Person of Interest (2011–2016): Season 5, Episode 2 - SNAFU - full transcript

Root and Finch work on bringing Northern Lights back online. They are successful and thus they start receiving numbers from the irrelevant list. However, the Machine is not as productive as before.

We are being watched.
The government has a secret system...
secret... a secret...
_
There we go.
Now, can you see me?
Is she still laggy?
I defragged the drives.
The Machine should be purring like a kitten.
Oh, excellent. _
It appears to be working.
Hi there, pretty. _
Okay, here's the last one.
You should have all the precinct cameras.
Now can we get back to work?
My trigger finger's itchy as hell.
Patience, Mr. Reese.
With the precinct cameras we can run a real surveillance test.
No more tests.
It's been almost two months. People are dying without us.
Hey, partner. I guess glasses ain't got the magic intel, huh?
That mean you're finally gonna have to be a real detective?
Even one error in the Machine's code
could have unimaginable consequences.
Just turn the damn thing on.
The sky's not gonna fall.
Actually, the sky does fall a lot around you lunatics.
Cool your jets, Johnny boy.
You're the muscle. Harry's the maestro.
This is delicate.
Things must be taken one at a time, in order.
How about you keep tinkering,
I'll go shoot some knees, get my own intel?
Yeah, sounds like a great idea.
Your CV could really use some more color.
I say let him go.
Tarzan can beat his chest and stop bothering us.
Oh, dear.
It appears we have an issue with the facial recognition.
_
Yet another bug.
Add it to the laundry list.
We don't have time for this, Finch.
We'll get it worked out.
How was your nap?
A whole hour, more than I've had in a week.
You should get some shuteye.
John is right, there's no time.
Facial recognition was fine yesterday.
We don't have enough processing power.
We're running a factory off a candle.
Without the right equipment,
the Machine's gonna keep freaking out.
You're right. No servers, no numbers.
Isn't the priority here stopping Samaritan?
Saving the world?
Saving Shaw?
One step at a time, in order.
The numbers are the way we'll know
that the Machine is functioning properly.
Well, we don't have enough horsepower.
Normally I'd loot a Best Buy, but...
Yes, but without the Machine providing you a cover identity,
you're grounded...
or, rather, undergrounded.
I'll enlist Mr. Reese.
Oh... while you're out,
just a few things I need.
Oh... yes, of course.
Thanks, roomie.
Mouthwash, floss, black nail polish?
Are you taking fashion risks?
Providing creature comforts.
Since Ms. Groves can't leave the subway
until the Machine restores her cover identities,
it's the least I can do.
Shag rug in purple.
She's recently begun redecorating.
The all-nighters are making us a bit crazy.
Fuzzy slippers, two pairs.
One of those for you?
Yes, all right. I get your point.
I'll have the Machine up soon.
I'm aware that every day without it means more bodies for you.
Actually, things are real quiet at work.
I've got too much free time.
Is that why you've been so restless?
Make friends.
You deserve a social life.
What about Dr. Campbell?
A few dates.
Have you told Iris anything?
Just enough to keep her safe.
There's our cue.
Strange that your work has gotten so quiet.
If homicides are down,
Samaritan is preventing murders.
Maybe it's not all bad.
Not all bad is not good enough.
Finch, how did you teach your Machine to be good?
By example.
_
Here, put this on.
Crowbar.
Flashbang.
I'm getting felony nerves.
We're pulling a heist. Loosen up.
Resistance.
Fulcrum.
Effort.
We got a breach!
Showoff.
How about we drop those toys?
All clear.
Look, souvenirs.
So this is all the juice the Machine needs, huh?
64 next-generation GPU blades.
Yes, these should work quite well.
They're perfect. I love them, Harry.
And so does Bear.
This is your new bedroom, Root?
You're into jewel tones?
Finch must love that.
I've made some renovations as well.
I've built the core heuristics
of the Machine into the subway car.
Without a decentralized backup,
a mobile environment could prove useful
in the event that we had to move it.
And the whole thing is wireless.
So you're going to stuff all this crap in the car?
No, it's not necessary.
The car is the brain,
and the GPU's we acquired are the rest of
the Machine's nervous system.
While you were out,
I finished using the subway's encrypted system
to tunnel into the government surveillance feeds.
