“You can change.”

At this point in the season, we expect to see an episode that advances the overarching plot, that puts the wheels into motion for the final arc of the season. This show, however, understands that its characters are just as important as the plot, that John Reese’s psyche is just as interesting a topic to explore as the Brotherhood or Samaritan or Elias. Sure, his storyline has faltered a bit in recent weeks, but it’s clear now what the writers were going for with Iris and with Reese’s therapy sessions. It’s all coming together now, and “Terra Incognita” is a wonderful hour of television for his character development.

The episode does feature a case-of-the-week scenario with Chase Patterson, and although it isn’t the most interesting plot, its thematic tie-ins to the Reese-Carter drama is clear. The idea of change is a central discussion point for Reese and Carter in the car, and the way the episode fuses together its various storylines and timelines is very impressive. It’s a visually striking episode–I mean, just look at that screencap above–and it’s a wonderful way to convey the state of Reese’s psyche and his relationship with Carter.

The main point of disagreement between the two characters involves whether or not you can change; Carter believes you can, whereas Reese states that “no one changes. You’re here because this has been where you’ve always headed.” He goes on to say that “there is no ‘after’ for people like us. We don’t do fairytales.” It’s certainly a mindset that’s helped him with his job, but at the same time, the show takes care to emphasize just how important others are, just how important it is to take note of your situation and realize that people care about you. You need to realize that change is something that can happen.

The episode sets up–in simplest terms, because it’s certainly more complicated than this–Carter as the optimist and Reese as the pessimist, and we see that idea play out through their discussion of the Jessica picture. Carter states that the people who had picture “were all fighting for something”, whereas Reese responds by saying that they “were all dying for something”. It’s an idea that’s informed the rest of the show’s events at every turn, from Carter’s death to Shaw’s “death” to the very act of fighting against Samaritan.

Late in the episode, we get one of the most beautifully written, heartbreaking, and wonderfully acted scenes this show has ever produced. Reese realizes that he never shared with Carter what he thought he shared, that his self-imposed isolation has profoundly affected him. “I want to see you happy and hopeful and in love,” Carter tells him. “There are people who care about you and love you. You just got to let them in.” Reese has been closed off for so long, and it’s devastating to watch him realize how that affected his relationship with Carter. Jim Caviezel, once considered by many to be the weak acting link in the show, delivers quite possibly his best work here. It’s an Emmy-worthy performance, and it’s a haunting, affecting, and masterful way to close off the episode. When the hallucinations fade and the cold, harsh winter returns, what will always remain are Carter’s words, her friendship, her love.

“Which friend do you want me to be?” she asks.

The one you’ve always been, Carter. We miss you.

OTHER THOUGHTS:

-So great to see Taraji P. Henson back. I’m glad she’s been finding success on “Empire”, but I wish more people knew about what she’s done as Carter.

-I’ll admit: I was skeptical of this episode at first. It won me over by the end, though.

-Root in a wedding dress. I love how this kind of stuff has been a running bit.

-I’ll see you again in two weeks for the final two episodes of the season. I’ll be able to get the reviews up the night of, considering Justified just finished its (fantastic) final run.

Photo credit: CBS, Person of Interest