#devon grice

[brotherconstant]

PERSON OF INTEREST | 4x07 | Honor Among Thieves Nick E. Tarabay as DEVON GRICE Sarah Shahi as SAMEEN SHAW

[agaggleoffandoms]

Person of Interest

Sooo...every time Devon Grice shows up I end up making grabby hands at him. I like his character, yes, but also I am familiar with the actor from Spartacus. His character in that was terrible, an asshole, and deserved to die. I still liked the actor. Weird, but hey.

[isagrimorie]

I’ve been thinking about hierarchies in POI’s The Activity (or ISA) again, about the three different field operatives* within the The Activity:

There’s the ISA Tac Team, they don’t seem to have any other mission but serve as tactical support. We see them in Relevance and then in Aletheia. 

There’s the Activity operatives whose sole mission is to assassinate people who are close to finding out the truth about the Machine / Northern Lights / Research.

Then there’s the Catalyst operatives: Shaw, Cole, Grice, Brooks and Viridian Nine (you a name!). These operatives are different from the last two because they were trained to investigate, assess a target, and then pass judgement. 

In ‘No Good Deed’ John asked one the ISA operative he bested: 

John: “Do you know why you were ordered to kill him?” 

ISA Operative: “Never asked.”

Contrast the answer to what Grice says in ‘Honor Among Thieves’: 

Grice: “You ever miss the old days, Brooks? The old system?” 

Brooks: “Why? Research 2.0 targets more threats than the old system ever did. “

Grice: “Well, that's just it. Back then, we did the targeting, had to scrutinize our own intel, think for ourselves. When we lit up a target, we knew why. Now instead of numbers to investigate, we just get numbers to kill.”

The Catalyst operatives have the luxury of knowing why they were doing what they were doing. This is something more than the other operatives have, heck, its more than what Kara and John had.

This is all going back to me puzzling out why Brook’s: ‘We don’t get paid to think.’ line bothered me so much. Essentially she is just echoing the sentiment Kara and Shaw have said before. 

Or was Brooks really echoing Shaw? 

If I think about it... Brooks flat refusal to discuss this seem more in line with Kara than it was with Shaw. The way Cole talked about Research 1.0, I got more sense that Shaw didn’t immediately shut down probing questions, its when she feels like its going to be detrimental or a threat to them that she shuts Cole down.  

Compare and contrast the whole discussion between the three teams: 

John and Kara: 

Kara kills the two agents.

John: “You didn't even question them.” 

Kara: “We don't have time for questions-- Only answers. These men took a bribe to let a mass murderer escape.” 

John: “How do we know it was them?” 

Kara: “Anonymous source-- Very reliable. You need to know this is right? I'll tell you one last time before it gets complicated. This is right. The threat is real. Your country needs you.”

-- Foe

John: “What did they do?” 

Kara: “Who cares? Orders are orders. 

John: “Just making sure we have the right target. They just look like two people in love.” 

Kara: “Maybe they are. Or maybe they're just better at playing their cover than you.” - Prisoner’s Dilemma

Shaw and Cole: 

Cole: “You ever wonder where Research gets the numbers?” 

Shaw: “No.” 

Cole: “Why?” 

Shaw: “Because I don't work for Research.”

Cole: “Did you ever think they could be wrong sometimes? Like that guy in San Jose. Aquino. Two years ago. He was... so confused. You remember what he said?” 

Shaw: “I do. Because... I'm the one that killed him while you just watched on your little camera. I also remember... that he was trying to sell designs for a nuclear centrifuge to Hezbollah. And you tracked the money trail. Research was right about Aquino. Like they're always right.” 

Cole: “How can you be so sure that they are never wrong if you have no idea who they even are... or where they get these numbers?” 

Shaw: “I know exactly where they get those damn numbers from, Cole, and so do you. From a dark room somewhere where they hurt people badly. And the reason we don't ask where Research gets its numbers from is because Research is never wrong.” Cole: “Well, they were this time.” 

Shaw: “You did something stupid, didn't you?” 

Cole: “I called on one of my friends from the agency, asked her to trace the money. Those transfers didn't come from Hezbollah. They came from the US Government. Aquino was doing something covert, but he was doing it for us. I called Control. Wilson. I mean, I've requested an internal investigation. I will keep you out of it, I promise.” 

Shaw: “You talked to Wilson? Yeah. [Car alarm chirps]  Mercer's on the move. [Gun clicks] And we still have a job to do... remember?” 

Relevance

Grice and Brooks

Grice: “You ever miss the old days, Brooks? The old system?” 

Brooks: “Why? Research 2.0 targets more threats than the old system ever did.“

Grice: “Well, that's just it. Back then, we did the targeting, had to scrutinize our own intel, think for ourselves. When we lit up a target, we knew why. Now instead of numbers to investigate, we just get numbers to kill. You don't think that's strange?” 

Brooks: “We don't get paid to think, Grice. And Control wouldn't like what you're saying. You remember what happened to Indigo Five, right?” 

Grice: “I heard Shaw lived to fight another day.”

Brooks: “Nobody lives, and no good comes of asking questions.” Honor Among Thieves

While Shaw didn’t like what Cole was saying, she didn’t stop him either. 

She listened first, which is actually a consistent characteristic of Shaw. Shaw listens to people even if she doesn’t agree with them. She gives them the opportunity to convince her. 

Just like she did with Root in Mors Praematura, with Collier in Root Path, and with Harold multiple times. She listens and then despite not agreeing, as long as its logic she can get behind, she will act for or against the information she was given.  

On both ends for Kara and Brooks, they both stop their partners from that line of thinking, never letting them go past the initial inquiry.  This might be the reason why Cole liked working with Shaw, because Shaw might be scary but she listened and why Grice looked up to Shaw. Shaw was tough but she was also fair. Give her a good reason to do something and she’ll do the thing without question. 

And unless your reasons are stupid she never shuts people down until she’s finished hearing your side.  

[findingchico]

“The world has ever only been made a better place by violence. You know that. Every leader who ever preached peace, did so guarded by armed men. But one thing we can agree on. Kill a few people at random, nothing changes. But kill the right people..”

[isagrimorie]

Ladies of POI - End

I could have sworn I saw a light Coming home

I used to think I used to think There is no future left at all I used to think 

I Might Be Wrong, Radiohead

[wvearp]

*Is emotionally ruined by beautiful cinnamon roll Devon Grice*

[anaparamo]

R.I.P Devon Grice. At least there’s still some hope left for Shaw in a mentor role (something i’d really, really like to see). Also, Shaw & Brooks teaming up to avange him, in whatever way (once she’s realeased from Samaritan clutches, of course)

Really, Brooks now suddenly has a reason to start wondering, to ask questions. Much like Shaw was reticent at first, and it took Cole’s death to open her eyes to what he was trying to say, I wonder to what extent, if any, Grice’s death will function as a similar catalyst for Brooks.

[ernest-thornhill]

ok i’ll miss elias and actually sad to see grice go but i was just so fucking relieved when they showed who the 4 (out of 6) dead people were because thank god it’s not john reese