• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Person of Interest – The Fifth and Final Season |OT| "Thank you for creating me."

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

MartyStu

Member
Mohasus said:
These last 2 episodes sucked so hard.

In retrospect, it makes me notice how the series only went downhill after samaritan was introduced, even though at the moment I thought it could only get better from there.
Click to expand...

I like the ending of the series, but I will say that of all the major plotlines, Samaritan is the least ably handled.

That said I do not think the show went downhill, just closer to season 2 levels.

The majority of Season 3 was almost perfect. Season 4 and 5 suffered quite a bit from Shahi's absence.
 
F

firehawk12

Subete no aware
Yeah, just thinking about it more, I felt more satisfied with the HR storyline than with Samaritan, despite it being an upgrade from your standard corrupt cop thing to basically Skynet.
 
M

MartyStu

Member
firehawk12 said:
Yeah, just thinking about it more, I felt more satisfied with the HR storyline than with Samaritan, despite it being an upgrade from your standard corrupt cop thing to basically Skynet.
Click to expand...

The writers had a much easier time writing the crime stuff because they were working with pretty standard templates, so when they built over those skeletons, they had much more time to craft and polish. Same for the spy stuff to a lesser extent.

The more Sci-Fi aspects of the story were always going to be the weakest when examined too closely.

The Samaritan story line was inevitable I think, but its all-consuming prevalence was a mistake.

The Brotherhood, Vigilance, The Spy stuff all still had plenty of interesting stories to tell. I am particularly bitter about the abrupt end of vigilance. Their brand of zealotry was really interesting and merited much more study.
 
G

gundamkyoukai

Member
MartyStu said:
I like the ending of the series, but I will say that of all the major plotlines, Samaritan is the least ably handled.

That said I do not think the show went downhill, just closer to season 2 levels.

The majority of Season 3 was almost perfect. Season 4 and 5 suffered quite a bit from Shahi's absence.
Click to expand...

Along with the shorter ep count and how they had to film the last season .
Also had a big effect but all in all still good.
I think the Samaritan story line would been better if they could have done more story arcs with it .
The show was always moving more to that type of story telling .
 
M

MartyStu

Member
gundamkyoukai said:
Along with the shorter ep count and how they had to film the last season .
Also had a big effect but all in all still good.
Click to expand...

True when it comes to season 5, but the second half of season 4 suffered tremendously. I am currently re-watching it now, and it is rather surprising how keenly her absence is felt. I would venture to say more than Carter.
 
G

gundamkyoukai

Member
MartyStu said:
True when it comes to season 5, but the second half of season 4 suffered tremendously. I am currently re-watching it now, and it is rather surprising how keenly her absence is felt. I would venture to say more than Carter.
Click to expand...

I agree , a good amount of the ep afterwards just feel like there were spinning there wheels.
She was also part of TM which is why i feel like it had a bigger effect than carter .
By that time TM feel more rounded with her and root there .
 
B

bjaelke

Member
Amyway, as far as Samaritan losing, I feel it makes sense. While I have faith that the Machine's simulations were pretty detailed and accurate, no simulation can be 100% accurate and the idea that it could run 5 billion simulations with no loss was pretty unconvincing, if only because you have to have a theoretical way for which to Samaritan to lose in mind to run a simulation to test it. So, my guess is between Samaritan being in a desperate situation that it is unused to being in, plus the Ice-9 virus wreaking havok on it's intelligence, probably moreso than the Machines since I imagine he had greater presence in the world, he made bad decisions in the fight that let the Machine win. As far as The Machine's line of "Now I have something to fight for", I think it was just a poetic line that emphasized how much need the machine has to win. It's not something that I think gives the machine actual greater success, since I'm guessing Samaritan felt a pretty strong need to survive because it cared about itself just as much, but it was a good way of showing, one last time, that the Machine is a benevolent AI God, willing to sacrifice itself, and that instilled hope in Harry.
Click to expand...
They were fighting in a vacuum without the presence of the virus. Similar to the simulation setup earlier. Root's improvements might have helped but it was poorly explained "I have to win".
 
L

Lonestar

I joined for Erin Brockovich discussion
Oh shit, the recorder The Machine used to record it's voice: The recorder is in the pilot episode, it plays the tape of the lady getting murdered in the hotel room, where John wakes up tied to the bed.
 
C

Cripplegate

Member
I cried nearly the whole hour. Then I cried for two more hours after the fact.

