Trojan Horse (S2x19)
Airdate: 4 April 2013
Written by: Dan Dietz & Erik Mountain Directed by: Jeffrey Hunt
Running Time: 44 minutes
As Person of Interest hurtled towards the conclusion of its sophomore season, the quality of individual episodes began to waver significantly. While the show consistently delivered high-stakes drama and intricate plotting, several instalments in the back half of the season fell into a pattern of functional mediocrity. Despite the treasure trove of "cool" characters and storylines that defined the series, not every instalment managed to leave a lasting impression. Trojan Horse (S2xE19) is a prime example of this phenomenon—a competent, middle-of-the-road episode that, for all its efforts, struggles to escape the shadow of the show's own brilliance.
The central procedural narrative of the episode revolves around Monica Jacobs (Tracie Thoms), a top executive at Rylatech, a company that produces critical computer network equipment and infrastructure for the US government. The Machine churns out her number, prompting Reese and Finch to investigate a suspicious death: that of Justin Lee, another executive killed in an automobile accident. Digging deeper, Reese and Finch discover that Lee, an orphan with no family, was actually the son of a high-ranking Chinese Communist official. The team speculates that Lee was not merely a corporate executive but a mole for the People's Republic of China. Jacobs, suspicious of corporate espionage, attempted to alert her superiors, but they apparently disregarded her warnings. The narrative takes a sharp turn when Jacobs is framed by her assistant, Jerome Eckert (Dan Bittner), and subsequently fired by the company owner, Martin Baxter (Lary Bryggman). A desperate raid on the offices by Reese and Finch reveals a trap laid by Baxter himself. He confesses that his company was on the brink of bankruptcy before being rescued by a mysterious entity demanding backdoor access to all their products. This entity wasn't the Chinese government, but Decima Technologies, the private intelligence agency led by the enigmatic Greer. Baxter is coerced by Greer into shooting himself, leaving the trio to scramble and send evidence to the FBI. In a brief consolation, Jacobs is offered a position at IFT, a firm overseen by Finch. The episode ends on a chilling note as Greer watches a menacing countdown, implying that the virus affecting the Machine is his doing.
Separating itself from the main plot is the reintroduction of Shaw. Reese has been shadowing parents of Michael Cole, a former operative who was slandered posthumously by the very government he was working with. Shaw finds Reese, and subsequently visits Finch in the Library. There, she secures a list of Root’s aliases, claiming she has a "new project" in mind. This subplot serves as a bridge to Shaw's eventual integration into the core team, though it feels somewhat tacked on in the context of this specific episode.
More significantly, the episode advances the season-long arc regarding Detective Cal Beecher. Through a chess game with Elias in prison, Finch deduces that Human Resources (HR) is forming an alliance with the Russian mob rather than with Elias. Simultaneously, Fusco, after a close look at Beecher’s file, realizes he was innocent of corruption and had been framed by HR. The Machine subsequently churns out Beecher's number, setting him on a collision course with his fate. Alonzo Quinn informs Simmons of Beecher's unreliability, sealing his doom. Despite Carter’s desperate attempts to intervene, it is too late; Beecher is caught in an ambush and killed. The handling of Beecher’s demise is particularly underhanded. Because the script is stretched thin, the emotional impact of this event—and its devastating effect on Carter’s professional history and romantic feelings—is diluted. The lack of focus deprives this event the emotional effect it should otherwise have, making the loss feel perfunctory rather than tragic.
The writing by Dan Dietz and Erik Mountain is the primary culprit for the episode's uneven pacing. They simply try to stuff too many characters and storylines into a single episode, losing much of the narrative focus. The main procedural storyline involving Monica Jacobs is especially weak, partly because the character herself is underwritten and lacks the depth required to carry a pivotal arc. Even the shocking suicide of Martin Baxter fails to generate genuine surprise or impact. It is worth noting that the concept of US infrastructure being spied upon, controlled, and threatened by foreign powers—specifically China—through various "backdoors" is a concept that, a decade and a half later, is treated as fact and a source of serious geopolitical concern. At the time, however, it was still very much in the realms of futuristic speculation, and the episode captures that zeitgeist well, even if the execution is lacking.
Despite its flaws, Trojan Horse is bolstered by professional levels of acting from the cast. The direction by Jeffrey Hunt is passable, keeping the show on its tracks even when the destination feels a little generic. While not particularly memorable, it serves a functional purpose as a bridge to what promises to be an explosive season finale.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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