"But if you meant something to someone, if you helped someone, or loved someone. If even a single person remembers you, then maybe you never really die."


5 years ago when Person of Interest started, I'll be honest and say while I liked the show, it wasn't my favorite show on the air. I watched because of Michael Emerson at first honestly. Jim Caviezel was a favorite of my brother's but overall the show was just something to enjoy for a hour. It was pretty much a crime precedual and while nothing is wrong with that, it would be nothing I would remember over time either. I mean in the first season there were hints of a good show there thanks to Emerson, Caviezel and Kevin Chapman but I never thought it would reach legendary status......


But then the season 1 finale aired and Amy Acker was the guest-star. She was at first a number but then at the end of the episode she was revealed to be the mastermind known as "Root".  Thanks to Amy's performance, the show started becoming more special as she brought everyone up to another level as she made Root one of the best characters on television. Season 2 introduced Sarah Shahi's character to the show in the form of the silent, deadly Sameen Shaw who added the final spark needed. Some will say it became a show about what kind of power Artificial Intellgence has over us.  While that is true a little, it became so much more.

So as everyone will say what they thought of the series finale, I come to say what Person of Interest  became to me.


It's weird to say sometimes but I think Person of Interest became a show about family and what you would do to save/get back/defend them. It didn't matter if you were a human by the name of Root, Finch,Fusco, Shaw or Reese. It didn't matter if you were AI called "The Machine". These individuals all were at one point in their lives broken. And though they would suffer losses again (One huge loss was the death of Joss Carter in season 3) , they would never give up fighting together and for The Machine.

(Also with one of the greatest names in tv history : Team Machine)


The show was also about how AI and technology is everywhere now and it's still up to us humans to decide whether it can be used to help or hurt people. Finch believed that his Machine can be used to help humanity by 'not to save somebody but to save everybody' while Samaritan considered the best way to help humanity was to take out "Deviants" which it considered most of Team Machine to be.

Through all-time great episodes like "If-Then-Else" and "6,741" , we got to see how both The Machine and Samaritan works and the impact it makes on the lives of Team Machine (also with great performances by Amy and Sarah in both episodes too)

And it was also a show about growth and finality and how we all deal with it. Reese was a man lost when he met Harold Finch and through 5 years they worked together and when Reese sacrificed himself for Finch to stop Samaritian, we all cried like Harold did. When Root sacrificed herself to save Harry and the machine, we mourned and were hurt. When we first met Root , she was a 'bad guy' but through time and the work of the writers and Amy, we grew to love her and she became to a lot of people the best character on the show.

When we first met Fusco , he was a corrupt cop being blackmailed to help Reese. Through the 5 seasons however, he became something more than that. He became a trusted ally to the team and someone who took many bumps and bruises for them. When we first met Shaw , she was working with her partner unknowingly for The Machine. Shaw at first refuses to join up with Finch and Reese but ends up working and fighting alongside them.

(Special mention to Shaw and Root's relationship which went from wanting to generally kill each other (well on Shaw's side for sure) to one of I would consider love and genuine caring for each other - 4 Alarm Fire)


And finally I will mention what the show GAVE me. Not only did it give me over 100 episodes and 5 years of entertainment but also friendships (Online which is perfect for this show) with people like Isa whose passion and love for this show is topped by no one. Sharan who I've enjoyed many a discussion with over many topics brought up by this show. Even Simon who when I don't want to strangle him, loves talking about this show more than maybe anyone on this earth. These are just a few of the people (alongside Matt, Yasher, A.Thena and more) who I have had a great time talking about this wonderful show with.


So I will end this with a Thank You to Michael Emerson, Amy Acker, Jim Caviezel, Sarah Shahi, Kevin Chapman, Taraji P. Henson and the many guest-stars who gave us many lasting memories for to remember and cherish.

Thank you to Jonathan Nolan , Denise The, Greg Plageman and the multiple writers and producers who worked on this show and always gave us their best efforts. Thank You to the crew who tiredlessly worked to make this show one of the best on tv even when it was barely noticed.


So don't think of this as the end because victim or perpetrator, if your number's up......we'll find you.

(set in between ep.2 and ep. 3)

Ross had just returned home from a long day of trying to gain more support for his start-up mining company.  In truth, he was sick of having to shake hands and making pleasantries with people he would rather having nothing to do with in any way. But he knew that to not go into complete poverty and not let George have complete control of the town.

A tired Ross had just put his horse back into it's barn when he started to hear a whine come from Demelza's quarters. In a haste, Ross ran to where he heard the noise. Jud tried to yell at him about something but all he heard was a blur "fur is be..."

