5. Prophets

Complete story — includes the ending

The Machine produces the number of Simon Lee ( Jason Ritter ), a brilliant political pollster and member of New York Governor James Murray's reelection campaign. Despite Lee's prediction, Murray loses, leaving Lee suspicious of the election result. The team discovers that the election upset is the result of vote rigging by Samaritan and that it wants Lee dead to tidy up loose ends. A series of flashbacks show the process Finch and Ingram went through to create The Machine. Reese is scheduled to attend therapy sessions because of his tendency to shoot people on the job. Root reveals to Finch that since Samaritan's activation, The Machine ceased talking, leaving her without guidance and afraid. Samaritan operatives led by Martine find the hotel where Lee is hiding. Despite being shot by Martine, Root manages to divert Samaritan's focus from Lee. Finch and Shaw produce fake data to convince Lee that his prediction was incorrect, causing Samaritan to disregard him. Reese tells his therapist why he feels compelled to save people, referring to his failure to save Carter. Greer and Martine discuss Samaritan's plans to gain political control. Finch indicates to The Machine his desire to communicate with it.