The High Road (Person of Interest)
"The High Road" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American television drama series Person of Interest. It is the 29th overall episode of the series and is written by Nic Van Zeebroeck and Michael Sopczynski and directed by Félix Alcalá. It aired on CBS in the United States and on CTV in Canada on November 8, 2012.
| "The High Road" | |
|---|---|
| Person of Interest episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 6 |
| Directed by | Félix Alcalá |
| Written by | Nic Van Zeebroeck & Michael Sopczynski |
| Produced by |
|
| Featured music | Ramin Djawadi |
| Cinematography by | Tom Houghton |
| Editing by | Russell Denove |
| Production code | 2J7206 |
| Original air date | November 8, 2012 |
| Running time | 44 minutes |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
Plot
Reese (Jim Caviezel) ventures into suburbia to locate the next person of interest, Graham Wyler (David Denman), a seemingly normal family man and hardware store owner, except Finch (Michael Emerson) discovers that Wyler has been dead for 15 years, meaning they are dealing with an impostor who stole Wylers name. Unable to do his usual routine, Reese "proposes" to Zoe Morgan (Paige Turco) for the mission to help blend into suburban life. They move to the suburbs to investigate Wyler, who Reese observes having interactions with men who seemingly recognise him. Obtaining his prints, Carter identifies him as Lloyd Pruitt, a master safecracker and career criminal wanted for a string of armed robberies. On his last job, one of his partners killed an unarmed guard and while the crew went to prison, Lloyd created a new life for himself as Wyler.
His former partners are out of prison and are terrorizing him to force him out of hiding. Wyler is forced to help with a robbery led by his former partners. He cracks the safe as Reese and the NYPD show up. Carter (Taraji P. Henson) buys some extra time with the police by leading them up the wrong staircase to give Reese and Wyler time to escape down the other; however, Wyler decides he does not want to run any more and turns himself in. He turns state's evidence against the gang and is then placed on house arrest, as the court deems him no threat to society and due to his help in getting convictions on the crew. Zoe and John "divorce" but Zoe suggests they both spend one more night in 'their' house. The episode ends with a flashback of Finch (Michael Emerson) greeting Grace (Carrie Preston) (who would later be his fiancé) for the first time.
Reception
Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "The High Road" was seen by an estimated 14.87 million household viewers and gained a 2.9/8 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.[1] This was a 9% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 13.66 million viewers with a 2.9/7 in the 18-49 demographics.[2] With these ratings, Person of Interest was the third most watched show on CBS for the night, beating Elementary but behind Two and a Half Men, and The Big Bang Theory, second on its timeslot and fifth for the night in the 18-49 demographics, behind The Voice, Grey's Anatomy, Two and a Half Men, and The Big Bang Theory.
With Live +7 DVR factored in, the episode was watched by 18.11 million viewers with a 3.9 in the 18-49 demographics.[3]
Critical reviews
"The High Road" received positive reviews from critics. Phil Dyess-Nugent of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "Of all Person Of Interest's rapidly expanding cast of recurring characters, Zoe is the one who's most likely to be pulled into a story from out of the blue, and also the one most likely to leave you wanting more. Anyone who has a script with what they think would be a great part for Connie Britton ought to consider calling Turco instead of waiting for Britton's schedule to open up."[4]
Tim Surette of TV.com wrote "It's hard to imagine that with all the times John Reese has been hilariously plucked out of his fishbowl and thrown into a new pond, it took almost 30 episodes of Person of Interest to drop him off in the suburbs so we can see him with a lawnmower. 'The High Road' had all the expected gags, but also surprised with a touching story, strong themes of redemption, and one match-making super computer, making it one of the stronger episodes of the season so far."[5]
Sean McKenna of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.8 star rating out of 5 and wrote "This episode really nailed down all the action, drama and humor that makes the series entertaining to watch. And with characters and stories worth following, Person of Interest continues to prove that it is the fresh, fun and top notch Thursday night show you can count on."[6]
References
- Gorman, Bill (November 9, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings:'The Big Bang Theory', 'Vampire Diaries' & 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up, 'The Office', 'Parks & Rec', 'Scandal' & 'Rock Center' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- Gorman, Bill (November 2, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings:'The Big Bang Theory' Adjusted Up, 'Person of Interest' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
- "Live+7 DVR Ratings: 'Modern Family' Leads Adults 18-49 Ratings, 'Revolution' Tops Viewership Gains; 'Gossip Girl' Biggest Percentage Gains in Week 7". TV by the Numbers. November 27, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- Dyess-Nugent, Phil (November 8, 2012). "Person of Interest: "The High Road"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- Surette, Tim (November 9, 2012). "Person of Interest "The High Road" Review: Mr. Reese's Neighborhood". TV.com. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- McKenna, Sean (November 9, 2012). "Person of Interest Review: Welcome to Suburbia". TV Fanatic. Retrieved December 27, 2017.