# Person of Interest: Season 3 - Blu-ray Review



## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=25801[/img] 
*Title: Person of Interest : Season 3* 

*Movie:* :4stars:
*Video:* :4.5stars:
*Audio:* :4stars: 
*Extras:* :3stars: 

*HTS Overall Score:*82




[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=25809[/img]*Summary*
For those of you coming in fresh, “Person of Interest” has to be one of the better non-cable shows on television at the moment. When I saw the premise years ago, I completely dismissed it simply because Jim Caviezel didn’t seem like a likely choice for an action/secret agent role, especially considering his previous work in drama films. Thankfully, I ended up being very wrong as I watched a handful of episodes and instantly became entranced with the story. The show deals with several different overlapping themes and keeps a nice balance with the superficial action storyline, and incorporating a more serious underlying thread that explores the issues that we face today in the form of privacy, government rights and our rights. Covered with lots of action and gunfire, it serves its purpose of entertainment quite well, but adds in some philosophical points to consider for those who like to dig deeper.

Created by Jon Nolan (brother of famed director Christopher Nolan), the show is based around a group of people operating under the direction of an eccentric billionaire in order to stop crimes before they happen. It seems that this billionaire, one Harold Finch (Michael Emerson), created a high tech computer system whose sole purpose was to crunch numbers, spy on the general populace via phones, cameras, surveillance systems, home computers, etc. in order to predict terrorist attacks after the events of 911. Utilized by the U.S. government, it searches for anything that can cause harm, and spits out social security numbers of those who are going to perpetuate these acts of terror. The government is only looking for high priority terrorist threats and the Machine has the ability to predict ALL types of crime. Those non-priority threats are considered “irrelevant” and tossed to the side. Realizing that his machine was not being used for the noble purpose that it was created for, Harold Finch built a back door into his creation and accesses those “irrelevant” numbers that the machine spits out and with the help of ex-CIA agent John Reese (Jim Caviezel) and NYPD cop Joss Carter (Taraji P. Henson), they track down and prevent these future crimes. 

I’ve got to warn those people who haven’t watched the first two seasons, there will be spoilers from this point on. 

Season 2 ended up with the corrupt cops known as HR in full retreat and supposedly disbanded, and the team chalked things up to a win. It’s business as normal for Finch and Reese, hunting down criminals with the help of the Machine and the occasional help of Sameen Shaw (Sarah Stahi), a slightly aggressive tool with a slight penchant for violence. However, Joss Carter is now back on the case as she finds out that HR has rebuilt itself from the ashes and is back on the streets in full force. Not to mention that the psychopathic hacker turned “machine acolyte” has escaped from prison and seems to be communing with the machine who has its own hidden purpose in mind. Strange and unconnected as they may seem, the team learns that Carter’s case, Reese’s missions and even Root’s crazed lunacy all points towards one thing, the rise of something even more dangerous and even more threatening to the people of this world. 

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=25817[/img]
In this season we get to see some closure the reign of HR, a villain who has plagued the series since day one, but the casualties are a bit high as one of the main cast will no longer be returning for season 4, in a shocking twist that will leave you gutted. When you watch a show with a close knit cast of characters like “Person of Interest,” you get to view the heroes as friends and watching them get torn from the cast is a crushing experience, even if you see it coming. What’s nice about the show is that it has continued to grow and evolve over the last 3 years and doesn’t stay stagnant with a cookie cutter set of forgettable one off episodes. Each season has grown from the previous one and is more involving and sucks you into the deeper plot, leaving you begging for the next season to come sooner. This season is no different as the show kicks into a higher gear and stretches out with a much more ambitious reach to it. Instead of just dealing with a couple villains, we’re now dealing with multiple interconnected villains that don’t SEEM to interconnected at first, all of which leads up to the reveal of the real threat that the Machine has been preparing itself for since day one. 

I really have enjoyed how Reese is no longer the focal point of the series as the group swells with members. The first season and most of the second deals with his past and his inner demons that allow him to act as a vigilante, but now season three gives us Shaw, Joss, Root, etc., and pulls some of the focus off of him. Normally this can be a bad thing in a TV show, but I think we’d gotten to the point where any more focus on Reese would just have ended in a slogging repetitiveness. Shaw has now becoming one of my favorite characters, and even Root shows some character development from the crazed lunatic with machine hero worship that she showed in season 2. 

These types of movies and shows deal with some very pressing issues in modern society. With the advent of modern technology, it's so easy to gain access to so much private information. Identity theft is at an all-time high, and with a few keystrokes, thieves have access to your private data. Not only that, governments aren't exactly shy about using said technology in ways that frightens your average citizen (some of that is unfounded, but then again some of it is VERY understandable). "Person of Interest" combines these social issues (much like how "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" did, but in a more subtle way) and combines that with our love of vigilantes into a unique drama/action show that is hard to keep your eyes off of. The acting is excellent, the writing is usually excellent (although I do notice a few wince worth lines at times) and it's just plain FUN, which is my main joy in sitting down in front of the television set. 




