Television Review: Judgement (Person of Interest, S1X05, 2011)
Judgement (S1x05)
Airdate: 20 October 2011
Written by: David Slack
Directed by: Colin Bucksey
Running Time: 43 minutes
The very beginnings of Person of Interest, its premise about two off the grid individuals delivering their own brand of vigilante justice in the urban jungle of New York City, would have worked much better without the content limitations of network television. It is a concept that screams for a cable or streaming environment where the rules of engagement can be grittier, and the endings can be more ambiguous. On a broadcast network, however, the show's creators are forced to constantly temper the narrative. By the end of each episode, the grime and edginess have to be smoothed over to ensure a broadly acceptable audience. This homogenisation is probably most evident in the fifth episode, Judgement, which, despite a lot of potential, ended as the worst episode so far.
The Person of Interest churned by the Machine is so far the most unusual of them all—a very public figure of Samuel Gates (David Costabile), a criminal court judge who has built a reputation for being tough on crime. Reese and Finch first assume that he is in danger because of creating many enemies through his rulings and sentences. However, it turns out that the danger stems from the case he is currently involved in. Samuel Gates is a recently widowed judge whose only remaining family is his young son, Samuel Jr. (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick). Unknown attackers abduct him and kill his nanny, despite Reese's last-minute attempt to stop them. The abductors then contact the judge and offer him an ultimatum—he will get his son back only if he throws out the case against Angela Markham (Meredith Patterson), a business executive indicted in vehicular manslaughter caused by excessive drinking. Although the judge is reluctant to receive Reese's help, Reese and Finch quickly connect the dots and realise that the abductors belong to SP-9, an international crime syndicate that was involved in the money laundering provided by Markham. Although the judge sabotages the case and has Markham acquitted, Reese warns him that SP-9 will kill both him and his son to cover their tracks. Reese manages to rescue the father and son from the planned killings, while Finch hacks into SP-9 accounts and later delivers evidence of the money laundering, as well as Markham and SP-9 leaders, to Detective Carter. The episode ends with the judge thanking Reese, but warning him that his vigilante activities would sooner or later end when authorities catch up with him. Reese later tells Finch that the judge might in the end serve as their asset.
While the script by David Slack has an interesting juxtaposition of vigilante justice versus regular justice embodied by the unfortunate judge, the execution of the concept looks very ordinary, very predictable, and in line with the banalities of broadcast television. In broadcast television, the most diabolical and complicated global conspiracies can be dealt with in just 45 minutes. While some suspension of disbelief must be suspended, Judgement goes overboard by delivering the happiest of all happy endings. Reese rescues the young boy, dismantles an international crime syndicate, and furthermore, does it without killing anyone. Instead of simply allowing SP-9 to be taken out by their criminal partners they have let down, Reese goes to great trouble of capturing them alive in order to be delivered to Carter and Fusco with neatly arranged physical evidence of their wrongdoing. This sanitisation of the narrative removes any sense of moral ambiguity or grim satisfaction that one might expect from a show dealing with organised crime and murder. The judge’s victory is too clean, and the villainy of SP-9 is too easily dismantled, rendering the stakes superficial.
Even worse is Reese's apparent invulnerability. He gets shot during the abduction, but it is only a flesh wound. During the final shootout, the villains all miss while Reese hits, and does so without any serious and fatal injury. This constant luck undermines the stakes of the narrative. When the protagonist can walk through a hail of bullets unscathed, the tension evaporates. It renders the danger posed by SP-9 trivial, as if their bullets are mere suggestions rather than lethal projectiles. This invulnerability contrasts sharply with the show's early promise of grounded, noir-style action, pushing the episode further into the realm of fantasy rather than grounded thriller.
The best thing about the episode is David Costabile, a notable character actor who does a good job with a routine and slightly underwritten role. His performance elevates the material, yet it only makes the rest of the cast look less than impressive. Micahel Cerveris, , for instance, plays a one-dimensional and clichéd role of villainous SP-9 leader Jarek Koska that fails to inspire fear or intrigue. The script relies too heavily on the "tough guy" archetypes rather than developing them, resulting in a finale that feels very much like a "yawn-fest" as described by some viewers. It is a disappointing conclusion to a premise that had so much potential to explore the corruption of the justice system and the cost of vigilante justice in a gritty, cable-friendly manner.
RATING: 4/10 (+)
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