I thought last night's episode was fantastic. Did any of you see it?

I haven't seen it yet, but I am hoping there is more Amy Acker this week.

It's not Boxed Set?

I think we have mostly discussed it here in the past. The sci-fi aspect has been pretty minor to the show as a whole.

Now I've seen it. Excellent episode! I love that they were will to take the risk of having both stars play such a minor role in the episode.

Isn't the sci fi the engine of the show? If the machine isn't intelligent, there's no there there.

True, but the machine is usually mentioned once per episode, as in "The machine has given us a new number", and that's about it. From there it's a procedural formula all the way. It just doesn't seem very sci-fi to me, and looking back over the thread you have posted here about it in the past too.

They've given more focus on the personality of the machine in recent episodes, which is why I've come to appreciate the inherent science fictional elements. it's not a black box spitting out the problem of the week. It's a character, and it's also a prize, with Root in the chase.

Me being wrong before doesn't affect my conviction now.

I didn't realize you were proposing it should be moved to Boxed Set from your previous statement but that it has always been considered a Boxed Set show, which it hasn't in the past. If people would rather post about it in Boxed Set than Procedurals, I don't have a problem with that, but I am not really convinced it belongs there.

You don't think the Machine is sci fi, or that it's not important to the show? It seems to be a driver for the season arc (and beyond) to me.

I am with sj. Even if the machine comes more into the plot, the show centers around crime and its prevention and figuring that out every week is the driver.

Let me add that I don't think this show is much different from NUMB3RS. I think of it like Numb3rs meets The Equalizer. That's where I situate it in a genre.

Huh. It seems a pretty clear sci fi procedural to me. I was thinking the question was--where do you discuss a sci fi procedural, not is this sci fi? I don't understand the correlation with Numb3rs at all. There's an AI, a very proto-Skynettish AI, with a personality and goals and abilities impossible in today's technology, and the fact that it's an individual (and therefore sci fi in my interpretation of the genre) is the season arc, since it's their antagonist's motivation.