Person of Interest follows former CIA paramilitary operative, John Reese, who is presumed dead and teams up with reclusive billionaire Finch to prevent violent crimes in New York City by initiating their own type of justice. With the special training that Reese has had in Covert Operations and Finch's genius software inventing mind, the two are a perfect match for the job that they have to complete. With the help of surveillance equipment, they work "outside the law" and get the right criminal behind bars.
This tv show contains 30 potentially triggering events.
One character shows symptoms of ptsd after being abducted (idk if it counts but yeah), another is diagnosed with "an axis ii personality disorder" which is heavily implied to be aspd. They both talk about it at some point or another. They may be other characters as well
Both main and side characters' loved ones (I'm including significant others and such) are mentioned to be dead or are shown to die. I don't think it was ever too explicit but one character is killed in a car crash (i think at least, it's beed a hot minute since i watched it)
SPOILERS Reese’s former partner is murdered by her abusive husband. The husband covers it up by crashing their car to make it look like an accident. Although Reese is coming to get her, he is heavily delayed and does not get to her in time. The whole situation is extremely tragic and is shown in flashbacks. It is referenced in some way in other episodes as well. This episode’s primary storyline is about a woman who has been on the run from her abusive ex-husband, who is a U.S. Marshal and has framed her for crimes so that other marshals, cops, etc will be on the lookout and turn her over to him, unknowingly delivering a victim to her abuser.
John self-medicates with alcohol.
Harold is drugged against his will with ecstasy.
A marijuana dispensary is shown and discussed but no one is directly seen taking drugs. There is an allusion to Harold perhaps smoking weed in the past.
John is definitely addicted to alcohol at the beginning of the series although we very quickly see him recover with no withdrawal shown. He briefly relapses at one point but we never know how deep the relapse went and he again recovers very quickly.
A man who appears to be drunk/high is shown in the back of the POI’s cab rambling about how the city used to be farmland and how he used to shoot rabbits somewhere. The whole scene lasts about 10 seconds or so and it’s entirely possible the man is just full of it.
To some extent it's implied that at the very least whatever the Neo-Nazis were doing with Bear was causing him anxiety but he is never in danger again in the show and the main cast is always kind and caring towards him.
General stuff that you'd expect in a series where a crime is a major plot driving tool, though there's also one scene where a main character is drugged with ecstasy and it's sort of made to be funny
John disarms one of the villain characters by zip tying his hands behind his back. Later, the POI is restrained by two men who are about to throw him off a bridge.
There is one particular scene in season five where two characters are in a room and the oxygen begins to be sucked out, causing them both to have difficulty breathing. The scene lasts for maybe a minute and a half.
John’s face is held over a lot burner in a hotel kitchen but it is unclear if he is actually burned or not. He’s not shown with any signs of injury after this scene.
John incapacitates the POI’s bodyguard by smashing his head/face into a plate glass door. This is shown very quickly and isn’t graphic at all. The bodyguard is shown unconscious on the ground several times but the attack itself is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it type of situation.
Sameen attaches a man to a table by stabbing a knife through his hand.
Root drills a hole into the back of a woman's hand with a surgical saw.
Elias has his fingers broken with a hammer.
Multiple times to characters of all genders. Sometimes psychological, sometimes emotional, often physical. True gore is never shown but bruises, broken bones, and blood are all fair game.
SPOILERS Mark Snow allows himself to be blown up by his suicide bomb vest that the villain forced him into in order to kill/prevent her from hurting anyone else. He was originally going to try to find a way out of the vest before it the timer in it detonated but instead sneaks into the villain’s car and they both die.
Shaw collapses after being injected with poison and SPOILERS she is pronounced legally dead. Her cause of death is assumed to be an overdose or heart attack. She is given the antidote to the poison and is resuscitated successfully.
Harold learns about 9/11 when his best friend comes into his office and turns on the news. The TV is just out of frame and nothing is really heard from the news but Harold and his friend describe it without much detail at all. Basically, “it was a plane?” “No, two planes.” And that's it.
A conspiracy of corrupt cops plays an antagonistic role for much of the series. On the other hand, all other cops, especially main character Joss Carter, are portrayed as noble, self-sacrificing public servants ('I'm a cop. My life's always in danger.'), which creates a "few bad apples" narrative.
There is indeed one episode that takes place inside of a stereotypical asylum and another episode where a person is shown breaking out of a building that is later revealed to be an asylum.
