Television Review: Proteus (Person of Interest, S2x17, 2013)
Published on HivePostify by @drax · Tue Sep 08 2026
Proteus (S2x17)
Airdate: 7 March 2013
Written by: Sean Hennen Directed by: Kenneth Fink
Running Time: 44 minutes
The creators of Person of Interest, driven by a relentless and often manic desire to differentiate each episode from the last, frequently indulge in structural experiments that risk making the actual content formulaic and predictable. This is not a criticism of the series' ambition, but rather an observation of the genre-bending pitfalls that can occur when a show tries too hard to subvert its own formula. Occasionally, the gimmicky premise overrides the narrative logic, resulting in an episode that feels derivative of the very tropes it attempts to deconstruct. A prime example of this phenomenon can be found in the Season 2 episode Proteus.
The episode opens with a foreboding atmosphere as New York City and surrounding areas are battered by a heavy storm, forcing authorities to evacuate various settlements, including Owen Island—a fictional location at the northernmost tip of Long Island. The Machine, usually a vocal partner to Reese and Finch, has been unusually silent, failing to deliver a number for three days. Finch immediately suspects this is a symptom of the destructive supervirus uploaded into government computers by the late Kara Stanton.
Just as Finch fears the worst, the Machine delivers a list of six numbers. Five of these individuals have been reported missing over the years, creating a pattern that Reese cannot ignore. The sixth, however, presents a puzzle: Jack Rollins, a Brooklyn antiques dealer. Reese visits Rollins' home and finds the house ransacked, yet Rollins himself is nowhere to be found. Surveillance footage reveals someone using Rollins' credit card at Owen Island, prompting Reese to head to the isolated location to investigate.
Meanwhile, Detective Joss Carter, seeking assistance with the investigation, appeals to FBI Special Agent Moss. Moss refers her to Agent Alan Fahey (Luke Macfarlane) who has been conducting an independent investigation into the missing persons. When Reese arrives at Owen Island, he is surprised to find Fahey already on the scene. Utilising a cover story as a US Marshal, Reese integrates himself into Fahey's team. Together, they deduce that Rollins and the previous victims are the targets of a serial killer. The storm, however, complicates matters severely, severing the island's link with the mainland and cutting off power and communications. The survivors are forced to take shelter in the local police station, where Deputy Chief Erica Schmidt (Becky Ann Baker), reluctantly agrees to assist.
Inside the station, tension mounts as the survivors are trapped with a predator among them. Reese and Fahey are convinced the killer is one of the shelterers. Finch, defying all logic and risk, gets an aeroplane and lands on the island. Disguising himself as a storm chaser named Harold Gull, he joins the group at the station to conduct a polygraph test on the suspects. Simultaneously, back on the mainland, Carter and Cal Beecher discover a crucial link: the first victim’s roommate was a man named Alex Declan. By cross-referencing data, they realise Declan is the serial killer, though he has never been reported missing. Unable to contact Reese, Carter rushes to Owen Island personally, driven by Cal Beecher. The drive is fraught with tension, as Carter’s frustration with Beecher’s past Internal Affairs problems resurfaces, blaming him for wrecking her FBI career prospects.
The climax of the episode is a classic locked-room murder mystery play out in real-time. Finch discovers Deputy Schmidt stabbed to death, with the killer attempting to prevent her from communicating with mainland. Upon examining the polygraph data, Finch realises that the killer is actually Fahey—or rather, Alex Declan, who had killed Fahey and stolen his identity. However, Finch finds himself helpless when confronted by Declan, as Reese is currently occupied in a conflict with Ethan Mattson, a local fisherman involved in marijuana smuggling. In the final moments, Carter arrives and shoots Declan, but the episode delivers a satisfying twist: Declan had donned a bulletproof vest. It is only when Finch remembers this detail that Cal Beecher reacts, shooting Declan in the head. The mystery is solved, the serial killer is apprehended, and the threat of the supervirus lingers, leaving Finch still worried about the Machine’s unusual behaviour.
The script, written by Sean Hennen, is built on a relatively simple yet potentially interesting idea: to structure the episode as a "whodunnit" locked-room murder mystery, very much in the vein of Agatha Christie novels. This setup is further reinforced by the popular trope of placing the mystery in an isolated location during a stormy night. While this structure is tried and tested, it works well here because the high stakes—the potential supervirus threat—keep the viewer engaged. The pacing is tight, and the claustrophobia of the storm effectively heightens the tension.
In terms of visuals, director Kenneth Fink takes clear inspiration from two recent films with similar setups: James Mangold’s 2003 [Identity](https://peakd.com/hive-166847/@drax/film-review-identity-2003) and Martin Scorsese’s 2010 [Shutter Island](https://peakd.com/film/@drax/capsule-film-review-shutter-island-2010). The cinematography mirrors the grey, wet, and oppressive atmosphere of those films. However, the episode ultimately lacks the mind-bending twist of those masterpieces. For a more experienced viewer, the identity of Alex Declan as the killer is fairly easy to predict, relying on the classic red herring of the charming, competent outsider (Agent Fahey). The "twist" of the bulletproof vest works, but it feels like a necessary mechanical adjustment rather than a revelation of profound depth.
Despite these structural limitations, the episode is undeniably good, maintained by excellent direction and a standout performance from Luke Macfarlane. Macfarlane brings a dangerous and resourceful energy to the role of the psychopath, seamlessly transitioning between the charming façade of Agent Fahey and the cold reality of Alex Declan. His performance elevates the material, providing the episode with a central anchor of menace that keeps the audience guessing until the very end.
The episode also maintains crucial continuity with previous storylines, exploring the fraught relationship between Carter and Beecher, hinting at the complications in their professional and personal lives, and continuing to tease the instability of the Machine. For cinephiles, there are subtle but appreciated references made at the beginning of the episode when Reese and Finch leave a theatre showing classic films like Kurosawa’s [Rashomon](https://peakd.com/aaa/@drax/retro-film-review-rashomon-1950) and Coppola’s The Rain People. These references are not just window dressing; they subtly reinforce the episode's themes of subjective truth and isolation, even if the episode itself never fully dives into the philosophical depths that the films suggest.
At the end of the day, Proteus is a competent, if somewhat derivative, entry in the series' catalogue. It succeeds as a self-contained thriller while contributing to the larger tapestry of the show's mythology. While it may not offer the intellectual acrobatics of Rashomon or the psychological horror of Shutter Island, it represents a solid piece of character-driven television that benefits greatly from a strong villain and a capable cast.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
[IMDb link](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2725454/)
==
Blog in Croatian https://draxblog.com Blog in English https://draxreview.wordpress.com/ InLeo blog https://inleo.io/@drax.leo Substack https://draxster.substack.com
LeoDex: https://leodex.io/?ref=drax InLeo: https://inleo.io/signup?referral=drax.leo Hiveonboard: https://hiveonboard.com?ref=drax Rising Star game: https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=drax 1Inch: https://1inch.exchange/#/r/0x83823d8CCB74F828148258BB4457642124b1328e
BTC donations: 1EWxiMiP6iiG9rger3NuUSd6HByaxQWafG ETH donations: 0xB305F144323b99e6f8b1d66f5D7DE78B498C32A7 BCH donations: qpvxw0jax79lhmvlgcldkzpqanf03r9cjv8y6gtmk9
Tags: #cinetv#movies#television#review#alive#neoxian#pob#lolz#meme#pizza