Person of Interest: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Person of Interest: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie Review

"Can you hear me?" Absolutely.

Mild spoiler alert: The following overview of the second season assumes that the reader is familiar with the first season of Person of Interest. If you have yet to finish the series' previous season, proceed at your own risk. A review of The Complete First Season can be found here.

Person of Interest slipped out of the shadows in 2012 with a killer cast, a deadly premise, and the long, cold stare of a series willing to take out any target in its path. Its first season was agile, addicting and surprisingly effective, despite some growing pains and missteps. And its second season is just as satisfying, if not more so. Rather than dishing out the same repurposed plot week in and week out, Jonathan Nolan's well-received crime thriller upped the ante episode by episode, sometimes scene by scene, orchestrating a slowburn sci-fi bait-n-switch that not only changes the rules of the game by season's end, but jailbreaks the series from its own established formula, and without undermining it either. Yes, the 22-episode result is more of a peril-fraught bridge leading from Season One to... wherever Season Three leads fans when the show returns to CBS on September 24th. And yes, Person of Interest still isn't in the same league as Breaking Bad and other cable greats. But I don't care in the least. I can't get enough. Between unlikely duo Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson, whip-smart femme fatales Sarah Shahi and Amy Acker, several truly menacing baddies, and an assassin's payload of increasingly jarring yet ever-organic twists and turns, the second season is a blast. Not to mention one that culminates in an intriguing, game-changer of an endgame. Where it goes next is anyone's guess. I just know I'll be waiting with baited breath, a bag of popcorn and a sliver of faith in network TV.

• The Contingency: With Finch missing -- kidnapped by his hacker nemesis, Root (Amy Acker) in last season's finale cliffhanger -- Reese enlists Detectives Carter and Fusco to join the search for his friend on the second season premiere. But can they continue without him? Meanwhile, The Machine never sleeps and issues a new number to Reese. Ken Leung (Lost) guest stars as the latest Person of Interest.
• Bad Code: With the Machine's help, Reese closes in on finding Finch as he uncovers shocking details of Root's past. Delivering the number of a cold case, The Machine leads Reese ever closer to catching up with Finch and his kidnapper. Emmy-winner Margo Martindale (Justified) guest stars as a woman from Root's past.
• Masquerade: With Finch back in the Library, Reese returns to field work, only to face his toughest case yet: protecting the privileged daughter (Paloma Guzm¨¢n) of a Brazilian diplomat in New York.
• Triggerman: Is a killer's life worth saving? When The Machine gives Reese and Finch the number of a mob enforcer whose life becomes endangered, they must decide whether to intervene or allow karma to balance the scales of justice. Meanwhile, Finch seeks aid from an unlikely source.
• Bury the Lede: As the police uncover more information about the identity of the director of HR, Reese must protect an investigative journalist, Maxine Angelis (Gloria Votsis), without her knowing it... or risk becoming part of her story.
• The High Road: Reese is out of his element when The Machine's latest number sends him to the suburbs, forcing him to play house and go undercover in an idyllic neighborhood to protect the latest Person of Interest: Graham Wyler (David Denman).
• Critical: The Machine gives Finch and Reese the number of a brilliant surgeon, but they soon discover that a resourceful third party has raised the stakes for this POI, forcing them to turn to an unlikely source for help. Recurring guest star Michael Kelly appears as Agent Snow. Recurring guest star Ken Leung appears as Leon.
• Til Death: The team finds itself spread thin when the numbers come up for both a husband, Daniel Drake (guest star Mark Pellegrino) and his wife, Sabrina (guest star Francie Swift). Will it be "til death do us part?"
• C.O.D.: Finch and Reese's surveillance skills are pushed to the limit when a New York City cab driver's number comes up and any one of his passengers could be involved in the impending crime. Hundreds of passengers add up to hundreds of suspects.
• Shadow Box: While the FBI refocuses their efforts to catch "The Man in the Suit," Reese's latest POI (Jessie Collins) becomes a personal quest after he learns that she's the sister of a soldier who was killed in action and the girlfriend of a former Marine and amputee(Brian J. Smith).
• 2¦ÐR: Finch goes undercover as a high school substitute teacher to protect teenage genius Caleb Phipps (Luke Kleintank), who reminds him of his own adolescence as a child prodigy, while Carter undertakes a dangerous mission for the FBI.
• Prisoner's Dilemma: While Carter plays a dangerous game by engaging in mental warfare with the FBI to help Reese evade Agent Donnelly's narrowing focus,Reese crosses paths with foes both old and new. Meanwhile, Detective Fusco is forced to fly solo to save the team's newest POI: supermodel Karolina Kurkova (as herself).
• Dead Reckoning: Has Reese become the latest Person of Interest? Caught in the cross hairs of a former acquaintance orchestrating a massive act of cyber-terrorism, Reese is abducted. Now, the team must race to save his life before it's too late.
• One Percent: Reese and Finch meet their match in a tech billionaire POI whose curiosity and limitless resources threaten to expose their identities and sabotage their efforts to save his life.
• Booked Solid: Reese and Finch race to save the life of a hotel maid, Mira Dobrica (guest star Mia Maestro), but find themselves surrounded by more suspects than they may be able to eliminate when they realize that any guest or staff member could be her potential killer. Meanwhile, Detective Carter weighs a major offer from the FBI.
• Relevance: Reese's counterpart, lethal and sexy government operative Samantha Shaw (guest star Sarah Shahi), who tracks and stops terrorist threats before they occur, finds herself on the run and the new focus of Reese and Finch's attention. However, their pursuit proves to be their most formidable ever when they discover that her remarkably elusive skills equal their own. Creator/executive producer Jonathan Nolan directs.
• Proteus: After the machine gives Reese and Finch six numbers at once, their search for clues leads them to a coastal town where they areforced to ride out a storm with a group of locals in a police station. However, as the weather rages outside, a sinister situationarises inside when they realize there is an unidentified killer hiding among them.
• All In: When an elderly card sharp's number comes up, Reese and Finch travel to Atlantic City to delve beneath the surface of their POI'sseemingly ordinary life for answers. In New York, Carter's crusade to clear a fellow detective's name brings her perilously closeto identifying the remaining HR faction within the department.
• Trojan Horse: When the number of a leading tech executive comes up, Finch infiltrates her corporation to gather intel... but can't determine whether she is working in her company's best interest or planning to destroy it from the inside. Meanwhile, Carter continues to question Detective Beecher's (guest star Sterling K. Brown) integrity after he provides incriminating information about a fellow detective.
• In Extremis: When a luminary in the world of medicine is poisoned, Reese and Finch have just 24 hours to determine the deadly toxin he was given and find the person behind the attack. Meanwhile, Detective Fusco's corrupt past catches up with him when an informant gives the Internal Affairs Bureau the crucial information they need to send him to prison.
• Zero Day: Reese and Finch realize that a virus has rendered The Machine erratic, causing it to issue numbers irregularly. As they race against the viral countdown, the team searches for a tech millionaire so elusive no one has ever seen him. Also, Detective Carter's mission to bring Cal Beecher's murderer to justice lands her squarely within the sights of the HR criminal organization.
• God Mode: In the second season finale, Reese and Finch team up with some surprising allies in a race to save The Machine from a familiar, nefarious entity; and the true nature of Finch's relationship with former partner Nathan Ingram is revealed. Meanwhile, Carter tries to bring Beecher's murderer to justice and finds herself at odds with the criminal organization HR.

