Matsya Nyaya

In 2010, Reese (Jim Caviezel) and Stanton (Annie Parisse) are on a mission in Morocco. While Stanton interrogates a suspect, Reese calls Jessica (Susan Misner). She needs to talk to him and Reese flies home the next day to meet her. However, they are told by Snow (Michael Kelly) and Corwin (Elizabeth Marvel) to go to a ghost town named Ordos in China and retain a stolen laptop. After everyone leaves, Snow tells Reese that he must kill Stanton after having communicated with an intermediary of Hezbollah.

Arriving at Ordos, Reese and Stanton find nearly everyone killed. Stanton interrogates a wounded man and when he confirms that "they" stole it, she kills him and lies to Reese saying she put him out of mercy. They then retrieve the stolen laptop and steals it from Reese. She shoots him in the gut but they then realize that both were told to kill each other as everyone who came in contact with the Machine. Reese flees just as CIA operatives drop bombs on the building, supposedly killing Stanton.

Reese helps Carter (Taraji P. Henson) to get a potential killer and saving the husband who was cheating on her. Then, Finch (Michael Emerson) notifies him that they got a new number: Tommy Clay (Pablo Schreiber). Clay works in an armored car sale service and shows no sign of criminal records nor any illegal activity.

Reese poses as a trainee in the armored truck where Clay and his partner, Murray Langston (Lenny Venito), operate. When the team picks up platinum valued at $1.25 million, the vehicle explodes and Reese is shot by Clay. Reese awakes in a hospital and is rescued by Carter. Finch tracks Clay to a motel, where his two partners in crime have been killed.

Fusco (Kevin Chapman) arrives and realizes that HR is involved in the robbery as Finch finds Clay's partner, a waitress named Ashley (Virginia Kull). Reese finds Clay, and realizes that Clay is not only a perpetrator, but also a victim, just before Clay is killed by Ashley. Ashley leaves with the platinum, but is killed by Captain Arthur 'Artie' Lynch (Michael Mulheren), a member of HR, who is in turn killed by Fusco coming to Reese's rescue.

Snow and his partner follow a lead that they believe will lead to Reese. They arrive at a hotel, where the partner is killed and Snow is taken hostage by Kara, revealed to have survived the air strike.

In its original American broadcast, "Matsya Nyaya" was seen by an estimated 12.73 million household viewers and gained a 2.4/6 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.[1] This was an 8% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 13.69 million viewers with a 3.0/8 in the 18-49 demographics.[2] With these ratings, Person of Interest was the third most watched show on CBS for the night beating The Mentalist, but behind Rules of Engagement, and The Big Bang Theory although being first in terms of viewership, second on its timeslot and fifth for the night in the 18-49 demographics, behind Rules of Engagement, Grey's Anatomy, American Idol, and The Big Bang Theory.

"Matsya Nyaya" received positive reviews from critics. Keysha Couzens of TV Overmind wrote "By now it's become clear that there are basically two ways to watch Person of Interest. Either you're just there for the fun of the procedural POI of the week format or you're into it for the bigger picture. Last night's episode proved that those of us that have been paying close attention to the flashbacks of the characters have some nice payoff story-wise in the coming final episodes of the first season."[3]

Luke Gelineau of TV Equals wrote "Person of Interest returned tonight with the most peculiarly titled episode of the season, 'Matsya Nyaya'. After Reese and Carter wrap up a case involving a cheating husband in the first scene, they get their number for this weeks PoI: Tommy."[4]

Sean McKenna of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.3 star rating out of 5 and wrote "The series is doing a fantastic job stringing everything together and finding ways to culminate the bigger picture as the season draws closer to the end. It's certainly a testament when you can combine character development, solid action and some cool twists that lead to something more when for the most part the show runs as a procedural."[5]