[s5e1] B.s.o.d. -

is the premiere episode of the fifth and final season of Person of Interest , following the desperate retreat of Team Machine after the rise of the rival AI, Samaritan. The title refers to the "Blue Screen of Death," a fatal system error screen, symbolizing the near-extinction of the Machine as it fights to survive in a compressed state within a briefcase. Plot Summary

Fearing the potential for an all-powerful AI to become malevolent, Finch decides to implement code that wipes the Machine's memory every night at midnight. [S5E1] B.S.O.D.

After a failed first attempt that sets Finch's workstation on fire, the team successfully decompresses the Machine into the PS3 cluster, saved in the final moments by Reese using liquid nitrogen to prevent overheating. Key Themes and Flashbacks is the premiere episode of the fifth and

The use of networked PlayStation 3 consoles was a real-world reference to how researchers have built inexpensive supercomputers using the consoles' Linux-compatible architecture. After a failed first attempt that sets Finch's

Left in the dark by the others, Fusco is investigated by Internal Affairs and the FBI for the deaths of crime bosses Dominic and Elias, unknowingly being "cleared" by a Samaritan operative within the agency.

Critics noted the episode's more serialized, high-stakes pacing, moving away from the "case of the week" format as the series headed toward its finale.

Evading Samaritan's relentless operatives, Root seeks a new identity from an old contact, eventually securing 300 PlayStation 3 consoles to use as a makeshift supercomputer for the Machine.