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Harold and the Machine
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inmyriadbits and I just watched all of Person of Interest, and OMG LOVE. I actually started it last year, but only made it through the first two episodes before drifting off due to, IIRC, 'the two leads monotoning at each other'.
It's cool, I can admit I was wrong.
...Well, okay, they are pretty monotone, but their FACES and INFLECTIONS are so excellent, and the show grew a sense of humor starting with 1x03, so fortunately Lindsey made me try again with her. I do think this is a show that rewards being fannish about it, because often the moments are so small, but VERY SIGNIFICANT. This is a show where recommending the eggs benedict is a pivotal gesture of trust and affection, okay? It's good to have someone to grab and go "OMG DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?"
One of the things we liked a lot about this was that it's a mishmash of stealth scifi and spy shenanigans on top of a gorgeously flexible procedural structure. And the main characters are extremely competent (oh god so competent I can hardly stand it) and have lot of deep dark backstory that take seasons to pry into, but their reticence is totally in-character. We *have* gotten to the point after 2x12 where I think we've hit the highlights of Reese's life story, and it's Finch's turn, but he's also got decades more of being A Very Private Person to get through.
It's weird, actually - they're both fiercely private, but when the other man (or Carter) finds out one of their secrets, they're not angry or defensive. The trust there is profound, and it's almost like an ongoing game they play, because they know what's truly important about the other person; the rest is just details.
Ugh, this show hits so many of my narrative kinks, for real. Trust! Competence! Redemption! Partnership and friendship! Deadly dry humor! Efficient violence! Benevolent AIs! Libraries!
I like their names. All of Finch's bird aliases, which are so perfect for Michael Emerson physically. (Speaking of physically, his control of his body to show Harold's limp/limited range of motion in the modern day versus the flashbacks is stunning. ♥) And Reese is not named Kyle, but his job description is basically always come with me if you want to live, after a nice period of stalking.
They're hilariously shameless about their invasion of people's privacy. Lindsey and I were talking about the way they both talk to Carter about her date in S2 and she's horrified that they were clearly listening in. I swear, I think they made popcorn and spent the whole time rationalizing it and hacking into Cal's background.
Also, Reese and food! Lindsey noticed that he totally feeds people, especially after he gets his apartment in S2: coffee and donuts for Harold on repeated occasions, breakfast for the reporter lady, that Brazilian dish for the ambassador's daughter. He's clearly a good cook, based on his ability to make complex dishes and complete meals at the drop of a hat; it's a little painful to think how long he must have spent
Reese's flashbacks are increasingly painful the more you see of the series, because he's never been emotive, but you start to see him smile and have subtle fond reactions to Finch and Carter after awhile. Then you get a flashback to his time in the CIA, and he's so locked down it hurts to look at him. I can't *wait* to get some facetime with Stanton in the upcoming episodes, because dear god there's going to be some powerful stuff there.
I absolutely adore Reese and Finch's relationship, and the way it subtly changes over time. Reese is pretty cagey emotionally, but the way he repeated makes a point of thanking Finch for giving him a second chance/job/purpose, and he's so painfully sincere and has no regrets about anything, even if he ends up dead or in prison (as he nearly has on multiple occasions now)- gah! The moment in 2x10 when he's all "it took me a minute to realize, but I woke up happy today" had me in tears, because he's just so.... *flails* But it's become more than just Reese feeling grateful to Finch - the way he straight up blackmails the Machine into helping him find Root, the slow change from Finch being ostensibly Reese's boss to self-described partners (and Finch's current twitch any time someone does assume he's 'the boss'), the trust and knowledge between them.
