In Extremis (Person of Interest)

"'In Extremis" is the 20th episode of the second season of the American television drama series Person of Interest. It is the 43rd overall episode of the series and is written by Greg Plageman and Tony Camerino and directed by Chris Fisher. It aired on CBS in the United States and on CTV in Canada on April 25, 2013. The title refers to in extremis, a Latin phrase meaning "in the farthest reaches" or "at the point of death".

Plot[]

Flashbacks[]

In 2011, Fusco (Kevin Chapman) buries Detective Stills' corpse in the woods.

Flashing back to 2004, Fusco meets with Stills (James Hanlon) on a bar, saying that his wife is divorcing him and taking custody of his children. Stills then allows him to stay at his home. Later, Fusco is called by Stills to an apartment where an officer, Azarello, shot a dealer and they stage the scene to look like a legitimate shooting and prevent Azarello from suspicion. In 2005, Fusco once again helps Stills and Azarello to cover a drug deal gone wrong and earns part of their money.

Present day[]

Reese (Jim Caviezel) follows the new number: Dr. Richard Nelson (Dennis Boutsikaris), a highly decorated doctor. Nelson has a strained relationship with his daughter, Molly (Allison Scagliotti), who opposes his faculty's use of animals as experiments. Nelson's health starts deteriorating, with constant nosebleed, vomiting blood and loss of hair.

Finch (Michael Emerson) investigates Nelson's office and finds high levels of alpha particle radiation and realize that Nelson digested Polonium at a party which caused his poisoning. Nelson has less than 24 hours to determine the deadly toxin he was given and find the person behind the attack. Reese is forced to partner with Nelson to track down the killer after they both realize that the radiation has no antidote.

Meanwhile, After Cal Beecher's funeral, Fusco confronts Simmons (Robert John Burke), accusing him of being complicit in Beecher's murder. At the precinct, Fusco is interrogated by Detective Soriano (Ned Eisenberg), who suspends his badge and gun. Azarello has mentioned that Fusco has been covering for Stills and him for some time. Carter (Taraji P. Henson) starts getting suspicious of Fusco and when talking to Fusco, she feels unwilling to learn more about him as he brings up his past crimes. At the location of Stills' body, the officers fail to find the body and Fusco is released. It's revealed that Carter and Bear dug up the body and Elias had Azarello change his testimony in jail. Returning to the precinct, Fusco is handed a new file by Carter to investigate: Cal Beecher's murder.

Reese and Finch take Nelson to confront his boss, Vincent Cochran (Scott Jaeck). Cochran confesses to poison Nelson, intending to hide the company from insider trading investigations. However, Cochran realizes he has been poisoned by Reese. Nelson makes some last arranges before dying, thanking Reese for helping him in his last hours. This prompts Reese and Finch to question how the Machine gave them late numbers with no way to change the outcome. The episode ends as the Machine's primary sistems malfunction and go offline.

Reception[]

Viewers[]

In its original American broadcast, "In Extremis" was seen by an estimated 13.22 million household viewers and gained a 2.4/7 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. This means that 2.4 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 7 percent of all households watching television at that time watched it.^[1] This was a 10% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 14.57 million viewers with a 2.7/8 in the 18-49 demographics.^[2] With these ratings, Person of Interest was the second most watched show on CBS for the night, beating Elementary and Two and a Half Men but behind The Big Bang Theory, second on its timeslot and sixth for the night in the 18-49 demographics, behind Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, American Idol, Two and a Half Men, and The Big Bang Theory.

With Live +7 DVR factored in, the episode was watched by 16.44 million viewers with a 3.4 in the 18-49 demographics.^[3]

Critical reviews[]

"In Extremis" received positive reviews from critics. Phil Dyess-Nugent of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "C" grade and wrote, "Say what? I can't say that I've given that much thought to how Fusco got dirty, but if I had, based on the unrepentant, murderous thug of the show's early episodes, I wouldn't have imagined anything like this."^[4]

Tim Surette of TV.com wrote "This leaves us in an incredible spot to wrap up the second season as the stakes are higher than they've ever been. The Machine has been bricked, Carter dug up a dead cop, Fusco needs to face HR, and Bear needs to go to the doggy wash. However, Reese and Finch don't appear to be in immediate danger. Can that last? I can't wait to find out."^[5]

Sean McKenna of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.3 star rating out of 5 and wrote "This was an enjoyable setup for what seems to be a major final two episodes, delving into character, a case of the week and the larger stories that have been interwoven throughout Person of Interest Season 2."^[6]

References[]

External links[]

• "In Extremis" at IMDb