Disclaimer: Credit to Jonathan Nolan, Greg Plageman, and the POI writing team for these lovely characters (though Elena is mine). Any bolded sections come straight from the episodes.
THE DETECTIVE AND MRS. RILEY
Toxic
Timeline
• Queensbridge Park
• Elena Cassidy's Home for Retired Assassins (ch 3)
• Fusco Meets the Rileys (ch 4)
• Little Mistress Normal (ch 5)
• Drinks (ch 10)
• Detective Darkness and Little Miss Sunshine (ch 12)
• Bear's Collection (ch 2)
• Home Safe Home (ch 9)
• Hell in the Hamptons (ch 13-16)
• Bets on Broadway (ch 11)
• Swingers Cruise (ch 6)
• Knockout (ch 8)
• Queen E (ch 1)
• TOXIC
• Get to the Chopper! (ch 7)
• Queensbridge Park epilogue
Song suggestion: "Toxic" by Britney Spears
John Reese associates certain types of music with certain people.
Finch is classical music. Opera. Sophisticated, cultural, and rather pretentious.
Opera music fills the car as Finch and Reese surveil their Number, a United States congressman, in Washington, D.C.
Reese groans and closes his eyes after taking another snap of the congressman. "Ugh, you call this music? Finch?" He turns to look at his companion when he doesn't answer. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Finch answers quickly and unconvincingly.
"Can we put the screeching cat out of its misery?"
"It's not feline, it's Verdi," Finch explains as and Reese goes back to photographing their Number. "There's a performance of 'Il Trovotore' at the Kennedy Center that I'd like to catch. Next time you can be the disc jockey, we'll listen to whatever you like."
"Well, maybe next time I'll just sing for you," Reese threatens. "I do a great Ring Cycle, you know."
That gets a smile from Finch. "I think I'll skip your Brunhilde," he says, finally switching off the sound.
"Suit yourself."
[from Death Benefit, s3e20]
Fusco is AC/DC or the Dixie Chicks.
Finch gives Reese and Shaw the details of their latest Number and their covers, all bound for Westchester.
"I'll be traveling to D.C.," Finch reveals.
"And we're not invited?" Shaw asks, hurt.
"It's important that we not let Mr. Reed out of our sight," Finch says sternly. "We can't risk losing another Number."
They hadn't been able to save their last one.
"Detective Fusco has offered to accompany me," Finch adds.
"This trip to Westchester, is this some kind of ... punishment?" Shaw demands.
Before Finch can answer, Fusco enters the safehouse. "Got the car all packed," he announces. He holds up two burned CDs. "AC/DC or the Dixie Chicks?"
"I believe I'm the one being punished," Finch mutters.
[from Most Likely To, s3e19]
Zoe is jazz.
"You need to get her talking," Finch instructs Reese, who's undercover as Zoe Morgan's chauffeur as they try to figure out who wants to kill her.
"Easier said than done," Reese rolls his eyes. But he's never one to back down from a challenge ...
Soft strains of jazz music filter through the car's speakers as he drives Zoe to her next appointment.
Zoe looks up. "What is that?"
"Oh, just some old bootlegs," Reese says casually. "You like jazz?"
"You do?" Zoe responds disbelievngly.
"Sure," he drawls. "Always loved what Miles Davis said about jazz: 'Don't play what's there. Play what's not there.'"
"Really," Zoe says skeptically. It's not a question.
Reese takes a risk. "You seem to know how to play people."
"I don't play people. I fix their problems," Zoe says shortly. "And to answer your question, no, I hate jazz."
It had been a lie to put off her nosy driver. Later, when he'd started spending more time her place, a jazz record would spin while they sipped scotch and played poker and enjoyed each other's company.
[from The Fix, s1e06, though the scotch and poker is from The High Road, s2e06]
He's classic rock. Not that he would ever, ever tell anyone, not even Elena, but Reese imagines rock music playing whenever he beats up bad guys.
"I trust that two of you have this covered?" Finch asks Carter and Reese as they settle in for a stakeout.
"We're just gonna wait here to see which dirty cop shows up to kill Benny, then we'll save his life," Reese sums up.
"You make our work sound so simple," Finch says sarcastically.
Carter tries and fails to suppress a smile.
"Must be, you're leaving us," Reese retorts.