Towards the end of 2x12 (Prisoner's Dilemma), Lindsey was talking about how much she wanted a hug or at least a clammish version of one (I suggested a long, significant handshake), and then something EVEN BETTER happened - Harold walked right past a ringing telephone, because John needed him. He walked past THREE telephones before realizing something was up and the Machine was trying to help. That is SO HUGE I CAN'T EVEN HANDLE IT. Planning the prison break and hacking an entire life story for John's interrogation was amazing and badass, but that moment.... ♥
I ship them like I ship Holmes/Watson or Sam/Frodo or Dani/Charlie, because they are friends and partners and it's such a hugely powerful, complex, fascinating relationship that I'd be okay with just that. But they also love and understand each other in a way that's incredibly good for my shipper side, and their relationship *changes* each other, and they *save* each other.... It's so good for me.
Also, it's canon that the Machine is a matchmaker. I'm just saying.
Oh, man, I totally forgot to talk about Carter and Fusco! I loved Carter right away - the first ep I saw was 1x09 Get Carter, where she's the number of the week. It really captured her badassery and her huge heart and devotion to justice (and dear lord, Taraji P. Henson fills out a pair of jeans. Rowr.), but not her humor, so I didn't appreciate her as much as I do now. I adore her friendship with Reese: how much bullshit she does not take, how they work together but don't always agree, how much genuine trust and friendship has grown up there. I keep talking about 2x12, but OMG her interrogation BAMFery, and his names-carefully-redacted truth-telling for her, and her concern that blew his cover. Stanton better not try to shoot her, or I'm gonna cut a bitch.
(Seriously, wtf is Stanton's game? She's not another Root, more likely she's plotting some seriously twisted served-cold revenge. Reese played the vicious, grinning killer to guard his inner boyscout, but he never stopped questioning orders and it was so clearly killing him inside; Stanton, though, was pure cold devotion to duty, and then got betrayed. Shit is going to go *down*.)
And Fusco! I totally though he was going to be That Storyline: you know, the one they set up in the pilot and drag on to the midseason and realize they need to wrap it up because no one cares? Yeah. Totally got blindsided by the Fusco love and how they twined him into the plot arcs, and with the way he admires Carter and is a devious bastard but wants to do it for a good cause, and his nicknames for Reese and Finch. I'm really hoping he gets a moment where they acknowledge he's turned a corner, stop trying to keep him under their thumb, and make him a willing partner like Carter. Poor guy's clearly on the low end of the competency scale in this show, though. *pats*
And then there's Bear. Reese named him after the bearer bonds he ate, ahahahah. He takes commands in Dutch. He charmed Finch into near-instant devotion (when he moved the dog bed closer to the computers! I died.), and was his constant companion for the first quarter of the season - which was a gorgeously quiet way that shows just how Finch was shaken by his kidnapping. Ahhh, the scene where Reese asks him if he wants to get a beer, and then they go out at the end of the episode and there's a shot where Bear's on one side and Reese is on the other, and it was very 'Finch with his two guard dogs' ♥ And just when I think Bear is more Finch's dog than Reese's, we get a scene of Reese throwing balls for Bear at the park and find out that they wash him together and take turns drying him. So. Married. In a repressed, non-sexual way that might turn into something in like five years. Why do I enjoy that so much?
I also want all the crossovers. POI/Nikita, where Alex is the number and they are hilariously baffled by her Alexandra Udinov cover, or Nikita is the number and they are confused about someone who was killed on Death Row not being dead. POI/Avengers, where Tony Stark started at MIT while Harold was finishing up. POI/Thoughtcrimes, where Brendan is in peril and Freya catches Reese stalking them and freaks him the fuck out by knowing too much (Harold politely declines to meet her in person). POI/Burn Notice. POI/Leverage. It's a total Little Black Dress fandom for New York and spies.
Ha, whoops. Apparently I had more to say than I thought. So who else watches POI around here? Anyone? Bueller?
inmyriadbits and I just watched all of Person of Interest, and OMG LOVE. I actually started it last year, but only made it through the first two episodes before drifting off due to, IIRC, 'the two leads monotoning at each other'.It's cool, I can admit I was wrong.