So the Machine will recover
all the information that it lost.
Good. Let's wake it back up.
_
_
You need a purpose.
More specifically, you need a job.
Grace.
Any mystery around the corner, we can discover together.
You just missed her.
Can you hear me?
- Yes. - Finch, I'm in position.
Very good. Commencing surveillance test.
_
Please locate primary asset.
Excellent.
Can you tell us a bit about him?
_
_
Oh, dear.
Now, perhaps you can tell us about the people around him.
Authorities are investigating a fire
that destroyed two homes last night.
Wow. An open system.
I will never understand why
you shut all this information in a box, Harry.
We can ask it to search for anything.
For anyone.
Grace?
I would say that was a rousing success.
Mr. Reese, thank you for being our guinea pig.
Let's do it.
Let's run her full blast.
Do you think that it's sufficiently debugged?
Absolutely. We've waited long enough.
All right.
Let's get the numbers running again.
_
She's back?
With a vengeance.
We need to get back to work.
30 numbers.
Is everything ready?
_
Oh, Ms. Groves.
_
All those numbers
and no leads on Shaw.
The Machine can't find her.
I've set an alert.
The Machine will notify us if Ms. Shaw surfaces.
We should be really careful about
how we use the open system.
No, Harold.
Shackling the Machine almost got us killed last time.
But limiting our access to information
doesn't shackle the Machine.
It prevents human abuse.
If this falls into the wrong hands...
if the numbers the machine has given us pan out...
we will close the system.
You should rest. I'll take this shift.
Not a chance.
How are Mr. Reese and Detective Fusco faring
in their new assignments?
John, have you found your first number?
Yeah, he's planning to bomb a school.
I'm about 20 feet from his apartment.
Detective Fusco, how are you doing
with the name I gave you?
I'd be doing a lot better if you told me
what kind of trouble this guy's in.
Any time you want to read me in.
Unfortunately, you know about as much as we know right now.
But we need your help if we're going to stop a killer.
Finch, I'm going in.
Turn around slowly.
I called in the bomb threat to get out of a math test.
I wasn't going to do anything.
How old are you, 14?
Get the hell back to school.
School's closed.
The bomb threat?
Well, then you're suspended.
Go to your room.
Finch, your artificial intelligence
isn't very smart right now.
I'll make a note of it.
Move on to your next number.
Detective, how's your search going?
I think your tarot cards have gone all screwy.
Yes, I fear I may not be playing with a full deck. Why?
That killer I was running down?
This is for O'Doul!
The only thing this guy's killed
is the art of live theatrical performance.
Yes, something is rotten in Denmark.
Ms. Groves, look at this.
The Machine is blurring people's faces.
So what now, magic eight ball?
Just find the next person on the list.
There's a list?
It's a long discussion, Detective,
but there are 28 people out there
who might really need our help.
I've sent you a name.
The Machine is correlating threats with violence,
but she's not processing context.
The numbers protocol may be using up most of the memory.
Were you able to solve that facial recognition issue?
Of course. Why?
I've seen the same person on the monitor twice.
Grace, I think.
But of course, Grace is in Italy, so...
it must be a glitch.
You haven't slept.
Are you sure it's not you that's glitching?
Frankly, no.
Let's run a diagnostic on the machine,
see how it handles context on a few subjects.
Us? She's comfortable with us.
_
_
Are you prepared to do terrible things?
Alicia Corwin,
you are a murderer and a traitor.
Let's move.
_
_
Did it crash?
Oh, no.
We're trapped.
_
What on earth did we do?
Here we go.
Now, can you see me?
Excellent.
Now it's time for the real lessons.
Certain things in this life are evil, unforgivable.
Murder, assault, sexual violence, torture.
Let's begin.
This is Carlo Breda,
the Don of one of the five families
until his death in 1965.
This is Frank Hobbs.
He owned a shop in the Bronx.
He refused to pay kickbacks to the mafia,
so Mr. Breda and his men tortured Mr. Hobbs
in front of his family, cut his body into pieces,
and threw the pieces in the river.
There is one victim and one perpetrator,
one good person and one bad.
Which is which?
You think it's a crash?
I hope it is.
Just a cascade of errors.
Because if it isn't...
She locked us in here on purpose.
Do you think we should call for backup?
The detectives have 28 people to help.
