Prisoner's Dilemma (Person of Interest)

"Prisoner's Dilemma" is the twelfth episode of the second season of the American crime drama television series Person of Interest. It is the 35th overall episode of the series. It was written by David Slack and directed by Chris Fisher. It originally aired on CBS on January 10, 2013. The name of the episode is based on game theory concept of the same name.

Plot[]

Reese (Jim Caviezel), having been captured by the FBI in "Shadow Box," is detained at Rikers Island, along with three other men suspected of being the mysterious criminal dubbed "The Man in the Suit." Carter (Taraji P. Henson) attempts to stall the investigation and is initially forced to play along with the idea that Reese is a criminal, under the watchful eye of Agent Nicholas Donnelly (Brennan Brown). Reese remains silent during the first round of interrogation.

Finch (Michael Emerson) works to help Carter get Reese out of jail, assigning Fusco (Kevin Chapman) to handle their latest number, supermodel Karolina Kurkova, in the meantime.

The other three suspects being held are also using cover identities, including those of bank workers. Reese is brought before Carter under the alias John Warren. Operating from the Library, Finch uses his computer expertise to create IDs and confirmation records for everything Reese says about himself. Reese claims that he doesn't know why he was arrested and simply wants to go home.

In Washington D.C., Special Counsel (Jay O. Sanders) receives a report on The Man in the Suit and asks his man Hersh (Boris McGiver) to track down the operative, informing him that he is being held with three other suspects at Rikers. Hersh fires his weapon several times into the air on a crowded street, deliberately getting himself arrested and remanded to Rikers with access to Reese.

Carter convinces Donnelly to uncuff the suspects in order for them to gain their trust and keeps Finch informed of the investigation. Donnelly reviews the evidence he has on the suspects' backgrounds and goes to the work address where Warren is apparently employed. He encounters a complete, fully operational business with an office full of Warren's personal effects. Finch calls Carter to tell her that John Warren is Reese's most complete cover identity, though work is still to be done and the whole operation could be jeopardized if Donnelly spots even a single flaw. They decide to try pinning one of the other suspects as The Man in the Suit as Finch searches the other suspects' backgrounds for any link to criminal activity. Donnelly later gives Carter an earpiece for his assistance during interrogations.

A flashback to 2007 shows Reese and Kara Stanton (Annie Parisse) during a CIA mission, highlighting Reese's discomfort with being an assassin. Kara reassures him that their victims are not innocent, and that loving a job makes you good at it.

In the present day, Carter asks Reese if he's killed anyone, but Reese asks her the same question - she agrees to answer if he does so first. Reese talks about how he killed an enemy militant in Bosnia, being forced past his discomfort with the subject. He continues on about his family with all of his information matching records quickly being created by Finch. Donnelly is not satisfied with Carter's soft and friendly approach, but insists they get as much information as possible out of the other men. Hersh, meanwhile, is brought into Rikers as Carter interrogates the other suspects. One man's cover is broken and he is identified as Brian Kelly; Donnelly confirms he has no connection to The Man in the Suit.

During food and exercise time, Reese encounters Byron (Terry Serpico), the previous owner of his dog, Bear. Before he can attack Reese, Byron is stopped by a hulking man who escorts Reese to his old foe Carl Elias (Enrico Colantoni), who offers his help to Reese. Though cautious, Reese points Hersh out to Elias and asks him to send a photo to Finch.

A flashback to 2009 shows Reese and Kara, posing as a couple, going to a bar to carry out orders to kill another couple.

During another interrogation, Reese tells Carter about his military service. Donnelly interrupts to inform Carter that another prisoner wants to talk; the man reveals his real name as Charles Macavoy and requests immunity in exchange for everything he knows. Donnelly agrees to the deal if Macavoy can identify The Man in the Suit. Suddenly, the fire alarm goes off, and Finch tells Carter he is responsible. He asks her to sneak her phone into Macavoy's pocket and calls the prisoner, blackmailing him into following his instructions. The fire alarm is confirmed to be false, and Hersh kills Kelly in his cell.

Macavoy identifies the other remaining suspect as The Man in the Suit, but Donnelly gets a message indicating that someone got to Macavoy. He tells Carter that Kelly apparently hung himself and observes how Macavoy appears to be too nervous to tell the truth, figuring that if he is pointing to one suspect, the other - Reese - must be the man.

Another flashback shows Kara threatening Reese to ditch his "boy scout" personality and focus on being a killer; in turn, he forcefully convinces her that he loves his job, echoing her earlier sentiments and kissing her to prove his dedication.

Reese tells Carter in an interrogation that he didn't return to the military post-9/11 because of a relationship. Donnelly later suggests one last test to Carter that will finally reveal Reese - he sends Reese out into the yard and allows the other inmates to beat him in an attempt to see his elite combat skills on display. Reese deliberately allows himself to be beaten until Elias asks the inmates to back off. Carter is furious at how far Donnelly is willing to go and interrogates the other remaining suspect, Packer, provoking him to choke her and allow her to pin him as The Man in the Suit instead. Reese is subsequently released from prison.

Reese later meets with Carter to thank her for her help, when Donnelly suddenly comes up to them with a gun, having deduced that Reese is indeed The Man in the Suit and working together with Carter. He handcuffs them both, telling Carter she wasted a career helping a criminal.

Flashbacks to 2010 show Mark Snow (Michael Kelly) secretly informing Reese to kill Kara and vice versa, and the subsequent mission in Ordos where Kara is presumably killed by a missile (all from "Matsya Nyaya").

Fusco, meanwhile, saves Kurkova from Armenian mobsters. He calls Finch, who suddenly receives a number from The Machine.

Donnelly talks to Carter while driving, confronting her with evidence that she was helping Reese the whole time. Finch, meanwhile, is horrified to realize that the new number is Donnelly's - he calls to warn him when a truck hits the car. Kara Stanton steps out, shoots Donnelly, and sedates Reese.

Reception[]

Ratings[]

The episode gained 15.67 million views in the US.^[1]

Critical reception[]

The episode received near universal acclaim, with praise for the performances of Caviezel and Henson. Tim Surette of TV.com lauded the episode's writing, saying "'Prisoner's Dilemma' was as complete an episode of Person of Interest as there's ever been. When the show is at its best, it's entertaining from several different angles. It's intense, whether the intensity comes from action or interrogations. It's expansive, unraveling the complex story and mysteries behind its central characters. And it's damn funny, surprising its audience with self-aware humor that's disarming. "Prisoner's Dilemma" hit all these marks without wasting a second, creating an episode with a forward momentum that could not be stopped by anything."^[2] Sean McKenna of TVFanatic.com also gave a positive review, saying "Really, just when you think you have the show pegged, it throws you for a great turn and coming back for more."^[3]

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