HIGH ROAD
John Reese: "The suburbs? Never had a number out there before."
The density of population, perhaps. Or something about ambitions? Either you're already where you want to be, or you don't particularly want to go higher when you live in the suburbs? He wouldn't know, honestly. Last time he went to the suburbs of a big city, Mark wanted Kara and him to get rid of the neighbor – in their defense, the neighbor was an international assassin playing house during her spare time.
John Reese: "He's ghosting. Built a life on a dead man's name."
The only time John did that, it was to bring light to said dead man's crimes. It certainly didn't last 15 years.
John Reese: "Harder to tail someone in the suburbs than in the city."
Less crowded, less people in a suit, you immediately start standing out. Not enough population to disappear, but enough to still have witnesses. And it's not even the lesser towns, where people are all more or less used not to ask questions, because they don't want you to start asking questions back.
John Reese: "Zoe Morgan... will you be my wife?"
Seeing the face she's making, she really hadn't expected that of all things
Zoe Morgan: "John, it's a doorbell. Let's try not to shoot any girl scouts on our first day, okay?"
She's making fun of him.
Zoe Morgan: "Wyler's spooked about something. Whatever he's hiding, he kept it from everyone."
Connie's in the dark. Well, that sure sounds familiar. John totally didn't pull that one for several months, back with Claire – and it definitely didn't come back to punch him in the face, in the end. Not at all.
John Reese: "I'm meeting a client there. Let me give you a lift. Save you some time."
Graham / Lloyd probably doesn't want to spend too long away from his family. Not when a threat is at large, not when his wife and daughter are asking questions he doesn't know how to answer.
John Reese: "Not me. Too many rules. Always had more fun breaking them."
Even his time as a cop – oh, look, one more lie – he'd spent a lot of time not doing what he was supposed to. He can follow rules and orders – seriously, he spent fifteen years in various branches of the army, four years in the police, and almost six years in the CIA, he wouldn't have lasted that long if he really couldn't follow orders – but that's always with a goal in mind. And if he can do without, well. All the better.
Joss Carter: "Okay. So are you gonna watch this family forever to make sure they listen?"
Tempting. Very tempting. But maybe he'd watch the assholes instead. Terrorizing assholes sounds fun.
Joss Carter: "What about Wyler?"
He had thought about telling the police, about admitting it all to protect his family and not fall back into criminality. Graham had only backed off because his former accomplices put an obvious threat on that same family. Over the years, the man got much better. He deserves the life he built.
Zoe Morgan: "I know that building. Front security desk is not gonna let you just walk in. But I can get you upstairs. I know a guy who lives in the building. Lawyer I untangled from a malpractice thing. He's kind of sweet on me."
And here it is, the proof that you can be ambitious and calculative and yet still do the right thing. Zoe keeps offering her connections to help them do the right thing – and yes, she does it for a price, but she also knows Finch can afford it. Anyway, she couldn't keep doing that if she just squandered her work, because at some point that work wouldn't be worth anything anymore, and then she wouldn't be able to help at all.
Zoe Morgan: "Savannah. An exotic dancer."
...That's a new one. Not sure he can pull it off.
John Reese: "If you pull that trigger, then Graham Wyler – the man you really are – dies with him."
Who he became. The life he built. Oh, it may not be his name, but everything else here is his. It's not a con, it never was a con. Just like "John Reese" is not the name John was born with, but it is his nevertheless – because he lived through everything "John Reese" claims as his.
Graham Wyler: "I'm supposed to go back like nothing's ever happened? Connie and Izzy forget that everything they know about me is a lie?"
No. What happened happened. What they know can't be taken back. The question, in the end, is how he's going to deal with it. He can run, or face the music – but not pretend nothing changed. John would understand running. He's done it before – for good reasons, for bad reasons, whichever it is, the fact is that he left. But the Wylers have fifteen years behind them, and the responsibility of a daughter. That's more than what he had, back when he ran. That's more to rebuild upon.
Graham Wyler: "I put her through a lot. And for whatever reason, she's still there when I wake up in the morning. Guess that says something."
John is pretty sure neither Jessica nor Claire would have accepted it. Both because they were perhaps more oriented towards doing what is right, and because he did much worse than Graham. He doesn't have that problem with Zoe, but both of them are too damaged to even consider it – to start having deep feelings. Not yet. Probably never. They'll stay friends, he hopes, but not more.