- Title: Person of Interest – C.O.D.
- tv.com: link
The latest number delivered by The Machine is that of a former minor league baseball prospect turned New York City cab driver (Michael Irby) who has recently cleaned out his savings account and pawning his most valued possessions. Finch (Michael Emerson) bugs his car with sound, video, and GPS, which allows them to learn the cabbie is attempting to raise enough money to smuggle his wife and son out of Cuba. His real problem, however, has nothing to do with his money troubles and everything to do with a recent fare whose laptop might get him killed.
While doing her own investigation into the cabbie’s recent movements Carter (Taraji P. Henson) stumbles onto a crime scene of particular interest to the Secret Service involving a dead Russian hacker who was dropped off the night before by cab. It turns out the agent (Reiko Aylesworth) for the Secret Service isn’t the only one interested in the cab driver as members of the Estonian mob, led by a killer blonde (Larisa Polonsky), show up looking for a laptop their friend left in the car.
In the episode’s B-story the FBI investigation into HR continues forcing the head of the organization (Clarke Peters) orders Simmons (Robert John Burke) and Fusco (Kevin Chapman) to reach out to one of Elias’ top lieutenants (David Valcin) to help rebuild their network. Elias’ help and forgiveness comes with a price – the delivery of the remaining head of the five families who is currently in witness protection. Fusco’s failure to help causes the wrath of Simmons who threatens to expose Fusco’s dirty past to his partner.
Although we don’t see Elias in this episode the show seems to be foreshadowing his return as well as whole boatload of trouble for Fusco involving the night he met Reese. The number of the week also works well by offering a couple of red herrings before revealing the real danger the cabbie needed help from. The happy ending feels far too easily tied up, but it’s one of the episodes few weak points.
