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The Best Episodes of Person of Interest

Every episode of Person of Interest ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Person of Interest!

John Reese, former CIA paramilitary operative, is presumed dead and teams up with reclusive billionaire Finch to prevent violent crimes in New York City by...
Genres:DramaAction & AdventureCrimeSci-Fi & Fantasy
Network:CBS

Best Episodes Summary

"If-Then-Else" is the best rated episode of "Person of Interest". It scored 9.8/10 based on 13661 votes. Directed by Chris Fisher and written by Denise Thé, it aired on 1/6/2015. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "return 0".

  • If-Then-Else
    9.8/1013,661 votes
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    #1 - If-Then-Else

    Season 4 Episode 11 - Aired 1/6/2015

    Samaritan launches a cyber-attack on the stock exchange, forcing the team to risk their lives in a desperate mission to stop a global economic catastrophe.

    Director: Chris Fisher

    Writer: Denise Thé

  • return 0
    9.8/1011,493 votes
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    #2 - return 0

    Season 5 Episode 13 - Aired 6/21/2016

    Finch, Reese, Fusco and Shaw embark on one last mission to prevent Samaritan from destroying The Machine and cementing its hold over mankind.

    Director: Chris Fisher

    Writer: Jonathan Nolan, Denise Thé

  • The Crossing
    9.7/106,939 votes
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    #3 - The Crossing

    Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 11/19/2013

    The battle to bring a crime organization to justice reaches a new level; Reese's number comes up in the machine.

    Director: Fred Toye

    Writer: Denise Thé

  • The Devil's Share
    9.7/106,822 votes
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    #4 - The Devil's Share

    Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 11/26/2013

    As the POI team seeks justice for Carter’s murder, Finch realizes one of his team members may go one step too far in order to end the war with HR. Also, The Machine gives out the number for NYPD Officer Patrick Simmons, one of the crime organization’s key players.

    Director: Chris Fisher

    Writer: Amanda Segel, Jonathan Nolan

  • Deus Ex Machina
    9.7/106,355 votes
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    #5 - Deus Ex Machina

    Season 3 Episode 23 - Aired 5/13/2014

    The team takes desperate action in its race to prevent the malevolent AI program Samaritan from coming online and making them its first targets. Meanwhile, the months-long battle with the anti-surveillance terrorist group Vigilance comes to a shocking conclusion.

    Director: Chris Fisher

    Writer: David Slack, Greg Plageman

  • YHWH
    9.7/107,445 votes
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    #6 - YHWH

    Season 4 Episode 22 - Aired 5/5/2015

    Finch and Root race to save The Machine, which has been located by the rival AI, Samaritan. Also, Reese is caught in the middle of the final showdown between rival crime bosses Elias and Dominic.

    Director: Chris Fisher

    Writer: Dan Dietz, Greg Plageman

  • The Day the World Went Away
    9.7/106,916 votes
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    #7 - The Day the World Went Away

    Season 5 Episode 10 - Aired 5/31/2016

    Finch’s number comes up when a fatal error blows his cover identity and sets off a deadly series of escalating encounters with Samaritan’s operatives.

    Director: Fred Toye

    Writer: Melissa Scrivner-Love, Andy Callahan

  • Firewall
    9.6/106,322 votes
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    #8 - Firewall

    Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 5/17/2012

    As the clock ticks down, Reese winds up trapped with his POI in the most heavily surveilled part of the city, forced to rely on the help of Finch, Carter and Fusco to fend off the FBI, corrupt cops and a slew of old foes.

    Director: Richard J. Lewis

    Writer: Jonathan Nolan, Greg Plageman

  • God Mode
    9.5/104,743 votes
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    #9 - God Mode

    Season 2 Episode 22 - Aired 5/9/2013

    Finch and Reese team up with unexpected allies as they race to fix the machine; as Detective Carter tries to apprehend Cal Beecher's murderer, she finds herself up against HR -- a criminal organization.

    Director: Richard J. Lewis

    Writer: Patrick Harbinson, Jonathan Nolan

  • Asylum
    9.5/104,612 votes
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    #10 - Asylum

    Season 4 Episode 21 - Aired 4/28/2015

    Reese and Fusco get caught in the war between the two newest POIs, rival crime bosses Elias and Dominic. Also, a tantalizing clue to Shaw’s whereabouts leads Finch and Root into a possible trap, and Control goes rogue to uncover the true intentions of the Samaritan program.

    Director: Fred Toye

    Writer: Denise Thé, Andy Callahan

  • .exe
    9.5/104,254 votes
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    #11 - .exe

    Season 5 Episode 12 - Aired 6/14/2016

    As Reese and Shaw race to catch up with Finch, he infiltrates a maximum-security government facility in a desperate mission which could mean the end for not only Samaritan, but for himself and The Machine as well.

    Director: Greg Plageman

    Writer: Greg Plageman, Erik Mountain

  • Prisoner's Dilemma
    9.4/104,274 votes
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    #12 - Prisoner's Dilemma

    Season 2 Episode 12 - Aired 1/10/2013

    Carter tries to help Reese by engaging in mental warfare with the FBI; Reese has encounters with old and new enemies; Detective Fusco must protect supermodel Karolina Kurkova, the latest person of interest.

