Well, I finally blitzed my way through all five seasons of Person of Interest. For the last week, I was wondering why I was making that extra push to go through it so fast.
And then just today I realized why: Tomorrow I will see the friend who had recommended I see it in the first place, and now I will be able to discuss it in toto, the way one discusses a novel. Not coincidentally, my friend is a very talented writer.
For this was a show of ideas. Most TV shows turn out to be mere entertainment, and I often stop watching when I realize there is no meaningful thread running through them. But Person of Interest raised and then explored very serious questions about the relationships between technology, free will and responsibility, while wearing the thin disguise of a kind of shoot-em-up cop show.
There was definitely a strong whiff of fantasy about the underlying premise, particularly in its treatment of what is colloquially known as artificial intelligence. But that’s ok.
Like Ex Machina, or any decent science fiction for that matter, the fantasy version of technology on offer here is clearly not meant to be taken literally. Rather, it’s a metaphor, like time travel or a parallel universe, a literary device to help shine a light on the human condition.
And on that level the show works splendidly. Also, the ensemble acting is spot on. Even the dog turns in a pitch perfect performance.
My only regret is that now, having just finished it, I’m going to need to wait before I can see this series again. Not to worry though. I’ll just go back to watching Buffy the third time through. 🙂