coroner.
100	* TheToothHurts: Reese spares Casey's life, then [[GoodIsNotNice hands him some pliers and tells him he needs proof of his death to take back to his superiors]].
101	* TortureTechnician: Stanton tortures a man with wasabi chopsticks!
102	* TheUnreveal
103	** In "The Crossing", Root asks Finch how many other "[[DumbMuscle helper monkeys]]" he went through before getting to Reese, implying that there were others beside Dillinger. However the identity or fate of these unrevealed members of Team Machine is unknown.
104	** We're never shown how Finch would recognise Reese on sight as a CIA agent.
105	* UnwantedAssistance: Dillinger's attitude to Finch. It doesn't end well.
106	* VillainousDemotivator: Control and Greer give their subordinates an ImpliedDeathThreat if they screw up.
107	* WithAllDueRespect: Special Counsel cites the VillainBall re killing Nathan Ingram, instead of using him to get access to the Machine.
108	* WhiteShirtOfDeath: Shaw puts a bullethole through Dillinger's white shirt.
109	* WhoAreYou: Unlike Reese, Dillinger has his answer ready.
110	-->'''DamselInDistress:''' Who are you?
111	-->'''Dillinger:''' Protector of the innocent. Heard you could use some protecting.
112	* YouHaveFailedMe: Control orders this done to Reese and Stanton for not getting the laptop from Casey (hence the cruise missile in Ordos), despite that never being part of their official mission objectives. Greer tells one of his subordinates that he's one more screwup from getting this himself.

Context Recap / PersonOfInterestS03E16