The Person of Interest season 4 finale left Control’s fate in question, but never explained what happened to her in the show’s final season. Played by Camryn Manheim in the CBS series, Control was a high-ranking government official heavily involved in the search for the Machine and the team’s battle with Samaritan.
Control, who made her first appearance in the Person of Interest season 2 finale, recurred in both seasons 3 and 4. At first, she was utilized as a villain within the government who was willing to go to any lengths to find the Machine, but her efforts were foiled by Harold Finch (Michael Emerson) and the others. Later, when Decima Technologies put Samaritan on the table as a better alternative to the Machine, Control played a role in the government’s decision to activate it as its new surveillance system. In season 4, Control came to discover what the main characters already knew, which was that Samaritan was being used for sinister purposes. After taking measures to stop the show’s villains, Control was found out by John Greer (John Nolan) and apprehended by Samaritan agents in the Person of Interest season 4 finale.
With all the storylines that played out in the finale, a number of loose ends were created. Most were addressed in one way or another in season 5, but Control’s disappearance was never explored. Greer had her arrested, but it was never said if she would be incarcerated or killed. According to Person of Interest executive producer Jonah Nolan, their plan was to revisit Control, but a shortened fifth season meant they had “limited real estate” to work with [via TVLine]. Since there was so much they wanted to do in season 5, it was decided that they should leave Control behind since the season 4 finale did offer at least some degree of “closure”.
Not using Control again was a bit of a missed opportunity, considering that her resources and knowledge could have made her a powerful ally in Reese and Finch’s fight against Samaritan. But as noted by Nolan, her defeat did end her story in a way, though whether she lived or died will have to be left up to the interpretation of the viewer. It’s worth noting that while she had encountered some of the main characters in the past, she didn’t have relationships with any of them, so none of them had strong a reason to be interested in her whereabouts. Plus, an entire episode likely would have been devoted to her rescue, and it’s understandable why that wouldn’t work with such a short season.
Regardless, Control’s fate wasn’t the only story that failed to get a proper resolution in season 5. The decision to limit the show’s final chapter to just 13 episodes effected the show in more ways than one. Person of Interestimmediately ended its Reese-Iris romance despite all the setup that was done in season 4, and it was forced to nix its long-term Elias plan by killing him off, rather than putting him on the team.
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