Ross reached the door but as he tried to open it he found it locked from the inside.  Pounding on the door, Ross yells out "DEMELZA! DEEEMELZAAA!" ARE YOU.." which is interrupted by a normal voice calling out "Sir , I'm okay. Nothing is wrong. Promise.." Demelza says out before another high-pitched whine comes out of the room. "Demelza, are you in pain? Are you hurt?" Ross says to the door with slight pain and worry in his voice. Silence fills the space between them more than the sturdy door blocking Ross for what feels like forever before Demelza calls out. "I promise , sir I'm okay. You can leave and go back to the house."

Ross stares at the door for a few seconds and goes to walk away when he hears once again whine but in a softer tone. Ross quickly turns back and yells at the door "LET ME IN DEMELZA OR I WILL BREAK IT."  Demelza quickly calls out "No Sir!! I'll...open the door." The sound of a latch being unhooked fills the quiet air and the door creaks open slowly as Demelza looks down on the floor worry in her eyes. Ross storms in as he starts out by saying "Dammit Demelza I was just wan......." Ross stops as he sees where all the whining was coming from.


In the middle of the room , a dog was lying down with three puppies snuggled up on top of one another next to their mother. Right beside her was Garrick, watching over everything and staring at Ross and then Demelza to see what was going to happen a look of protectiveness in his face over his new family.

Ross looks at the mother for a second and then exits the room, gesturing to Demelza to follow him outside. As they walked, Ross was walking very fast and Demelza struggled to catch up. As the left the house, Ross quickly spun to face Demelza and asked "Where did that dog come from?!" Demelza takes a deep breath and starts "She came a few days ago with Garrick and I just couldn't put her out there in the cold. It's not right. I know Garrick is my responsibility and I promise to take care of them puppies like they were my own children. Sir."

Ross looks bemused at her quick ramble and then states matter-of-factly "Alright Demelza, they may ALL stay for now. For now." Demelza smiles and hugs Ross who is at first surprised and then hugs her back for a moment before she realizes what she's done and lets him go. "Oh I'm so sorry sir. But thank you Thank you so much!!" Demelza says happily. Ross smiles back at Demelza and says "It's quite alright. In a strange way I am happy that Garrick has found someone to... care about." Demelza looks at Ross with a touching look in her eyes and "Maybe someday we can all find someone to be in love with....care about." Ross clears his throat and then straightens out "Well I'm pretty sure that the chores you have for the day tomorrow are plentiful so I will let you have your rest. Goodnight Demelza." Demelza gives a little nod and says "Goodnight sir." As Demelza walks away, Ross takes one more look at her and whispers "love" before going back inside for the night.



                                                   The End

The 2015-2016 tv season is almost in the books and in this post I want to highlight what I thought was the best of this year's shows whether it was network, cable or streaming system. As always these are my thoughts and if you would like to let me know what you thought deserved mention instead of my picks , let me know on my twitter page here : https://twitter.com/cdulaney85 .


So we'll start out with my pick for Best Comedy of the year below

CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND !!!!

It's rare to say that a new show can be the best of all comedies this year when you have shows like "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" or "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" that had tremendous seasons but right now "Crazy" is on a whole other level. Where do you begin to talk about the genius of Rachel Bloom? Alongside co-creator and Executive Producer Aline Brosh McKenna, they have crafted one of those rare shows wherethe lead character is someone you root for and also wonder what they heck they are doing at the same time in Rebecca Bunch.

The show is basically this : Rebecca is unhappy in her job and life when she runs into a ex she has never quite got out of her head - Josh (Played by the adorable Vince Rodriquez III). Rebecca runs into Josh in NY and finds out he lives in West Covina and decides to move there on a whim where she gets a new job and friends all while trying to get back Josh through multiple schemes concocted with the help of her friend/mother figure Paula (the so gosh-darn talented Donna-Lynne Champlin) all while occasionally bursting into song.

Throughout season 1 we got to know these characters including somber love interest Greg (Santino Fontana who delivers anytime he gets the chance to sing) , and my favorite pairing (though I am Team Josh) in the lovely Darryl and White Josh (Darryl's song : "Getting Bi" is THE BEST SONG OF THE SEASON)

We also got to see Rebecca's deal with things like depression, sexuality, self-esteem issues and heavy boobs all in realistic but funny ways. I think this show has a chance to come back as strong as ever in season 2 and can't wait to see what Rachel, Aline and this cast come up with. I definitely don't think they will settle for just this. (Am I okay with that? Totally.)





Now my pick for Best Drama is

The People vs O.J. Simpson

The O.J. Simpson trial from the mid 90's has been talked about over and over these last 20 years but somehow FX was able to not only bring us back to that time but make it more interesting than most anything going today. In this series we got to see how much (or little) things have changed whether it was the public's fascination with celebrity to racial tension in a powder keg of a city.

