Super (Person of Interest)

"Super" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the American television drama series Person of Interest. It is the 11th overall episode of the series and is written by David Slack and directed by Stephen Williams. It aired on CBS in the United States and on CTV in Canada on January 12, 2012.

Plot[]

Flashbacks[]

In 2005, Nathan Ingram (Brett Cullen) meets with Alicia Corwin (Elizabeth Marvel) to discuss the progress of the Machine. After pressure, he hands Corwin a paper containing the numbers "498003145". Later, Finch (Michael Emerson) sabotages Ingram's computer with coffee just as they are visited by Corwin and Deputy Director Denton Weeks (Cotter Smith). The numbers led them to a dedicated DIA officer, who initially was unremarkable but they eventually was discovered to be arranging to sell Uranium to Iran. Weeks is worried about the purpose of the Machine and its implications but Ingram explains that due to their lack of entrance into the system, they are not doing anything illegal. Weeks plans to shut it down but finds that Ingram sold it to the government for only one dollar. Finch conducts a surveillance from the meeting and the system deems Weeks as a threat.

That night, Ingram and Finch discuss just as the Machine finishes its development. Finch reveals that he used the NSA feeds the company receives as a way to hack the Machine and encrypt it. However, he points out that Weeks may want to seize its control. Later, the Machine detects a possible threat to Ingram.

Present day[]

Finch rushes Reese (Jim Caviezel) to a morgue and pays the coroner to cure Reese's wounds. A few weeks later, Finch gets Reese - who is now on a wheelchair temporally - a rented apartment. He also mentions that the building's super, Ernest Trask (David Zayas), is the newest number. Trask routinely tells elaborate stories about his supposed past, which Reese has a hard time believing are real. Finch states Trask has called antique shops that are known for possessing untraceable handguns.

Finch hacks the security systems and then has Reese distract Trask on his apartment while he checks his office. He finds photographs of many women Trask has stalked. He leaves the apartment only to be spotted by Trask, who sends security guards after him. Using the security cameras, Reese helps Finch avoid the guards and flee safely. They initially suspect Trask is stalking the resident Lily Thornton (Kelli Barrett) and plans to kill her boyfriend Rick Morris (Bill Heck). However, Reese watches as Trask confronts Rick and makes an incident in order to set the fire alarms and force Trask to leave.

Meanwhile, Carter (Taraji P. Henson) tries to communicate with Finch but finds his numbers disconnected while also continuing being followed by CIA agents. After losing the agents with Reese's fingerprints, Finch gets Carter to meet him in a restaurant. In order to show her the power of the Machine, Finch tells Carter that a worker is about to commit a crime.

Finch soon discovers that Trask is not the stalker but Rick. Rick attacks Lily in her apartment until Reese and Trask arrive. Using his crutch, Reese manages to throw Rick out of a window, killing him. Finch and Reese also discover that Trask changed his name and his original records show him as the descriptions he gave to Reese as a friendly person. However, Reese soon begins to suspect Finch may not be entirely trustworthy.

Reception[]

Viewers[]

In its original American broadcast, "Super" was seen by an estimated 14.86 million household viewers and gained a 3.2/8 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.^[1] This was a 12% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 12.93 million viewers with a 2.8/8 in the 18-49 demographics.^[2] With these ratings, Person of Interest was the third most watched show on CBS for the night beating The Mentalist but behind ¡Rob!, second on its timeslot and fourth for the night in the 18-49 demographics, behind Grey's Anatomy, ¡Rob!, and The Big Bang Theory.

Critical reviews[]

"Super" received generally positive reviews from critics. Keysha Couzens of TV Overmind wrote "This week, Person of Interest wasted absolutely no time getting back to business in their first episode since their brief winter break."^[3]

Luke Gelineau of TV Equals wrote "Man, I don't know about you guys but I almost felt like I needed a 'Previously on...' refresher before going into tonight's episode of Person of Interest, 'Super'. I mean, it isn't like I was concerned that Reese wasn't going to pull through or anything, but I would have appreciated more than just a quick scene. I guess congratulations are in order to the PoI editors who trusted their audience to be smart enough not to need the handholding!"^[4]

Sean McKenna of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 3.9 star rating out of 5 and wrote "'Super' essentially picked up right up where last episode ended, even giving a quick recap through different security cameras and audio files of Reese being shot. Of course, Reese didn't die and he was already eager to work on the next number that popped up."^[5]

References[]

External links[]

• "Super" at CBS
• "Super" at IMDb
• "Super" at TV Guide