
This has been one big week of ironies. Each writer on our site is going to be doing a series of articles on “Characters of the Year of 2012â€, and I had just decided that one of mine was going to be Lionel Fusco (Kevin Chapman) of Person of Interest. Little did I know that tonight’s episode was going to be the Fusco show.
Before getting to the fantastic Fusco storyline, like always there was a real number-of-the-week, and this time it belonged to a seemingly innocent cabbie and Cuban immigrant, Fermin Ordonez (Michael Irby), who was also on his way to being a baseball star until he was injured. Instead of the riches he was promised, he’s spent the last five years saving up the money to get his wife and son out of Cuba, and when he comes up short and is double-crossed, that is the least of his worries. A Russian national who has stolen a laptop containing highly classified U.S. government information leaves the goods in Ordonez’s cab for safe-keeping, and the Estonian mob is ready to take out anyone, including Ordonez, who gets in their way of obtaining that laptop. As in every episode of Person of Interest, Reese (Jim Caviezel) and Finch (Michael Emerson), even with the help of Bear, neutralize the situation, and the episode ends with a nice holiday message. Due to Ordonez’s critical help in getting the stolen classified information back, the government is able to get his family out of Cuba. At last, Ordonez’s family is reunited, and while he may have gotten rich by being the star baseball player he had dreamed about, I bet he felt like the richest man on earth during that scene in the park when he finally gets to hug his wife and son again.  That’s the true meaning of the holiday season, folks.
But, honestly, this case was only a sideshow, and the big storyline arc is centered all on Fusco. In the season one finale, a good majority of HR is caught and sent to prison, but a few bad seeds like Simmons (Robert John Burke) escape detection, and so, we get the hint that this isn’t the last we’re going to see of this rotten organization. I had the pleasure to interview Kevin Chapman at New York Comic-Con, and specifically asked him if his troubles with HR were going to continue in season 2 or if Fusco was going to encounter other challenges. Without a moment’s hesitation, Chapman said the trouble with HR was far from over, and tonight’s episode clearly demonstrated that.
The remaining members of HR don’t have many cards to play, and their only ace-in-the-hole is the remaining mobster, Don Grifoni (Ed Setrakian), that Elias (Enrico Colantoni) was not able to take out before being sent to prison.  So, Simmons attempts to trade Grifoni’s whereabouts for Elias’ continued support for HR. Sounds like a good plan, right? Fusco and one of Simmons’ lieutenants are sent in to do the dirty work, but surprisingly enough, Grifoni knew they were coming, kills the lieutenant, but for some reason, spares Fusco. Oops.
Sh*t falls straight downhill from this point on. Of course, Simmons blames Fusco for the whole thing, and believes he’s the one who tipped off Grifoni. For those who have been faithful viewers of Person of Interest, we should remember the episode “Blue Code†from season one. Fusco is caught by a dirty Detective Davidson trying to save an undercover cop’s life, and in the process, Davidson is killed. Reese convinces Fusco to take the fall for Davidson’s murder to get in deep with HR, and now, it’s coming back to haunt him. Simmons is now using this knowledge as leverage to manipulate Fusco like some puppet, and the unfortunate part is it’s working.
Detective Fusco is a very interesting character and while he has grown by leaps and bounds since the pathetic weasel we saw him as in the Pilot, he still has a way to go. Fusco’s big issue still is trust. Who has helped him get out of every bad situation? Who has made him actually proud of whom he is? It’s Reese and Finch – not Simmons and HR. Fusco is still driven by fear, and unless he lets that go, that’s going to be his downfall. Fusco needs to tell Carter (Taraji P. Henson), Reese, and Finch exactly what is going on so that they can help. Hell, Finch is the computer guru – he can make that video footage of Lionel with Davidson disappear in a heartbeat. And, even as powerful as HR, Simmons, and even Elias and his goons may appear to be, they are no match for the Reese and Finch team. So, if Fusco is worried about his own safety and the safety of his son, again, he needs to trust the people who have proven to have his back.
