Television Review: Baby Blue (Person of Interest, S1X17, 2012)
Baby Blue (S1x17)
Airdate: 8 March 2012
Written by: Patrick Harbinson
Directed by: Larry Teng
Running Time: 44 minutes
The seventeenth episode of Person of Interest, "Baby Blue", represents a slight downgrade in quality compared to the previous two instalments. The episode feels like a classic case of a show being pulled in two opposing directions, unable to fully commit to either. On one hand, there is the desire to provide the audience with "cute" fan service, largely driven by the novelty of seeing Reese and Finch take on the role of caregivers. On the other hand, the showrunners were attempting to make the series extra realistic by plunging the protagonists into dark territory involving murder, human trafficking, and the ruthless pragmatism of a crime syndicate.
The episode opens with The Machine outputting a number that initially baffles the team. The Social Security number belongs to a woman registered only a few months prior, which seems impossible for an adult. Upon further investigation, it becomes clear that the person of interest is actually a six-month-old baby named Leila Smith, who had been brought to a hospital anonymously. Finch, using his resources to impersonate a doctor, takes Leila into his custody just moments before a group of suspicious-looking characters arrive with apparent intentions that are far from benevolent. What follows is a series of "cute" scenes that serve as a stark contrast to the show's usual aesthetic, as Reese and Finch fumble through the basics of childcare, showcasing a world that they could have inhabited had their lives been different.
The procedural aspect of the plot thickens as Finch discovers that Leila’s stay in the hospital has been financed through anonymous donations tracked back to a company owned by Adnan Petrosian (Scott Bryce), a wealthy construction magnate. It is revealed that Petrosian had an affair with Claudia Cruz, a 20-year-old receptionist, and that Claudia is the baby's biological mother. Claudia had apparently died in an apartment fire shortly after giving birth, but Detective Carter, who has been recruited to investigate the case, notices that the fire was no accident. Fingerprints recovered from the scene point to Nicola Petrosian (Kate Hodge), Adnan's wife, as the murderer. Nicola had apparently killed Claudia to protect Adnan's reputation and her own position within the family.
Despite Finch’s best efforts to keep Leila safe by placing her in the custody of Claudia’s parents, he is apparently tracked and assaulted by a well-organised gang of kidnappers that take away baby. Nicola Petrosian admits to hiring the gang, though she claims she cannot recall their details, revealing that they intend to sell Leila into trafficking. In a desperate bid to save the child, Reese turns to the only person with genuine authority over New York City's gang network: Elias. He convinces Elias to help track the gang, which leads to a tense confrontation where Reese ultimately retrieves Leila.
However, this is where the episode’s moral framework begins to fracture. Elias shows his true colours, using Leila as a tool to solve his own problems. At the beginning of the episode, Gianni Moretti has been released from prison, and thanks to Reese and Carter, he has survived an assassination attempt by Elias’ men. Elias places both Reese and Leila in a freezer truck, threatening to let them freeze if Reese does not give up the location of Moretti’s safehouse. Reese sees no choice but to comply. As a result, Elias’ men abduct Moretti and seriously injure Detective Szymanski, who was protecting him. Disgusted by the deal that brought harm to one of her colleagues, Carter tells Reese and Finch that she will no longer work with them. The episode concludes with Reese and Finch finally reuniting Leila with her grandparents, but both men are left bitterly observing that they probably will never have children of their own.
Written by Patrick Harbison, Baby Blue looks, at first glance, like a successful compromise between an unusual regular procedural storyline and the general story arc. The two narratives interweave near the end, forcing the protagonist into a terrible moral choice that leaves him ultimately defeated. This structure adds complexity and paints the episode in very dark colours after indulging the audience with the "cuteness" of the adorable child. However, this very attempt at complexity exposes the script's sloppiness. The most obvious error is the cavalier attitude towards non-US geography. The kidnappers are described simply as "Eastern Europeans," with Reese, a character who should obviously know better, narrowly categorising them as "Albanians or Croats". This lazy shorthand relies on all the annoying post-Cold War stereotypes that have long outlived their utility in television writing.
Even more annoying is the all-too-obvious red herring regarding Adnan's young son. The script suggests that the son is a possible father of Leila, which would have added a layer of complexity to the family dynamic. However, Finch dismisses this possibility after seeing the son publicly kiss another man, firmly declaring his paternity unlikely. For a series that thrives on complexity and characters that are supposed to be worldly, this shows a terrible disregard for the concept of bisexuality.
Despite these flaws, Baby Blue remains a solid episode. It provides a couple of solid effective pieces, such as Reese shooting a hostage taker after being dared to do so, and maintains genuine suspense during the scene in the freezer where Reese has to make a difficult choice. The dark mini-cliffhanger ending suggests that this should have been a very good "wham" episode, capable of shaking up the status quo, if not for the annoying flaws in writing and character development. It is a conflicted episode that aims for emotional resonance but stumbles over its own ambition.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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