Great finale. I just wished that Samaritan and Greer had been dealt with already. Now, it seems they'll be around for next season as the pains in the ass they are. I did love Finch's one-on-one interaction with the Machine. At least that resolved the issues between them.
Incredible finale. Did not tie up as much as I thought it would _ they said it was "messy" and they were right. But what a ride of twists and turns and flips and open endedness.
So we are not absolutely positively certain Elias is dead , right ? Seemed like a shoulder wound and not a head wound but I could be wrong. And they did not show what happened to Fusco but the sniper did not seem interested in him ( guess he wasn't relevant enough for Samaritan). That was an unexpected guns blazing ambiguous exit for our trio at the end. Have a heart, folks - you end this way and we do not even know if we have been renewed.
I kept waiting for Shaw to make an appearance. But, no Shaw. A couple of sayings I liked: When asked if she has lost her mind, Root saying something like, "So when does that matter?" And when Fusco comes in with an army of police officers, flashes his badge at Dominic and says, "Detective Fusco. You're under arrest, jackass."
I know Dominic died. But not sure about Elias. He was shot in the neck, but it did not seem to be a mortal wound. They left that open (we don't know if he lived or died).
A very tense and great episode until the last 10 overdramatic seconds with Root and Reese walking out in the open in slow motion shooting without getting shot themselves.
They showed the back of someone female from Samaritan killing people and for a second I was afraid it was Shaw but then they made it seem like just an anonymous Samaritan agent. Panicked for a second there. Loved Fusco arriving with backup but figured it wasn't over.
Don't think Samaritan or Greer are going any where anytime soon because it seems like Greer would have already been finished. Greer seems to be to Samaritan what Finch is to the machine, even thugh he did not create him.
Fantastic finale overall and what a way to close out season 4! Brilliant brilliant brilliant.
The Machine putting Reese into God Mode TWICE in one episode was insane and all I ever wanted it the world. Loved it SO much "Can you hear me?" "Hell yes". Looks like the Dominic/Brotherhood arc is over! I had a feeling that they wouldn't continue into season 5 but they went out in a big way. Samaritan eliminating him quickly, just like that.
The true reveal of the Correction by Samaritan was absolutely genius. The disrupters, outliers, and disloyal all need to be eliminated for the betterment of the world. And that standoff between Control and Greer had me on the edge of my seat. She was wrong the whole time. I really thought we would lose either of them but thankfully Control is alive (for now) but Greer still is! I will cheer so much when the day comes that we will see him die. Will Greer put Control inside a dark hole that no one can find her? Oh you son of a bitch.
Nope. Nope. I REFUSE to believe Elias is dead considering we did not see him actually take his last breath! Also the creators say that they can neither confirm nor deny that he's dead so I'm holding onto that last gleam of hope! Elias is just too good of a character to be taken out so easily. Poor Grice as well.
I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a blue light flashing on a suitcase before in my entire life XD So happy that the team was able to fit the Machine in such a tiny space so they can save her! Next step: to rebuild herself and hopefully be even better than before. And that scene between her and Finch absolutely wrecked me, I can't believe that I got so emotional at seeing texts on a screen but I did and it was glorious. Just seeing her call Finch her father and saying how sorry she was to have failed was utterly heartbreaking. Give the Machine an Emmy already!! And Finch was certainly not going to give up on her. She really was a part of the team tonight.
The team coming out of that electrical substation and firing at the remaining Samaritan agents, like the damn God's they are was fantastic. I will never get tired of seeing Root and Reese side by side with guns blazing <3 And with Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine" playing in the background! Such a fitting song.
Overall, one of the best finales from the show has ever done! Can't wait to see where season 5 takes us.
TVLINE postmortem conveys that Elias' fate is inconclusive but the THR post mortem makes it sound like he definitely died. They even talked about flashbacks.
That is how a Season Finale is done. They basically opened toms of doors for next season without even solving some things this seasons. It was a phenomonal and I thought it was just gonna be another overhyped finale but it wasn't, Great Hour
I don't know. I was all for the finale until the ending. Sure it was good, but I was hoping for some kind of blow against Greer/Samaritan, instead of the continued godly, unstoppable juggernaut that they've become. I thought last season's finale was pretty bleak with all our characters going their separate ways and having to basically go into hiding, but this one completely tops that in terms of desperation. The Machine is now in a briefcase, our characters are going to be completely on their own, with no Shaw and separated from Fusco (probably).
And I found the Elias vs. Brotherhood/Dominic thing much more interesting for it to be so easily decided by Samaritan. Hopefully Elias survives, but who knows. I'm annoyed that Grice is dead, since I was hoping he'd fill in for Shaw on the team. And Control is gone now too (possibly permanently).
