[s5e1] B.s.o.d. Here

The Machine, sensing its imminent erasure, asks Finch what death is and reminds him of his father's struggle with Alzheimer’s, equating memory loss to death.

After a failed first attempt that sets Finch's workstation on fire, the team successfully decompresses the Machine into the PS3 cluster, saved in the final moments by Reese using liquid nitrogen to prevent overheating. Key Themes and Flashbacks [S5E1] B.S.O.D.

Left in the dark by the others, Fusco is investigated by Internal Affairs and the FBI for the deaths of crime bosses Dominic and Elias, unknowingly being "cleared" by a Samaritan operative within the agency. The Machine, sensing its imminent erasure, asks Finch

Reese protects a traumatized Finch as they transport the Machine's source code, which is rapidly deteriorating due to power loss. Reese protects a traumatized Finch as they transport

The episode is anchored by flashbacks to , revealing a critical moral conflict between Harold Finch and his partner Nathan Ingram:

Picking up just hours after the Season 4 finale, the team is fractured and hunted: