Person of Interest is one of my most anticipated 2012 fall shows.

If you asked me about it when the show first started airing, I probably would have laughed. It was decent, but lacked a certain kick when it came to the stories and the characters involved. It just felt... well, standard.

Except the series kept getting better and better, expanding the mythology, figuring out how to walk the tight line of closed episodes while pushing forward with the larger story, always giving us fun action sequences, and allowing the characters to grow beyond their most basic layouts.

The series never settled, never got comfortable and kept trying new things, all while maintaining the aspects that worked the best. It quickly became a drama to look forward to every week.

So it was really no surprise that "The Contingency" followed suit, picking up where the finale left off and diving right back into what it does best.

What's noticeably wonderful, but could be also seen as a flaw by some, was giving Reese a new number to follow up on and not quickly wrapping up the Finch kidnapping.

It's so often that a premiere will take those last moments of a previous season's finale and get it out of the way in order to start a new journey. Similarly, the case of the week gets put on the back burner in order to fully delve into mythology and the larger problem at hand, instead waiting to get to the typical procedural stuff in the following episode.

But I'm glad that it wasn't a one-and-done and instead a nice cohesion of everything.

Reese, aside from a little help from Fusco and Carter, had to deal with the problem on his own. He certainly proved his competence in the brains department despite the fact the show likes to peg him as the muscle with a husky voice. And even though he likes working on his own, we really got a sense that he's become something of a friend to Finch. These two are a team and he won't stop trying to rescue him.

Of course, the hour wasn't without its action scenes of shooting everyone, knocking people off motorcycles and fighting a gigantic Aryan Brotherhood leader. Man, that guy was huge! Although it was kind of funny that Carter saved the day, but Reese was just resting, right?

At the same time, I enjoyed that Reese continued to illustrate a certain dry humor, whether he was talking about how many friends he has or issuing a "gag order." Reese may not be a bubbly or cliched cocky super hero, but he's not blandly quiet either. And he's good with babies and dogs, so he's not just a stone cold killer.

Finch is still an enigmatic character, as bits and pieces of his past slowly rise to the surface. Mostly it has to do with his tinkering of the Machine and it makes me wonder just how much "intelligence" it actually has.

Is it something that could cause the end of the world, a la The Terminator?

It clearly has some level of a "brain" in both saving Finch from near death and finally agreeing to help Reese. It makes me excited and curious as to what would happen if Root really did unleash it. How powerful and damaging could it be?

Clearly Root is as crazy as she is smart, but what is her ultimate endgame? She's good at manipulating Finch's love for humanity, and excitedly comparing herself to him, but is she working alone? I wish Finch could escape, but maybe he has some plans up his sleeve.

Sure, Reese was able to get a lead on the hacker kidnapper in Texas and this might be one of those times where we see the Machine work outside its restricted New York zone.

But, like always, we can't forget all the other small details the show places in. Like the corrupt government officials trying to squash the Alicia Corwin murder; or sending the assassin after Reese. Even Reese getting a new sidekick in his dog, Bear, was rather fun. But will that dog stick around?

Truthfully, there is so much to explore and so many places to go that this episode already has me prepped and ready for what's next. There's a certain level of trust Person of Interest has established in weaving masterfully each piece together, and with it's great combination of action and drama, there's no shortage of excitement week to week.

Person of Interest is must-watch television.

Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.