I liked and didn't like the scene between Finch and the Machine. I liked what was said and the scene itself, but the song I thought was a little... high schooly(?)... just didn't seem like a great choice and almost made me laugh in embarrassment at it. Still, a good scene regardless of what I thought of the song.
Curious where they go from here. Still one of the best shows on TV, but I'm still a little confused on how I ultimately feel about this finale.
I am okay with it. TV guide post mortem is even more detailed. The creators talk about Samaritan's reasoning for taking out bad guys. It's quite an interesting discussion by the creators.
That would've been THE WORST. The Samaritan arc is what the show was building up to all along, and it brings the best out of the show (obviously alongside the machine and all the wonderful human characters).
I need to watch it once again because I can't decide whether I like it or not. One thing is sure: the last season's finale was overflowing with optimism comparing to this one.
Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Arrow, The Originals, Salem, The Flash, Gotham, Sleepy Hollow, Bitten, Doctor Who, iZombie, 12 Monkeys, The Strain, Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder, Revenge, Once Upon a Time, Forever, Orphan Black, Alias, Charmed, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slaver, Dollhouse, Fringe, or American Horror Story: Murder House/ Asylum/Coven/Freak Show.
None of the four POI finales have been outright optimistic. All these finales have small victories for Team Machine but have huge setbacks too.
S1 -some HR cops got arrested (small victory) but Root kidnapped Harold (huge setback)
S2 - The Machine moved itself away (huge) but the season ended with phones ringing. (small victory).
S3 - Samaritan takes over (huge setback) but the team manage to protect themselves (small victory)
S3 - Samaritan makes all out effort to destroy the Machine, it also launches the 'Correction' (huge setbacks) but Team Machine save a DNA of the Machine (small victory)
I love that the creators of the show are not taking the tried and tested way of outright victories for our heroes. They make it harder and harder for Team Machine and I love this. I also don't understand why some fans are saying that Team Machine deserves a victory. They saved the Machine from permanent death. Does that not count as a victory? All victories need not be grand and outright. It's the little victories that add to the big picture.
Beautiful episode. The Machine putting itself right into the power grid was a masterstroke. Excellent work by the creative team. Server farms are so old school!!!
Dominic=dead=good. Next villain please! I can't say I was ever a massive fan of Dominic and the Brotherhood - it never quite fit in as seamlessly as HR and Elias did. But the writers made good use of the arc and the next threat could come from anywhere.
Loved Greer and Control. I feel so stupid because it was the massively obvious next step for the pair now that we can look back at it. Control never realized how deep she was until it was far too late. Again, fantastic work by the creative team.
And The Machine in a suitcase. That was the best part of the night. That briefcase had better be bombproof!
Um. My mind is a little blown away right now. I was worried that The Machine's survival would be hanging off a cliff, which would have annoyed me to no end. The definition of The Correction was a surprise to me. Not too unhappy about Control's situation at the end. But there were other villains that I wish had been handled... The Senator and Greer....would have been happy if they'd joined the hit chick Root took out last week. (sorry cannot remember her name) Especially Greer I don't like him.
I'm surprised it took me so long to place Caleb. Doh!
What has blown me away...especially the last part of the season has been seeing the machine become fully sentient. Not just sentient...a PERSON. So much so that it was the POI this week. Her good bye to Finch was fabulous. I have always wanted the machine to survive but this season has made me care about the character The Machine. Awesome Awesome work.
That finale was a masterpiece, I couldn't take my eyes of the screen for a second.
- When the machine called Harold "Father." The feels were unreal. - There's a small chance that Elias has survived even though it's, sadly, unlikely. I hope he has though, I liked him. - So glad Dominic died, I didn't like his arc at all. - When Reese went into God Mode, like Holy crap, he was awesome. - The entire episode I was worried that Fusco was getting to cocky and would get a bullet, thankfully he didn't. - Was anyone else shouting when Control had Greer at gunpoint? I was like "just shoot him, please." - Also, Control, just when you think she could be team machine's savor she hands herself to the enemy. I also really liked it when she said that Nathan's machine was better, and never lied, that was nice touch. - The end scene... I can't believe we have to wait months to find out what happened, but damn that was one hell of a final shot of Harold, Reese and Root walking through gunfire in slow-motion.
after some soul searching, emotional breadown reese was back in a big way.i like to see reese more in GOD mode.i never felt this much for a char that we didnt even see but felt her presence in a big way.R,I,P the machine.
It was good, even though I expecteed "more" on some points. It was a bit scary how accurate our fan estimations were of The Machine moving into the briefcase using the compression algorithm.
I somehow thought the tension would have to explode - maybe by Samaritan launching the correction and it being of epic proportions - but it did stay constant. Some amazing moments though. Reese in god mode, The machine getting in the game, Reese: "Can you hear me?" - Machine "yes" lol!
