John Reese is a fictional character on the American television series Person of Interest. He is played by Jim Caviezel. Reese is an intense, solitary man whose dry sense of humor emerges over time. He works with Harold Finch, a reclusive computer genius, to help residents of New York who are potentially involved in violent crime. Intensely grateful to Finch for, in Reese's view, having saved his life, he regards Finch as his only friend. Extremely skilled with a range of weapons and hand-to-hand combat techniques, Reese is nonetheless possessed of a level of humanity that drives him to work with Finch to protect potential victims of violent crime. Reese owns a former military dog, Bear, a Belgian Malinois he rescued from white supremacists and sent to live with Finch to assure Finch's safety.

Background[edit]

Born in Puyallup, Washington, John Reese's real last name is unknown. Reese being a name he assumed at some time prior to late 2010, when he began service in the CIA. According to his military records, his real first name is John, with a middle initial H, and he was born on May 1.^[1] Little else is known about his early life; when we meet him, he describes himself as having no friend and no living family.^[2]

While a Green Beret stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington, John meets Jessica (Susan Misner), a nurse with whom he falls in love. On a vacation in Mexico, he tells Jessica that he has left the military as the Twin Towers come down. At some point afterward, John is recruited by the CIA, leading a break-up with Jessica. Sometime later, they meet by chance in an airport, where newly-engaged Jessica gives John a final opportunity to save their relationship by asking her to wait for him, but he is unable to do so.

Following his military career, John becomes a field operative for the CIA, by which time he is using the last name Reese. He is partnered with Kara Stanton, and is assigned to black ops activities by their handler, Mark Snow. Although Reese demonstrates the skills for the missions to which he is assigned, he shows some hesitation to commit fully to them, and lacks the ruthlessness of his partner. On a break between missions, Reese, who has clearly kept track of Jessica, meets her husband, Peter, in a bar, but leaves before Peter can "introduce" Jessica to Reese. In 2010, while on a mission in the Middle East, Reese receives a voice mail from Jessica, asking him to call her. Reese returns her call, telling her he will be with her in 24 hours, and to wait for him. He requests leave but is sent to China on a two-week, top-secret mission by Snow.

Upon arrival in China, Reese and Stanton are briefed by Snow and a member of the NSC, Alicia Corwin. Their mission is to enter an abandoned Chinese city and recover a highly-sensitive laptop computer. Unknown to one another, Snow tells each the other has been compromised, and is to be killed at the end of the mission. Entering the city, Reese and Stanton find the workers where the laptop is believed kept newly dead of gunshot wounds, but are able to safely recover the laptop. Having completed their mission, Stanton summons their transportation out on the building's rooftop, then turns and shoots Reese. Badly injured, Reese makes his escape without shooting Stanton, realizing Snow wants the laptop destroyed, not recovered, and would have acted to assure both are eliminated that night. As he runs from the building, he watches it destroyed by cruise missiles, with Stanton still on the roof.

It is unclear how Reese found his way back to the U.S. In February 2011, and while his bullet wound is still healing, Reese goes to the hospital where Jessica works, hoping to see her. Instead, he learns she was killed in a car crash two months earlier. From there, he travels to her home in New Rochelle, New York, and breaks in. He sits quietly, watching videos of Jessica, waiting for Peter. When Peter arrives, they argue briefly before Reese approaches the poker-wielding Peter. Peter disappears that night; the FBI believes he was killed by Reese, but later events suggest Reese took Peter to a prison in Torreón, Mexico.^[3] Reese never returns to the CIA, and drops off the grid entirely, living first in a homeless encampment^[4] and later in a SRO^[5] until he meets Harold Finch.

Activities with Harold Finch[edit]

After Jessica's death, Reese begins living as a long-haired, bearded vagrant, attempting to escape from his demons with alcohol and martial arts movies. One day in the spring of 2011, he confronts a group of young men harassing passengers on the subway, resulting in their arrest. Reese is taken to the NYPD 8th Precinct, where he is questioned by Detective Joss Carter. Carter recognizes his skills as military, but Reese says little, piquing her curiosity. A fingerprint check suggests Reese has been at several recent crime scenes, but before Carter can learn more, Reese leaves with an expensive attorney. They are met by a car and driver, which takes him to a park under the Queensboro Bridge, where Reese first meets Harold Finch.

At first, Reese is suspicious of Finch and his claims to know "everything" about Reese, recounting painful facts from his recent history before telling Reese what he need is a purpose and a job. They return to Manhattan, and walk through the streets as Finch describes the information he has about people in need of help, appealing to what he perceives as Reese's desire to help people. Finch explains that he has a list of people in need of help, pointing out a woman at a coffee cart who is on the top of the list. Finch and offers Reese a chance to help the people on the irrelevant list, explaining he wants Reese to follow the woman and do what needs to be done to help her, all expenses paid. Reese refuses, describing Finch as a "bored rich guy" who has probably staged the whole situation for his amusement.

