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We’re dealing with a uniquely American hellscape involving denial of civil liberties and privacy, widespread facial recognition, and the Patriot Act in MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE! And also we’re going to rewatch Person of Interest.  From 2011 to 2016, Jonathan Nolan’s (co-creator of Westwo-no wait come back) sci-fi procedural Person of Interest was one of the most interesting procedurals on the air, combining weekly stories with serialized arcs in ways that felt natural and effortless. There was truly nothing else like it, and so we’re watching it. Starting on July 1st, we’re going to spend that month watching Season 1, the roughest season but one that is still ultimately worth the watch. People have previously created watch guides for the episodes that are more-or-less necessary, but I feel cutting out “irrelevant” episodes goes against the spirit of this rewatch as well as my own intentions for picking this show. Besides, I wanted to discover a good “rate” of consumption so I can modify how quickly we watch shows in the future, and not watching every episode kind of ruins that. Anyway, let’s get to it on July 1st! All of Person of Interest is currently streaming on Netflix in the US. xoxo stan fusco Past Shows: Hannibal Season 1 Community (entire series, more-or-less)
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Jun 28, 2020 01:07
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Let's get this party started!! Also, is there gonna be a set schedule or is it a more casual thing
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Jun 28, 2020 01:40
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Watermelon Daiquiri posted:Let's get this party started!! We should work that out now. If people want to, we could do, say, 6 episodes a week (so one episode every day but Sunday)? That would have us finish on the 27th.
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Jun 28, 2020 01:46
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I'm trying to do 6 episodes a week but I've already gone through the first six episodes and I need to livechat/sort out some thoughts with people.
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Jun 28, 2020 02:45
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6 eps a week works for me.
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Jun 28, 2020 03:01
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should we try to schedule live watches or are peoples schedules too varied for that?
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Jun 28, 2020 03:48
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We could try but this show doesn't reach full  potential until like, season 3
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Jun 28, 2020 03:54
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People say the first season is rough, but what I think they truly mean is that it had not fully leaned into it's serial strengths and burgeoning cyberpunk aspects, which made the show soar. Before that, it's still a fun and very solid procedural show, I think the 4th episode of the first season with Linda Cardellini remains one of the best episodes of the show in it's stand-alone mode.
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Jun 28, 2020 14:16
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I haven't seen a single episode of Person of Interest before. Didn't even know it was sci-fi, never mind a procedural, until I read the OP. I do know that it's supposed to be very good and interesting, so I've had it on a list of "things to watch" for a while. This seems like a good excuse to bump it up a bit, then.
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Jun 28, 2020 14:36
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I'm just not going to rewatch all the episodes in advance of another rewatch to figure out the best episodes to TVIV livewatch with people, so here's a few preliminary episodes to work with for potential livewatches while we figure out if we want to add to it: 1x01: "Pilot", July 1st 1x04: "Cura Te Ipsum", July 4th 1x07: "Witness", July 8th 1x09: "Get Carter", July 10th And then I don't remember much until the last couple of episodes, which I loved both of and would each probably be great material: 1x22: "No Good Deed", July 25th 1x23: "Fire Wall", July 27th I know the first block is a little packed there, we could potentially put a few more days in between some of those episodes. Arist fucked around with this message at 15:40 on Jun 28, 2020 |
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Jun 28, 2020 15:38
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Person of Interest was kind of marketed and branded as this boomer friendly simple procedural like NCIS or JAG when it's really a completely different beast. Season 1 suffers from needing the case of the week to maintain it and Season 2 is when it starts getting heavy in to the serialized narrative of the technology and issues with surveillance and AI.
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Jun 28, 2020 16:46
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If people wanna do livewatches, 9 or 10 Eastern on the day of is probably the most sensible time. There's a group watch channel in the TVIV Discord that we can use for it: https://discord.gg/QvE4XJ
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Jun 29, 2020 19:45
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perfect. Hopefully we can get a fair few number to join in.
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Jun 30, 2020 03:12
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Six episodes a week? Try six episodes a day plebs  Realtalk great show, masterclass in progressive worldbuilding within a broadly episodic framework, this kind of thing is what Discord is perfect for.
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Jun 30, 2020 08:19
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And so we start! The first season can take a while to really reveal what the show is capable of but I promise you the whole thing is worth it. We'll be watching the pilot episode tonight in discord at 10 Eastern, and I hope to see people there!
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Jul 1, 2020 15:30
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A lot of the first season seems to be villain of the week. I wonder if this is the order that the creator/producer wanted to be aired in or the network changed the order.
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Jul 2, 2020 04:30
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Arist posted:If people wanna do livewatches, 9 or 10 Eastern on the day of is probably the most sensible time. There's a group watch channel in the TVIV Discord that we can use for it: https://discord.gg/QvE4XJ This link isn’t working for me. Expired/invalid?
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Jul 2, 2020 11:23
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Slamhound posted:This link isn’t working for me. Expired/invalid? I did not realize Discord links expired! https://discord.gg/dP9RaGn
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Jul 2, 2020 15:55
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Some notes on the pilot:
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Jul 2, 2020 23:20
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Do you mean the opening credits or the scene before the opening credits because depending on how you answer, I've missed none or ten of them already.
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Jul 3, 2020 00:48
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TV Zombie posted:Do you mean the opening credits or the scene before the opening credits because depending on how you answer, I've missed none or ten of them already. The opening credits that start with Finch's "you're being watched" over graphics of The Machine doing its thing, they love to play with that.
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Jul 3, 2020 01:00
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You're probably fine this early in the series, I think?