Person of Interest: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Person of Interest: The Complete Second Season takes aim and plants two shots center mass with a precise and proficient 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation almost, almost as stunning as its predecessor. Colors are subdued on the whole, but primaries aren't exactly muted, dealing welcome damage whenever called upon. Skintones are chilly but natural, saturation is dead on, black levels range from intentionally smoky to pitch dark, and contrast is consistent and nicely balanced. Detail is terrific as well, with razor-wire edges, exceedingly minimal ringing, crisply resolved fine textures, and discerning delineation. Best of all, there isn't much to complain about, even with twenty-two episodes spread tightly across four BD-50 discs. Compared to its Complete First Season counterpart, I did take note of somewhat more uneven noise from episode to episode, some (thankfully brief) artifacting late in the season, and the usual instances of crush inherent to a sometimes starkly lit and shadowed crime series. But none of it derails the second season proceedings in the slightest. The word "perfect" may be off the table, but that's not exactly a knock against Warner's otherwise outstanding video presentation.

Person of Interest: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Complete Second Season goes toe to toe with The Complete First Season in the audio department, though, thanks to a first class DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Gunshots, explosions, fist fights, foot chases, hot pursuits, fleeing cars and all the intrigue the series has to offer are backed -- fully and completely -- by every channel, working in tandem to create one of the more electrifying and enveloping television soundscapes you'll come across this year. The rear speakers enrich and expand each environment, deploying directional effects and neck-snapping pans to great effect. The LFE channel is capable and confident as well, with deep, impactful low-end support that intensifies the series' suspense and lends weight and presence to its action. Not to be beaten into submission, dialogue remains clear, intelligible and expertly prioritized throughout, regardless of how stealthy or aggressive any given scene might be. I don't have a single complaint.

Person of Interest: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Season Finale Episode Commentary (44 minutes): Creator/co-writer Jonathan Nolan, director Richard J. Lewis and executive producer Greg Plageman (who, unless I missed the joke, "had virtually nothing to do with this episode") deliver a decent overview of the finale and, really, the breadth of Season Two. A single commentary isn't a lot when dealing with a 22-episode season, of course, so welcome and engaging as it is, it just isn't enough.
• View from the Machine: 24 Hours Behind Person of Interest (HD, 21 minutes): A look at a typical production day (or days rather), from early crew meetings to writers' room discussions to shooting on location and everything in between. Extensive and smartly edited, it's a great behind-the-scenes doc. I just wish there were more of them, and detailing the production of more episodes.
• Gag Reel (HD, 3 minutes): Standard stuff, and light on actual laughs.

Blu-ray/DVD/UltraViolet Combo Pack Contents (Subject to Change): The initial combo pack release of The Complete Second Season features an outer slipcover (with the original pressing), four BD-50 discs, six standard DVDs, and an UltraViolet digital copy of the entire season (Flixster download via redemption code). Please note: the Person of Interest UltraViolet digital copy is not iTunes compatible.

Person of Interest: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Person of Interest still isn't the classic television thriller it's gunning for, but it's getting closer and closer, with no signs of slipping. Season Two doesn't address every Season One misstep, but it does make several bold moves that pay off more and more as the series barrels along. Fewer episodes and less filler would improve things even further I suspect, but so goes network TV. I remain firmly hooked on the show. It would take a jump-the-shark beat to end all jump-the-shark beats to lose me at this point. I'm chomping at the bit to see where Nolan and company take Reese and Finch in Season Three. And with the fall premiere arriving on September 24th, it doesn't look like I have very long to wait. Warner's Blu-ray release is a strong one too, with excellent video and top notch lossless audio... so long as you're willing to overlook a dishearteningly slim supplemental package.