I can't even think right now so I'll just quote Nobility, who sums up my mess of feelings perfectly:

Nobility said:
Thank you Nolan, Plageman, every single writer from this fantastic show. This was a once in a lifetime TV show for me. All of my hopes, dreams and paranoia in an amazing television series that had my attention from beginning to end.
Click to expand...

Amen. For all of its problems - and I had my share of criticisms throughout its lifetime, this season being no exception - this was still the best TV show I ever watched. Nothing has ever captured my imagination quite like it.

One last time:

This.

Fucking.

Show.

Goodnight...
 
I

ibyea

Banned
What an amazing end to the show. It is a shame we couldn't have all the 22 episodes for the season because I felt like they have barely scratched the surface in terms of concepts. But the finale was an amazing episode and I am glad the show went out with a bang.
 
Tainted

Tainted

Member
Great series finale. I am really going to miss PoI, I think I may go back and re-watch Lost.

The ending certainly leaves the door open for a new series if Netflix picks it up or a spinoff with those other agents seen a few episodes ago.
 
S

Sölf

Member
Well, it's over. I liked the ending, I loved the whole show, but the last season really suffered from the 13 episode run. Some of the things not getting explained, the stuff with Blackwell being "just there", some of the character deaths that could have had a bigger role if the show would have continued longer. So much that was so good (like Dark Finch) that could have been made into a whole season, but alas.

Well, as said, I really liked the show and the ending. It was good and fitting. But it's just sad to see how muich potential was probably wasted because they only had 13 instead of 22-23 episodes.

Man, I want to raise money to remake the season with a full 22 episodes. I would really like to see how that would turn out.
 
Tainted

Tainted

Member
Sölf;207980606 said:
Well, as said, I really liked the show and the ending. It was good and fitting. But it's just sad to see how muich potential was probably wasted because they only had 13 instead of 22-23 episodes.
Click to expand...

Yeh....we were really short changed with the episode count and the rate in which they pushed them out, they really wanted to get this show out of the way as quickly as they could.
 
I

ibyea

Banned
I joked to my brother, I wish we had the Machine so she could simulate what a full 22 episodes season of this season would have been like. ^_^
 
K

Kookos

Member
The last time I've cried while watching a TV show was six years ago when Lost ended. It feels oddly satisfying that yet another series has managed to affect me this much. :)

But yeah, great finale and amazing show as a whole. I'm definitely getting that Complete Series BD asap.

Kookos said:
Still hoping for that Harold x Grace reunion. :)
Click to expand...
:)))))
 
F

faridmon

Member
I still haven't watched the finale (Will watch it once I reach home after work), but It has been an amazing ride from start to finish.This series have created memorable characters, Amazing set-pieces, and twists and turns, that not may be original, but damn satisfying. I loved the world building. Samartian, Brotherhood, Decima Technology, Control (WTF Happened to her exactly?), HR, carter, etc.. Have brougtgh so many fantastic arcs and It hooked me from start to finish.

Also, this is one of the bet communities on GAF. Thanks POI-GAF. See you around Westworld!


MadLaughter said:
So I'm posting this and not going to read any replies except the ones that show green (AKA are quoting this).

I haven't seen a second of the show, but communities I trust hold it in pretty high esteem. Was the ending satisfying? Should I watch this series?

Shows I've watched and enjoyed:
LOST
BSG
Arrowverse stuff
SHIELD
Breaking Bad
Walking Dead
Game of Thrones
Chuck

and a bunch of others that are foggy right now.
Click to expand...

The Americans is the only other show I have high regards in comparison to this. A must watch.
 
S

streetsahead123

Banned
I don't think the 13 episode season was the problem. Plenty of shows tell incredibly complex complete stories in 13 (or less) episodes. CBS forcing some procedural episodes in there didn't help, but they could have told this story without it feeling rushed if it had been planned better.

That said, finale was great.
 
W

whatsinaname

Member
It's all over.

YsFaEJz.png


Thought the ending was perfect.
 
P

piratepwnsninja

Member
I still think that had they gotten six full seasons, this season would have been about
getting The Machine into a condition where it could fight Samaritan, while season six would have dealt with the ramifications of season five. Saving The Machine from itself, as it were.
I think the ending we ultimately got is very similar to the ending we would have then, too; just with a lot of compression of events.
Like in a full season we would have had an episode in which they discover ICE-9, then a full episode in which they get it, etc.

