Start at Being Watched

This is my first blog, normally I should write something really attractive, but…while…I am not that good.

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Person of Interest (POI) is my recent favorite TV series. I am very enthusiastic about it right now. Such enthusiasm is something I would never expect before, because I used to despise this show.

To be honest, the first episode of POI is not really attractive, definitely not as good as the first episode of Empire. Maybe even half of the first season are not interesting to most of the audience, because I have a lot of friends who quit watching this show after they watched several episodes, including myself. Almost the first ten episodes follow an easy pattern: main characters save people who are going to be killed. Three years ago I watched POI, recommended by a bunch of people on Internet who were crazily talking about POI at every website. I watched four episodes of the first season, then I dropped it, transferred my interest to the Two Broke Girls and never thought I would watch POI again. I totally felt that such repeating boring crime stories of POI were not even as attracted as daily silly jokes happened in a cheap diner.  

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However, last winter break when I went back home, my best friend kept telling me stories in POI and stories about the actors and actresses in the show. I was attracted by those stories. At the moment, few weeks ago, just in time the show was playing the fiercest war between the Samaritan (a civilian surveillance machine manipulated by an evil organization called Decima Technologies) and our upright main characters on TVs. The story happened to develop to an intense moment and, again whole lot of people were posting stuffs about POI. I couldn't help myself to re-watch this show. Thereby, I started my long way of following the plays of two lovely gay couples (This’s not true lol) and a robust dog.

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I still feel that the beginning episodes of POI are not successful on drawing audience attention. Every time the director is presenting legends of the “Man in the Suit” in ways similar to superhero stories in comics. The character John Reese who is a ex-military and former CIA agent is nearly invincible. Recruited by a reclusive billionaire Harold Finch, Reese resumed his old job, but this time he only save lives instead of taking them. He shows up at vital moment when people need help. He is skillful in various weapons especially guys. Like most of the heroes, he also lost someone he love in the past. Scarifying himself for others, Reese is one of the gentlest persons in the world. This hero type of setting has been used by too much film or drama right now. Simply hero stories without extraordinary special effect are no longer appealing to most of the audience. Therefore, the story about the “Man in the Suit” cannot grab my attention at first.

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But when a powerful villain start to make noises in the show, my interest was suddenly raised. Carl Elias, one of the most popular bad guy in POI, put a bullet on Reese in S01E07; John had to let Elias free. This seventh episode is pretty interesting: a surprise changeover in the plot, the person Reese and Harold thought they were protecting turns to be the head of the most powerful gang in the future. Although it still seems to be cliches, and predictable (because the writer and the director really enjoy twisting the plot, the audience can basically tell that the nice guys in the beginning are usually the real perpetrators) this is the first time that “the bigger picture” of this show emerges and a kick-ass character finally beat our “the Man in the Suit”.

In spite the fact that almost three seasons of POI are composed by scattered stories on saving individual person of interest, until Samaritan replace the machine(a civilian surveillance machine built by Finch however has its own thoughts) and plan to erase everyone who is on Finch’s side, a lot of separate stories are elaborate and edifying. Especially each episode turns to be more compelling along with the scenario develops. More importantly, POI creates very successful characters who are beloved by the audience. Those captivating characters will keep the audience to watch this show towards the end. 

 

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