I am very interested in seeing where this HR and Elias storyline is going to go. Elias has consistently been an ally of HR, but with Finch’s little visit with Elias in prison, I detect a certain respect Elias has for Finch and his little organization. Will Elias eventually go back to his old ways and support HR, or will he become a strong supporter of Finch and Reese? And, what about poor Fusco? Is the guy ever going to be able to come clean and lead a normal life? I sure love his character, and so, my hope is that he’s heading in that direction.
Person of Interest airs on Thursday nights at 9 p.m. EST on CBS.
 ————————————————————————————–
Our feature articles for “Characters of the Year†and “Episodes of the Year†will be beginning soon, and so, be sure to continue checking back at the site for the Kevin Chapman (“Lionel Fuscoâ€) piece.
Related posts
1 Comment
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Classics
Dennis Heaton Talks The Imperfects
Longtime readers at TV Goodness will know that Motive is one of my ride-or-die series, and as such, I am fiercely loyal to its creator, Dennis Heaton. He followed up that fantastic reverse procedural with Netflix’s The Order and is back on our streaming screens with The Imperfects, which dropped…
Kelly McCormack Talks Favorite Moments in A League of Their Own
[Warning: Mild spoilers for season 1.] Now that you’ve had a chance to watch A League of Their Own, here’s the rest of my chat with Kelly McCormack about her favorite moments of the season. Seeing the iconic Peaches uniforms for the first time wasn’t just a goosebump moment for…
John Griffin and Harold Perrineau Talk From on EPIX Season 1 Finale
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] How are we doing, #FROMily? In case you missed it this morning, the very good news is that that cliffhanger will be followed by a second season, which was gifted this morning ahead of the linear broadcast of the finale. I always legitimately appreciate when we…
Elizabeth Saunders Talks EPIX’s From
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] One of the things that makes EPIX’s From such a fun ride is the abundance of Canadian cast members. Elizabeth Saunders, who plays Donna, is a favorite from her turn on the third season of Mary Kills People [streaming on Global TV in Canada and Roku…
Corteon Moore Talks From “Broken Windows, Open Doors”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight’s episode of From had us all in our feels as we learned through flashbacks about the Sophie’s Choice Boyd had to make to save his son, and back in the present as Boyd said his piece with Ellis before heading into the woods with…
Pegah Ghafoori Talks From “All Good Things…”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode] Tonight on From, Fatima’s anniversary celebration turned into a Colony House of horrors when a misguided Kevin let his monster bae in and she promptly killed him and left the window open for her crew. While the party devolved into terror and sent everyone running,…
Shaun Majumder Talks From “Book 74”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight on EPIX’s From, Father Khatri made a bold move, kidnapping Sara instead of turning her in, and then recognizing her as a vessel for some big messages. That startling realization speaks to him on multiple levels–as a man of faith, a man trapped in…
Avery Konrad Talks About Sara’s Struggle in From “Silhouettes”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Over the course of the season so far on From, we’ve witnessed Sara’s battle against the voices telling her to to do terrible things, and tonight we saw her unravel further, threatening the Matthews and lashing out in a moment of terror with horrifying results….
Hannah Cheramy Talks From “Choosing Day”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight, on EPIX’s From, the Matthews participate in the show’s version of the sorting hat, choosing where to call home–the town or Colony House. At the end of the episode, Julie makes the decision to split from her family and instead settle in with Fatima…
Ricky He Talks From “The Way Things Are Now”
[Warning: Spoilers for episode 102 of EPIX’s From.] Epix’s new series From is two episodes in and it’s already laying the groundwork for a seriously spooky season. Tonight’s episode demonstrated the careful balance of relief and horror that the show hits, with our characters’ worst fears realized, just not when…
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…
Of note too, HR ditching Elias (when Finch showed Simmons the photos of the tail on his wife to get the locating Elias was holding Taylor) is a contrubiting factor to why Carter was able to arrest Elias. I’m sure it’s a big part of why he won’t join with them again.