Nice dialog of Finch and the machine. Also, the last shot was pretty cool. So let's see where this is going? Machine down, their cover identities too: Samaritan would've to identified their covers as deviants now, just like it happened to Sameen. Root can't get a new cover.
So... I feel a bit empty but I'm not sure if maybe it's just the "no poi til september" feeling, lol
I thought just surviving the might of Samaritan was sort of a blow in itself. The machine was cornered and on its last legs but still found a way to survive if only just.
I loved the part where the old fax machine sputtered out a facsimile paper, and the lady read it out loud, it was all these numbers, and "left" + "ACL" et al. And Reese knew that it was directions on what to do to get out of the situation. Then it was great how he broke free! I was shouting "Yes!" at the TV. Great scene.
Caleb? I don't remember Caleb. Some people have talked about him being in the season finale. Who is he? Where was he in this season finale? Thank you for refreshing me.
They did an episode (in 2013 - I had to look it up) where Finch was teaching high school (a lovely scene where he talks about math.) Anyway, Caleb's had been working on this compression algorithm - writing his code by hand because he couldn't afford a computer. IIRC his number came up because he was planning to kill himself on the anniversary of his brother's death. In the finale, Caleb owns the company where Reese and Finch stole the RAM to store The Machine. Finch talked him out of killing himself which is why Caleb handed them the software without an explanation.
Well I thought it was good, but wasn't my favorite finale...
I think Elias & Dominic deserved better endings. It's one thing to do that with Martine, although I would of liked some back story with her, but these two deaths by Samaritan sniper, seemed to underwhelm their worth, especially Elias IMO. On the other hand, I understand that's the point, to feel the weight of Samaritan's 'brave new world', but I was never doubtful about Samaritan's ethics being an eugenics movement....
I also wasn't fond of all this time wasted the past 2 or 3 episodes with Root and Finch going back and forth about "saving the machine". It felt like they crammed their concerns down our throat to the point of loosing suspense by overusing it.
What I liked: Seeing Caleb and having Harper Rose along for the ride. Having Control care about "our" machine and realizing just how bad Samaritan is. I figured Samaritan would be dragged out, because I'm not sure what kind of plot POI would have without it, which kind of makes me think season five should be it's final season--a season where the under dogs strike back! I love the having more North By Northwest references "Thornhill" boxes were unexpected and cool thing for our machine to do.
Fun Bad Robot Stuff: As I had mentioned before, a lot of the Samaritan stuff seems to be plots barrowed and allusions from Revolution (ie: Child/boy appearing as a representative of AI). Aaron Pittman was a character who was one of the characters responsible for the nanites "waking up", but unlike Finch, he kept running away from it--essentially playing to Revolutions theme of "bad parenting", but he was first seen in the Pilot wearing an AC/DC t-shirt....in season two the nanites create a digital-Matrix-like alternate reality inside his head ("Dream Catcher") to trick him from using a virus to stop them...He awakes wearing a Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon t-shirt and STYX is playing. Is it any coincidence that Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine" played in the this final sequence of Harold saving the Machine? I don't think so! (Oh and keep your eyes open for Nolan and Abrams Westworld---there is a character with the surname Pittman too!!!!)
Looking forward though to getting some spoilers about how our characters are going to be able to rebuild the machine!
Holy shite! What an extraordinary finale! I loved everything about it but especially that moment between Finch and his creation. Adding Pink Floyd's Welcome to the Machine into the scene was pure brilliance. If this show doesn't get picked up for another season, I'll be crushed.
I "hate" this show. I so "hate" this show. 2nd straight year!! SECOND STRAIGHT!! last year it was about hoping the team surviving Samaritan and this year it was about the machine surviving the attack. and as always making me almost kill myself for waiting for next season. DAMN WHAT A SHOW!!! AMAZING!
What a fantastic season finale! I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. My props go out to the creative team of this fantastic show. You all did a great job on this season which was one of the best. I am really looking forward to next season
I've had to catch up on all I've missed in the past couple of days, so I finally got to see this episode and I liked it, but now I wonder if S5 should even be the last.....the idea of Finch starting up the Machine again could last at least a couple more seasons and could be interesting because it's basically allowing the ideas that we've heard and seen in flashbacks but now we can see the workings in the present.
Also, was those bombings a ruse or were they actually made? And where we they taken?
The father/child aspects of Finch and The Machine have been very emotional which just adds another layer to the show's fantastic storytelling as it's obviously hard to create some kind of connection when you're using some kind of machine and just one human being, but POI has nailed it.
Don't write Elias' epitaph just yet as the EP confirmed Dominic's death but would not confirm Elias' - I think he will be back - YAY! Hope we see more of Caleb and Control too. I know I am looking forward to more great stuff too but first we need a renewal . Nervous waiting for it...
