God Mode (Person of Interest)

Lore & Background

The episode begins with a replay of Finch splicing telephone circuits, granting both Reese and Root full administrative access from the Machine. The Machine relays warnings to Reese (with Sameen Shaw) and Root (with Finch), saving both duos from threats. Both parties race to find the Machine, but Reese is delayed as the Machine directs him to rescue people from the irrelevant list. Detective Carter is interviewed by IA about a shooting; she later stops Raymond Terney and Peter Yogorov from killing Carl Elias, wounding Yogorov and freeing Elias. Root finds Arthur Nelson, the Project Manager for Northern Lights, who is killed by a government operative sniper. Root and Finch arrive at the Hanford nuclear facility where the Machine is kept, followed by Reese and Shaw. When they find the Machine, Root prepares to shoot Finch, but Shaw wounds her first. Armed government men, led by Special Counsel and accompanied by Hersh, enter. Finch reveals he planted a hidden code granting the Machine freedom to protect itself. Special Counsel offers Finch autonomy if he helps find the Machine or builds a new one, but Finch refuses. After Special Counsel lets them leave, an unknown woman calls Hersh and orders him to “seal the room,” after which Hersh and his men shoot the armed government men (cleaners), not Special Counsel; Special Counsel is killed later off-screen.

Reader's Guide

The episode serves as a pivotal conclusion to the second season, resolving the immediate threat to the Machine while setting up new dynamics. It reveals the Machine's ability to act autonomously after Finch's hidden code activates, granting it freedom to decide whether to continue delivering numbers to the government or to Finch. The episode also deepens the backstory of Finch's injuries and his friend Nathan Ingram's death in a ferry bombing in 2010. The Carter subplot, though criticized as rushed, advances the HR storyline. The final scenes show the Machine still sending irrelevant numbers to Finch via a ringing payphone, while Hersh and an unseen woman discuss a new relevant number, indicating the Machine continues to operate on both tracks. Root is shown in a psychiatric hospital, where the Machine calls her again, asking "Can you hear me?" and she responds "absolutely." The episode received positive reviews, with critics praising its action set-pieces and flashback moments, and it was watched by 13.16 million viewers in the United States.

Did You Know?

• The episode is the 45th overall episode of Person of Interest.
• It aired on May 9, 2013 on CBS in the United States and on CTV in Canada.
• The episode was written by Patrick Harbinson and Jonathan Nolan and directed by Richard J. Lewis.
• The episode received an A− rating from Phil Dyess-Nugent of The A.V. Club.