...Well, okay, they are pretty monotone, but their FACES and INFLECTIONS are so excellent, and the show grew a sense of humor starting with 1x03, so fortunately Lindsey made me try again with her. I do think this is a show that rewards being fannish about it, because often the moments are so small, but VERY SIGNIFICANT. This is a show where recommending the eggs benedict is a pivotal gesture of trust and affection, okay? It's good to have someone to grab and go "OMG DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?"
One of the things we liked a lot about this was that it's a mishmash of stealth scifi and spy shenanigans on top of a gorgeously flexible procedural structure. And the main characters are extremely competent (oh god so competent I can hardly stand it) and have lot of deep dark backstory that take seasons to pry into, but their reticence is totally in-character. We *have* gotten to the point after 2x12 where I think we've hit the highlights of Reese's life story, and it's Finch's turn, but he's also got decades more of being A Very Private Person to get through.
It's weird, actually - they're both fiercely private, but when the other man (or Carter) finds out one of their secrets, they're not angry or defensive. The trust there is profound, and it's almost like an ongoing game they play, because they know what's truly important about the other person; the rest is just details.
Ugh, this show hits so many of my narrative kinks, for real. Trust! Competence! Redemption! Partnership and friendship! Deadly dry humor! Efficient violence! Benevolent AIs! Libraries!
I like their names. All of Finch's bird aliases, which are so perfect for Michael Emerson physically. (Speaking of physically, his control of his body to show Harold's limp/limited range of motion in the modern day versus the flashbacks is stunning. ♥) And Reese is not named Kyle, but his job description is basically always come with me if you want to live, after a nice period of stalking.
They're hilariously shameless about their invasion of people's privacy. Lindsey and I were talking about the way they both talk to Carter about her date in S2 and she's horrified that they were clearly listening in. I swear, I think they made popcorn and spent the whole time rationalizing it and hacking into Cal's background.
Also, Reese and food! Lindsey noticed that he totally feeds people, especially after he gets his apartment in S2: coffee and donuts for Harold on repeated occasions, breakfast for the reporter lady, that Brazilian dish for the ambassador's daughter. He's clearly a good cook, based on his ability to make complex dishes and complete meals at the drop of a hat; it's a little painful to think how long he must have spent
Reese's flashbacks are increasingly painful the more you see of the series, because he's never been emotive, but you start to see him smile and have subtle fond reactions to Finch and Carter after awhile. Then you get a flashback to his time in the CIA, and he's so locked down it hurts to look at him. I can't *wait* to get some facetime with Stanton in the upcoming episodes, because dear god there's going to be some powerful stuff there.
I absolutely adore Reese and Finch's relationship, and the way it subtly changes over time. Reese is pretty cagey emotionally, but the way he repeated makes a point of thanking Finch for giving him a second chance/job/purpose, and he's so painfully sincere and has no regrets about anything, even if he ends up dead or in prison (as he nearly has on multiple occasions now)- gah! The moment in 2x10 when he's all "it took me a minute to realize, but I woke up happy today" had me in tears, because he's just so.... *flails* But it's become more than just Reese feeling grateful to Finch - the way he straight up blackmails the Machine into helping him find Root, the slow change from Finch being ostensibly Reese's boss to self-described partners (and Finch's current twitch any time someone does assume he's 'the boss'), the trust and knowledge between them.
Towards the end of 2x12 (Prisoner's Dilemma), Lindsey was talking about how much she wanted a hug or at least a clammish version of one (I suggested a long, significant handshake), and then something EVEN BETTER happened - Harold walked right past a ringing telephone, because John needed him. He walked past THREE telephones before realizing something was up and the Machine was trying to help. That is SO HUGE I CAN'T EVEN HANDLE IT. Planning the prison break and hacking an entire life story for John's interrogation was amazing and badass, but that moment.... ♥
I ship them like I ship Holmes/Watson or Sam/Frodo or Dani/Charlie, because they are friends and partners and it's such a hugely powerful, complex, fascinating relationship that I'd be okay with just that. But they also love and understand each other in a way that's incredibly good for my shipper side, and their relationship *changes* each other, and they *save* each other.... It's so good for me.
Also, it's canon that the Machine is a matchmaker. I'm just saying.
Oh, man, I totally forgot to talk about Carter and Fusco! I loved Carter right away - the first ep I saw was 1x09 Get Carter, where she's the number of the week. It really captured her badassery and her huge heart and devotion to justice (and dear lord, Taraji P. Henson fills out a pair of jeans. Rowr.), but not her humor, so I didn't appreciate her as much as I do now. I adore her friendship with Reese: how much bullshit she does not take, how they work together but don't always agree, how much genuine trust and friendship has grown up there. I keep talking about 2x12, but OMG her interrogation BAMFery, and his names-carefully-redacted truth-telling for her, and her concern that blew his cover. Stanton better not try to shoot her, or I'm gonna cut a bitch.
(Seriously, wtf is Stanton's game? She's not another Root, more likely she's plotting some seriously twisted served-cold revenge. Reese played the vicious, grinning killer to guard his inner boyscout, but he never stopped questioning orders and it was so clearly killing him inside; Stanton, though, was pure cold devotion to duty, and then got betrayed. Shit is going to go *down*.)
And Fusco! I totally though he was going to be That Storyline: you know, the one they set up in the pilot and drag on to the midseason and realize they need to wrap it up because no one cares? Yeah. Totally got blindsided by the Fusco love and how they twined him into the plot arcs, and with the way he admires Carter and is a devious bastard but wants to do it for a good cause, and his nicknames for Reese and Finch. I'm really hoping he gets a moment where they acknowledge he's turned a corner, stop trying to keep him under their thumb, and make him a willing partner like Carter. Poor guy's clearly on the low end of the competency scale in this show, though. *pats*
And then there's Bear. Reese named him after the bearer bonds he ate, ahahahah. He takes commands in Dutch. He charmed Finch into near-instant devotion (when he moved the dog bed closer to the computers! I died.), and was his constant companion for the first quarter of the season - which was a gorgeously quiet way that shows just how Finch was shaken by his kidnapping. Ahhh, the scene where Reese asks him if he wants to get a beer, and then they go out at the end of the episode and there's a shot where Bear's on one side and Reese is on the other, and it was very 'Finch with his two guard dogs' ♥ And just when I think Bear is more Finch's dog than Reese's, we get a scene of Reese throwing balls for Bear at the park and find out that they wash him together and take turns drying him. So. Married. In a repressed, non-sexual way that might turn into something in like five years. Why do I enjoy that so much?
I also want all the crossovers. POI/Nikita, where Alex is the number and they are hilariously baffled by her Alexandra Udinov cover, or Nikita is the number and they are confused about someone who was killed on Death Row not being dead. POI/Avengers, where Tony Stark started at MIT while Harold was finishing up. POI/Thoughtcrimes, where Brendan is in peril and Freya catches Reese stalking them and freaks him the fuck out by knowing too much (Harold politely declines to meet her in person). POI/Burn Notice. POI/Leverage. It's a total Little Black Dress fandom for New York and spies.
Ha, whoops. Apparently I had more to say than I thought. So who else watches POI around here? Anyone? Bueller?
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I can't stop watching iiiiit! The way John's so heartbreakingly sincere, and then in the wide shot he makes this 'well, I tried and got rejected' face expecting another photo in the menu maybe, and then he opens the menu! And there's nothing! And he grins all beautiful and tries to hide it with his hand! ♥ ♥
Bear shows up in 2x01, and he is worth the wait, omg. So. cute! Arguably better than the one with the baby.
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The ep where Reese and Finch lose contact and Finch is all worried about him made me go :3 quite a bit.
(and lol, I'm still not over the main-arc-bad-guy being played by Veronica Mars' dad. He's such a wholesome-looking dude! XD)
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That was a fun ep! And the twist at the end was great. Though I do get vaguely annoyed every time they assume the number is a good guy and get duped, because they've gotten burned by it before. Bless their hearts, they just want to see the best in people, I guess.
Ahahaha, yes, Enrico Colantoni seems to having massive amounts of fun playing against type. Apple-cheeked and twinkly-eyed and eeeeevil! ♥
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How cool was Carter in all that Donnelly cat-and-mouse stuff! I adored her to bits, she was totally the star of those episodes. (And I was completely flailing over the fact that this show gives us its own prison!fic and teacher!fic to go with the kidfic from last season. XD) And then there was all this awesome stuff that the show didn't even bring out beyond the background, really! (Fusco's little side-plot with the model lady being told through like, two minutes of footage total! Finch's blueprints and complete readiness to go bust Rikers prison wide open for John! ajkfljaskfl;asjd, basically)
ugh and then I ran across this post of leupagus' about ep 13 and my Harold-and-John feelings got absolutely everywhere. I love this show so much. <3
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Carter is such a BAMF - like, someone was talking on Tumblr about her dressing up and seducing the guy to get his DNA, which could have been sketchy but instead was just Carter getting shit done, because she *is* a gorgeous woman and can use that tool. It's just not one she usually needs or wants to use. Three-dimensional female characters, yay! And then she was stone-cold competent all. the. time. She's amazing.
(Fusco's little side-plot with the model lady
Ahahaha, yes, I *died* laughing. That whole subplot was beautiful, and perfectly short so it didn't fuck with the dramatic tone of the rest of the ep. Well-played, writers.
I was completely flailing over the fact that this show gives us its own prison!fic and teacher!fic to go with the kidfic from last season. XD
Hell yes. I am glad the fic writers are getting on the trope!fic bus, too. Heh, wait until you see 2x15 - John undercover as a bellhop! *snickers* This show loves us.
this post of leupagus' about ep 13 and my Harold-and-John feelings got absolutely everywhere
UGH I KNOW, THE TAGS ON THAT POST. Did you read astolat's Fealty yet? Because seriously, if I didn't love her before, I would for coming up with that metaphor for their relationship. Trust and loyalty and common purpose and power dynamics with an odd equality: it's so *apt*.
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Weirdly, I...didn't love Bargain at the Price? I mean, it was good, all of her stuff is good, but I had one of those moments when reading where I was like, "huh, so apparently I really really like Reese/Finch power dynamics but not BDSM with all the toys and performative aspect." And the publicness of the scenario...idk, I just wanted to get them a curtain so they could be private. For all the 'very private person' jokes, there's something very delicate about their relationship that kept the porn from working for me - all the trust and history they have just happened between them, and it's not for other people to see. Or rather, I don't think it would be a turn-on to have other people see. Compare to Clint/Coulson, where Clint *is* the kind of person who needs validation and has the performative circus background, despite Coulson's reserve, so I could see that scenario working for *them*.
*hands* I'm so sorry if that was a buzzkill, I don't want to ruin the story for you. I just have thinky thoughts about and can't shut up sometimes. Plus, I've been thinking a lot about John and sex because I'm trying to write an AU where he gets assigned to stalk Harold circa 2006 and they end up sleeping together for reasons.
But yeah. Trust!kink does it for me all the way. :D
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I'm excited that you're writing an AU set pre-series, that sounds like it could get quite interesting! :DDDD
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I really enjoy making John suffer. That's, like, 90% of why I'm writing it; the other 10% is wrangling Finch around to liking Reese despite all evidence to the contrary (with the Machine being "helpful" in the background). Because that's one of my other favorite things about John and Clint - that they went through so much awful shit, and somehow came out the other side with a good heart.
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Yay John-suffering! \o/ His and Finch's headspaces will be so different in 2006, so I'll be very intrigued to see where you go with the story! Plus wasn't that general time period when the Machine started having it's match-making tendencies kick in? >D
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Indeed it was! I'm thinking that's actually how Harold gets involved - initially he's just going to play boring until the surveillance goes away, but then he has the Machine do a threat eval on John and it's...not what he expects. So he decides to investigate, because he thinks it's an error and nothing gets Harold's attention like a programming puzzle, but it turns out the Machine was right after all. :)