Root is in God mode but her god is a fraction of itself and trapped in a box. Hopefully if she's let loose again, her settings with Root will remain intact!
This was an epic finale! I really hope Elias is alive. It looked like he was shot in the shoulder. The last scene was one of the best in the entire show!
Great episode. Great finale, as always. For his first show, Jonathan Nolan surely has an acutely clever sense of how to progress a show through the years, and how to plant and pay-off storylines. One of the things that concerned me going into this season was, once this conflict was resolved, how would the show go forward. But turns out, defeating Samaritan is a larger journey than I thought. Survival is first priority here. When (and hopefully not if) that happens, the priority will be to rebuild the machine, and perhaps Finch, along with Root, will use what they have learned over the years to help improve the way the Machine makes decisions, although I don't think a huge overhaul is required (thought Root might push for allowing the Machine to take more aggressive steps when necessary). Also: the machine has now lost access to feeds. They need to figure out a way to get it back online once it's ready. Only then can they even consider trying to defeat Samaritan who, at the end of the season, regardless of how the cliffhanger turns out, seems to have won.
There is still a LOT of story left to tell, and hopefully season 5 won't be the last one. 6 seasons would be a good number to end the show on. Next season can be focused on the Machine getting back on it's feet and proliferating all the resources it needs to take on Samaritan, and the final season could be an all out war (which I suspect ultimately ends with both machines losing--and dying--and humans left to fend for themselves as before.)
Very impressive finale! Huge thanks to the producers / authors for the decision to continue (hope very much, that CBS will support this). Acker / Emerson / Caviezel are just great. Btw, Chapman is also great. Amy Acker is definitely the core inspiration source of the whole show. She has been brightening lives and giving exquisite joy to so many people by being in this show for the last several years - HUGE THANKS! And, of course, looking forward to seeing her back ASAP!!! :)
NOTE: Name-calling, personal attacks, spamming, excessive self-promotion, condescending pomposity, general assiness, racism, sexism, any-other-ism, homophobia, acrophobia, and destructive (versus constructive) criticism will get you BANNED from the party.
Great finale. I just wished that Samaritan and Greer had been dealt with already. Now, it seems they'll be around for next season as the pains in the ass they are. I did love Finch's one-on-one interaction with the Machine. At least that resolved the issues between them.
ReplyDeleteIncredible finale. Did not tie up as much as I thought it would _ they said it was "messy" and they were right. But what a ride of twists and turns and flips and open endedness.
ReplyDeleteSame here - was hoping Samaritan and Greer would be dust - why Control did not use that hand dandy gun on Greer when she could..........
ReplyDeleteDamn fine hour of television.
ReplyDeletea quick recap for me please ... who died ? who lived or nobody dies ?
ReplyDeleteSo we are not absolutely positively certain Elias is dead , right ? Seemed like a shoulder wound and not a head wound but I could be wrong. And they did not show what happened to Fusco but the sniper did not seem interested in him ( guess he wasn't relevant enough for Samaritan). That was an unexpected guns blazing ambiguous exit for our trio at the end. Have a heart, folks - you end this way and we do not even know if we have been renewed.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the post-finale interviews, Elias is really dead.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I don't know why she turned away her gun from Greer and allowed herself to be hooded and carted away. So frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if Elias is really dead. They seem to have left that one open. Definitely Dominic is dead. I predicted that one.
ReplyDeleteI kept waiting for Shaw to make an appearance. But, no Shaw. A couple of sayings I liked: When asked if she has lost her mind, Root saying something like, "So when does that matter?" And when Fusco comes in with an army of police officers, flashes his badge at Dominic and says, "Detective Fusco. You're under arrest, jackass."
ReplyDeleteelias destiny is up in the air said JN on a interview
ReplyDeleteThought for a second this was the first episode without a number, but no, the machine gave its own number.
ReplyDeleteI'd say Dominic is 100% dead but Elias isnt certain. Here is a quote from one of the interviews. We can neither confirm nor deny
ReplyDeleteJust an epic TV show!! Unofficially, 140 days til season 5.
ReplyDeletePost show interview ive read is they can neither confirm or deny if Elias is really dead
ReplyDeleteI know Dominic died. But not sure about Elias. He was shot in the neck, but it did not seem to be a mortal wound. They left that open (we don't know if he lived or died).
ReplyDeleteElias has more of a history with Reese & Finch and his character is so interesting. I hope that he does not die. He is such a great actor.
ReplyDeleteOkay, thank you. There is hope.
ReplyDeleteI know, I'm trying to figure out what show(s) to watch until the season premiere in 140 days. I might watch Penny Dreadful - or Empire.
ReplyDeletePOI, Seasons 1-4
ReplyDeleteFlabbergasted. I don't think there's any other word to describe it. TOO MUCH HAPPENING. Let's get that Season 5!