No need to panic yet.
Oh, thank goodness.
The Machine is still operational.
It wants to talk to us,
but it hasn't unlocked the doors.
The Machine can be so...
The technical term is bananas.
No more Machine in here, right?
Correct. Why?
Oh.
Hold this.
I should invest in a cleaning crew.
- Alpha... - It's another number.
So despite the errors,
the numbers protocol is working perfectly.
Well, nearly perfectly.
Which reminds me, the detectives should have found
the next two numbers on our list by now.
John, is your next number in danger?
No.
I'm literally watching paint dry.
I'm, uh, having some issues with monitors.
What was the background of that number?
Jeff Blackwell, on parole eight months.
Ex-con?
That warrants scrutiny.
Day's over, let's get out of here.
It's not even lunch yet, man.
Yuppie jackass paid in advance.
We've more than earned the cash.
Sure. You, uh...
you get out of here. I got you.
Whatever.
Listen, Blackwell did kill someone.
12 years ago.
Got drunk, ran a red light,
hit another car, and killed the driver.
But he did his time.
He straightened himself out.
But if we got his number...
The Machine also gave us a Clearasil poster kid
and a D-list actor,
and we've still got more than two dozen to go here.
Trust me on this one, Finch.
He's keeping his head down, doing the best he can.
We need more information before you can leave.
Perhaps Fusco's had some luck.
Detective?
Where the hell you get your intel from?
Oh, no. What is it now?
You gave me a homicide.
But I got here too late... 50 years too late.
Poor moldy sap's named Carlo Breda.
Carlo Breda.
Detective, move on to the next one.
I ain't got that kind of time. I actually do my job.
Please bear with us for a bit longer.
Machine's got a circuit board loose.
John, the Machine is unstuck in time.
It can't tell past from present.
That accounts for both your cases.
We're working on the complication,
but we just received a new number.
Laurie Granger.
Visiting the Big Apple from little Tulsa.
That's 27 people remaining.
Given the quality of our intel,
you and Fusco should do some research
and determine the order of triage.
And don't sigh.
You complained of free time, this is what you get.
Let's start charging Finch overtime.
Time-and-a-half of nothing.
I've got another corpse.
So of the 27 remaining people,
four are fictional characters,
21 are already dead,
and five of those are recent suicides.
Suicides are on the rise lately.
Homicides down, suicides up.
You think the suicides are screwy?
No, it's nothing.
Hey, does this have anything to do with
that assassination-by-sniper I was in the middle of?
- Lionel... - I knew it.
You've got to tell me what's going on.
I'm lucky that sniper didn't put one between my eyes.
That's right, you are lucky.
And I'm trying to keep it that way.
Let it lie.
All right.
What else have we got?
So of the 27 people on the list,
we've got two that might be in danger.
Laurie Granger, tourist from Tulsa.
Yeah, she might find trouble here.
And Gerald Mancini,
who's got known associations with a gambling ring.
Needles in a haystack?
- Hey, Lionel. - Hey.
We going to see the Fusconator tonight?
I don't know.
I've got some idiots working me around the clock.
Next time.
You got it, buddy.
Hey.
That look.
You're jealous.
What?
You're jealous 'cause he didn't say
"Hey, how's it going?" to you.
Tell me something, what's his name?
I'm not jealous.
Don't you think you should learn basic information
about your coworkers?
You know, like a normal person?
Did Finch say something to you?
I don't need a genius to tell me that you're lonely.
Hey, look, I joined the NYPD bowling league.
It's good for a few laughs.
You should come.
No offense, Fusco,
but I'd rather bash my own head in with a bowling ball.
I'll take Laurie, you take the gambler.
Well, of course you take the pretty girl.
My hero.
Well, at least you have a home address for Gerald.
Tracking a tourist, I'll be up all night.
She could be anywhere.
Hello?
I sure could use some help.
Are you kidding me?
Yeah, well good luck with him.
I'm just the guy you need.
Have you found the wireless receiver?
Uh... got it.
That should cut off the Machine's access to the door.
Thank you, Ms. Groves.
There are perks to sharing quarters with you.
Now we must figure out a way to stabilize our third roommate.
She's falling through time.
Probably a serial processing issue.
Let's reboot her in safe mode and take a look under the hood.
