‘Person of Interest’ Season One Finale Recap and Review

Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson in 'Person of Interest'
Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson in 'Person of Interest' - Photo © CBS

“Just because you’re paranoid, that doesn’t mean they’re not out to kill you,” says Reese (Jim Caviezel) to Dr. Turing (guest star Amy Acker), his and Finch’s latest person of interest while their being hunted by both corrupt cops and the FBI in the season one finale of the hit CBS drama thriller Person of Interest.

When “The Machine” indicates Dr. Turing, a psychologist who caters to the very rich and powerful, is going to be involved in a violent crime, Finch and Reese suspect that it might be one of her clients behind the hit trying to keep some secrets hidden. While saving Turing from the first hit team, Reese is noticed by the FBI using some of the same covert surveillance run by The Machine. Now the manhunt is on, with the FBI trying to get to Reese and take him alive while dirty cops try to kill both him and Turing. These dire circumstances force Finch away from his master keyboard and out into the world to try to help Reese, which makes him vulnerable to an even bigger and more menacing threat.

Suspenseful and taut, the Person of Interest season one finale (“Firewall”) is an engrossing, extremely original drama/thriller that will have the audience glued to their televisions, wondering how Reese, Finch, and Dr. Turing will ever escape certain doom. It’s a sharply written, well-acted series with an A-list cast led by Jim Caviezel, who is perfect in the role of Reese, the ex-CIA operative who still wants to make a difference in the world for the better. Caviezel’s icy delivery of his lines to the show’s villains is both intimidating and effective. He brings a deliberate and likable determination to the role.

Michael Emerson is wonderful as Finch, the rich computer genius who is the mastermind behind helping those in need and has developed a real semi-trusting partnership with Reese. His constant concern for those he and Reese are trying to help, and for his partner when he gets in a bit over his head, is the true soul of the show.

Person of Interest has a strong cloak-and-dagger feel and style to it, and there is a heightened sense of paranoia throughout every episode, with all the characters at different times being viewed by the hidden security covert cameras. The action in the series is first rate with shoot-outs and explosions almost matching the size and excitement seen on the big screen.

With a truly shocking cliffhanger ending and the fate of one of the main characters in question, Person of Interest season one is hands-down the best new series on television. Here’s to anxiously waiting for season two to debut.

GRADE: A-