ReplyDeleteDominic- Dead.
Elias- Purgatory but most likely dead.
Grice- Dead.
Control- In Deep trouble.
Fusco- Spared?
Reese + Finch + Root- God Mode.
Shaw- Alive.
Martine- Dead.
Machine- Broken but not dead.
Samartian + Greer- Devil Mode.
Elias is not dead, he got shot in the shoulder, the guy purposely didnt kill him for some reason
ReplyDeleteNot the one I read.
ReplyDeleteA very tense and great episode until the last 10 overdramatic seconds with Root and Reese walking out in the open in slow motion shooting without getting shot themselves.
ReplyDeleteThey showed the back of someone female from Samaritan killing people and for a second I was afraid it was Shaw but then they made it seem like just an anonymous Samaritan agent. Panicked for a second there. Loved Fusco arriving with backup but figured it wasn't over.
ReplyDeleteI kept saying .. now...now..now
ReplyDeleteShe's emotionally overwhelmed. Everything she stood for and fought for just burned to the ground at the hands of a God.
ReplyDeleteOMG the scene when the machine calls father gave me chills. an awesome episode.
ReplyDeleteI liked when Greer said "outliers" and it showed Elias, a nod to his visit with Simmons last season
ReplyDeleteEPIC!! MINDBLOWING!!! PHEW!! WHAT A RIDE!!
ReplyDeleteI am way too much pumped up right now.
Don't think Samaritan or Greer are going any where anytime soon because it seems like Greer would have already been finished. Greer seems to be to Samaritan what Finch is to the machine, even thugh he did not create him.
ReplyDeleteFor me was another masterpiece finale. They practically open insane possibilities for the show and I think, this is gonna be great than ever.
ReplyDeleteBtw, Reese in god mode (wow we've seen him like that since the last two episodes of season two, cooooool).
Other thing, man Finch and "the machine" talk was one of the best emotional dialogues a ever seen this year, just amazing.
POI was remarkable, another game changer finale.
Fantastic finale overall and what a way to close out season 4! Brilliant brilliant brilliant.
ReplyDeleteThe Machine putting Reese into God Mode TWICE in one episode was insane and all I ever wanted it the world. Loved it SO much "Can you hear me?" "Hell yes". Looks like the Dominic/Brotherhood arc is over! I had a feeling that they wouldn't continue into season 5 but they went out in a big way. Samaritan eliminating him quickly, just like that.
The true reveal of the Correction by Samaritan was absolutely genius. The disrupters, outliers, and disloyal all need to be eliminated for the betterment of the world. And that standoff between Control and Greer had me on the edge of my seat. She was wrong the whole time. I really thought we would lose either of them but thankfully Control is alive (for now) but Greer still is! I will cheer so much when the day comes that we will see him die. Will Greer put Control inside a dark hole that no one can find her? Oh you son of a bitch.
Nope. Nope. I REFUSE to believe Elias is dead considering we did not see him actually take his last breath! Also the creators say that they can neither confirm nor deny that he's dead so I'm holding onto that last gleam of hope! Elias is just too good of a character to be taken out so easily. Poor Grice as well.
I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a blue light flashing on a suitcase before in my entire life XD So happy that the team was able to fit the Machine in such a tiny space so they can save her! Next step: to rebuild herself and hopefully be even better than before. And that scene between her and Finch absolutely wrecked me, I can't believe that I got so emotional at seeing texts on a screen but I did and it was glorious. Just seeing her call Finch her father and saying how sorry she was to have failed was utterly heartbreaking. Give the Machine an Emmy already!! And Finch was certainly not going to give up on her. She really was a part of the team tonight.
The team coming out of that electrical substation and firing at the remaining Samaritan agents, like the damn God's they are was fantastic. I will never get tired of seeing Root and Reese side by side with guns blazing <3 And with Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine" playing in the background! Such a fitting song.
Overall, one of the best finales from the show has ever done! Can't wait to see where season 5 takes us.
TVLINE postmortem conveys that Elias' fate is inconclusive but the THR post mortem makes it sound like he definitely died. They even talked about flashbacks.
ReplyDeleteNOOOO :( Don't do this to me!!! *hides in a corner and cries forever*
ReplyDeleteThat is how a Season Finale is done. They basically opened toms of doors for next season without even solving some things this seasons. It was a phenomonal and I thought it was just gonna be another overhyped finale but it wasn't, Great Hour
ReplyDeleteI don't know. I was all for the finale until the ending. Sure it was good, but I was hoping for some kind of blow against Greer/Samaritan, instead of the continued godly, unstoppable juggernaut that they've become. I thought last season's finale was pretty bleak with all our characters going their separate ways and having to basically go into hiding, but this one completely tops that in terms of desperation. The Machine is now in a briefcase, our characters are going to be completely on their own, with no Shaw and separated from Fusco (probably).
