After a string of entertaining–yet ultimately middling–episodes, Person of Interest turns it up a notch with “Search and Destroy”, an hour that features one of the most compelling “case-of-the-week”s of the season. It not only sets up the final arc, but also delivers a complete story about a man who falls from powerful CEO to powerless victim, a man who’s in the wrong place at the wrong time. As we move into the final three episodes of the season, Samaritan’s presence is increasing by the minute, and Khan’s storyline is only an indication of what’s to come.

“There’s no way to keep the victim safe if the perpetrator is Samaritan,” Harold says midway through the episode, and it’s a telling line that emphasizes just how powerful Samaritan is; sure, Khan constantly tries to fight back, but in the end, “the insatiable need to confirm [that an AI is out to take him down] will be the death of him”. The Daily Show‘s Aasif Mandvi does a wonderful job here of conveying Khan’s desperation and determination, and it’s a great guest performance that helps move the episode along briskly.

There’s another interesting line that pops up early in the episode. When Khan is informed that he’s being let go, he angrily spits: “I’m an innovator, and you’re a glorified accountant!” If you think about it, it was actually an innovator–Harold–who started this all, and now, the innovators are being eliminated in order to foster a world of robots and pawns. There’s a feeling of helplessness throughout Khan’s story, and it takes a foundation of a celebrity scandal–with his wife’s naked picture leak–and turns it into something more sinister. A foreboding mood permeates the episode, and it all ends with Khan lying on the floor, his life taken in an instant by a bullet. His story has finished, but the fight against Samaritan is just getting going.

GRADE: B+

OTHER THOUGHTS:



– “Shotgun.” Awesome.

-The episode does have a dark ending, but it’s still very entertaining to watch. Zoe Morgan is always a welcome presence, and Root is fantastic as always. Her fight with Martine is a highlight.

-The briefcase code is “314”, which is key because it ties in the storyline with Caleb; it also happens to be the first three numbers of “pi”.

-It seems like Martine may be starting to drift apart from Greer. It’ll be interesting to see whether a split does occur in the final three episodes.

-Apologies for the less in depth review than normal. Expect next week’s review to show up this late as well, especially considering Justified’s series finale drops at the same time on the 14th.

Photo credits: Person of Interest, CBS