SPOILERS the POI is a serial killer who steals his victims identities. He doesn’t have a diagnosis but his behavior is that of someone who is severely mentally ill. He alters virtually everything about himself, such as cutting his hair, wearing colored contacts to match his victim’s appearances, and even mimics their speech pattern. He decides that his next identity will be Harold and he removes Harold’s glasses and starts practicing Harold’s manner of speaking. Harold insults his ego by saying that the POI enjoys killing despite the POI’s denial and rationalizations, and says that he’s unwell, maladjusted, and needs help. This makes the POI decide he will kill Harold instead of keeping him alive in order to escape. The POI is a relatively standard portrayal of creepy, perhaps “psychotic” serial killers in movies and TV shows.
Not specifically. There is depictions of a few characters who could perhaps be seen as autistic but it is never explicitly revealed that way. And occasionally they may be lightly put down for their social skills or routines but nothing genuinely abusive.
A dead body is found in the trunk of a car, but is not shown for very long. Even though the man is dead, it might still affect some people with claustrophobia. Plus, John discovers the body when he opens the trunk in order to detain an unconscious drug dealer. This obviously doesn’t end up happening.
A plethora of bit characters commit suicide during the series, usually villains. It becomes a bit of a joke in season 3 that agents of Decima kill themselves bafflingly often because their loved ones will be provided for if they do and won't be if they're captured. In a simulated alternate timeline briefly explored in 5x12, a main character has already committed suicide, and his grave is shown.
Not referenced by name or anything but the POI’s family went bankrupt when he was growing up and the trauma of the situation has contributed to him behaving in ways that are considered odd/socially unacceptable. He is also pretty paranoid and clearly still affected by his family’s financial past.
It’s unclear if it’s a miscarriage or stillbirth or something else, but the POI’s marriage started to deteriorate following the loss of the woman’s pregnancy. This is only mentioned and not shown.
It’s unclear if it’s a miscarriage or stillbirth or something else, but the POI’s marriage started to deteriorate following the loss of the woman’s pregnancy. This is only mentioned and not shown.
The show is in fact surprisingly good at avoiding this. Both mental and physical disabilities are treated with courtesy and treatment of various kinds is shown.
Not directly, but a Neo-Nazi group is heavily featured in at least 1 episode. I don’t recall any super overt discrimination/bigotry, aside from maybe a few comments. The group is taken down in a very satisfying way.
The POI receives a call revealing that her wife will be murdered if she doesn’t purposely botch a surgery to kill the patient. She is ultimately able to save the patient and John saves her wife. Happy ending.
No fat jokes, but John does make a comment about the POI getting a heart attack from eating fried food. Not bodyshaming but it could be upsetting for those who have been shamed for what/how they eat.
The show typically does not play into this, but if you only consider the six main cast members in the show's run, the first one to die is the only black one. (The actor wanted to pursue other projects.)
Sort of? There are protests seen throughout the show and maybe a couple of specific insults that vaguely target a group but nothing explicitly crude or cruel.
The POI is an eccentric billionaire who enjoys being unpredictable and causing drama so he walks down the street in just his underwear and a coat to pick up his dry cleaning. No nudity is shown but this is portrayed as very scandalous and is called “streaking” by one character.
Yes but incredibly vague with one exception. The show opens with a man and woman in bed together, pretty clearly post coital although all we ever see is pieces of his shirtless chest and the edge of her arms as she is wearing a camisole.
There is also one scene where a couple appear to be in bed but it is maybe a second of an entire episode, doesn't feature important characters, and the covers are drawn very far up.
The one exception: There is one scene that features two characters clearly going through foreplay. Clothing is removed until they are both in their underwear then the scene fades out. They are later shown in bed together and it is implied they are both topless but nothing but their backs are shown.
An ex-marine is trapped on the island by the severe storm and he is revealed to be on the run and without a home. He is called a “vagrant” at least once.
I wouldn’t say sad necessarily but this episode is definitely one of the darker, less rewarding episodes in the show. There’s not really much of a satisfying conclusion and SPOILERS Shaw’s only friend was murdered. She is clearly upset about her friend and repeatedly mentions that he’s the one person she liked.
Oh my god there are so many car crashes. Cars getting rammed from the side becomes practically a running joke, happening many times per season. One time two main characters drive off the side of an overpass and flip upside down, but somehow aren't injured.
A character gets the jump on John and knocks him out, then is shown dragging him across a dock by a rope tied to his ankles. The character makes a comment about how he’s not the type to kill someone, but he has to in this situation, and rationalizes this by saying that the water is cold so John will die quickly. John regains consciousness and knocks the character out with a paddle, thus saving himself from being drowned.
Yes, however, the show is particularly good about not showing most of it. There is one brief view on a video screen of what is implied to be the inside of someone's body during surgery and another brief shot of red squishiness inside of an incision but aside from these all other moments are either implied or pretty small. Characters tend to get blood on them a lot but with a few exceptions these are usually non-lethal wounds and are often wrapped up quickly after.