Person Of Interest is finally back for its fourth season. I haven’t looked forward to PoI’s since the end of season 1, but the changes made during its third season finally seem to pay off. The Tuesday slot that PoI is rather crowded but it is still my number one TV show.

Person Of Interest Season 4 Episode 1 Panopticon Review

The changed circumstances for each of the characters has been quite profound. At first it seems that Harold (Michael Emerson) is pleased to be a humble teacher at a college. John seems to be happy as a narcotics detective if it helps him keep criminals of the street. Shaw (Sarah Shahi) seems ill-placed as make-up stylist but Root reminds her The Machine is trying to keep her save. However, Fusco reminds Reese that because they are not getting numbers people are getting hurt. Reese implores Finch to listen to The Machine again but he refuses. When Reese decides to tackle a group of drug dealers blackmailing a technician to set up a secure communications grid Shaw intervenes, warning him that they are all at risk. It is Finch who has a change of heart when Root warns him they are in a war between gods. The technician and shopkeeper from Egypt shows the grid that he set up, finch immediately sees the potential of bypassing Samaritan, the system under control of Decima, and agrees to help. Reese knows he can’t take on the gang on his own and elicits the help of Elias. Since his downfall during season 2 we have only seen Enrico Colantoni infrequently, but his introduction in this episode signals we will be seeing more of him. Elias agrees to help Reese after Reese agrees to help the Egyptian technician after he inadvertently botched a hit on the gang members.

The scene whereby Reese (Jim Caviezel) reminds gang member not to hold their gun sideways because it would cause ejected cartridges to hit them in the eyes was a welcome reminder of the very first episode. PoI has come a long during its last three seasons, but with the situation changing for all major characters the series has received new vigor. Only Fusco still seemed underutilized, one episode is not enough to get a clear impression but I was pleased to see Reese team up with Fusco as his new partner at the NYPD. Panopticon gave us a glimpse of the dangers to come and it is not just Samaritan and Decima Technologies header by Greer, also Homeland Security seems to have taken an interest. After Reese took down the gang known as the Brotherhood a female agent shows up and states she thinks it is doubtful it was just gang related. Samaritan then ups her status to being a threat. How she uncovered John’s operation against the Brotherhood is uncertain at this stage.

Conclusion

With the death of agent Carter during season 3 PoI has been in the process of rebooting to make the series more viable for the long run. Though this episode is certainly not the end of that process it does give us an impression of the shows new direction. Both Root and Shaw now seem firmly entrenched within the gang. Reese has changed from not caring about the numbers after Carter’s death to a man who is single mindedly obsessed with them. The PoI of the week also integrates well with the shows mythology by showing how a old-tech communications grid can circumvent Samaritan. This was Person Of Interest Season 4 Episode 1 Panopticon Review

Score; 8.5 / 10.

Source; http://www.cbs.com/shows/person_of_interest/