She really saw Finch bring his trophy husband as his plus one and couldn't resist complimenting him on his arm candy the way a waiter would show approval of the meal you ordered, ft. Finch's little smile and eyebrow waggle of agreement.
oh my GOD whenever john calls finch harold i go fucking insane. because here's two men who are both, by their own doing, legally dead. they're ghosts. they don't exist in the normal world. and their names aren't even really legally theirs, most of the time. plus they're both extremely private. but they have these little glimpses of personhood, these tiny details that make them more than just names on pieces of paper.
john doesn't call harold that when he's hurt. he does it when he's feeling tender, when he's treating him as a friend, as a person, as someone he cares for. in the same episode that finch gets drugged, he calls john his "very good friend," and john, someone who literally stalked harold and tries so hard to figure things out about him, respects his privacy. he is told to ask "whatever he wants" and he walks away. he leaves, but not without wishing harold goodnight, by saying his name.
and the same when finch tries to offer to use a gun to protect carter's kid, or make a distraction. john calls him harold then, because it's a kind offer, it's something that shows how dedicated he is, how much he cares for this work, and for john.
as someone who goes by multiple names to different people, being called a name that you've claimed, no matter if it's "fake" or not, by someone who cares about you, can matter so much. and john doesn't call finch harold when he's injured, or otherwise. he calls him harold when that's what he is; not his employer, or an eccentric billionaire, but a good person, who tries to do his best. that's when john looks at him and sees harold, not mr. finch.
Supersons! Baby gays. It's like Superbat but cuter and with slightly (Damian had it rough) less trauma.
Harold Finch/John Reese:
Aloof nerd genius and his charming and lethal bodyguard/right hand man is such a great combination. Loyalty, blooming friendship, shared goals, divergences, lovers' spats...you have it all.