Warning: Spoiler Alert
After stumbling out of the gate in the first two episodes of the fourth season of the CBS series “Person Of Interest,” the show returned to prime form in episode four, as the episode zigged when it looked like it would zag, leaving the viewer surprised and on the edge of their seats for the entire episode. We welcomed back an old familiar face and the team encountered a new and very worthy adversary known as the “Brotherhood.” We also discover a couple of characters are not who they originally present themselves as and some sullying of the water to throw the team off he track. Throw in an adorable little girl and her older teenage brother whose trying to protect her and you end up with an entertaining hour.
The “Brotherhood’s,” a newly formed African-American street gang, that play by a new set of rules. Their members don’t sport colors, or respect territorial borders, they’ve got huge ambitions and little patience, as they’re looking to become the dominant force in the criminal underworld of New York City. The episode opens with four members of the new gang meeting with four Armenian mobsters to consummate a drug deal, but someone ticked somebody off and it resulted in bloodshed. When Reese in his guise of Homicide Detective John Reilly arrives at the crime scene, three Armenians and three members of the “Brotherhood,” died, with the last Armenian in critical condition. The last member of the rival gang’s shot up but he’ll live and gets put into an ambulance.
As Reilly starts looking at the bodies, a woman says he’s interrupting their investigation, until he flashes his badge. The woman’s DEA Agent Erica Lennox and she tells the detective the DEA have tried to put away the “Brotherhood,” for months without success and both she and John commiserate on not being able to get any info on the gang’s leader Dominic. He’s described as incredibly smart and ruthless, but nobody can identify him. Although the heroin’s at the scene the money to pay for its vanished and the pair realize that someone stole the money and now’s living on borrowed time.
Who stole the money from the drug deal gone bad? None other than “The Machine’s” newest number, an eight-year-old little girl named Tracy Booker and her teenage brother Malcolm. The kids live in separate foster homes, since their mother started serving time at Rikers Island, when her fool of a boyfriend caused enough of a scene to attract the police and when they searched the apartment they found an unregistered weapon. The only contact they now have’s when Malcolm walks to Tracy’s house to walk her to her school then heads crosstown to his school. Harold tracks them buying a suit and tie for Malcolm and a fancy dress and shoes for Tracy, but he can’t figure out why that’s their first purchase. Finch attempts following them, but Malcolm sees him and throws a stack of money into the air and lose Finch in the ensuing crowd.
The ambulance carrying the shot-up member of the “Brotherhood,” stops and the driver gets out and we can tell by the shoes it’s our old friend Sameen Shaw. She opens the back and the gang member asks if they’re at the hospital, but Shaw’s got no intention of getting him medical assistance, she wants info on his gang. She puts handcuffs on the guy and puts her pistol against his back, telling him they’re leaving the ambulance. The gang member tells Shaw he’s called Mini, because he’s so big, she hands him her cell phone and tells him to call his fellow gang member Link and find out where the kids are. Link gives the address of a parking lot the kids hid in and they’re on their way to take them out.
Harold’s arranged a meeting on a subway car with an old friend Crime Boss Carl Elias, to get him to intervene to help save Tracy and Malcolm. Elias says he can stall the Armenians but he’s got no control over the “Brotherhood.” Harold thanks him, but then Elias asks what’s going on with Finch’s organization, he knows something’s up with Reese posing as Detective John Reilly. Harold basically brushes off the question.
Reese and DEA Agent Lennox arrive at the garage just as the pair of “Brotherhood,” hit-men arrive, they shoot at the car and then spirit the kids away. Reilly and Lennox finally get told what motivated the kids to steal the money, to hire a dream-team of lawyers to get their mom out of jail. But John tells them they’ll get killed before the day’s out if they keep the money, so Malcolm hands over the knapsack, but the money’s replaced with newspaper. The teen tells the pair he’s not giving up the money, then says if you want to be the man, you’ve got to have a plan. However moments later after getting assured by John that he’ll look out for Tracy if he gets hurt, he writes down where the money’s located and gives it to the DEA Agent.
Lennox tells Reilly there’s a mole in the DEA informing the “Brotherhood,” of every move they make. She then tells him she’s calling for backup, but when John asks if it’s safe with the mole involved, she replies she’s calling her partner and he’s the only person she totally trusts. A few minutes later she tells the three others she’s going downstairs to meet the backup agents, but she never returns.
Lionel calls Reese and tells him he recovered a gang members cell phone and this might lead to Dominic. Fusco dials the number, but the phone Tracy got from Lennox rings. They realize she’s the mole and left the phone with Tracy so she couldn’t be traced. Members of the “Brotherhood,” start storming the building and Fusco says he’s on his way.
Although far from squeamish, I’m not a big fan of violence just for the sake of fighting or shooting. However stylized violence as in the great Japanese films or in the first Matrix movie, intrigue me and the violence in Person Of Interest’s so over the top it’s truly entertaining. Reese magically gets out of impossible situations even with the odds stacked against him and it’s no different in this episode. Wave after wave of gunmen enter the building and John takes them all out, until the last two guys grab Tracy and Malcolm from behind, holding pistols to their heads. They tell Reilly he’s finally done for and John asks if they’ve met his partner, at which point Lionel puts a bullet into both guys backs.
Shaw takes Mini to another location and has himself lock the handcuffs to a steam pipe, then tries to get info on Dominic but the soldier remains silent. She finally lets him go, but attached a tracking device on him so she can follow him. He heads to the Laundromat the gang hide their stash of heroin at and finds the stash in the bottom of a laundry basket.
Link and another gang member arrive at the building and John tells the kids to hide, but Tracy appears a minute later and Fusco sees she’s crying and not to be scared. She tells Lionel the reason she’s crying’s because her brother and her made a pact to never separate. Malcolm approaches Link’s car and tells him he’ll give himself up to the “Brotherhood,” in exchange for assuring Tracy’s safety. Link asks him about the money but the kid says he doesn’t have it, but he’ll work for Link in any capacity, even take a fall for the gang.
The gang member tells him to get in the car and they’re about to take off when Reilly stands in front of the car saying the only way they get their money’s by releasing Malcolm, John’s holding the knapsack and pulls out a wad of cash from the bag. Link lets Malcolm go and takes John prisoner, saying this is his lucky day, he’s got Reilly and his money, but John responds one for two’s not bad. Link looks in the bag and there’s just the one bundle along with the newspapers. Link’s still pleased that he gets to shoot the detective, but then Shaw calls and tells Link if he doesn’t release Reilly, she’ll set fire to their stash and the Laundromat. John gets released, Shaw takes the heroin and lets Mini go.
However, what we find out is Mini’s not called that because he’s big, it’s short for Dominic. Shaw had the General in her hands the entire time, then just set him free.
The Story Continues Next Tuesday Night at 10:00 pm on CBS.
