Person of Interest Review

Network/Writer(s): CBS/Johnathan Nolan

Actors: Jim Caviezel, Micheal Emerson, Taraji P. Henson

Summary: An ex-CIA hitman and a scientist who team up to prevent crimes before they happen.

***

[NOTE: This review may contain spoilers, so please watch the show before reading, or don't.]

Not really a fan of procedurals, except when they have a different or interesting ideas. Person of Interest satisfies this need for me. It basically centers on an ex-CIA Hitman who is recruited by a mysterious man of science with a limp, and is set in New York City, which gives them the chance to have multiple seasons without draining the well (Hell, Law and Order lasted 20 years!).

The ex-assassin, John Reese, played by Jim Caviezel Jesus, who we find out loses someone he loves on 9/11. Before I go on, let me digress here, does every show that is centered in New York have to have some connection to 9/11? It's a tragedy, I know, but the city is transient enough that not everyone needs to be associated with that disaster. Not every show that's based in Hawaii has a connect to Pearl Harbor (correct me if I'm wrong).

Back to Jesus and his missions, he is recruited by a former government scientist named "Finch." Finch created a way for the government to take all of the spying they are doing on Americans and separate them in to basically important and non-important list (holy 1984, Batman). But the twist is that Finch only gets social security numbers. I like this idea because it give the computer a cold approach, while leaving enough mystery that you can have a normal procedural show.

The first case that Reese takes on is that of an ADA who, like most characters the episodes revolves around, may be the criminal, or they maybe the victim. The show moves along at a snails pace with some slick transition shots as Reese follows the ADA gathering information. Then, when he sees the slightest hint of suspicion from one of the possible "suspects" he moves in. This is where the show picks up, as the first twist in the series is a good one, when we find out the ADA is not as squeaky clean as she seems, and is part of a dirty cop/prosecutor gambit.

When the action picks up, Jesus shines. Between bad ass moments, such as, taunting one of the dirty cops who has been tabbed with killing him, and the setting off a flash grenade to flip the car over and escape, he begins to really sell the character. If the rest of the season is like the last half of the show rather than the first half, in terms of dialog and pacing, I think it will succeed on a network like CBS.

Caviezel and Emerson give top notch performances, which should propel the series through season one, just like Mark Harmon did for NCIS. It'll be interesting to see how they use the talent of Henson. If she can become a part of the team in an indirect way by mid-season, I think this show has a solid chance to not hit the first season wall that most procedurals hit. This usually happens when they don't know how to freshen up the show so that it doesn't become predictable; a hurdle which is great when a show clears it.

Rating: 7/10. Slow start hampers overall experience, but great plot twist and interesting exposition, make it worth the time.

Interest: Moderately High. Premise and actor will keep me watching, but if it gets too complicated, I'll bail.