    Director: Chris Fisher

    Writer: David Slack

  • Zero Day
    9.4/104,190 votes
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    #13 - Zero Day

    Season 2 Episode 21 - Aired 5/2/2013

    When a virus causes the machine to malfunction, numbers are issued irregularly; the team searches for an extremely elusive tech millionaire.

    Director: Jeffrey G. Hunt

    Writer: David Slack, Amanda Segel

  • Endgame
    9.4/104,406 votes
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    #14 - Endgame

    Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 11/12/2013

    The machine gives Finch 38 numbers at once; information about Carter's past is revealed.

    Director: Sylvain White

    Writer: Nic Van Zeebroeck, Michael Sopczynski

  • The Devil You Know
    9.4/104,117 votes
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    #15 - The Devil You Know

    Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 11/25/2014

    Reese must save Elias from the Brotherhood. He can't get any help from Root or Shaw since Shaw's cover is blown and Root is escorting her to underground.

    Director: Richard J. Lewis

    Writer: Erik Mountain

  • Relevance
    9.3/104,774 votes
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    #16 - Relevance

    Season 2 Episode 16 - Aired 2/21/2013

    A lethal government operative who tracks and stops terrorist threats before they occur finds herself on the run – and the new focus of Reese and Finch's attention. However, their pursuit proves to be their most formidable when they discover that her remarkable skill set equals their own.

    Director: Jonathan Nolan

    Writer: Jonathan Nolan, Amanda Segel

  • 6,741
    9.3/105,440 votes
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    #17 - 6,741

    Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 5/16/2016

    Shaw escapes her captors, but the team is unsure of her mental state when she begins to act paranoid and reckless.

    Director: Chris Fisher

    Writer: Lucas O'Connor, Denise Thé

  • Dead Reckoning
    9.2/103,728 votes
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    #18 - Dead Reckoning

    Season 2 Episode 13 - Aired 1/31/2013

    Reese is abducted by a former acquaintance planning a massive and potentially deadly act of cyber-warfare.

    Director: John Dahl

    Writer: Erik Mountain

  • RAM
    9.2/103,821 votes
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    #19 - RAM

    Season 3 Episode 16 - Aired 3/4/2014

    The secrets of Finch’s operation before he enlisted Reese are revealed, including shocking ties to present-day events.

    Director: Stephen Surjik

    Writer: Nic Van Zeebroeck, Michael Sopczynski

  • Beta
    9.2/103,380 votes
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    #20 - Beta

    Season 3 Episode 21 - Aired 4/29/2014

    As Decima uses Samaritan’s feeds to hunt Reese and Shaw, Greer exploits Finch’s greatest weakness in an attempt to lure him out of hiding: his love for his former fiancée, Grace Hendricks.

    Director: Fred Toye

    Writer: Sean Hennen, Dan Dietz

  • Control-Alt-Delete
    9.2/103,769 votes
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    #21 - Control-Alt-Delete

    Season 4 Episode 12 - Aired 1/13/2015

    Control, who oversees the handling of relevant numbers for the government, begins to question the methods and intentions of the Samaritan program. Also, alarming news reports of a pair of vigilantes rampaging through the Northeast begin to surface.

    Director: Stephen Surjik

    Writer: Andy Callahan

  • B.S.O.D.
    9.2/104,391 votes
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    #22 - B.S.O.D.

    Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 5/3/2016

    Reese and Finch attempt to rescue the Machine’s source code before it deteriorates beyond repair. Also, Root fights for her life against an onslaught of Samaritan’s agents and Fusco is faced with hard questions following the deaths of Dominic and Elias.

    Director: Chris Fisher

    Writer: Greg Plageman, Tony Camerino

  • Sotto Voce
    9.2/103,668 votes
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    #23 - Sotto Voce

    Season 5 Episode 9 - Aired 5/30/2016

    The mysterious criminal mastermind known as “The Voice” returns and traps Reese and Fusco in their own precinct with several armed gang members and the latest POI. Also, Root makes a shocking discovery.

    Director: Margot Lulick

    Writer: Sabir Pirzada

  • Synecdoche
    9.2/103,660 votes
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    #24 - Synecdoche

    Season 5 Episode 11 - Aired 6/7/2016

    The team must unravel a conspiracy and stay ahead of the Secret Service when the President of the United States becomes their newest POI. Also, Finch separates himself from the team and considers taking drastic action to combat Samaritan.

    Director: Tim Matheson

    Writer: Jacey Heldrich, Josh Brown

  • Number Crunch
    9.1/104,511 votes
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    #25 - Number Crunch

    Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 12/15/2011

    As Detective Carter deals with the fallout from her recent encounter with Reese and Finch, The Machine ups the ante for the duo by giving them four Social Security numbers instead of one.

    Director: Jeffrey G. Hunt

    Writer: Patrick Harbinson