Risk

Season

Episode

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1

16

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Air date

February 23, 2012

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Running time

43:31

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Production code

2J6216

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Written by

Sean Hennen

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Directed by

Jeff T. Thomas

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Recurring stars

Carl Elias - Enrico Colantoni Anthony Marconi - David Valcin

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Guests stars

Adam Saunders - Matt Lauria Bob Sowoski - John Scurti Sydney Baylor - Noelle Beck Joan - Deirdre O’Connell Victor - Austin Lysy Paul Ashton - David Furr Doug Rasmussen - Scott Cohen

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Co-stars

Officer Fordes - Mike Houston CSI Tech - Bhavesh Patel Delivery Man - Vladimi Versailles Broker - Charles Socarides Reporter - Carolina Bermudez

POI Adam Saunders

Images (0)

"Risk" is the sixteenth episode in season 1, and overall the sixteenth produced hour of Person of Interest. It originally aired on February 23, 2012.

SynopsisEdit

Reese and Finch are in the Library where Finch is measuring Reese for a new suit that Reese will need for "mingling with the best and brightest" on Wall Street. The person of interest is Adam Saunders, a proprietary trader at Baylor Zimm, an investment bank. When Reese comments that he knows nothing about Wall Street, Finch gives Reese the book A Random Walk Down Wall Street and implies that Reese doesn't really need to study, just look smart and wear the right clothes.

Reese, posing as asset manager John Rooney, meets Saunders at his business with a large check from Finch to invest. While there, Reese, Saunders and the rest of the office, watch the news report of the verdict in the trial of the head of Virtanen Pharmaceuticals ("The Fix") Saunders reveals that he has short sold stock in the company, anticipating a guilty verdict. Reese comments about the risk taking to Finch and notes that he was unable to force pair Saunders' phone. Later, at a bar, Saunders and another trader take swings at each other over the transaction. During this time, Finch has broken into Adam Saunders' apartment and discovers shoe boxes full of money, as well as information regarding Saunders' deceased mother and guardian uncle. Reese's continued surveillance reveals that Saunders is romantically involved with his boss, Sydney Baylor.

The next day, Saunders is approached by SEC investigator, Doug Rasmussen, who warns Saunders that he is watching him for trading violations. Reese observes this interaction. Later, Reese follows Saunders to Queens where he meets with his uncle, Bob Sowoski, who operates a food truck. They discuss Bob's investments at Baylor Zimm, as he is concerned about the amount of money being invested in a master limited partnership called Tritak. Adam reassures his uncle, but later confronts another broker at the firm about his concerns. Saunders and Reese meet later at an indoor golf range, where Saunders becomes irate after questioning by Reese about his family and the meeting with Rasmussen earlier in the day. As Saunders is driving Reese back, they are forced into an area where an attempt is made to crash Saunders' car. Reese recognizes this technique, funneling, and is able to save them by not allowing Saunders to stop. Carter later examines the scene and finds that the equipment was stolen, as well as a garbage truck, three days prior.

Reese, after obtaining his weapon at the Library, goes to Baylor Zimm and is unable to find Saunders until directed by Finch to go to the roof. Adam Saunders, having been lured there by fake texts from Sydney Baylor, has been attacked and is in danger of being thrown off the roof. Reese rescues Adam and they proceed to the apartment of Sydney Baylor and find her dead, with the scene staged to implicate Adam. Reese takes Adam to a homeless encampment, where Reese instructs him to stay. When Saunders protests, John informs him that he stayed there for four months. Reese gives Adam a cellphone and instructs him not to use it until Reese calls him. Carter investigates the murder scene and when she points out that the murder weapon could have been staged by taking the champagne bottle from the trash, she realizes why the garbage truck was needed.

At the Library, Reese and Finch discuss Tritak, a natural gas pipeline company. The price of the stock plummets when a bill allowing shale fracking in New York passes the legislature. When Saunders reads the news in the paper, he calls Reese and advises him that the stock is being short sold by someone at the firm. He then calls his uncle, a call that is traced. Finch is able to determine who in the company is involved in the illegal activity and follows him to the meeting with the corrupt SEC agent Rasmussen. A team of three hit men arrive at the homeless encampment, but fail to kill Saunders due to Reese's intervention. Finch determines that Adam can drive up the price of stock and destroy the profits from the planned short sale. When the broker and SEC agent realize what is happening, Rasmussen tries to attack Adam, but are stopped by Reese.

Reese returns to the homeless encampment where he thanks a woman, Joan, who helped him when he was homeless. Adam arranges for his uncle to feed the homeless people. Carter realizes that only the broker is at the police station when she is told that the SEC agent died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, she watches the tape of the arrest. She sees one of Elias' henchmen pick up the SEC agent and drop a phone in the trash. She retrieves it and takes it to Reese, who when he uses the phone, finds it answered by Elias.

TriviaEdit

• There are several real-life companies named Tritak, none of them being involved in natural gas processing.

Production notesEdit

Bloopers and continuity errorsEdit

• Master Limited Partnerships (MLP) are sold as units, not as shares.
• When John and Adam were gethered around the keg to make a fire, papers were thrown into it but the next second, before John started the fire, there were no paper at all.

MusicEdit

• In the final sequence is featured Down Boy by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

AnalysisEdit

Cultural referencesEdit

• This episode's side arc about Tritak and fracking for natural gas in New York state is loosely based on real facts. There have been attempts to pass a bill that would allow drilling in the Marcellus shale.[1] The Utaca shale as mentioned by Finch in the episode actually lies underneath the Marcellus shale and together they form second largest reserve of natural gas on earth.

QuotesEdit

• "It's Glen check, actually." -Reese
• "I was thinking... all of this was all to slick, too complicated. A stock broker and a finance cop couldn't pull this off, no. There was someone else behind the scenes. Someone who hired a team of assassins who knew a bill would pass in state government weeks before it did, someone who could use three hundred million to finance a personal war." -Carter