Team Machine is tasked to help two siblings Traci and Malcolm (age 8 and 14 respectively) who steal money from two drug cartels. There’s no way that will go badly right?

****SPOILERS BELOW*****

Let’s get the problems of this episode out of the way first. It feels like a throwback to a season one standalone. In fact the main danger of the story is an exact match to “Number Crunch” in which two siblings (sisters this time) steal drug money to help their mother in the hospital. Ok, this time around the siblings steal the money to help their mother get out of jail. Recycled plots are annoying. The other major problem with the story is that DEA agent Lennox was the obvious mole as soon as she mentioned that the DEA had a mole.

She worked with Reese for half the episode and he did not get an untrustworthy vibe off of her? Reese’s instincts are usually solid so it was frustrating to watch. She winds up dead by the end of the show so its not as annoying. Bonus, the kids were cute and Malcolm’s genuine concern for his sister was touching. His mantra about being “the man with the plan” was not bad, but his plans lacked a bit of forethought. Reese advised that you can’t fix a wrong with another one sounded like a bit of experience was behind it and reached Malcolm. Good bonding moment.

Onto the good of the episode, Fusco got to save Reese this time around and arrived not with the Calvary, but as it. A gun-fight ensues with the Brotherhood, but Malcolm cuts everything short by trading himself for his sister. Not the greatest plan, but Reese tops it by trading himself plus the drug money for Malcolm.

Meanwhile, Shaw kidnapped one surviving member of the Brotherhood from the initial drug deal that allowed the kids to steal the money in the first place. She interrogated Mini (drug dealer) all day and used no actual torture and that is impressive for her. Shaw is on the trail of the illusive Dominic, head of the Brotherhood, but Mini is not being helpful. Using the tried and true catch and release method she allows the low level thug to escape. Tracking him back to his hideout Shaw trades a lot of drugs for Reese’s life.

They have been setting up Dominic for several episodes as this big, bad, brilliant drug kingpin so the reveal that he’s actually the low level thug, Mini is a good twist. Mini didn’t exactly seem harmless, but did not appear to be a brain trust either. He apparently is as good at disguises as Finch. Speaking of which, Finch spent the majority of his time at HQ giving tech support except his two train rides with our favorite crime boss Elias.

Elias is his usual helpful self, but he points out rightly that Team Machine have used up all their favors with him. They owe him now. Elias just wants information and knows Harold has it. What has shifted in the world scope so greatly that Reese now pretends to be a cop and Finch a professor? Samaritan is the answer, but Harold is hesitant to tell him the whole truth. In the end he gives Elias a clue, but then Elias is very smart and may be able to come to the correct conclusion.

Person of Interest excels when it spends time on the long story and stays away from stand alone episodes.  Sometimes it’s alright to have a light story that breaks up the darkness of the main arc, but let’s try for more original fare.  On the other hand, Dominic could be an interesting new villan though I still have my money on Elias as the best baddie of the bunch.