Person of Interest The Complete Second Season
Jim Caviezel, Taraji P. Henson
22 episodes 4 Blu or 6 DVD
Warner Home Entertainment 2013
Fans of the CBS Person of Interest are no doubt looking forward to the third season of the show which premiers on September 24. To help fans out with getting ready for the season a new boxed set of Person of Interest Season 2 has been released. Person of Interest The Complete Second Season is available in a Blu-ray + DVD and Ultraviolet set with 22 episodes on 4 Blu-rays and 6 DVD or in a DVD only set by Warner Home Video.
In brief. John Reese is a former Green Beret and CIA operative who is recruited by Harold Finch to be a good samaritan of a sort. Finch created a machine for the U.S. government which can predict violent acts being committed by or against people living in the U.S. The government is not interested in anyone who is not a subject of national security but Harold is interested in them. Harold recruits John to help save those the machine warns him are targets of violence in the immediate future. Reese agrees and the partnership is formed.
The hallmark of the second season is vulnerability. While the first season saw the slow chipping away at the Man in the Suit persona of John Reese (Jim Caviezel) and the pulling back of the curtain on Harold Finch (Michael Emerson) the second season is even more relentless in the exposing of John and Harold to the rest of the world. The whole team is back for the second season Detective Joss Carter (Taraji P. Henson) and Detective Lionel Fusco (Kevin Chapman) each dealing with their own issues inextricably wrapped up in a corruption scandal in the police force, the FBI as well as having to deal with the fallout of those who are pursuing Reese, Finch and the Machine.
Person of Interest Season Two carries on the improbable success of Person of Interest which, on the face of it, did not seem like a winning story format. One of the best episodes of television, episode 20 “In Extremis” is a tribute to the 1950 B film noir starring Edmond O’Brien D.O.A. and very well done. Bringing back the uber hacker Root and introducing a woman who is more lethal than Reese in the character of Samantha Shaw (Relevance) were two of the strongest moves of the season creating a rich dynamic of possible story lines for the third season. While Root is a mildly annoying character the counter balance to Finch and Reese offered by Root and Shaw makes the show more interesting.
The same strong story and acting skills we see in Person of Interest are remarkably absent in the DVD extras which are not so much a bonus as a complete let down. The “gag reel” is not only brief but also short on humour to be considered a gag reel. Directors commentary? Does anyone watch that? The twenty minute documentary behind the scenes view of the making of Person of Interest is a nice include and well worth watching but a little more effort on the extras front would be appreciated by fans of the show who are coughing up for the set.