The series revolves around a computer program for the federal government known as "The Machine" that is capable of collating all sources of information to predict terrorist acts and to identify people planning them.
In the episode, the team investigates a NYPD analyst who gets himself involved in a conflict with Samaritan after finding a secret project that a close friend worked at before her disappearance.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 6.97 million household viewers and gained a 1.1/4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
Reese (Jim Caviezel) is following their new number: Ethan Garvin (Will Connolly), a NYPD analyst who works at the Real Time Crime Center.
Garvin works at an acoustic surveillance system named "ShotSeeker", a program that detects gunshots in the city for the police.
Meanwhile, Finch (Michael Emerson) and Root (Amy Acker) engineer a series of simulations in a Faraday cage between a small clone of the Machine and a that of Samaritan to know any possible outcome of their fight.
Reese confronts him and Garvin explains that the owner of the apartment, Krupa Naik, reported gunshots, which ShotSeeker deemed to be false.
In October 2015, it was announced that the fifth episode of the season would be titled "ShotSeeker" and that it would be written by Andy Callahan with Mara Vrvilo serving as director.
[1] In its original American broadcast, "ShotSeeker" was seen by an estimated 6.97 million household viewers and gained a 1.1/4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.5 out of 10 rating and wrote in his verdict, "At the heart of 'ShotSeeker' was Fusco's crusade to learn the truth and Finch's idea to pit mini-Samaritan against a mini-Machine (a decision that became depressing in retrospect).
A number of the week episode doesn't just end up coinciding with the show's overarching story; it sets up a plethora of new factors that will figure into the upcoming war.