Television Review: Relevance (Person of Interest, S2x16, 2013)
Published on HivePostify by @drax · Mon Sep 07 2026
Relevance (S2x16)
Airdate: 21 February 2013
Written by: Amanda Segel & Jonathan Nolan Directed by: Jonathan Nolan
Running Time: 44 minutes
By the time we reach the sixteenth episode of Season 2, the Person of Interest machine was beginning to grind with the predictable rhythm of a well-oiled procedural. The show had found its groove, but a groove can be monotonous, and the writers, led by Jonathan Nolan, were clearly itching to break the cycle. They did so with radical intent in the episode Relevance, a narrative experiment that stands, even to this day, as the most audacious departure from the show's established format. It is an episode that demands authority, and it was delivered by the man who built the world: Jonathan Nolan, making his directorial debut. The result is a sprawling, high-octane thriller that reframes the central premise from a fresh, almost dystopian angle.
The narrative engine of "Relevance" is set in motion in Berlin, a city that feels cold, clinical, and utterly removed from the comforting warmth of New York. Here, we are introduced to a pair of operatives who function as mirror images of the show’s core duo, Reese and Finch. Sameen Shaw (Sarah Shahi), is the embodiment of "wet work"—physical elimination of targets. Opposite her is Michael Cole, a cerebral IT specialist who handles the intelligence gathering. They operate on a different frequency than their counterparts, receiving their directives from a mysterious entity known as "Research." The premise is deceptively simple: the numbers are never wrong. However, as Cole begins to wander why the machine seems to prioritise certain threats, the audience is primed for the revelation that the Machine is not just a guardian angel, but a government tool.
The plot pivots sharply when Shaw and Cole successfully dismantle a dirty bomb-making cell in the German capital, returning to New York with a lingering sense of unease. Shaw is focused on the mission; Cole, however, is haunted by the inconsistencies in their work. His digging unearths a conspiracy involving David Aquino, a nuclear engineer previously thought to have selling nuclear secrets to Hezbollah. In a spectacular twist, Aquino was actually receiving funds from the US government. It is at this exact moment that the Machine issues a warning to Reese and Finch: their own lives are in peril. It is a synchronicity that highlights the episode’s central thesis: the Machine works in mysterious, often brutal ways, and collateral damage is an accepted variable.
The episode’s tension peaks at the apartment of James Mercer, a former soldier suspected of far right extremist ties. Shaw and Cole arrive expecting a routine job, but they walk into a trap. The set-up is flawless, orchestrated by Wilson (James Sparks), Shaw’s ruthless boss. The action is visceral and chaotic. Cole dies, a victim of the very system he was trying to understand, while Shaw is wounded. In a moment of pure, adrenalised paranoia, she shoots at Reese when he arrives to save her, mistaking him for an assassin.
Survival becomes the only objective for Shaw. She abducts a pair of drug dealers to secure a safehouse, stitching up her own wounds with a grim determination that showcases her field medical expertise. While she recovers, a darker plot unfolds in the shadows. The Special Counsel has personally ordered Hersh to eliminate Shaw, a task made personal because Hersh was the one who trained her.
Shaw’s path eventually leads her to Veronica Sinclair, a CIA contact of Cole’s, hoping to uncover the truth about Aquino. Instead, she finds herself face-to-face with Root, impersonating Sinclair. Amy Acker delivers a tour-de-force performance as the cynical psychopath who reveals she has been infiltrating the Special Counsel’s inner circle. Root’s motivation is chilling: she wants to find the Machine. She drugs Shaw, intending to torture the information out of her before Wilson’s men arrive. Reese intervenes just in time to save her from both.
The episode conducts a masterclass in political allegory, specifically deconstructing the War on Terror and the ethical quagmire of "enhanced interrogation techniques." Shaw initially believes that this is the methodology of "Research," relying on brute force to extract truth. Cole, by contrast, is sceptical, representing the intellectual counter-argument that torture simply does not work as a reliable intelligence gathering tool. This debate is not just academic; it is a reflection of the real-world debates that defined the early 21st century. Root, however, operates outside these ethical constraints, embodying a terrifying efficiency that Shaw, despite her military background, struggles to match.
The finale of Relevance brings Shaw to a high-stakes meeting with the Special Counsel at a party. Here, the full scope of the Machine’s function is revealed. The Special Counsel explains that Aquino was killed simply because he knew too much; the secret of the Machine had to be protected, and a single life was a small price to pay for the preservation of the greater good. Shaw, driven by a cold-blooded desire for revenge, kills Wilson, seemingly impressing the Counsel with her lethal competence enough for him to let her go. Yet, the episode’s final twist is the greatest betrayal of all. As Shaw stands victorious on the street, Hersh ambushes her and injects her with an untraceable poison. She is pronounced dead and loaded into an ambulance, but the audience is privy to the truth: Reese had anticipated this, providing the antidote, and the driver was Leon Tao. It is a classic Person of Interest misdirection—a fake death designed to erase Shaw from the board, allowing her to disappear and plan her next move.
From a production standpoint, Jonathan Nolan’s direction is nothing short of exceptional. The opening sequence in Berlin is a homage to the 2002 Moscow theatre siege, using gas to incapacitate terrorists and a tactical approach that feels authentic and gritty. Almost entire episode is filtered through Shaw’s perspective, placing the audience directly in the chaos of her mind. Reese and Finch serve as observers rather than participants for the majority of the runtime, which heightens the tension. The cinematography is sharp, the pacing relentless, and the character work is deep. The interaction between Amy Acker and Sarah Shahi during the interrogation scene is a highlight; Acker marvels at the prospect of torture with a manic glee that contrasts beautifully with Shaw’s stoic resilience.
Relevance is a thematic examination of the nature of relevance itself. It strips away the romanticism of the Machine and exposes its cold, utilitarian core. It serves as a government tool for dealing with threats, where the lives of the irrelevant are expendable. By introducing a character like Root, the show takes a massive risk that pays off spectacularly. She adds a layer of unpredictability and menace that enriches the fictional world. While Shaw’s stubborn refusal to accept help in the end is frustrating for the audience, it adds depth to her character, solidifying her status as a force of nature who cannot be tamed. Relevance is a great example of storytelling that reinvigorated the series, proving that Person of Interest was capable of far more than just a standard procedural formula.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
[IMDb link](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2613404)
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