Mission Creep (Person of Interest)
Third episode of Person of Interest's first season.
"Mission Creep" serves as the third installment of Person of Interest's debut season, and the series' third episode overall. Patrick Harbinson wrote it, with Steven DePaul directing. CBS broadcast it in the United States and CTV in Canada on October 6, 2011. The narrative splits between a 2006 flashback and a contemporary storyline centered on Joey Durban, a soldier recently returned from Afghanistan.
In the 2006 flashback, Reese encounters Jessica at an airport after coming back from an overseas assignment. He learns she is now engaged. Jessica says she waited for him; Reese replies he never asked her to. She suggests he chose solitude out of fear he would die overseas, leaving her alone and unhappy. Reese counters that overseas you learn "In the end, we're all alone. And no one's coming to save you." He tells her to be happy with Peter, but she asks him to tell her to wait. He says nothing, but as she walks away, he whispers, “Wait for me. Please.”
In the present, Reese and Finch receive the number of Joey Durban, a doorman and former soldier. After cloning his phone, Reese follows Joey to a bank, where Joey and a gang are robbing it. Reese stops a guard from shooting them, and they escape with cash. Tracking Joey, Reese sees him giving money to a woman, despite having a fiancée named Pia Moresco. He also observes Joey receiving money from a taxi driver who served in the same infantry division. Analyzing the stops, they identify a bar owner, Sam Latimer, a Gulf War veteran and former division member. Reese visits Latimer, posing as a soldier wanting to join. Refused due to lack of space, Finch plants a gun on a gang member to get him arrested, opening a spot for Reese.
Detective Carter reviews footage of Reese stopping the guard and questions his role in the robbery. Investigating, she finds a military radio stolen from Fort Drum six months earlier. Reese confronts Joey, who admits the gang forced him into robberies after his return. Later, the gang attempts a casino heist, but Carter and the NYPD, having traced the radio, locate a gang member, forcing the group to flee without the money.
Reese and Finch discover the woman Joey was meeting lost her husband—a soldier killed in Afghanistan after replacing Joey on his post. Feeling responsible, Joey secretly delivers money to her family, unbeknownst to his fiancée.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Person of Interest
- Season
- 1
- Episode
- 3
- Director
- Steven DePaul
- Writer
- Patrick Harbinson
- Photographer
- Richard Rutkowski
- Editor
- Scott Lerner
- Production
- 2J6203
- Runtime
- 44 minutes
- Airdate
- 2011-10-06
- Prev
- Ghosts
- Next
- Cura Te Ipsum
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In flashbacks to 2006, Reese runs into Jessica at an airport after returning from an overseas job. He learns she is now engaged. Jessica says she waited for him; Reese replies he did not ask her to. She says he decided he was afraid of getting killed and leaving her alone. Reese responds that in the end we are all alone and no one is coming to save you. He tells her to be happy with Peter, but as she walks away he says, "Wait for me. Please."
In the present day, Reese and Finch get the number of Joey Durban, a soldier returned from Afghanistan working as a doorman. Reese follows Joey to a bank robbery. Reese prevents a guard from shooting the gang, and they escape. Joey gives money to a woman whose husband died in Afghanistan when he replaced Joey on his position. Joey feels responsible and delivers money to the family without his fiancée Pia's knowledge. The gang, led by Sam Latimer, forces Joey to participate in robberies. After a casino heist is foiled by NYPD, the gang must infiltrate an NYPD evidence locker to retrieve a file. Finch is taken hostage; the file reads "Elias, M." Latimer kills two gang members and escapes. Reese gives Joey money to leave New York with Pia. Carter uses a military radio to communicate with Reese but he does not expose himself. Reese and Finch find Latimer murdered in an apartment after he handed over the file.
Reader's Guide
The episode "Mission Creep" is significant as it develops the backstory of Reese through flashbacks and introduces the recurring character of Detective Carter, who begins investigating Reese. The plot establishes the show's pattern of the team receiving a number, investigating, and intervening in a crime. The episode received generally positive reviews, with critics noting it was a stronger installment than the first two episodes. It was seen by an estimated 11.57 million household viewers in the US, a slight decrease from the previous episode. The episode's focus on Joey Durban's guilt and the gang's heists sets up future storylines involving the file marked "Elias, M."
Did You Know?
- The episode was written by Patrick Harbinson and directed by Steven DePaul.
- It aired on October 6, 2011 on CBS in the US and CTV in Canada.
- The file retrieved from the evidence locker reads "Elias, M."
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