Booked Solid (S2x15)
Airdate: 14 February 2013
Written by: Nic Van Zeebroeck & Michael Sopczynski Directed by: Frederick E. O. Toye
Running Time: 44 minutes
Person of Interest has long been celebrated as a series that possessed a foresight that often bordered on the prophetic, particularly regarding surveillance capitalism and artificial intelligence. However, the passage of time has a peculiar effect on television shows, transforming them from innovative visions into historic artefacts. There are episodes where the world looks distinctly like a bygone era. In the case of Season 2, Episode 15, Booked Solid, this effect is most pronounced due to a premise that, in the light of recent world events, appears not only dated but woefully optimistic or perhaps altogether delusional.
The narrative thrust of "Booked Solid" centres on the Machine’s latest number: Mira Dobrica (Mia Mestro), a maid working at the prestigious Hotel Coronet. To observe and protect her, Harold Finch assumes the role of the new concierge, while John Reese takes on the position of a bellhop. Initially, Mira is presented as an ethnic Serb refugee from Kosovo War. However, Reese soon uncovers a far more complex reality. Mira’s true identity is Mira Brozi, an ethnic Albanian who survived the Kosovo War and witness the massacre of her entire family at the hands of Colonel Radenko Petrović, a ruthless soldier who has since ascended to become a powerful politician in Serbia. The stakes are raised when Charles Harris (Andy Murray), an investigative journalist, contacts Mira, urging her to testify against Petrović at the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. Reese identifies a team of elite Serbian assassins converging on the hotel, making it clear that their mission is to silence them permanently. The episode delivers its requisite action, with Reese arriving too late to save Harris but succeeding in extracting Mira and the incriminating disk. In a chaotic exchange with Hersh, a black ops specialist sent by the Special Counsel to hunt Reese, Reese leaves Hersh severely injured but still determined. The arc concludes with Petrović’s arrest and extradition to Haguze, Finch’s purchase of the Hotel Coronet, and Mira’s promotion to management—a classic, if somewhat contrived, happy ending.
Interspersed with this primary storyline is the procedural drama involving Detective Joss Carter. Special Agent Moss, acting on the notes of his late predecessor, Donnelly, aggressively advocates for Carter to join the FBI. After a discussion with Finch, Carter agrees to the transfer and prepares to take a polygraph test. However, the narrative introduces a personal complication that threatens to derail her ambition. Her prospective boyfriend, Detective Cal Beecher, is revealed to be under Internal Affairs investigation. This single revelation creates a conflict of interest that effectively nips her FBI application in the bud, trapping her once again in the moral grey area of her current life.
"Booked Solid" is notable for its density of recurring characters, a factor that gives it a rich, layered texture. While Reese is busy navigating the hotel corridors, he inevitably crosses paths with Zoe, who is present at the hotel acting as a fixer for some business arrangement related to a convention. The episode also features a clever, albeit brief, reveal in the final scene, where the Special Counsel is shown with a new secretary, immediately identifying her as Root. This moment adds a layer of intrigue to the larger conspiracy, hinting at the growing influence of the Machine's other advocate.
For aficionados of cult television, the episode offers a satisfying homage to the 1960s series The Prisoner. When the black ops specialist Hersh interrogates Reese regarding his employers, the latter responds with the classic line, "That would be telling." This exchange is a delightful Easter egg, especially considering that the show’s lead actor, Jim Caviezel, portrayed the protagonist in the 2009 remake of The Prisoner.
Technically, the episode is a solid piece of television. The pacing is tight, the dialogue is sharp, and the direction successfully builds tension throughout the hotel setting. However, for viewers who lived through the 1990s in the ex-Yugoslavian region, certain political and military details may appear to stretch credibility.
What makes Booked Solid truly dark is its underlying philosophy, which relies on the assumption that war crimes prosecution is a fundamental pillar of international law. This was a credible, almost noble, worldview in the early 2010s. Today, however, the episode serves as a tragic commentary on the state of global affairs. The premise assumes that justice can be administered through tribunals, yet in the current geopolitical climate, the remnants of some of the world's most vilest war criminals receive heroes' welcomes in their home countries. Meanwhile, the leaders of the "civilised world" openly threaten genocidal extinction and threaten to sanction the very institutions—international tribunals—that are supposed to deter such atrocities. This leads to a troubling conclusion: international law was never a universal standard of ethics, but rather a tool wielded by powerful nations to keep "problematic" people in the "primitive" sections of the world in check. The moment these standards stand in the way of geopolitical interests, they are discarded or mocked. In this sense, Booked Solid is not just an episode of action and intrigue; it is a poignant reflection on the fragility of the illusion of international law, an illusion that the episode dutifully maintains even as the real world descends into chaos.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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