'PERSONS UNKNOWN' 1.7 - "Smoke And Steel"

[SPOILERS] The last few episodes renewed my interest in this series, but "Smoke And Steel" didn't connect with me. Ironically, this episode gave us our first big insights into the Organization that are behind things (a 50-year-old company testing people it believes will one day influence the world), but that explanation didn't excite or delight me. I actually found it hard to believe anyone beyond multimillionaire Charlie (Alan Ruck) will ever wield that kind of power. Janet (Daisy Betts) is just a single mother, right? Tori was just a spoiled partygirl! Hopefully the show will make sense of this in the remaining episodes, but for now I was left with the impression Persons Unknown is inching towards a ridiculous reveal.

The main selling point of "Smoke And Steel" was the largely plausible way the group dealt with conspirator Joe (Jason Wiles) now they're aware he is -- or was -- working with the enemy. There were still plenty of moments when it irritated me how people don't ask him pertinent questions about his background and activities, but by the end of the episode I felt like Joe had been sufficiently interrogated. Erika (Kandyse McClure) appears to have bonded with odious Blackman (Sean O'Bryan), finding he's just as willing to torture Joe for answers and once owned a halfway house for parolees; Charlie promised Joe he'll use his fortune to reward him if he helps him escape; and Janet had to deal with her blossoming feelings for Joe versus her fear he's still lying to the group. A fear that appeared justified when the gang found secret dossiers on their lives, hidden in Joe's bedside drawers.

Once again, the storyline in the outside world remains extremely difficult to feel a connection with. Mark (Gerald Kyd) isn't a very interesting hero, and his storyline feels like it's powered by others people pushing him around and letting him stumble upon the odd clue. At least last week he was breaking into the Ambassador's safe to steal documents, but before and after that Mark doesn't have much success of his own making. It feels like he's the only person stupid enough to go up against this all-powerful Organization, so a few of the Organizations enemies are only too happy to point Mark in the rough direction and watch him blunder in. In fact, the Organization sound so pervasive and powerful that I'm not sure the show has enough episodes left to orchestrate a plausible takedown.

There's still no sense of a pincer movement slowly clasping this miniseries together from two directions, but hopefully that will come as we approach the end. Again, the main reason I'm sticking with Persons Unknown is that it's a finite investment of my time over the slow summer months.

Asides

• I didn't expect them to kill Tom (Reggie Lee), and in such a violent and graphic way. It was almost comical seeing him stumble around the kitchen on fire, accidentally tipping more hot liquids onto himself. And with the kidnapping of Joe from the bathroom at the end of this episode, hopefully a bigger villain is about to make their appearance.
• Persons Unknown hasn't attracted many, if any, comments since I started reviewing it here. Are people watching, or am I the only one bothering? Maybe the title's a good description of the show's audience!

WRITER: Michael R. Perry
DIRECTOR: Rod Hardy
GUEST CAST: Reggie Lee, Michael Harney, Victor Alfieri, Gerald Kyd, James Read & Luis Gatica
TRANSMISSION: 24 July 2010 - NBC, 8/7c