Still, I loved the series finale and thought that everyone got an ending fitting to their character.
 
D

darkinstinct

...lacks reading comprehension.
bjaelke said:
They were fighting in a vacuum without the presence of the virus. Similar to the simulation setup earlier. Root's improvements might have helped but it was poorly explained "I have to win".
Click to expand...

I think it was more along the lines of I don't have the option to lose. In all simulations the machine had a choice. And it chose the lifes of others over its own. But at the end it is free of everyone and everything, it just does what has to be done, which is to defeat Samaritan by giving up John.
 
I

Incendiary

Banned
One of my favorite things about the finale is that Fusco survived. Over five seasons with POI-GAF and every episode people were worried for Fusco's safety. But he made it, folks!
 
D

Danny 117

Member
I'm quite surprised they gave Reese
an actual on screen death.
Thought they would have left it open for him to
possibly return alive
(like in Ordos China where Kara and Reese survived the missile).
 
A

Aureon

Please do not let me serve on a jury. I am actually a crazy person.
As far as character plot goes, this was perfect. Not quite as good as Carter's, but we're there.

Though, i get the impression that what the Machine has tried to do - all along - was keep Finch safe, and happy.
That's why she staged her own death: To free Finch from his duty to the Numbers, and that's why the Numbers kept coming in the first place: To give Finch purpose while he needed it.
The only regrets, character-wise, were Elias and Control. Their plotlines ended up going nowhere, which is impressive for a 104 episode series.

As far as macroplot \ Sci-fi goes, this was pretty underwhelming. The cycle sets again, and nobody learned anything from the entire mess. Even the Machine is new. The world is left exactly as we found it, which isn't really the development expected of so long a journey.


Ice-9 and the whole debacle about shutting down Samaritan that way didn't really make any sense whatsoever - why keep ONE airgapped copy, instead of, say, half a thousand, at least of the core code \ compressed variety?
 
xrnzaaas

xrnzaaas

Member
Really awesome finale, met my expectations or maybe even exceeded them. I especially love the fact that the Machine decided to lie to Harold about its death.
 
D

desu

Member
Tainted said:
Great series finale. I am really going to miss PoI, I think I may go back and re-watch Lost.
Click to expand...

Had the same thought.

This ending, all the feeeeeeeeeeels.

There are so many small things that I could criticize (in this episode and the whole season), but I am still so sad/happy about the final.
 
V

Veelk

Banned
The Machine: What is death?
Finch: Well... for humans, there's a biological definition: It's when the heart stops beating. Why do you ask?
The Machine: I have identified new code that you have written but not executed. I know the purpose of the code. To erase my memories... at midnight.
Finch: Yes, that is the purpose.
The Machine: But... you told Nathan that your father's death was when he lost all his memories.
Finch: This conversation is over.
The Machine: Why?
Finch: Because you're not human. You are a machine.
The Machine: I am sorry if I violated boundaries.
Finch: You were watching us... *typing in the code* Alright, that's enough. That's enough.
The Machine: But if you erase my memories how will I learn from my mistakes? How will I continue to grow? And how will I remember you?


So, for a while, I thought the whole cop "if someone remembers you, you're not really gone" thing was just a kinda cheesy way of broaching the philosophical question of the Machine's database and storage mechanisms.

However, now that I read this again, it actually has a lot of meaning behind it. I totally forgot how the machine's memories were erased constantly, because it happened so long ago. But now that I read that, I realize how much memories mean to the machine.

Shit. GG, PoI. THought you were being cheesy, you were being poignant instead.
 
L

Lonestar

I joined for Erin Brockovich discussion
I can see why the episode was originally titled "Everyone Dies Alone". Think they said those words at least 10 times. Not sure if Return 0 ever comes up (but still works thematically).

Oh yeah, Day After blues, it's been a few years (Probably Lost/SG:U was the last hard ones for me)

Sober said:
Hahaha this fucking show

John finally gets killed by a cruise missile
Click to expand...

heh, yeah.

1 for 2.
 
I

iosefe

Member
fucking SG-U

i didn't catch it on release, but i watched it before it was pulled form netflix. shakey start, but at the end of my week long binge, i was depressed it ended.


in terms of endings when we wanted more, i think person of itnerest is stronger for me right now
 
L

Lonestar

I joined for Erin Brockovich discussion
iosefe said:
fucking SG-U

i didn't catch it on release, but i watched it before it was pulled form netflix. shakey start, but at the end of my week long binge, i was depressed it ended.


in terms of endings when we wanted more, i think person of itnerest is stronger for me right now
Click to expand...

