Show cover for Person of Interest

The Best Episodes of Person of Interest Season 1

Every episode of Person of Interest Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Person of Interest Season 1!

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

Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Pilot" is the best rated episode of "Person of Interest" season 1. It scored 8.3/10 based on 6003 votes. Directed by David Semel and written by Jonathan Nolan, it aired on 9/22/2011. This episode is rated 0.4 points higher than the second-best, "Ghosts".

  • Pilot
    8.3/106,003 votes

    #1 - Pilot

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/22/2011

    When the social security number of a young prosecutor comes up, Reese and Finch work together to figure out if their person of interest is the victim or perpetrator.

    Director: David Semel

    Writer: Jonathan Nolan

  • Ghosts
    7.9/104,472 votes

    #2 - Ghosts

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/29/2011

    Reese and Finch question the machine's reliability when they are asked to investigate a teenager who was killed years earlier; Finch remembers the origin of the machine.

    Director: Richard J. Lewis

    Writer: Jonathan Nolan, Greg Plageman

  • Mission Creep
    8.0/104,150 votes

    #3 - Mission Creep

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 10/6/2011

    Reese goes undercover to find the threat surrounding the next person on Finch's list: a young army veteran named Joey Durban.

    Director: Steven DePaul

    Writer: Patrick Harbinson

  • Cura Te Ipsum
    8.4/104,054 votes

    #4 - Cura Te Ipsum

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/13/2011

    Reese and Finch get some help from Detective Fusco as they surveil their latest POI, Dr. Megan Tillman, while she’s on call and after hours to unravel the threat surrounding the promising young physician.

    Director: Charles Beeson

    Writer: Denise Thé

  • Judgement
    8.3/103,886 votes

    #5 - Judgement

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/20/2011

    Reese and Finch have the added challenge of investigating a Person of Interest who wants nothing to do with their brand of vigilante justice.

    Director: Colin Bucksey

    Writer: David Slack

  • The Fix
    8.6/104,149 votes

    #6 - The Fix

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 10/27/2011

    Reese becomes romantically involved with the newest Person of Interest: an attractive woman who isn't all that she seems.

    Director: Dennis Smith

    Writer: Nic Van Zeebroeck, Michael Sopczynski

  • Witness
    8.8/104,365 votes

    #7 - Witness

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/3/2011

    The Machine identifies a school teacher who witnessed a mob hit as their next POI and Reese and Finch rush to save his life.

    Director: Fred Toye

    Writer: Amanda Segel

  • Foe
    8.1/103,796 votes

    #8 - Foe

    Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 11/17/2011

    When Reese and Finch discover that their latest POI has connections to Cold War Soviet espionage circles, they quickly learn how covert ops were handled in a world before The Machine.

    Director: Milan Cheylov

    Writer: Sean Hennen

  • Get Carter
    8.7/103,989 votes

    #9 - Get Carter

    Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 12/8/2011

    Reese and Finch’s game of cat and mouse with Detective Carter becomes infinitely more complicated when The Machine declares that she is their newest POI.

    Director: Alex Zakrzewski

    Writer: Greg Plageman, Denise Thé

  • Number Crunch
    9.1/104,493 votes

    #10 - 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

  • Super
    8.7/103,855 votes

    #11 - Super

    Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 1/12/2012

    Reese is confined to a wheelchair recovering from his gunshot wound, but Finch sets him up in an apartment where he’s to keep an eye on the Super, who is their latest POI. Also, Finch approaches Carter and gives her a POI to show her what they do.

    Director: Stephen Williams

    Writer: David Slack

  • Legacy
    8.2/103,492 votes

    #12 - Legacy

    Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 1/19/2012

    When Carter finally comes face-to-face with Reese, he urges her to join forces to help with their latest POI, a scrappy young woman from the wrong side of the tracks who turned her life around and became a lawyer.

    Director: Brad Anderson

    Writer: Amanda Segel

  • Root Cause
    8.8/103,984 votes

    #13 - Root Cause

    Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 2/2/2012

    The Machine gives Reese and Finch the number of a down-and-out man who has been pushed too far, and they're forced to turn to former Person of Interest, Zoe Morgan, for help.

    Director: Richard J. Lewis

    Writer: Erik Mountain

  • Wolf and Cub
    8.1/103,449 votes

    #14 - Wolf and Cub

    Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 2/9/2012

    The Machine identifies Darren, a teenager whose brother was just murdered, as the next POI. Meanwhile, Finch is growing concerned that the son of his former business partner is dangerously close to finding out about the Machine.

    Director: Chris Fisher

    Writer: Nic Van Zeebroeck, Michael Sopczynski

  • Blue Code
    8.5/103,559 votes

    #15 - Blue Code

    Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 2/16/2012

    Reese discovers there’s more to the story after he infiltrates a smuggling ring to get close to his latest POI.

    Director: David Von Ancken

    Writer: Denise Thé

  • Risk
    8.3/103,408 votes

    #16 - Risk

    Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 2/23/2012

    The Machine leads Reese and Finch to Wall Street when a sharp young trader at a major investment bank becomes embroiled in a multi-million dollar financial scam.

    Director: Jeff T. Thomas

    Writer: Sean Hennen

  • Baby Blue
    8.6/103,653 votes

    #17 - Baby Blue

    Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 3/8/2012

    When The Machine spits out the number of a 6-month-old baby, Reese and Finch turn into overly protective parents – with an arsenal at their disposal. Meanwhile, when Elias resurfaces, Detective Carter begins to question her new allegiance with Reese and Finch

    Director: Larry Teng

    Writer: Patrick Harbinson

  • Identity Crisis
    8.4/103,414 votes

    #18 - Identity Crisis

    Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 3/29/2012

    The Machine's latest number presents a unique challenge for Reese and Finch since the person has virtually no digital footprint - and appears to be leading a double life.

    Director: Charles Beeson

    Writer: Amy Berg

  • Flesh and Blood
    9.0/103,861 votes

    #19 - Flesh and Blood

    Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 4/5/2012

    When The Machine spits out five numbers, naming the Don of each of New York’s crime families, Reese and Finch suspect Elias is planning to eliminate his competition.

    Director: Stephen Semel

    Writer: Amanda Segel

  • Matsya Nyaya
    8.8/103,646 votes

    #20 - Matsya Nyaya

    Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 4/26/2012

    Reese goes undercover as an armored car company employee, and faces memories from his past with the CIA.

    Director: Kevin Bray

    Writer: Ray Utarnachitt

  • Many Happy Returns
    9.1/104,145 votes

    #21 - Many Happy Returns

    Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 5/3/2012

    Finch gives Reese his birthday off so that his partner doesn't have to face a Number that is tied to Reese's past.

    Director: Fred Toye

    Writer: N/A

  • No Good Deed
    9.0/103,737 votes

    #22 - No Good Deed

    Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 5/10/2012

    The newest POI’s curiosity could spell his doom when he finds himself embroiled in a dark government conspiracy – one that Finch is all too familiar with. Meanwhile, Reese uncovers something revealing about Finch’s past.

    Director: Stephen Williams

    Writer: David Slack

  • Firewall
    9.6/106,300 votes

    #23 - 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