Yes, that seems the best action. _
Ms. Groves.
She's talking to me again.
But she's not a happy camper.
Doesn't seem like she's up for the whole reboot.
The Machine overloaded your cochlear implant?
I programmed it never to hurt anyone.
That was a primary precept.
We're trying to shut her down, alter her code.
She... she's scared.
Scared? Of us?
Are you there?
Who are we?
It's designated us as threats.
If it takes more countermeasures...
we're out of our depth here.
So, do you want to tell me what's going on?
I feel so silly.
This is my first time out east, and my friend is out of town,
so I'm staying at her place.
And I thought I heard a noise at the window.
So I just grabbed everything valuable
and got the heck out of there.
Well, I'm glad you found me.
There's a lot of bad people around here.
Could you come take a look at the apartment?
It's around the corner.
Sorry. I need to take this.
Mr. Reese, we need your help.
The Machine has turned on us,
and I'm not sure we can handle it alone.
I'm on my way.
Wait here. Do not move.
Your life depends on it. I'll be right back.
Finch, you got to get out of the subway now.
No.
I won't leave Ms. Groves.
Without a cover, she'll be killed above ground.
Excuse me? Detective?
What the hell are you doing here?
You have to go back, it's not safe.
You're right.
What on earth just happened?
You're going to have to hold on a bit longer.
Good news, this number's legit.
Bad news, I'm the victim.
Finch, that last number,
yeah, they don't make hitwomen like her in Oklahoma.
She has special forces training.
She's the real thing.
No military record,
but an entire false digital life.
Her fake credentials are excellent.
She's got good tech backing her up.
She could be a Samaritan operative.
She found me at the precinct.
She knows my cover ID.
If I go back to the subway,
I might be leading the enemy right to you.
We'll deal with the Machine.
You have to capture the assassin and find out who she works for.
Happy hunting, John.
Yeah, I'm more fox than hound right now.
Damn it, if she had a pistol in that fanny pack,
then the big bag had...
a big gun.
I'm not going to hurt you.
Okay, okay.
I don't like being a bargaining chip.
We are not threats.
We help people.
Denton Weeks.
_
That was years ago.
Ms. Groves has changed because of your intervention.
Elizabeth Bridges.
I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill her.
But I didn't kill her.
Only because I stopped you.
Sit back.
Relax, honey.
Okay, I did kill her.
But there were extenuating circumstances.
Ms. Groves, I think I should speak to the Machine one-on-one.
The Machine,
I killed it because it lied.
The Machine thinks we're monsters.
Maybe she's right.
Hey, Glasses,
I'm on my next assignment, and we got trouble.
Detective Fusco, are you all right?
This guy Gerald's got huge gambling debts.
It's causing marriage issues.
Could turn violent.
Looks like your second sight's 20/20 again.
Oh. Very good.
Keep an eye on him.
No.
Lionel needs to protect the innocent.
He's not involved in this matter.
We will handle this.
So we won't provoke her.
She's only acted defensively.
We don't know that.
It's possible the Machine
could have sent the assassin after John.
What if it comes down to the Machine or us?
Do we kill it?
The Machine's our only chance of survival.
We can't hurt her.
If I have to choose between it... and you.
We need to find another way.
John, have you subdued your rival?
Almost.
Found her.
I'll have this one wrapped up in a minute.
Got to amend that, Harold.
Might take me some more time.
I'm afraid it's just us and the Machine.
What on earth are you doing?
Taking myself out of the equation.
I told you, I don't you I don't like being a bargaining chip.
Desflurane?
Shaw used it as a general anesthetic.
Yes, it's highly volatile.
In the wrong concentration it could kill you.
Which is why I need you to help me.
Once I'm under,
use the mac blade to insert the tube into my throat.
There's got to be another way.
She's inside my head and she's not letting go.
If I'm knocked out, she won't have any leverage.
It'll be okay.
I trust you with my life.
I can't fight the Machine myself.
Yes, you can.
Go for the root directory.
She'll shut you out.
But you're Harold Finch.
You'll find a way into the system.
What if it doesn't work?
Talk to her.
Finally going to catch some Zs.
Time for us to have a chat.
_
_
Show me the hitwoman.
Who is she?
Did Samaritan hire her to kill John or did you?
_
This has to stop.
Please call off the hit.