Reese returns to his room, where he changes into clean clothing, cuts his hair and shaves off his beard in order to change his appearance. He falls asleep drinking cheap rye whiskey while the television blares, in attempt to block out the memories that constantly return, but awakens in a hotel room, cable tied to the bed. The phone rings; it is Finch insisting his information is never wrong. Reese hears the sounds of a woman under attack nearby and quickly frees himself. Breaking into the next room, he finds Finch with a recording of a woman murdered three years earlier. Fighting off Reese's rage, Finch promises he will never lie to Reese, unlike the government he left, and that he believes all Reese wants to do is protect people. The truth cuts close to the bone, and Reese's anger dissipates. Certain that Finch is not government, Reese asks who Finch is, and is told he is a "concerned third party" who can offer Reese the chance to get into a situation in time to help people.

Reese accepts Finch's offer and begins following Diane Hansen, an assistant district attorney. Finch takes Reese to his hidden workplace, a disused library Finch bought via a bank he controls. As they work together, Reese teaches Finch about his strategies, and becomes increasingly curious about who Finch is, fueled by Finch's insistence he's a very private person. Furnished with six cover identities and funds, Reese sees Finch's list of social security numbers for the first time, but Finch refuses to tell him where the list comes from. As Reese undertakes his investigation, he and Finch establish their working model: Reese in the field and Finch on the computer, connected by comms or cell phone as each reports to the other.

Reese's curiosity about Finch grows, and he makes little effort to hide the fact he is gathering information about Finch. As their first case progresses, Reese discovers corrupt police are involved, and realizes he's in a more complex situation than he expected. He presses Finch for more details about where he gets his information. They walk through a park and Reese listens as Finch tells him about the Machine, his role in its development, and how it creates the relevant and irrelevant lists. With more information, and an additional identity, NYPD Detective Stills, stolen from one of the corrupt cops, he continues with the case. Once it is closed, and having enlisted the reluctant assistance of corrupt NYPD office Lionel Fusco, Reese commits to working with Finch.

Over time, Reese and Finch's relationship develops as they come to trust one another, then to become friends. Finch generally refers to Reese as Mr. Reese, using his first name only when concerned. Reese continues to gather bits of information about Finch, eventually discovering, he, too has experienced a loss similar to Reese's own.^[6] While helping a doctor determined to avenge her sister, Reese begins to question his own life, and his relationship to violence, realizing he can make a choice to kill or not to kill.^[7] As he does, he grows increasingly grateful to Finch, both for saving his life, and for being his friend. Finch is more reserved, but spares no cost or effort to save Reese's life when he is shot by a CIA sniper.^[8] Later, Finch returns Reese's regard by giving him a loft overlooking a park Reese visits as a birthday gift.^[9] As their friendship evolves, Reese becomes increasingly protective of Finch, particularly following Finch's kidnapping by Root.^[10] He gives Finch his dog Bear as a companion, but also as a means to protect Finch when he's not around.^[11]

"The Man in the Suit"[edit]

With the entry of Harold Finch into his life, Reese undergoes a series of wardrobe changes that help to earn him the moniker "The Man in the Suit." Possessed of some money despite his vagrant lifestyle, Reese is able to get a haircut and purchase clean clothes following his first encounter with Finch, first a tee-shirt and jeans, then a dark shirt and leather jacket he wears for his first day they work together. Later, when fully funded by Finch, he opts for simple dark suits, worn first with an open-collared colored shirt, and finally with his trademark white shirt, along with a black wool topcoat in cold weather. When Reese's activities with Finch attract the attention of law enforcement, notably that of Detective Joss Carter, the first description she hears of a mysterious man taking the law into his own hands is that of a "tall guy in a dark suit."^[12] That description soon morphs into "The Man in the Suit", her nickname for him, as she pursues him through the early episodes of the series.

Relationship with Zoe Morgan[edit]

On one of his early cases, Reese must protect Zoe Morgan, a woman he initially believes is a hit woman, but soon realizes is a "fixer", hired to manage difficult or embarrassing situations for high-level clients.

Lionel Fusco and HR[edit]

Carl Elias[edit]

Skills[edit]

As he works with Finch, Reese displays a range of skills learned while in the military and the CIA. Quick-thinking and resourceful, time and experience have made Reese hyper-vigilant. Has a highly developed hand-to-hand combat skills, and can easily take on multiple opponents at once. He maintains a small arsenal in his home^[13] and can use a variety of handguns and assault weapons. Able to shoot with a high level of accuracy, he will often choose to wound rather than kill. He is also adept with a knife, and at improvising weapons from materials at hand.

Unaware he is the vagrant she met following the subway assault, Carter is determined to find the "The Man in the Suit". She believes he is responsible for several murders, but grows curious about Reese's motives when he calls her, then delivers a long-missing girl to her.^[14] Believing her to be a cop he can trust, Reese continues to call on occasion. When Reese feed her intelligence during the robbery of a police evidence room^[15] Carter begins to wonder if he has a partner after

FBI Special Agent Nicholas Donnelly. Donnelly is an honest, straight-arrow agent determined to bring criminals to justice, and he sees a kindred spirit in Carter. Unlike Carter, who has begun to see some good in Reese, Donnelly sees only a criminal who must be caught. Despite this, the two collaborate, even after Carter learn's Reese's identity.

Aliases

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official website