Assumptions, Omissions, Lies

by ElnaKernor

John Reese doesn't particularly believe in honesty. Lies of omission aren't lies, they're just omissions. Lies can be white. Assumptions don't always have to be corrected. Honesty is important, but it doesn't have to be absolute. And, finally, knowing about someone isn't the same thing as knowing someone. All the things, important or not, that John never said.

34. 2πR

This one is shorter, because it's the first time we don't see much of John in an episode.

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2πR

John Reese: "I took too many risks. It's my fault. I'll handle it."

Not that he regretted any of it. John, himself, doesn't consider any of what he did a risk – not quite, though maybe most people would take his definition of "risk" to task. It was dangerous, certainly, but it's not something he did without taking the inherent danger into account. He went into it, accepting the potential outcomes – and this time, it didn't work out in his favor. It happens.

John Reese: "What if another number comes up?"

At least there's Lionel and Carter, but he wonders if Harold would call them. John has almost always been the one handling the communication between his employer and their assets, and even when Harold did it himself, it was generally with the knowledge that John was the link between them. He recruited Lionel, and it's John who caught Carter's attention, and later on her interest – and perhaps, partially, her trust.

Nicholas Donnelly: "Stop right there. These men have all been classified as "unlawful combatants" by the AUMF. Until we can establish that they're not a threat to national security, they're not going anywhere."

John can't even complain, because Donnelly is right. He is here, he has done at least part of what Donnelly accuses him of – though perhaps not quite the way the FBI agent thinks... And the other three are liars, too, so. They may not be unlawful combatants, but they aren't who they pretend to be, that much is certain.