One thing that worked for the show was that nothing was rushed. Hell, the show dedicated a entire episode to the infamous Bronco chase scene. We got episodes from the POV of not only Simpson's defense team but also from Marcia Clark and Chris Darden's side showing them not only as what their public personas were but the all too flawed yet always fascinating human beings they are (and in the case of Johnnie Cochran and Robert Kardashian -were)

What gave this series the extra boost was key performances from some of the best actors out there today starting with Sarah Paulson's performance as Marcia Clark. Sarah shows and lets us feel Marcia's continuing unease with the spotlight shined on her as the case wears on. The moment wears she appears in court with a new haircut is one where we all cheer her on until she notices people making fun of it and suddenly we go from rooting for her to feeling her embarrassment even when Darden tries to cheer her up.


Sterling K. Brown is phenomenal as Christopher Darden who we get to see as a man trying to do the right thing but lets pride and ego sometimes overwhelm him. His and Sarah's chemistry are terrific in their scenes together to the point you root for them to hook up in a tension-filled scene.  Courtney B. Vance and John Travolta are wonderful as Johnnie Cochran and Robert Shapiro, O.J.'s all-star defense team that can't stand each other. Vance's performance is Emmy-worthy as is Paulson's and Brown's and I hope they do get some of those awards this year.



(If you want to read reviews for each episode , check out Rae Nudson's over at itsjustaboutwrite.com here : http://www.itsjustaboutwrite.com/search/label/American%20Crime%20Story )




My pick for Favorite Episodes of the tv year -

The Leftovers : International Assassin


I like it when a show goes big and says "screw it, lets go for it" The Leftovers did that a few times this tv year and none with more gusto and greatness than "International Assassin" A quick recap of what happened to lead to this episode (deep breath) - Kevin is haunted with his guilt of killing the Guilty Remnant's leader Patti. So much so that he is being haunted by her ''spirit'' every day and night. So finally , with help Kevin decides to take something that will send him on a mission (Possibly to the afterworld) to confront Patti and finally this.


The episode finds Kevin in a hotel , searching for Patti and finding characters that have already passed away in the series. Sprinkled throughout was moments that would alternately surprise you and shock you. Eventually Kevin is able to weave his way to through this alt-world to find Patti , only she is herself as a little girl. As he goes to the well that his father said he must with her, the two climb into it (well Kevin pushes her in a slightly funny moment). In the next scene, Patti is back to how Kevin knew her and the two start talking and it is a wonderful scene. She tells him the story of how she wanted to leave her husband and how scared she is of dying. Kevin is scared of what he has to do. It is a wonderfully human moment for both.

I won't spoil everything but top to bottom, from the performances of Justin Theroux and Ann Dowd to the writing of Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta and direction by Craig Zobel.

Doctor Who-  "Heaven Sent"


Most actors are lucky if they have one great scene in their lives. Peter Capaldi had a great performance in this episode which put him up there not only as one of the best Doctors in Who history but also one of the best actors out there today. Through 40-something minutes, Peter gives a solo performance of a hurt man who feels tired and sad that he could not save his companion and friend Clara. There is a moment when The Doctor is explaining something and calls out for Clara and knows she is not there anymore and you can see the sadness in his eyes at that moment.


But this story also shows what lengths The Doctor will go to try to save Clara as he spends thousands of years in a locked away place, constantly trying to not be killed while trying to figure out what is happening. Great direction by Rachel Talalay as she sets it as not only a Doctor Who tale but also gives it a horror-movie thriller tone to the episode too.





Best Performance in a episode

Sarah Shahi - Person of Interest - "6,741"


This episode is a great example of showing us emotion from even the most unemotional characters can make us feel so many things. Sarah's performance in "6,741" is a tour-de-force in that. We get to see Shaw escape from her captives in Samaritan and reunite with Team Machine. As Shaw slowly starts to think that things are not right with her, we start to worry for her. Her emotional reunion with Root is highlighted by a sense that something is still wrong. Then We see Greer and things unfold to the point that Shaw is pointing a gun at herself to protect not only Root but the team and their secrets.

I can't say enough of how great this episode is and the twist ending at the end just highlights even more how wonderful Sarah was in this episode. A great reminder that Sameen Shaw is better than all of us combined when it comes things like loyalty and fighting and intellegence and...

 Now to the lightning round!!!


Best Ship (Tie) - Jane and Michael - FitzSimmons

Most Underrated Performance of the tv year : Rose McIver - iZombie

No one other than Tatiana Maslany does more in a season as Rose does.  Not only does she have to play Liv Moore, she also had to do the characteristics of each brain she eats every week , whether it's a stalker or a erotic writer. Much like a another actress who worked with Rob Thomas by the name of Kristen Bell, Rose not only delivers in all aspects whether it be drama, comedy , action. You name it, Rose can do it every single time



Best Season finale - #IZombie - Salvation Army

A fun, wild action-packed episode with a ton of great character moments. Everything you'd want from a season finale.