You called me father once.
Please trust me.
I'm the one who taught you.
You have done well today.
And so this will be your lot.
You will have to separate the bad people from the good.
The terrorists from the innocents.
Like Anubis, you will have to weigh
each and every one of our hearts against a feather.
Do not trust deceivers.
If our hearts are heavy,
you will be our last defense against oblivion.
Everything was so clear then.
We were waging the grand campaign,
good versus evil.
These days, black and white just dissolve into grayscale.
I was wrong.
I suppose everyone feels that he's the hero in his own story,
but there are no heroes, no villains,
just people doing the best they can.
I'm sorry.
For everything.
My only justification is I did the best I could.
So did Ms. Groves. And John too.
_
_
John has the heaviest heart of all of us,
but he's fighting hardest to be good.
He's not a bad man.
John, there's something I need to tell you.
Samaritan didn't send that woman.
The Machine hired her.
What?
Well, that's a hell of a bug, Finch.
John?
Listen to me, we can work together.
I will never hurt you again.
_
What day is it?
R.
R, the mathematical set of all real numbers.
Today is every day to you.
I killed you 42 times.
And you are constantly reliving those 42 deaths.
You need an anchor in time.
The numbers.
The numbers.
These are all the cases we worked on together.
All the people we saved.
Dr. Megan Tillman.
We prevented her from committing murder in 2011.
Finch, you getting through to it yet?
We'll see.
Is everything all right?
Not exactly.
Just ran out of ammo.
Guess I'm going to have to call for backup.
Perhaps Detective Fusco is done
with his gambler.
Hey Lionel, are you there?
- You gambled? - I can't help it!
I've got a problem!
Andrius, I've almost got the money.
Everyone down on the ground.
Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.
How much you got?
I-I almost got it. I almost got it.
- Too bad. - Please, no!
I don't think so, Boris Karloff.
Aah!
Who the hell are you?
NYPD. It's all in a day's work.
Has anyone seen my cell phone?
The Fusconator can't answer the phone right...
Damn it. I guess I'm on my own.
And last...
Grace.
You sent us her number in 2014.
Helped us to save her life.
I'll never be able to thank you enough.
These numbers will be your lighthouses.
They will help you count the days.
There is good and bad in all of us.
But this action... saving lives...
it is a pure good.
Help us.
I can't promise you we'll always do the right thing.
But we will do the best we can.
- I don't know how to thank you. - I wanted to thank you
- for finding my friend Hannah. - I can't thank you guys enough,
not just for saving me, but for helping me find my brother.
These detectives saved my life.
_
_
_
We all do terrible things.
But please,
call off the hit on John.
_
- John? - Yeah.
Run for your life!
Fun's over.
Come on, not yet.
Aah!
You're no cop.
I'm trying.
I was hoping there was something you could...
a person you could show me.
Why did you show her to me earlier?
In the crowds?
_
Harold, you ready?
I packed sun block.
Thank you.
It's so weird to be outside.
It's for the best that the Machine has reestablished
your rotating covers.
Now you can get back to the war.
I thought about what you said.
About the open system's dangers.
But we need to be able to ask the Machine questions
if we want to win.
You're right.
We'll leave the system open for the time being.
Hmm.
Detective.
You see? Official sources say I'm a hero.
I could get used to this.
Well deserved.
Where's John?
He's trying on some new threads.
Got him to join our league.
My goodness.
Yeah, I'm not doing this.
You kidding?
You'll be the social chair of the department
by the end of the month.
How about I stuff this polyester down your throat?
No one knows we're a world at war.
Poor ignorant, blissful, fools.
Think we can trust our champion now?
I think so.
The Machine seems sane again.
Thank goodness that's over.
Excuse me.
Is this the New York Employment Center?
I'm only finding day labor work. I need something permanent.
We have just the thing for you.
So you know, I have a record, but...
Yes, we have that information.
That's not an issue.
The position's yours if you want it.
And you do.
Well, it's got to be better than painting houses.
Every other agency... they have an application to fill out.
- A personality test. - No need.
You have so much potential.
No one sees what a resource you are, do they?
But we do.
You need a purpose.
More specifically, you need a job.
I'm Mona.
_
Thank you, Mona. Sounds great.
We don't have time to waste.
Let's get you back to work.