Person of Interest question

[anelith]

 It's easy to wander into a new fandom these days, thanks to AO3... so the other day I found myself reading some wonderful Person of Interest fic, and since the show is available on Netflix I thought I would give it a go.  I managed to get halfway through the pilot episode and was so frustrated by what appears to be an enormous plot hole I stopped there.

So if there's anyone out there who can answer this I'd appreciate it.  The pilot shows that Harold and John are given Person X to watch -- they don't know whether Person X is a victim or a perpetrator, they don't know any reason why this person is a nexus.  But I know from the fic that a computer called the Machine is the supplier of Person X's identity.  The Machine must have an algorithm for deciding that Person X is a problem -- why can't Harold access the relevant data/evidence?  He's the programmer, right?

Is this another case where TV screenwriters demonstrate they don't actually understand what a computer is?  Or should I just be patient and tamp down on my frustration? 

Comments

[breathedout]

As I recall (it's been a minute since I watched it), Harold intentionally locked himself out of certain kinds of knowledge back when he was creating the Machine for the government. But ngl, if that level of plot hole is going to bother you then you are going to continue to be bothered by this show. On a level of compelling storytelling there's a period when it was GREAT—roughly a third of the way through the first season, up through about 3/4 through Season 2—but even at its best I don't think it's really intended to hold up to close plot-related scrutiny. And then in late S2 and onward they make some pretty disappointing decisions on a storytelling level, too, which is frustrating because Root and Shaw are both genuinely wonderful & compelling characters but by the time they enter the picture the overarching plot is already kind of. Meh. IMO.

[anelith]

Thanks, that's very helpful! Maybe I'll push on. I'm accustomed to mentally glossing over some plot holes, but this one seemed so glaringly obvious that I just couldn't get beyond it. I guess it's my fault for reading the fic -- I think the viewer isn't supposed to know about the Machine yet, so my foreknowledge is tripping me up.