"You brought home a beast. I have to walk it, and water it, and feed it, lest it consume any more of my books," Finch complains about Bear. "Mr. Reese, Detective," he bids them adieu.
Carter raises her coffee in salute as Finch departs.
Reese and Carter exchange a smile over Finch's fastidiousness before they refocus on the cocktail lounge. After a beat, Reese reaches over and flips on the car radio, filling the silence with rock music.
"Uh-uh, no," Carter says immediately.
"Come on, this is a classic," Reese wheedles.
"Classic rock puts me to sleep," Carter pronounces.
After another beat, he flips the radio off.
[from Terra Incognita, s4e20, and the show soundtrack whenever Reese beats up bad guys]
Shaw is silence. Stealth. The only person who can ever sneak up on Reese ... and the only person who would continue to do it even though she risks getting shot every time she takes him by surprise. At least he poses more of a challenge than Finch had.
Shaw steps up behind Finch as he stands on the Riverwalk, waiting to meet her.
"You wanted to see me?" she says, startling a gasp out of him.
"Would it be too much to ask you to snap a twig or -?"
"Not my thing," she says, unable to hide a smirk. "We get a new Number?"
[from 4C, s3e13]
Elena is pop. An unapologetic child of late 1990s/early 2000s, much to the chagrin of her housemates (except Bear, who actually seems to like the crap she streams through the bluetooth speakers set up around the house).
"Baby, can't you see I'm calling?" Elena's voice filters in through Reese's earpiece as he eases the car down the narrow driveway between their and Mrs. Kelly's house.
"Yes, I can see that," he says, glancing at his phone. "We're already talking, El. Why are you FaceTiming me?" He frowns. "And why did you call me 'baby'?"
Elena sighs. "Just pick up, John."
With a shrug, he does as she asks, switching from an audio call to FaceTime. Her face appears on the screen and she bats her eyelashes at him. She's wearing a blue cap of some sort and a short blue kerchief tied around her neck.
"What are you wearing?"
Her lips curve upward. "A guy like you should wear a warning."
He raises an eyebrow as he gets out of the car. "What kind of warning?"
"It's dangerous."
"I like the sound of that."
"I'm falling."
He frowns. "Wait, what?"
"There's no escape. I can't wait."
His steps quicken as he enters the house. "Elena, what's going on?" He takes the stairs two at a time.
"I need a hit, baby, give me it."
He throws open the door to their bedroom. And stops short in the doorway.
Elena raises her eyebrow as the door bounces off the wall, leaving a dent.
"You're dangerous, I'm loving it."
She's perched on the foot of their bed wearing some kind of uniform. A rather tight and short uniform.
"Uh ..."
John Reese is no chatterbox, but all ability to speak has fled him.
With a dazzling smile, Elena hops off the bed so he can fully appreciate her outfit.
"Why are you dressed like ... a flight attendant?" he asks tentatively.
She waves airily, twirling so he can see it from all angles. "Work. A Number. It's all sorted, but I kept the uniform." Her smile dims as she takes in his confused expression. She gestures at herself. "Don't you get it?"
"Get what?"
"Flight attendant? The song? Oh my God, you don't!" She huffs and crosses her arms. "I can't believe I wasted a perfectly good Britney Spears reference on you!"
"Wait, those were lyrics?" he asks, trying to piece things together. Her crossed arms and what it does to other parts of her are too distracting.
"Yes. 'Toxic' by Britney Spears! In the music video, she's a flight attendant and a spy, and she's on a mission - eep!"
He pounces, and Elena finds herself flat on her back on their bed with the Man in the Suit pinning her there.
"I think I'm ready now," he says.
"I think you are too," she agrees, twining her arms around his neck. Oh, well, he might not have gotten the reference, but ultimately the end result is the same.
"Intoxicate me now," he murmurs as he places kisses along her jaw.
She freezes. "What?"
"With your loving now," he continues as he slides a hand up her leg.
Her eyes light up. "John! You do get it! You know the song!"
"Just don't tell Shaw."
"Oops ... I did it again," Shaw's voice drawls from both their phones, where their FaceTime call is still going. "Next time, hang up the call before you two get frisky. You never know when I might be eavesdropping."
"Sameen!"
"Shaw. I am going to kill you."
"Oh, I'd like to see you try."
With a smirk, Shaw winks at Bear, who lets out a howl that sounds very much like a wolf whistle just before she hangs up.