ReplyDeleteAnd I found the Elias vs. Brotherhood/Dominic thing much more interesting for it to be so easily decided by Samaritan. Hopefully Elias survives, but who knows. I'm annoyed that Grice is dead, since I was hoping he'd fill in for Shaw on the team. And Control is gone now too (possibly permanently).
I liked and didn't like the scene between Finch and the Machine. I liked what was said and the scene itself, but the song I thought was a little... high schooly(?)... just didn't seem like a great choice and almost made me laugh in embarrassment at it. Still, a good scene regardless of what I thought of the song.
Curious where they go from here. Still one of the best shows on TV, but I'm still a little confused on how I ultimately feel about this finale.
I am okay with it. TV guide post mortem is even more detailed. The creators talk about Samaritan's reasoning for taking out bad guys. It's quite an interesting discussion by the creators.
ReplyDeleteOne of the single greatest pieces of tv i have ever seen. give if-then-else a run for its money. what an end to the shows best season!
ReplyDeleteThat would've been THE WORST. The Samaritan arc is what the show was building up to all along, and it brings the best out of the show (obviously alongside the machine and all the wonderful human characters).
ReplyDeletePhenomenal.
ReplyDeleteI need to watch it once again because I can't decide whether I like it or not. One thing is sure: the last season's finale was overflowing with optimism comparing to this one.
ReplyDeleteGame of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Arrow, The Originals, Salem, The Flash, Gotham, Sleepy Hollow, Bitten, Doctor Who, iZombie, 12 Monkeys, The Strain, Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder, Revenge, Once Upon a Time, Forever, Orphan Black, Alias, Charmed, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slaver, Dollhouse, Fringe, or American Horror Story: Murder House/ Asylum/Coven/Freak Show.
ReplyDeleteNone of the four POI finales have been outright optimistic. All these finales have small victories for Team Machine but have huge setbacks too.
ReplyDeleteS1 -some HR cops got arrested (small victory) but Root kidnapped Harold (huge setback)
S2 - The Machine moved itself away (huge) but the season ended with phones ringing. (small victory).
S3 - Samaritan takes over (huge setback) but the team manage to protect themselves (small victory)
S3 - Samaritan makes all out effort to destroy the Machine, it also launches the 'Correction' (huge setbacks) but Team Machine save a DNA of the Machine (small victory)
I love that the creators of the show are not taking the tried and tested way of outright victories for our heroes. They make it harder and harder for Team Machine and I love this. I also don't understand why some fans are saying that Team Machine deserves a victory. They saved the Machine from permanent death. Does that not count as a victory? All victories need not be grand and outright. It's the little victories that add to the big picture.
Beautiful episode. The Machine putting itself right into the power grid was a masterstroke. Excellent work by the creative team. Server farms are so old school!!!
ReplyDeleteDominic=dead=good. Next villain please! I can't say I was ever a massive fan of Dominic and the Brotherhood - it never quite fit in as seamlessly as HR and Elias did. But the writers made good use of the arc and the next threat could come from anywhere.
Loved Greer and Control. I feel so stupid because it was the massively obvious next step for the pair now that we can look back at it. Control never realized how deep she was until it was far too late. Again, fantastic work by the creative team.
And The Machine in a suitcase. That was the best part of the night. That briefcase had better be bombproof!
Um. My mind is a little blown away right now. I was worried that The Machine's survival would be hanging off a cliff, which would have annoyed me to no end. The definition of The Correction was a surprise to me. Not too unhappy about Control's situation at the end. But there were other villains that I wish had been handled... The Senator and Greer....would have been happy if they'd joined the hit chick Root took out last week. (sorry cannot remember her name) Especially Greer I don't like him.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised it took me so long to place Caleb. Doh!
What has blown me away...especially the last part of the season has been seeing the machine become fully sentient. Not just sentient...a PERSON. So much so that it was the POI this week. Her good bye to Finch was fabulous. I have always wanted the machine to survive but this season has made me care about the character The Machine. Awesome Awesome work.
When I first read the press release, I thought, "POI is going to blow our fucking minds with a season finale, as usual".
ReplyDeleteI was not disappointed.
That finale was a masterpiece, I couldn't take my eyes of the screen for a second.
ReplyDelete- When the machine called Harold "Father." The feels were unreal.
- There's a small chance that Elias has survived even though it's, sadly, unlikely. I hope he has though, I liked him.
- So glad Dominic died, I didn't like his arc at all.
- When Reese went into God Mode, like Holy crap, he was awesome.
- The entire episode I was worried that Fusco was getting to cocky and would get a bullet, thankfully he didn't.
- Was anyone else shouting when Control had Greer at gunpoint? I was like "just shoot him, please."
