Person of Interest "Nautilus" Review: The Craziest Shell Game Ever
Person of Interest S04E02: "Nautilus"
Finch is back, baby! I knew the old coot wouldn't be able to stay away from saving the world one social security number at a time, but the way he was wrangled back onto the team is what really stood out about "Nautilus." Rather than experience a simple change of heart, Finch once again found meaning in his life by looking into a mirror of sorts; in Claire, the perp-or-victim-of-the-week, Finch not only saw a beta version of Root and an early build of his curious and defiant younger self, he also got a glimpse of the future of Person of Interest's war between artificial intelligences. And he did not like it one bit.
Thus, the power was turned on in the makeshift Bat Cave and our team found a new home, just as we suspected they would when Finch went spelunking under New York City last week. Yay!
"Nautilus" itself was a brilliant piece of trickery that hid its hand well. Early on, the episode seemed like a stereotypical standalone hour about a young genius (Claire) who was involved in some citywide brain teaser created by a mystery Dungeon Master. However, as "Nautilus" progressed, I inadvertently found myself involved in a game that the episode had played on me. WHOA. You devious little show, you.
It turned out that the game Claire was playing was a recruitment tool for Samaritan, transforming "Nautilus" into a dazzling (and chilling) mythology episode. It's cool to be one of the world's most advanced synthetic brains, but some things can't be done without a "human agent." Obviously, Samaritan only wanted the best and brightest, and Claire was an ideal candidate: An orphaned genius and chessmaster who'd defeated three chess-playing computers at the same time, she was also a lost soul who was seeking a sense of purpose in her life.
Not to mention the fact that Claire had successfully hacked a privatized military group named SilverPool, which possessed a fledgling AI system that could be used to watch over (or invade the privacy of) the public. Sound familiar? Using Claire's skills, Samaritan was able to dig up some classified files and leak them to the press, ultimately killing the competing AI. As shady old men mentioned last week, Samaritan is out to destroy its rivals, just like I did in utero by eating my twin. This town ain't big enough for more than one brilliant machine, and Samaritan is on the warpath. This is so awesome. You're next, Siri!
But beyond its cryptic puzzles and mythology-building, the element of "Nautilus" I liked most was its reflection of Person of Interest's main theme: How the heck are humans supposed to live with brilliant software? It's been touched on many times before, particularly with Finch's flashbacks and with Root wrapping her legs all over the Machine, and with Claire, we see the next step in AI evolution. Samaritan is actively recruiting lackeys (Agents of S.A.M.A.R.I.T.A.N.) to do its bidding, as opposed to Finch serving as "admin" to the Machine.
The implications of this behavior cannot be overstated; this is scary stuff. And it's in direct opposition to what the Machine considers to be true—that humans must make their own decisions. The conflict here isn't just a war between two sophisticated AIs, it's a war between ideologies. Rather than sit on the sidelines, Finch has chosen his team. And even though they're heavily outgunned, their human element will be the advantage they need to win this thing.
That's two fantastic episodes to start off Season 4, with a laser-focus on making each number-of-the-week relevant to the overall story. That's a brilliant use of Person of Interest's core mechanics, but will the more serialized story hurt the show's ratings despite improving the overall quality of the series? Let's hope not.
NOTES OF INTEREST
– What did you think of the new credits sequence? I love that it evolves with the show, so cool!
– I wouldn't be too upset about being locked up in Root's trunk. And if she was my flight attendant you can bet I'd be locked and in the upright position all day! (I'll show myself out.)
– Shaw's take on that hippie-dippy nature stuff that some bozos put in their coffee: "Soy milk? I can't stand that stuff. Go cow or go home."
– Way to go Fusco, Jumble master! He cracked the code on the biker-patch Nautilus puzzle piece and even hummed out the tune of "New York, New York" once he realized the letters represented musical notes.
– I'm currently in New York for work and I'm scared that Samaritan is watching me bathe.