The episode rundown is as follows

*
Liberty	
Nothing to Hide 
Lady Killer 
Reasonable Doubt	
Razgovor	
Mors Praematura	
The Perfect Mark	
Endgame	
The Crossing	
The Devil’s Share
Lethe
Aletheia 
4C
Provenance
Last Call
RAM
/
Allegiance
Most Likely To…
Death Benefit
Beta
A House Divided
Deus Ex Machina
*




*Rating:* 

Not Rated by the MPAA



*Video* :4.5stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=25825[/img]As with “The Originals”, “Person of Interest” has a simply fabulous 1.78:1 AVC encode for us to enjoy today. The show is similarly bathed in darkness as Reese and company skulk through the night time and shadows of New York City to protect their “irrelevant” victims. Colors are rather natural and show the vibrancy of the city, with lots of blues, reds and dark navy colors of the NYPD uniforms. Reese is always in his dark blue suit, but Shaw and Root tend to showcase some more variety. Skin tones and contrasts are spot on, the only thing to mar the presentation is some signs of softness when the CGI blends with the actors, most likely a side effect of trying to blend reality with fiction. The black levels are very much needed to be perfect as the show is a dark show, and that shadow detail shines through in spades. No black crush and no faded blacks to mar a near perfect image. It’s a very crisp and clear image that is top of the line for CBS and Warner. 








*Audio* :4stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=25833[/img]The 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio is ALMOST as good as the video. After just finishing up “The Originals” I was fresh off of a solid 4.5/5 audio track so my ears were just a bit honed in to the fine details in comparison. "Person of Interest" features a very large dynamic range that loves to fill in the voids when dialogue is sparse with loud, powerful gunshots and explosions that vibrate you pant legs. The city of New York gives lots of room for the surrounds to show off some muscle, but there wasn’t as much surround activity as I would have liked, especially in some of the chase sequences. Dialogue is crisp and clear, locked to the front, my only problem is that sometimes it sounds just a bit flat during some of the higher pitched moments, especially when people are raising their voices. Still, it’s a minor flaw, and for a TV show it sound wonderful. 









*Extras* :3stars: 
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=25841[/img]
• Person of Interest: The Future of A.I. – This featurette showcases interviews with the creators of Person of Interest and examines how real life technology is featured within the show. Leading A.I. experts from prestigious universities and institutions talk about where the world is headed and how close fiction is to fact. 
• Saying Goodbye to a Friend – Cast and creators discuss the impact of the loss of a key Person of Interest character
• Bear on Set– A day in the life of Boker the dog, who plays fan-favorite, “Bear”
• 2013 Comic Con Panel
• Season finale audio commentary from Michael Emerson
• Gag Reel
• Digital comics based on each episode






*Overall:* :4stars:

It seems that the show keeps getting better and better each year and I’m certainly dying for season 4 to start. If you haven’t watched it yet, you really should start, as it’s easily one of CBS’s best shows to date on a network that is known for being the home of repetitive episodic series. For you fans who have been keeping up, it’s probably the best season thus far and with the reveal at the end leaves you drooling for season 4. The audio and video are awesome, and even the extras are fairly substantial compared to recent TV releases. Definitely a must watch. 


*Additional Information:*

Starring: Jim Caviezel, Taraji P. Henson, Kevin Chapman
Created by: Jonathan Nolan
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English, Spanish DD 2.0
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: Not Rated
Runtime: 1001 minutes
Own Season 1 on Blu-ray™ Combo, DVD & Digital HD September 2nd



*Buy Person of Interest : Season 3 Blu-ray on Amazon*


*Recommendation: Watch It​*







More about Mike


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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

slight error for the video section has been fixed


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## Jon Liu (May 21, 2007)

You know, I've only watched the first two episodes of this show and I actually REALLY liked what I saw. However, I still have found myself never "getting-around" to watching the seasons since then, despite my enjoyment. I'm glad to see that it gets better and better as the seasons have gone by!


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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

Jon Liu said:


> You know, I've only watched the first two episodes of this show and I actually REALLY liked what I saw. However, I still have found myself never "getting-around" to watching the seasons since then, despite my enjoyment. I'm glad to see that it gets better and better as the seasons have gone by!



yeah, the first season has some growing pains, but is still a lot of fun, but the series only goes up from there


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

This ones been in the DVR since the start. Definitely better as it goes, and it surely has it's question marks, but overall we enjoy it.


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