3.07: The Perfect Mark

[ctg]

The number of a hypnotherapist comes up whose life, upon investigation by the team, suggests he is more than just a master of the mind. Meanwhile, Carter tracks an antiquities dealer whose business is connected to HR.

 

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*** Spoilers ***

I find it intriguing that Finch puts himself willingly to be a mark to conman he recognise from one sitting. And yet he treads extra carefully around r00t, which in turn could be a bigger mark, while as she says: "The Machine chose to spoke to her."

But there were so many layers of hoaxes that one could had lost a mark on what really happened, because it wasn't just the hypotherapist, or his girlfriend or the Swedish art dealer but also the Rookie, who failed to identify HR to Carter. And she couldn't say Rookie were pulling a fast one on her, even though she had been able to do much more in the previous jobs. Why is that? And why Attorney felt responsible to mark the man in his dying breath when previously he'd so loyal to HR?

I don't know about you but I did find The Perfect Mark kind of weak after last shoot-around. The episode didn't really advance the story in any other way than setting Carter to direct confrontation with HR. And if that goes through in upcoming episodes, does it mean she's returning to her seat in the Homicide Task Force while Elias walks out as a free man?

Maybe that's what's going to happen as Fusco has recently been given so little screen-time. It is almost as if he's been sitting on the back-burner, while Shawn has been taking care of majority of business. Do you agree?






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[Dave]

Interesting that it was yet another number that wasn't a black and white, victim or perpetrator. It seems that the boundaries are now blurred every episode.

I agree with most of your analysis ctg. I do, however, think it did advance the running arc story somewhat, as it is the first time the head of HR has been identified, and unless Carter is going to be killed off next episode, then that cannot now be taken back again.

Fusco hasn't had much screentime recently, but he didn't in many earlier episodes when it was mainly just Finch and Reece. With this new ensemble cast there is always going to be weeks when some get more and some get less. HR still have things on Fusco they can use against him so he is more interesting. They have nothing against Carter unless they invent it. I wonder if she is going to call in this shoot out, or leave and pretend she was never there. I'm not sure who else in HR knows she was getting so close - she may be able to avoid direct confrontation a while longer.

 

[J-Sun]

And why Attorney felt responsible to mark the man in his dying breath when previously he'd so loyal to HR?

I figure he was trying to get the wealth/power in life but "you can't take it with you when you go" and he was trying to get right before "going to meet his maker" (if he believed that). Point is, like Carter encouraged him, he was trying to be a cop for his last act. I grant that it strains credulity but doesn't break it - I didn't have a problem with it.

I don't know about you but I did find The Perfect Mark kind of weak after last shoot-around. The episode didn't really advance the story in any other way than setting Carter to direct confrontation with HR.

I liked both episodes. I thought it advanced things in that it got rid of the rookie and, like Dave says, it identified the HR guy. Also, in the other plotline, it may not have "advanced" Finch/Groves much, but it deepened or broadened it a little. I liked the "mom loves us both" line, which seemed to hit home for Finch - he's not happy about the idea that "mom" likes Groves at all.

Maybe that's what's going to happen as Fusco has recently been given so little screen-time. It is almost as if he's been sitting on the back-burner, while Shawn has been taking care of majority of business. Do you agree?

I don't know what's going to happen but I agree that, while what Dave says about people coming and going is true, I've also noticed that Fusco's basically almost been written out for quite some time and I don't like that. I actually find Fusco more interesting than Carter and wish he had more screen time.

Interesting that it was yet another number that wasn't a black and white, victim or perpetrator. It seems that the boundaries are now blurred every episode.

Yep - a little too blurred in this one. About the only thing I especially didn't like about this episode was the con man's girlfriend getting away with it. Yeah, I get the irony of the girl conning the con, but she still could have both suckered him and NOT suckered everybody else and been caught herself. I guess we can just assume that happens somewhere down the line.

(I thought it would have just been cool if the kid had realized what the thing was worth and had passed the con man a fake ball. That was my first thought when it turned out the ball the con man had was fake, anyway. How did the girlfriend even know about the con man's go-between kid in the first place? Or even the con itself?)

They have nothing against Carter unless they invent it. I wonder if she is going to call in this shoot out, or leave and pretend she was never there. I'm not sure who else in HR knows she was getting so close - she may be able to avoid direct confrontation a while longer.

That's another thing that bothered me - she took the rookie's gun from him and used it on the bar guy last week but she shot the HR cop with a different gun, presumably her own, and I don't know how she's going to fix that. IOW, if it was her gun, she's going to have to call it in, but I don't know how she'll explain it. If it had been the rook's gun, it'd be simple for her to stick it in his hand and walk off.

Also, in what I think is my final quibble, the show needs to do something about Groves being locked up. First, while I didn't have a problem with Finch being alone with her as she was cuffed/tied last week, they are both alone and and now unrestricted within the cage itself and she could presumably take him down at any moment and he seems careless of this. So, if she's going to be in the cage, she should be bound and/or Reese should be around. But, second and more importantly, while we can't overlook the crazy evil stuff she's done, we also need to remember that Reese and Shaw (and Finch in his way) and Fusco aren't exactly pure knights, either - all have done things that they can only try to redeem - and I'm tired of seeing Groves pacing cages, as much fun as her dialogue and delivery in those situations is. I'm not saying it has to be immediate, but some movement toward a new accommodation (or outright renewal of hostilities) needs to happen with her.

 

[ctg]

Knowing what we know about how the Machine works it should now flack up Carter as a victim and HR as a perpetrator. However I don't think it will do that as she's an asset and HR is somebody the Machine wants to go simply go away. But if either one of their number show up in the next episode will you be surprised?