How can 'Person of Interest' improve? Let me count the ways: humanity, humanity, humanity, humanity, humanity ...

There’s no secret that I love Person of Interest. However, as J. Nolan’s executive production staff prepares for the sophomore season, I have a couple suggestions. Normally, I trust the showrunner’s vision implicitly. And, when I don’t (i.e., Dan Harmon), they prove me wrong for doubting them (see Community‘s finale). Unfortunately, Person of Interest seems stuck on the big movie-action ideal which emphasizes action and plot over character development.

Episodes 9-19 hooked me on the show to obsessive levels, but I only continued watching episodes 20-23, hoping the earlier humanity would return. Sure, the Machine is interesting, but as I stated in the finale, it’s merely a reflection of our increasingly technological, post-9/11 society. So, a show about a machine listening to conversations of known suspects doesn’t really frighten me, ‘cus we do that already. Regarding plot development, fight scenes and action, the show seems on point. But, regarding character development, the show treats the season’s entire 23 hours like one big 96-minute movie. In Die Hard or Terminator — two movies which had awesome character development — you could get away with limited character interaction, because there’s no time. But, in a weekly series, you need more than the Transporter-lite to keep us watching.

So, here are a couple suggestions for tweaking minor parts of the formula.

1. More Carter

Carter humanizes the all-male crew. If Nolan hadn’t upped her screen-time, we would’ve had twenty-three non-stop hours of paranoid, pasty-faced guys staring emotionlessly at a huge-screen monitor while googling the names of female victims. Yea. That’s creepy. It’s also boring.

My girl-crush on Taraji P. Henson notwithstanding, there’s a reason ratings went up during “Get Carter” and down during the undisputedly kickbutt finale. There’s a reason one-third of all fan-fiction is a Reese-Carter match-up (admittedly, the other two-thirds are Reese and Finch). Carter brings more diversity to the show, not merely in terms of gender and race, but character. I’m not saying we need “Flesh and Blood” every week and don’t force her where she isn’t needed (I don’t need the final season of Northern Exposure overflowing with John Corbett monologues). But remember “Super” and “Baby Blue”? That was a good balance.

So, don’t shirk the Carter. Embrace her!

2. More Humanity

I love the show’s icily-distant exterior. Sometimes I get tired of romantic developments. However, CBS’s procedurals are 80% action and 20% heart. Until I couldn’t stand the torture porn, I literally watched Criminal Minds for the characters including Reese’s boy band hair, Morgan’s connection with his “baby girl,” the triple anchor of Hotch, Rossi and Gideon as well as the FBI girl’s night out. I didn’t start watching NCIS until it incorporated more character development where Tony started quoting movies, Ziva brought out a flirty friendship with DiNozzo, and McGeek added a lost boy charm. I might be wrong, but that’s around the time when NCIS started experiencing the viewership spike (coupled with USA re-runs).

In terms of catching the weekly perpetrator, Finch and Reese are ice pops. Who wants to go to a party with a paranoid isolationist and his more hyper vigilant nebbish friend? Exactly. I’m not saying make them normal people, but I’m saying give me tiny glimpses I can latch onto. Reese bringing donuts in a pink box? Nice. Finch and Fusco as well as Finch and Reese in “Identity Crisis?” Good. Finch and Reese in “Super?” Hilarious. The small insight into undershirted-Reese in “Many Happy Returns” listening to the game while making old school coffee? Awesome.

I don’t watch POI for the cool new plot turns and the totally awesome knee-capping moves. OK, I do. But, I also watch for the characters. While I find it hard to believe these people can go years without sex or love, I’ll swallow that pill and accept it. No. I don’t need another soap opera. I just need minor touches showing these characters aren’t machines. And, yea, I get it. Reese and Finch are more robotic than the system itself. But, it doesn’t make me want to watch 23 hours featuring human robots. It just makes me want to spend more time with my computer.

While I don’t want Person of Interest 90210, I started watching because I like the characters that I see weekly (not the victim of the week who seems more fleshed out but doesn’t return). So, celebrate your character’s humanity in small doses. We’ll love you all the more for it.

Photo Credit: CBS