Television Review: Bad Code (Person of Interest, S2X02, 2012)
Bad Code (S2x02)
Airdate: 4 October 2012
Written by: Greg Plageman & Patrick Harbinson
Directed by: Jon Cassar
Running Time: 44 minutes
When the creative minds behind Person of Interest embarked upon the production of Season 2, they faced a daunting task following the monumental cliffhanger that had concluded Season 1. The stakes had been raised immeasurably, and it was never realistic to expect a single episode to resolve the immediate crisis without feeling rushed or formulaic. Consequently, the creators opted for a return to conventionality for the second episode of the season. While this decision allowed the protagonists to "return to normalcy" and continue with the well-established formula that had made the first season a critical darling, it did not result in a lacklustre entry. Instead, "Bad Code" proved to be a very interesting episode that provided essential background to one of the show’s most fascinating characters, Root, while still delivering the requisite action and mystery.
The episode opens with Reese and Carter traveling to the small town of Bishop, Texas, to investigate the twenty-year-old disappearance of a teenage girl named Hanna Frey. Reese's suspicion that Hanna might actually be Root drives this investigation. The objective is to explore Hanna’s background and establish patterns that would help Reese locate her and, by extension, free his friend and partner, Finch.
The actual disappearance of Hanna Frey is depicted through a series of flashbacks that introduce Hanna Frey (Emily Robinson). She is portrayed as a geekish teenage girl who finds solace in the library and enjoys playing computer games. Her disappearance is initially reported via a 911 call made by her best friend, Samantha Groves (Mercedes Griffeth).
Upon arriving in Bishop, Carter employs a strategic lie to Sheriff Judd Landry (Loudon Wainwright). She claims to be handling a missing person case that mirrors Hanna’s, a fabrication that allows her to access the town's records and speak freely. They learn that Hanna's disappearance left deep wounds in the community that have never truly healed. Hanna's father, Brian (Richard Belkins), was convinced that Hanna’s classmate, Cody Grayson, was responsible for her disappearance. In a moment of blind fury, Brian attempted to beat a confession out of Cody. Reese eventually tracks down the now-adult Cody (Jeremy Kushnier), who is blind in one eye. Reese quickly realises that Cody was not the killer, shifting the focus toward Barbara Russell (Margot Martindale), the local librarian who was the last person to see Hanna alive.
The investigation takes a darker turn when Reese discovers that Barbara's husband, Trent (Kevin Loreque), was killed in mysterious circumstances in 1993. Further complicating matters is the discovery that Hanna had set up a bank account in her name with Trent as the co-signer. Reese’s deduction is that Hanna is indeed Root, and that she had Trent—a bank official—killed by a drug smuggling organisation by framing him for embezzlement. This revelation connects the dots, suggesting that Root’s life as a manipulative hacker and murderer began with a calculated act of vengeance.
In the meantime, the narrative shifts to Root, who is holding Denton Weeks captive in his house. She brings Finch under sedation and forces him to watch as she interrogates Weeks. Seizing a small moment of opportunity, Weeks talks Finch into helping him unrestrain himself. In a surprising turn of events, Finch helps Weeks overpower Root. Weeks then takes a gun and attempts to interrogate Finch about the Machine. After extracting the answers he needs, he tries to shoot Finch, only to discover that his gun is unloaded. Just as this moment , Root regains consciousness, tasers Weeks, and ultimately kills him.
Back in Bishop, Barbara Russell eventually admits that she coerced Samantha Groves into not telling the Sheriff about Hanna entering Trent’s car. The Sheriff, acting on this new information, digs at the patio of Russell’s home and finds Hanna’s remains. Reese’s realization is profound: Root is actually Samantha, and her transformation into the formidable hacker we see later is a direct result of her desire to avenge her friend.
Resee and Carter manage to locate the house where Weeks was held prisoner. There, they find clues left by Finch while he was briefly untied, specifically telephone numbers he managed to type. They eventually track Finch down to a train station, where he is being wheeled by Root. Reese and Carter intervene to set Finch free, successfully allowing him to escape, though Root manages to evade capture. Finch returns to his headquarters library, where he is greeted by Bear, who has unfortunately eaten some of his books. The episode concludes with a phone call from Root to Reese, suggesting that their paths will cross again.
The script by Greg Plageman and Patrick Harbinson takes the safe and predictable route of bringing Finch back after only two episodes. While this satisfies the audience's desire to see the protagonist safe, it does feel formulaic. Moreover, Root is established as such a formidable villain that it would have been unwise to waste her so quickly after her introduction. However, the decision to flesh out her past was a wise one.
On the other hand, director Jon Caesar is much better in giving Root a fascinating origin story through the use of flashbacks. These flashbacks are delineated through blue-tinted cinematography and are populated by characters played by younger actors than in the scenes set in 2012. This visual distinction helps the audience easily distinguish between the past and the present, adding depth to the storytelling.
The subplot in Bishop, Texas, however, does conform to some typically Hollywood tropes about the ugliness of small-town America. Reese inevitably has to fight with a group of rednecks, the local government is shown to be under the influence of local bigwigs, and the narrative leans heavily on vigilante justice leading to lynching and endemic miscarriages of justice. Despite these clichés, the episode does have its charm through a care about period detail, which includes both Hanna and Samantha playing the famous early video game Oregon Trail. This specific detail grounds the characters and adds a layer of nostalgia that resonates well with viewers.
Another interesting detail is the character of Denton Weeks, who is identified as a government attorney who authorised the legality of "enhanced interrogation techniques" during the War on Terror. Root, who relishes in irony, now gives him a taste of his own medicine. This thematic connection reinforces Root’s character as someone who thrives on subverting power structures and using the system against itself.
Despite its formulaic nature, Bad Code is actually a very good episode of Person of Interest. It successfully balances the procedural elements of a murder mystery with the character-driven narrative that defines the series. By giving Root a compelling origin story and maintaining the high stakes of the main plot, the writers have created an episode that is both entertaining and substantive.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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