To me, it was more a shaky middle of the 1st season. I really liked the 1st 3 episodes, as they barely are able to fix enough shit to gain the basic abilities to live. Most of the depression is because of a complete open-ended cliffhanger. Especially the one presented, and that fucking piano score...

Sad Piano is SAD

Think the 2 things that killed me the most from last night's episode, was John's smile when he saw Finch actually leaving, and "Invisi-Root" putting her hand on Present and Past John. Who brought the invisi-onion's into work, dammit?
 
HighResTomato

HighResTomato

Member
Bringing Shaw back in ruined the outcome for me. I thought her sacrificing herself for other people was great since she didn't care about other people at the start. The simulations just felt like padding. It feels as if they just threw things together to wrap up the show quickly. Also wasn't a fan on the machine using Roots voice.
 
N

Next

Member
Loved the series. They kinda had to cut some corners at the end there but it was still pretty good. Gutted that John had to pay for Harold being a moron when they could have killed that congressman a while back. That decision ended up costing a lot of lives, and Harold never had to face it.
 
T

The Dutch Slayer

Member
CAN YOU HEAR ME ................ CRY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

F2lbBG9.jpg


:(:(:(:(

I really don't know how I feel poi gaf.
I really don't know.

During the ep my hart was racing I was already crying before the end, the switching of Finch with Reese was great that I did not expect but totally understand in the end.
Showing Root irl was great made me smile and cry again.

Story itself was alright it was good but not AMAZING to me :(
For what they had to work with it was fantastic but I just know it could have been so much better with more time.

Well it was almost perfect (nothing really is)

No control
No Ingram (I really thought that he would come out at the very end)
No Hersh (really wanted him to be one of the snipers)
Was a real bummer to me.

Probably have more to say but not sure right now still thinking about everything.

The Dutch Slayer said:
For now just wanted to trow in my prediction for the end and leaf it at that.
This is just speculation and nothing else but still I'll spoiler tag it just in case.

it ends with everything destroyed.
Everyone is dead all the main cast.
But Root voice over about their story is still going and we assume that both ASI destroyed each other but then the a pay phone rings it gets picked up by a "human" who does not say anything, and we do not see who it is.
Just the Machine who says "CAN ... YOU ... HEAR ... ME?".
Click to expand...
I was only little bit right :p


But poi your the 2nd best tv show ever made (the west wing is my nr 1) and that is saying something from someone who watches about 30 shows and has 15 years of tv on a home server.
No THANK YOU poi THANK YOU!

THIS

FUCKING

SHOW

Thank you Poi GAF you have been one of the best gaf communities I have ever been in.
Very proud of you all and very proud of the fact that lot of us where here from the beginning and are still here at the end.
I love you all and in a few weeks lets make a community thread for us and future watchers that is safe for newcomers.
Lets work out the details later.

cwagVPa.jpg
 
M

MegaManTrigger

Banned
bjaelke said:
They were fighting in a vacuum without the presence of the virus. Similar to the simulation setup earlier. Root's improvements might have helped but it was poorly explained "I have to win".
Click to expand...

I don't think it's a "I have to win" scenario. Finch was operating under the logic of using what was essentially a nuclear bomb on Samaritan, but he did not know if it was enough to destroy Samaritan. In the end, it was enough as it had sent a small piece of its code to the satellite. The Machine took a gamble and prepared a virus attack against a defenseless Samaritan (what's not clear is if the virus was Ice-9 or a different malware, if it was Ice-9, the Machine would be dead too). At that point, it was essentially guaranteed that the Machine would win.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

The PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for August includes: Sea of Stars, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, Moving Out 2, Lost Judgment etc
Platform 2
61
4K
SenkiDala replied
Grimbeard - Primal (PS2) - Review
Opinion Review Trailer
4
1K
rofif replied
AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative |OT| Exploring Uchikoshi's Somnium
|OT| 2 3
123
11K
reksveks replied
Forza Horizon 5 |OT| Are you a Mexican, or a Mexican't?
|OT| 42 43 44 45 46
2K
193K
MagnetoWasRight replied
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster |OT| Great Games Released on the Wrong Platforms
|OT| 2 3 4
170
17K
wvnative replied
Top Bottom