EXCLUSIVE TV Goodness Q&A: EPs Jonathan Nolan and Greg Plageman Discuss Person of Interest [INTERVIEW] 

Well, folks, at the end of the penultimate episode, the Machine had officially been hacked.  With Root sitting at the helm, all of the information on everything in the world is at her disposal, which includes we can assume the ability to change anything in the Machine as well.  A very scary thought, to say the least.  Just how far will she get?

The Machine is also changing, becoming more human and self-aware.  Finch made an attempt to prevent the Machine from learning by erasing its memory on a daily basis.  The Machine responded with a way to get around Finch’s scheme by printing out all its memories and having a whole company of people re-enter it back into its system.

We caught up with Executive Producers Jonathan Nolan & Greg Plageman in an exclusive interview on what to expect in this week’s finale, what’s next in Season 3, and what may be in store for some of our beloved characters. Warning: Spoilers Discussed.

TVGOODNESS: First, I want to say that “Zero Day” was fantastic, one of my favorites of the series.  Absolutely loved it.

Nolan: “Well, thank you, Mary!”

TVGOODNESS: A lot of story arcs have or are ending this season, the machine is changing, what can we expect for Season 3?

Nolan: “Ahh, well it’s really hard to keep the Machine down on the farm, isn’t it?  [Laughs.] Well, the Machine is definitely an evolving organism, is reaching out in different ways.  So, I think the thrust of Season 3 will be understanding more of the capabilities of the Machine and what it’s evolving into.”

Plageman:  “Fundamentally, I think there’s a heart and core of the show that we’ll never walk away from, and that’s these great characters that we have.  Even as the world of our show expands a little bit and that interaction with the Machine, the storyline there continues to grow.  These are fundamental things about the show that we’ll always come back to.”

TVGOODNESS: The title of the finale is “God Mode,” which we can assume refers to the debug mode the Machine is in now.  Can you give the fans just a few hints of what to expect in that finale?

Nolan:  “Mayhem, definitely mayhem! [Laughs.] Greg and I have long said that one of the things we want to do with this show was to tell a big story but every now and then answer some big questions so that we wouldn’t keep the fans waiting until the series finale to find out what happened to these characters.  So, the fans should expect some big, big answers in terms of Finch and how Finch became Finch, what happened between him and Ingram and that friendship and some big, big wild answers about what’s happening with the Machine, who caused all of this in the first place, and what that means for the future.”

TVGOODNESS:  In “Zero Day,” we saw Reese finding out that Finch may have been the reason why he was sent to China in the first place.  Will Finch and Reese’s relationship change in any way in Season 3 because of this?

Nolan:  “Well, I think we always wan to keep that relationship, you know that’s a tricky relationship.  You’re talking about two very private, very dark conflicted characters who have found friendship and solace in each other.  There are definitely things here that challenge that.  At the same time, these guys don’t have a lot of other people they can trust.  So, yes, there are some questions we’ll answer about that in the finale.”

TVGOODNESS: So, in the finale, Season 3, or both?

Nolan:  “Well, I think Root has discovered some things about the Machine, who is obviously communicating with her in the end of the episode you just watched. Her pursuit of the Machine has been sort of relentless, and I think we’re going to explore that further in the finale, and obviously, Reese is a character who Finch has kept on a need-to-know basis regarding the Machine up to this point in time.  But, perhaps, that will no longer be as tenable as in the first two seasons.”

TVGOODNESS:  Fusco.  Where in the heck was Fusco in “Zero Day,” and will we see him in the finale?

Nolan: “We’ve spent a lot of time, Greg co-wrote [the] kick-ass episode [“In Extremis,”] which is one we had planned for a very long time, that really leaned heavily into Detective Fusco and his past.  And, you know, we always want to do as much detail into all of these characters as we can, we’ve go a lot of stuff going into the finale.  So, last week’s episode about Fusco wrapped up that character for the season.  We will definitely be seeing more of Detective Fusco next season.”

TVGOODNESS: What about in the finale? 

Nolan:  “Fusco does not appear in the finale.”

TVGOODNESS: One last question, and this one comes from the fans on Twitter.  Are there any plans for Person of Interest appearing again this summer at Comic-Con in San Diego?

Nolan:  “We certainly hope to be there.  I don’t think anything’s in stone yet, but we have a great time every year at Comic-Con, hanging out with the fans of the show.  It’s always been a blast, and so, we definitely want to be there if we can.”

The Person of Interest season finale airs Thursday night at 9/8c on CBS.  Below are some photos from the finale, which is titled “God Mode.”