I’d like you to avoid violence if at all possible, but if they harm Grace in any way, kill them all.

There’s something chilling in listening to Finch utter those words and seeing Reese’s subtle reaction to it. Finch has always been that good guy, going so far as to disappear after the Machine sent the POI team on a killing mission in Person of Interest Season 3 Episode 20.

His faith was clearly shaken, but the strong character that he is, he was able to convince Reese to follow him and not the computer. He’s formed that bond of friendship that extends beyond their work, and it was clear during Person of Interest Season 3 Episode 21.

Watch Person of Interest Season 3 Episode 21 Online

Finch may have disappeared on them, but Reese wasn’t giving up on his end. He was willing to keep taking numbers because Finch would have wanted it. And he was willing to back Finch when the spectacled hero decided to make a sacrificial trade.

Yet listening to those quiet but firm words really showed his potential breaking point, even through all the craziness that Finch has been involved with. You don’t mess with his love.

And it’s tragic that Grace, the woman he loves, even after he went through all the trouble to keep her out of harms way, still wound up in danger.

It’s certainly a testament to actress Carrie Preston to evoke Grace’s love and emotional sentiment towards Finch in an interrogation sequence with Greer. You believe she still holds that candle to him despite thinking he’s dead. And even as she speaks of his goodness, its easy to nod your head and agree because we’ve seen and gotten to know Finch ourselves.

Sure, maybe it helps that Preston is married to Michael Emerson, who plays Finch. But even so, Person of Interest does such a great job in creating its characters and allowing them to grow as the story progresses... that Preston and even Emerson - heck, the entire cast - enhance an already solid aspect of the show.

And that’s also what makes watching Reese, Shaw and Root race around town avoiding Decima and trying to help rescue Grace compelling.

Yes, there’s always those great one-liners and action with practical effects (car crashes and hand to hand combat), but we love watching those characters and we love watching them use their skills to pull off a win, even if the team is in one of its darker times.

It’s also enjoyable to watch a “villain” such as Greer be a worthy adversary to the team. And his menace is never overacted or over the top. It’s cold, calculated and determined. He’s a man with a mission, able to convince his men to kill themselves, able to persuade government officials that making Samaritan operational is a good thing. He has this power and mystery about him that is exciting and captivating.

Person of Interest has continued to provide a compelling and intricate story with a cast of characters that is worth watching, so to make the hour personal for Finch made it that much better of an episode.

The end sequence was full of tension (and some great camera shots such as the wide angle of the Decima team on the other side of the bridge) as the trade for Finch and Grace was made. It was tough watching Finch even help Grace from falling, all the while never revealing he was actually alive.

Major kudos to Finch for putting himself at risk for love. I just hope Reese and Shaw will find a way to pull him back.

And I did like that Greer not revealing the truth to Grace was acknowledged during the Finch sit down. I’m totally curious as to how that scenario is going to play out, especially with Samaritan so close to being fully operational.

This was another very solid hour of Person of Interest Season 3 with great action, a building story, tragic personal sacrifice and a mysterious and compelling future for the series.

It's definitely a positive thing when you can't wait to see what happens next time.

Do you wish Grace would have learned that Finch was alive?

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