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Jul 3, 2020 01:11
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Arist posted:You're probably fine this early in the series, I think? From what I remember, I don't think they start doing important things with that until Season 2, but better safe than sorry.
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Jul 3, 2020 21:07
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Kinda last-minute but we're gonna see if anyone wants to watch 104 in the discord. Might be a lost cause due to the holiday, but current thoughts are maybe in about an hour and a half?
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Jul 4, 2020 23:36
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104 is so loving good, goddammit I'm angry now
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Jul 5, 2020 01:56
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Holy poo poo the season 4 finale 
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Jul 7, 2020 13:44
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Arist posted:104 is so loving good, goddammit I'm angry now I sadly really don't have the time for a full watchalong at the moment, but this is the episode that ends with Reese contemplating whether to murder the serial killer, right? I really dug that episode, but felt the later revelation (or just suggestion?) that he just dumps them at some Mexican prison was a little weak in terms of a resolution for how the characters seem to disappear off the face of the planet.
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Jul 8, 2020 11:06
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Jerusalem posted:I sadly really don't have the time for a full watchalong at the moment, but this is the episode that ends with Reese contemplating whether to murder the serial killer, right? I really dug that episode, but felt the later revelation (or just suggestion?) that he just dumps them at some Mexican prison was a little weak in terms of a resolution for how the characters seem to disappear off the face of the planet. Nah, they don't actually ever confirm that, it's apparently just a mild implication at most
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Jul 8, 2020 15:15
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I feel like they went through every question that could have arisen from having the machine in place in terms of what happens if the number is the perpetrator(which they have to determine though it seems like the numbers have been victims mainly), what if there are multiple numbers, etc. I wonder if it was specified as to whether the numbers are just NY-based because what happens if the number is out of state or out of country? I was wondering if the thought of Finch and Reese's involvement with the numbers is them playing god/playing with fate, is ever addressed in the show. I'm really curious as to what themes or ideas season 2 touches on. Can't wait to start.
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Jul 12, 2020 00:07
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I admit that I'm looking forward to a rewatch of "The Devil's Share" because drat... that ending. For that matter, drat... that beginning. Everyone fucked around with this message at 02:47 on Jul 12, 2020 |
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Jul 12, 2020 02:42
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TV Zombie posted:I feel like they went through every question that could have arisen from having the machine in place in terms of what happens if the number is the perpetrator(which they have to determine though it seems like the numbers have been victims mainly), what if there are multiple numbers, etc. I wonder if it was specified as to whether the numbers are just NY-based because what happens if the number is out of state or out of country? Boy howdy is the show going to have some answers for you!
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Jul 12, 2020 07:16
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I, uh, may have gotten a bit ahead of schedule and finished season 1 already.  It was pretty okay. Decently enjoyable, and since this one's the roughest of the lot, I'm willing to give season 2 a shot. I certainly have a few complaints about it, some of which are pretty silly. I think the biggest one is that the way they ended and then dropped the Jessica flashbacks subplot as nothing more than a vehicle for a bait and switch at the end of a regular random episode was incredibly hosed up and I hope they're not actually done with that yet. But the pettiest, by far, is that Reese's codename is a bad grade school pun. I really want to know who's idea it was to call one of the main characters "mysteries"!
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Jul 12, 2020 15:39
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Dragonatrix posted:But the pettiest, by far, is that Reese's codename is a bad grade school pun. I really want to know who's idea it was to call one of the main characters "mysteries"! As far as Reese’s name; if I’m not mistaken the entire series is an off-brand Batman; specifically Christopher Nolan’s Batman (who’s brother Jonathan is POI’s creator). John is Batman, Finch is Bruce Wayne/Alfred, and The Machine is the technology in The Dark Knight that allowed Lucious to watch everything through cell phones. In TDK, Colin Reese is the guy who tried to blackmail Bruce Wayne and who the Joker threw to the wolves and I think he was eventually supposed to be a version of The Riddler as “Mr. Reese;” a total Batman villain name. The comic book aesthetic and naming convention was all ported over to POI and here we are.
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Jul 12, 2020 16:33
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It's adorable you think John is the hard one. e: In addition to the many other topics it delves into, I love how it examines how 9/11 really hosed up a lot of otherwise well meaning and decent people. So many folks wanted to do more, and make a difference, and then found themselves taking actions or defending people they never would have before it. Mulva fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Jul 12, 2020 |
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Jul 12, 2020 21:24
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This was a really good show and I hope you all enjoy it. Anyway please have the best related content I just remembered. (might wanna keep out of the comments if you've not seen the show before tho)
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Jul 13, 2020 15:43
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FreezingInferno posted:This was a really good show and I hope you all enjoy it. Anyway please have the best related content I just remembered. (might wanna keep out of the comments if you've not seen the show before tho) How the Hell do you keep a straight face through that whole thing?
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Jul 13, 2020 22:25
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I just noticed this rewatch thread! POI is one of my favorite TV series; I've never seen a show make the sort of transformation it did over its life. It started as a procedural with a gimmick, became cyberpunk and sort of went beyond that. 9/11 looms over the whole thing as it asks what the hell we did in the name of "security" and ventures into speculative science fiction about the questions surrounding artificial intelligence.
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Jul 15, 2020 09:07
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I definitely made the comparison between Batman and Reese in season 1. I think it was the gravely voice more than the fight scenes he was in.
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Jul 16, 2020 06:18
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It's not only Batman, Jonathan Nolan said that PoI was also inspired by the only Batman element he did not write into the Dark Knight trilogy: stories about Batman saving/helping ordinary people.
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Jul 16, 2020 13:23
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Just finished The Crossing and... holy poo poo, that ending. 
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Jul 21, 2020 11:19
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