Amac Productions

 

Don’t worry, no bullets here. At least, no literal ones.

Root and Shaw take second place on my list.

While others have been cute, have had happy endings, and so on. No one else is quite like Root and Sameen Shaw.

They are truly a four alarm fire in an oil refinery.

I also don’t know where to start with these two.

While their relationship didn’t have a lot of onscreen development like other couples have, it’s not what sets them apart from the rest.

A lot of couples begin because one starts off as a love interest from the other, becomes wildly popular, and becomes an independent character from there. See every TV show. From Buffy, to Charmed, to Smallville, to Burn Notice, to Lucifer, and so on. It’s not the case here.

Root was introduced as a season one villain who turns into a good guy as the show progresses.

Sameen Shaw is introduced in season two to help take the load off the John Reese’s actor due to his advancing age.

Both characters are given strong set ups and introductions. They are complete, fully realized characters, and do not need each other to complete a scene. They are never boring to watch without the other. Their relationship is actually an interesting side note for the show.

Person of Interest sets itself apart because it’s not big on romance. In fact, it’s biggest romance comes from Root and Shaw!

Unlike most TV shows, it choose not to shy away from two women who happened to have chemistry. Instead, they decided to steer into it. Upon discovering their treasure trove of chemistry the romance was written into the show.

These two are also the reason I started watching the show.

I saw Amy Acker and Sarah Shahi at clexacon. I watched the panels on youtube and I saw theirs. I knew Amy Acker as Fred on Angel. I watched pieces of their panel online, decided to check their show out, and ended up loving it.

As for the couple itself on the show, there isn’t anything that I don’t love about them.

Aside from the obvious random death by bullet again, but we’re not talking about that.

Root and Shaw took great pleasure in annoying the hell out of one another. It was great banter to watch because despite being assassins themselves there was no real threat behind them.

I’m talking about in season three. The constant flirting from Root.

“I love it when you play doctor.” 

“I’ll do yours, if you do mine.”

“I didn’t know you cared, Shaw.”

Shaw’s eye rolls, shrugging it off, pretending she doesn’t care while Root slowly grows on her.

“The Machine has your back right?”

“Yeah, I missed you like an intestinal parasite.”

“We need Root.” 

In season two I’m pretty sure they would have actually killed each other or tortured each other for real.

However, once they started working together. Things started to change. Feelings started to happen. Unexpected ones.

And in season four and five we got to see just how deep those feelings ran. Unfortunately, for the audience a lot of their ever growing relationship seemed to take place off screen.

I didn’t mind it though. The show wasn’t about romantic relationships. It had bigger things going on. Their relationship not always being the forefront made perfect sense for the world.

However, when the show choose to make it a focus it hit all the best points.

Root’s constant worry and desire to find Shaw. The depth of her feelings were finally revealed to the audience come season four.

From the episode with Tomas to the episodes following Shaw’s capture illustrated just how much Root truly cares.

As I also said in Willow and Tara’s review, I love the one who silently gets jealous. I did enjoy Root’s nitpicking Shaw’s date with Tomas over the comms. Because while Root was jealous, it would be hard to notice unless you were paying attention. It could easily come off as if Root just wanted to annoy Shaw while she was on a date.

Friends do annoy each other.

Some people would miss it.

Of course, in case it was totally unclear to everyone. Shaw’s departure and the subsequent episodes probably cleared it up real quick.

The kiss.

Root’s screaming. Her horrible heartbroken face as the elevator doors slammed shut.

Root proceeding to tear everything and everyone to pieces to find Shaw again.

Knowing Shaw would be pissed it took so long for a rescue.

Root’s inability to let go or believe Shaw is really gone for good.

Mostly, I enjoyed finally seeing beyond Root’s incessant flirting with Shaw to see how she really feels. She loves Shaw. She would do anything for her.

Root just enjoys being part of Shaw’s life. Being a friend, flirting with her, working with her, and most of all her being alive and safe. She’s happy if they’re never more then what they are.

The only thing she cared about was finding Shaw.

Keeping her alive.

As for Shaw 6,741 gave us insight into her feelings for Root which was incredibly illuminating.

In 6741 we got to learn a lot about how Sameen Shaw views the world and her friends. Watching that episode for the first time I noticed something was off pretty soon after the team found Shaw.

Things were never quite right. They never said the subway, always said The Machine, Reese was quieter then normal, Finch more goal, less action, and Root was always a buffer between Shaw and anyone else. Almost like Shaw couldn’t deal with the others, instead she sought to only deal with Root.

It spoke to how she viewed each of them.

Reese was the muscle, the guy who didn’t speak much, but was always there for her. He tended to not get emotional over things like her. So, in this simulation he was more like Shaw. Quiet, stoic, focused on his mission, and keeping his team safe.

Finch lacked any action at all. He seemed quieter, seemed meeker, and less prone to rushing into things. In some ways, I think Shaw blamed him for her getting captured because action isn’t his thing. He hires people like Reese and her to do those things. She almost seems to think to Finch, she’s disposable. He lacked action, didn’t get rid of the Congressman, didn’t come for her sooner, and that makes it his fault she was tortured.

Root was the most like herself and yet different all at once. At no point did she really leave Shaw’s side. And when she did Shaw got worse, even killed Reese without Root to anchor her.

I believe some part of Shaw’s mind controlled the simulation. It’s why no one ever said ‘the subway’ instead saying ‘The Machine.’

I believe it’s why so much of the simulation revolved around Root.

Root found her.

Root saved her ass from the Samaritan agent.

Root took the chip out of her head.

Root brought her some place safe, her apartment.

Root stayed with her.

They slept together.

Sameen touched on her torture.

Sameen confessed she wasn’t sure if she was alright to Root.

Sameen could believe Reese and Finch wouldn’t trust her, but didn’t believe Root wouldn’t.

She was frightened when Root was shot.

The effects of the simulation got worse without Root at her side.

She killed Reese.

Root appeared as she was getting lost again.

Sameen confessed to everything.

Even telling Root she was her safe place.

And killed herself to protect Root.

Sameen’s mind revealed Root is the safest place she can think of. The simulation revolved around Root so heavily to protect her mind and The Machine. Because Shaw would never be able to bring herself to kill Root, it would end the simulation every time.

It’s one of my favorite episodes because we got a good look into Sameen’s mind, to understand while her feelings are quieter, they are no less intense.

In her own way, she loves Root.

I that’s really beautiful.

Just as it is, that Root love Shaw because of who she is.

A straight line, arrow.

So, those are my thoughts on Shoot! Let me know what you think!

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