I don't think it could possibly work exactly as described, mainly for the reason that it seems to predict 100 % that someone will die. I imagine that accidents, coincidences or someone changing their mind or whatever could always lead to someone not dying anyway in real life. But yeah, a big brother machine that could predict likely occurences of general trouble doesn't seem that unlikely.

Technically, I think it spits out a number that could be a perpetrator or a victim. It just knows that number will be involved in something, based on their behavior.

Like The Gunslinger said, you have to give it a significant amount of leeway, but I have literally enjoyed every episode in the series, for one reason or another.

Ive wondered about why the machine sometimes gives the killer instead of always giving the victim (ignoring its a TV show). I get why it sometimes has to give the victim as the killer is a hired assassin etc, but why does it sometimes lead them to the killer in pre-motivated killings such as the first episode.

I hope there is a true pattern to it, but if there is ive not spotted it yet.

It's because it's almost like a game, to the machine, I guess. That's definitely told to us, early on, that it could be either, which can make for a fun reveal when you're not quite sure which way it will go.

Awesome episode.

I love how the machine is a character in the show, such as right at the end when it tells the audience via the overlay about how the NSA successfully cracked its security.

Finch having had multiple alias identities going back to the late 70s is an amazing development. Basically no one has ever known who he really is it seems. His backstory was always interesting but that kinda blew my mind.

Astro up in the house. Kid's good for someone with no training.

Where did you see NSA cracked the machine? all i saw is the machine decided to start monitoring froskow

Just watched the ending a couple more times and I am not seeing it the same way Phil did at all.

When it said "security breached" the yellow squares around Reese/Fusco turned red, but then in the next couple of frames the squares around everyone else were still yellow.

Given how paranoid Finch is and the fact he is still the "admin", for lack of a better word, of the machine, I think it was definitely the machine deciding to monitor them due to looking into Finch's past.

if thats what hes talking about then yeah, phill is as nutty as finch

For sure. He was also very well cast for that role.

Yeah, I wasn't paying terribly close attention, and didn't know what specifically it was talking about, at the time, but this is likely right.

I don't see it as NSA cracking the Machine. I see it more as Harold programming a paranoia and self-preservation instinct into the Machine. As it finds people who threaten each other, it also sees people who threaten it.

That, or Harold was a little greedy and made sure the Machine would watch after him a little more closely, which would mean that Reese and Fusco looking into Harold trips that special paranoid nugget of code.

Oh snap.

Harold's gonna off Reese.

Either that, or is the machine self-thinking self-preserving and is going to somehow arrange his murder otherwise?!! I like where this is going.

That last story with 14 year old kid following him around was so bad. I get what everyone is saying about suspending disbelief but... acting like Jon wouldn't set that kid in his place is a joke. And he ran away 3 times. I'd have let his ass die.

I hated the kid part of the episode but I really liked everything else.

I wonder how it's gonna go when the machine spits out Reese's real Social Security number...

+1
Terrible main plot on so many levels, but the worst is Reese's sudden streak of morality creeping in. One of the things that makes this show for me is that the hero is not opposed to gunning down the bad guys without a second thought. If POI goes down the "no one dies" path the way Burn Notice did it's over.

Maybe for you...

Yep. Although the beanbag rifle assault was definitely cool.

I don't like how he is working so much with Carter and Fusco. Isn't she still getting trailed by the FBI or whomever is after Reese?

On a second viewing, I just noticed the first time Reese is talking to the kid in Carter's car. He just drops the clip of the gun in the front seat, and then throws the gun in the back seat. That struck me as especially funny this time around, since he's just dropping a random weapon and ammo in her car.

I just rewatched that bit, i did misinterpret it as i missed the start of what it was reporting on. The machine defines Finch as "System Administrator" and that his security was breached which is a follow on from what that conversation was about his aliases. The red squares are hostile targets it tracks (its done it a bunch of times in the past). Then given the three options the machine chose to monitor them.

So the machine is specifically protecting Finch because of its coding for self preservation it seems.

We know that it has targeted Nathan Ingram (Finch's partner) as a "potential threat" and the woman in the last episode moved to the only part of America where the machine couldnt touch her. Did the machine kill Nathan to save Finch and the potential threat wasnt to the machine directly but to Finch? My original theory was that Finch started to get the numbers after realising the machine predicted Nathan's death but no one was there to save him, but perhaps its a lot darker than that entirely.

Whoa. So good.

This show loves the epic endings.

Last night was excellent. Love the CIA couldnt win the drug war and gave up and joined in to fund the war on terrorism.

CIA guy thinks he is scott free and nope

Yeah, I loved the end when Agent Snow(?) "Always reactionary, you can't just go around killing Cops, you shouldn't of gotten arrested." Boom, bag over head. LOS thought he was too badass and Snow had to put him in his place.

Great episode.

Excellent episode. My favorite new show this season after homeland, shoot I might even like this more then homeland.

liked all of it

A M A Z I N G

This show just keeps getting better and better. At the start I thought it'd just be another thriller drama with little story or effort put into it. But nope, each week they ramp up the plot lines, deliver solid performances, and toss in surprise after surprise.

Love it.