Person of Interest: Top 10 Reasons Why I’m Thankful For This Show 

Person of Interest is a strange beast. It’s one of those shows that has great ratings but, personally, I don’t know many people who watch it. I can count the ones I do know on one hand. That doesn’t matter, I will spread the love (for a series that regularly pulls in 14 million viewers) as hard as I can and as long as I can because it’s worth it. POI is a surprising, unpredictable, entertaining, action-packed, highly addictive hour of television and everyone who’s not watching should rectify that matter pronto. Since this is Thanksgiving, I’m giving my top 10 reasons why I’m thankful this show is on the air:

10. It’s not the normal CBS show

CBS is known for their procedurals and I love a lot of them. And when Person of Interest first started it seemed to follow the same kind of formula, although it did it in a flashier, sexier way, if you ask me. POI quickly found its path was not only in the cases of the week but in the mythology of The Machine as well as in the lives of these characters. Finch, Reese, Carter, Fusco and The Machine are all mysteries that are slowly being revealed over the course of the series. Person of Interest excels in procedural mode as well as in character-driven mode. That’s the beauty of this show.

9. It’s a surprisingly funny series

One of the things I didn’t expect to do while watching Person of Interest was laugh. Have you met Finch and Reese? They are such serious people who have been through some stuff. What’s wonderful is the writers manage to extract humor out of some dark and intense material anyway. Sometimes all that’s necessary is to put Reese in awkward situations. That episode where he was forced to investigate a family man in the suburbs? It was clear the ‘burbs was not where a guy like Reese belonged and so it provided an immense amount of comedy. Reese on a date? Make Finch take care of a dog? Hilarious. The one liners exchanged between characters are quite humorous as well. And the actors are strong enough to pull ’em off.

8. The addition of Bear the dog was a genius move

Whoever thought of adding a dog to the equation — extra pumpkin pie for you. Bear, the military dog that responds to Dutch commands, is adorable and only Reese could get away with turning Finch into his caretaker. It lets us see a new side of the normally stoic man. Plus, Bear can get in on the action every once in a while, right? Love how he makes other people uncomfortable (like Ken Leung‘s Leon Tao) and I love how he completed Reese and Zoe’s perfect suburban family picture in a recent episode. Hope Bear sticks around.

7. Carter and Fusco no longer work in the dark…to a point

Yes, Carter and Fusco don’t know much in the way of The Machine. But what I appreciate is that they do know they’re not only working together at the precinct, they are both secretly working with/for — whatever word you so choose — Finch and Reese. I’m so happy it didn’t take too long for the two to find out about each other’s secret. The detectives are key figures in helping things get done discreetly, quickly, efficiently and without question. OK, maybe not without question. Carter’s been asking them. She’s just not getting too many answers. Reese feels as long as she has something or someone to lose — namely her son — Carter needs to remain in the dark. I don’t know how long the detective is going to be satisfied with this excuse. She’s getting closer and closer to finding things out about Reese and his past. In the meantime, Carter and Fusco are a powerful combo as Finch and Reese fight the good fight.

6. Reese in glasses

First of all, it’s no secret I have a major TV crush on John Reese. I often think of this guy as Batman. He doesn’t have any real superpowers but he doesn’t need them. He simply needs his fists, his smarts, his resourcefulness and a major cache of weapons. However, in a recent episode, he reminded me more of Clark Kent when he donned some glasses in the name of a case. Finch went online to set Reese up on a date with the woman The Machine deemed a person of interest. And to become this same guy in the dating profile Finch worked up, he wore glasses, something that increased his hotness exponentially, in my opinion. Not that I thought he could get any hotter. But he managed to find a way. Hope those glasses make a comeback.

5. Carter and Reese scenes

I thank the day the show finally got its act together with the Carter character. In season 1, she was folded into the action way too slowly. But when she and Reese finally met face to face, it was well worth it. And ever since, I have loved each and every scene that showcases these two characters. Carter and Reese have an interesting chemistry. Not sure how to describe it just yet. Someday these two will be able to depend on each other completely. Right now, there are trust issues, understandably. But Reese knows he can count on Carter. And Carter knows that even though this guy has a shady past, and some of the things he does in the present are even shadier, that he’s a good guy. One of my favorite scenes is when the two went to Texas looking for Finch (Root had kidnapped him) and they found out they had to share a hotel room. So funny. I look forward to more Carter/Reese goodness.

4. The Villains

Elias, Root, Agent Snow, Kara Stanton — this show has plenty of great villains to love to hate. They pop in and out of any given episode. And when they’re on the scene, it’s time to get scared. Finch had to deal with post-trauma issues after Root kidnapped him. While Elias is currently in jail, I don’t think bars are going to stop him from doing what he has to do. How great was that jailhouse chess scene between Finch and Elias, by the way? We still don’t know what Kara’s end game is. But we know she’s bad…very, very bad. And I think there may be a new villain on the block, in the form of the evildoer Julian Sands played in “Critical.” He knew who Reese was — and something tells me the creepy guy’s going to be back. Reese is on his radar. That can’t be a good thing.

3. The Action

I love action. And Person of Interest provides plenty of it. I appreciate a show that features a guy that isn’t beyond doing or causing some permanent damage. Reese is fearless. He’s a bit of a wrecking machine but he does it all for a good cause. That makes it all OK, right?

2. The Badass Women of Person of Interest

I like how the main and recurring women on this show are as smart, strong and as badass as the men (even more so in some cases). Carter is tough, resourceful, and has a dogged approach to investigating murders and more. Taraji P. Henson is a wonderful presence.

It’s funny. I’ve seen Paige Turco in tons of projects over the years. But it’s her role as Zoe that resonates the most for me. She’s at her best on POI. Zoe has that perfect combination of confidence, sexiness and smarts plus a wealth of hidden resources that make her dangerous. Plus I love her and Reese and want them to be together. Who else can get him to let his proverbial hair down and play poker in the ‘burbs?

Amy Acker is quite off putting as Root — in a good way of course. Her genius level smarts make her a formidable foe for Finch. She upended his life and Finch genuinely looked scared. That woman is lethal.

Maybe not as lethal as Annie Parisse‘s Kara Stanton, however. She’s responsible for helping Reese become the badass guy he is today. Don’t know about you guys but that scares the you-know-what out of me. Especially since we have no idea what she’s up to. She’s a wild card that strapped a bomb vest to Agent Snow.

Yes, these women are smart, strong, fierce, deadly and, if they want, have the power to do very, very bad things to Finch and Reese with whatever methods they choose. Most of all, they are unpredictable forces of nature and that makes them awesome.

1. Finch and Reese’s relationship

The relationship between Finch and Reese is my favorite aspect of Person of Interest. The way their bond has developed over the past two seasons has provided some rich and entertaining moments. Reese knows Finch saved his life. And Reese has saved Finch’s life too. These two need each other and have forged a connection I hope will never be broken. In essence, they were two lonely, damaged individuals living on the outskirts of society. Thanks to The Machine, the two now work together and give each other purpose. CBS struck gold with the pairing of Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson. I hope they know that.

Person of Interest airs Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!