Season 3, Episode 18:
Allegiance
"You have some things that don't belong to you— two hard drives, a superconducting chip, and six generators. Which means, either you're planning to bring Samaritan on line or you're the world's most ambitious gamer."
— Root confronting Greer
Maria Martinez works at a company that delivered six generators to Iraq to help with reconstruction. When they disappeared she found herself targeted after her translator, Omar, was held by US Homeland Security after attempting to emigrate from Iraq for his own security and she began to investigate.
Tropes present in this episode include
- Book Ends: Root starts and finishes the episode tracking Greer in the subway. But at the ending he is waiting for her.
- Brain Uploading: In an easy-to-miss line, Greer seems to offer Root the ability to do this and merge with Samaritan as part of his We Can Rule Together offer.
- Catchphrase: Ken Davis uses the phrase "beyond reproach" often. It appears in his letter of recommendation for Omar Risha, and it used as proof that he forged the letter from the Iraqi government.
- Chekhov's Skill: Bear's tracking abilities. After all of The Machine's high tech tools are thwarted, Root uses Bear to find Greer in the subway.
- Destination Defenestration: Reese takes one of the assassins out a window. Doubles as a Call-Back to "Relevance."
- Diplomatic Impunity: Which tends to get revoked when you shoot another diplomat.
- Ditch the Bodyguards
- Elevator Action Sequence: Shaw gets in an elevator to save Maria from the Legionnaire who's planning on chloroforming her in it.
- Evil All Along: Lapointe. And Davis. Sevon, too.
- Five-Finger Discount: Shaw name-drops this trope on seeing Maria sneak out one of her company's GPS trackers to plant on Lapointe's car. Later, she herself gets access to a UN event by deftly removing a ticket from someone stopping at the cloakroom.
- Gonna Need More Trope
- Have You Told Anyone Else?: Sevon to Maria.
- Hidden Depths: After claiming ignorance of anything outside the US, Fusco buys Shaw a drink for Persian New Year.
- Hijacked by Ganon: The case of the week seems like a standalone story, until a scene near the end reveals that Davis was working for Greer and Decima the whole time. The surprise may have been spoiled, however, for anyone who saw Maria's name come up in the chart of threats The Machine generated at the end of the previous episode regarding Samaritan's development.
- Hollywood Law: The UN does not have any legal power to determine someone's US immigration status.
- Made of Iron: Reese smashes through a window while fighting a mook and falls four stories onto a Car Cushion. Reese walks away. The man he landed on top of? Not so lucky.
- Mouth of Sauron: Root, who keeps contacting Finch with what the Machine is saying, even when she has no idea what it means.
- Mundane Solution:
- How does Greer counter the Machine tracking his phone's GPS? Drop it in someone else's pocket and slip away into the crowd.
- How does Root finally foil all of Greer's counter-surveillance tricks and find Greer? She uses Bear to track him by scent.
- Never Bring A Knife To A Gunfight: After Reese and co beat up most of the crooked French Foreign Legionaries in hand to hand, the last one pulls out a knife. Reese counters by drawing his gun and kneecapping him.
- Not My Driver
- "Not So Different" Remark: Greer tries this approach with Root when they finally meet. He points out that she understands what is coming, pointing out that he believes that she isn't crazy.
- New Era Speech: Greer decides to forego this, as he believes Root holds the same ideals, or at least the same view of the endgame.
- Odd Couple: Shaw and Fusco.
- She-Fu: Shaw does a backflip in the elevator.
- The Singularity: What Greer hints will happen.
- Tempting Fate: "Let's hit it." (gets punched by Reese)
- Villain Teleportation: Greer's bodyguards sneak up for a *Click* Hello without Bear noticing.
- We Can Rule Together: Greer proposes that Root join with him.
- We Need a Distraction: Shaw with a Grenade Launcher.
- We Will Meet Again: Rather than have his men shoot Root, and risk being shot in turn, Greer declares a draw and leaves, telling her to consider his offer. She doesn't.
- Working the Same Case: It turns out that this week's Number and Root's pursuit of Greer and Samaritan are connected; Maria's boss stole the generators and delivered them to Greer, who's using them to power Samaritan.
- You Have Failed Me and/or You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Greer has the man who stole the generators he needs to power Samaritan killed after delivering them. It could be because he's no longer necessary, or it could be because the fact that the generators were stolen and part of the route by which they were shipped to Greer was exposed, allowing them to potentially be tracked. Take your pick.