- Also, Control, just when you think she could be team machine's savor she hands herself to the enemy. I also really liked it when she said that Nathan's machine was better, and never lied, that was nice touch.
- The end scene... I can't believe we have to wait months to find out what happened, but damn that was one hell of a final shot of Harold, Reese and Root walking through gunfire in slow-motion.
after some soul searching, emotional breadown reese was back in a big way.i like to see reese more in GOD mode.i never felt this much for a char that we didnt even see but felt her presence in a big way.R,I,P the machine.
ReplyDeleteIt was good, even though I expecteed "more" on some points. It was a bit scary how accurate our fan estimations were of The Machine moving into the briefcase using the compression algorithm.
ReplyDeleteI somehow thought the tension would have to explode - maybe by Samaritan launching the correction and it being of epic proportions - but it did stay constant.
Some amazing moments though. Reese in god mode, The machine getting in the game,
Reese: "Can you hear me?" - Machine "yes" lol!
Nice dialog of Finch and the machine. Also, the last shot was pretty cool. So let's see where this is going? Machine down, their cover identities too: Samaritan would've to identified their covers as deviants now, just like it happened to Sameen. Root can't get a new cover.
So... I feel a bit empty but I'm not sure if maybe it's just the "no poi til september" feeling, lol
Elias is my fav bad guy. If he died, if would leave a huge hole in the show. Personally I don't think he died.
ReplyDeleteI thought just surviving the might of Samaritan was sort of a blow in itself. The machine was cornered and on its last legs but still found a way to survive if only just.
ReplyDeletePink Floyd on POI was a perfect combo like burgers and fries.
ReplyDeleteFour people were supposed to die. He's one of them.
ReplyDeleteGreat episode I liked it. Elias got shot.
ReplyDeleteAwesome finale. I hope that Root finally uses that Trojan horse she took from Harold.
ReplyDeleteYes, I can watch POI reruns.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteYeah it gave me chills, too.
ReplyDeleteI loved the part where the old fax machine sputtered out a facsimile paper, and the lady read it out loud, it was all these numbers, and "left" + "ACL" et al. And Reese knew that it was directions on what to do to get out of the situation. Then it was great how he broke free! I was shouting "Yes!" at the TV. Great scene.
ReplyDeleteCaleb? I don't remember Caleb. Some people have talked about him being in the season finale. Who is he? Where was he in this season finale? Thank you for refreshing me.
ReplyDeleteIt looked interesting.
ReplyDeleteThey did an episode (in 2013 - I had to look it up) where Finch was teaching high school (a lovely scene where he talks about math.) Anyway, Caleb's had been working on this compression algorithm - writing his code by hand because he couldn't afford a computer. IIRC his number came up because he was planning to kill himself on the anniversary of his brother's death. In the finale, Caleb owns the company where Reese and Finch stole the RAM to store The Machine. Finch talked him out of killing himself which is why Caleb handed them the software without an explanation.
ReplyDeleteWell I thought it was good, but wasn't my favorite finale...
ReplyDeleteI think Elias & Dominic deserved better endings. It's one thing to do that with Martine, although I would of liked some back story with her, but these two deaths by Samaritan sniper, seemed to underwhelm their worth, especially Elias IMO. On the other hand, I understand that's the point, to feel the weight of Samaritan's 'brave new world', but I was never doubtful about Samaritan's ethics being an eugenics movement....
I also wasn't fond of all this time wasted the past 2 or 3 episodes with Root and Finch going back and forth about "saving the machine". It felt like they crammed their concerns down our throat to the point of loosing suspense by overusing it.
What I liked: Seeing Caleb and having Harper Rose along for the ride. Having Control care about "our" machine and realizing just how bad Samaritan is. I figured Samaritan would be dragged out, because I'm not sure what kind of plot POI would have without it, which kind of makes me think season five should be it's final season--a season where the under dogs strike back! I love the having more North By Northwest references "Thornhill" boxes were unexpected and cool thing for our machine to do.
Fun Bad Robot Stuff: As I had mentioned before, a lot of the Samaritan stuff seems to be plots barrowed and allusions from Revolution (ie: Child/boy appearing as a representative of AI). Aaron Pittman was a character who was one of the characters responsible for the nanites "waking up", but unlike Finch, he kept running away from it--essentially playing to Revolutions theme of "bad parenting", but he was first seen in the Pilot wearing an AC/DC t-shirt....in season two the nanites create a digital-Matrix-like alternate reality inside his head ("Dream Catcher") to trick him from using a virus to stop them...He awakes wearing a Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon t-shirt and STYX is playing. Is it any coincidence that Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine" played in the this final sequence of Harold saving the Machine? I don't think so! (Oh and keep your eyes open for Nolan and Abrams Westworld---there is a character with the surname Pittman too!!!!)
Looking forward though to getting some spoilers about how our characters are going to be able to rebuild the machine!
