Lady Killer (Person of Interest)
A suspected serial killer is revealed to be a victim.
"Lady Killer" is the third episode of the third season of the American television drama series Person of Interest, and the 48th overall episode. It was written by co-executive producer Amanda Segel and directed by Omar Madha, and aired on CBS in the United States and on CTV in Canada on October 8, 2013. The episode follows the team as they investigate a man who appears to stalk women, while Root begins her escape from a psychiatric hospital with the aid of the Machine.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Person of Interest
- Season
- 3
- Director
- Omar Madha
- Writer
- Amanda Segel
- Photographer
- Manuel Billeter
- Editor
- Scott Powell
- Production
- 2J7603
- Runtime
- 44 minutes
- Airdate
- 2013-10-08
- Guests
- Paige Turco as Zoe Morgan / Warren Kole as Ian Murphy / Bruce Altman as Dr. Ronald Carmichael / Ron Raines as Bruce Wellington / Boris McGiver as Hersh
- Prev
- Nothing to Hide
- Next
- Reasonable Doubt
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In the episode, John Reese and Sameen Shaw follow a new number, Ian Murphy, a man who dates many women in a short period. Searching his apartment, Reese finds evidence of stalking, leading the team to believe Murphy is a serial killer. Shaw, Carter, and Zoe Morgan use a dating app to approach Murphy at a nightclub; Murphy invites Carter to dinner, which she accepts. The dinner is calm and ends with a kiss, but outside two hitmen attack them and are shot by Shaw. Meanwhile, Hersh searches psychiatric hospitals for Root. In a session with Dr. Carmichael, Root says the Machine has a plan for her. She uses the Machine to steal prescriptions, and Finch learns someone asked about her. Fusco discovers the hitmen were sent by Bruce Wellington, whose daughter Dana was killed. Dana was one of Murphy's ex-girlfriends. Murphy admits to stalking women as "research" but says he never hurt anyone. He explains that he dated Dana in college, she became pregnant, but Wellington paid him to leave town and threatened him. Finch learns Dana did not have an abortion; Wellington hid the child, Alex, with an aunt. Reese, Shaw, and Zoe confront Wellington and knock him out. Murphy poses as Alex's driver and takes him to a park. Carter helps Murphy get Alex's birth certificate for custody. At the hospital, Root uses the prescriptions to incapacitate guards via the ventilation system. Hersh arrives and a shootout occurs; Root shoots him in the shoulder but does not kill him, as the Machine instructs. Root escapes as Finch arrives and sees the scene.
Reader's Guide
"Lady Killer" received positive reviews from critics, though the case-of-the-week was often described as undercooked. Matt Fowler of IGN gave it a 7.5 out of 10, praising Root's escape as "freakin' awesome" but noting the A-story lacked payoff. Phil Dyess-Nugent of The A.V. Club gave a B−, appreciating the subversion of expectations—the apparent serial killer turns out to be a sympathetic figure—but noting the episode's storytelling choices. The episode was seen by an estimated 11.65 million household viewers with a 2.0/6 ratings share among adults 18–49, a 6% decrease from the previous episode. With Live+7 DVR, viewership rose to 16.04 million with a 3.1 in the 18–49 demographic. The episode is significant for concluding Root's hospital arc and for its twist on the typical villain-of-the-week format.
More in Person of Interest episodes 1-24
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