A great season finale that tied up several loose ends and will surely set up season 5 with a bang.
ReplyDeleteEpisode grades:
Panopticon - 9/10
Nautilus - 9/10
Wingman - 8.5/10
Brotherhood - 8/10
Prophets - 9.5/10
Pretenders - 9/10
Honor Among Thieves - 8.5/10
Point of Origin - 8.5/10
The Devil You Know - 9/10
The Cold War - 9.5/10
If-Then-Else - 10/10
Control-Alt-Delete - 9.5/10
M.I.A. - 9/10
Guilty - 9/10
Q&A - 9/10
Blunt - 9/10
Karma - 5/10
Skip - 9/10
Search & Destroy - 10/10
Terra Incognita - 10/10
Asylum - 10/10
YHWH - 10/10
Season Grade: A- (198/220 or 90%)
Holy shite! What an extraordinary finale! I loved everything about it but especially that moment between Finch and his creation. Adding Pink Floyd's Welcome to the Machine into the scene was pure brilliance. If this show doesn't get picked up for another season, I'll be crushed.
ReplyDeleteI "hate" this show. I so "hate" this show.
ReplyDelete2nd straight year!! SECOND STRAIGHT!! last year it was about hoping the team surviving Samaritan and this year it was about the machine surviving the attack.
and as always making me almost kill myself for waiting for next season.
DAMN WHAT A SHOW!!! AMAZING!
Happy waiting everyone. :)
Ah! Love the episode grades. :)
ReplyDeleteTHAT WAS EPIC!
ReplyDeleteI thought he got shot in the chest.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic season finale! I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. My props go out to the creative team of this fantastic show. You all did a great job on this season which was one of the best. I am really looking forward to next season
ReplyDeleteI've had to catch up on all I've missed in the past couple of days, so I finally got to see this episode and I liked it, but now I wonder if S5 should even be the last.....the idea of Finch starting up the Machine again could last at least a couple more seasons and could be interesting because it's basically allowing the ideas that we've heard and seen in flashbacks but now we can see the workings in the present.
ReplyDeleteAlso, was those bombings a ruse or were they actually made? And where we they taken?
The father/child aspects of Finch and The Machine have been very emotional which just adds another layer to the show's fantastic storytelling as it's obviously hard to create some kind of connection when you're using some kind of machine and just one human being, but POI has nailed it.
ReplyDeleteOh, good! I thought he was dead, but I hope you're right!
ReplyDeleteAlready on Season 2 again!
ReplyDeleteI cheered when Martine bit the dust! Sooo glad to see her go!
ReplyDeleteDon't write Elias' epitaph just yet as the EP confirmed Dominic's death but would not confirm Elias' - I think he will be back - YAY! Hope we see more of Caleb and Control too. I know I am looking forward to more great stuff too but first we need a renewal . Nervous waiting for it...
ReplyDeleteRoot is in God mode but her god is a fraction of itself and trapped in a box. Hopefully if she's let loose again, her settings with Root will remain intact!
ReplyDeleteThis was an epic finale! I really hope Elias is alive. It looked like he was shot in the shoulder. The last scene was one of the best in the entire show!
ReplyDeleteGreat episode. Great finale, as always. For his first show, Jonathan Nolan surely has an acutely clever sense of how to progress a show through the years, and how to plant and pay-off storylines. One of the things that concerned me going into this season was, once this conflict was resolved, how would the show go forward. But turns out, defeating Samaritan is a larger journey than I thought. Survival is first priority here. When (and hopefully not if) that happens, the priority will be to rebuild the machine, and perhaps Finch, along with Root, will use what they have learned over the years to help improve the way the Machine makes decisions, although I don't think a huge overhaul is required (thought Root might push for allowing the Machine to take more aggressive steps when necessary). Also: the machine has now lost access to feeds. They need to figure out a way to get it back online once it's ready. Only then can they even consider trying to defeat Samaritan who, at the end of the season, regardless of how the cliffhanger turns out, seems to have won.
ReplyDeleteThere is still a LOT of story left to tell, and hopefully season 5 won't be the last one. 6 seasons would be a good number to end the show on. Next season can be focused on the Machine getting back on it's feet and proliferating all the resources it needs to take on Samaritan, and the final season could be an all out war (which I suspect ultimately ends with both machines losing--and dying--and humans left to fend for themselves as before.)
Very impressive finale! Huge thanks to the producers / authors for the decision to continue (hope very much, that CBS will support this). Acker / Emerson / Caviezel are just great. Btw, Chapman is also great. Amy Acker is definitely the core inspiration source of the whole show. She has been brightening lives and giving exquisite joy to so many people by being in this show for the last several years - HUGE THANKS! And, of course, looking forward to seeing her back ASAP!!! :)
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