Root, Shaw, and Disappointment

Root, Shaw, and Disappointment 

I loved Person of Interest. It was a brilliant show, with amazing acting, cinematography, and writing. But POI botched the landing when it killed Root. 

Time and time again, I get into a show. Time and time again, I begin to trust that this time, things will be different. This time, my girls will live. But for POI, this wasn't to be. When I watched season 5 episode 10, I quit the show. I refused to watch any more of it without my beloved Root. 

I had thought, after Shaw's almost-death, that Johnathan Nolan wouldn't do this to us. That we would see a happy ending for Root and Shaw - or at least an ending where they were both alive.

And I know that John Reese died too. That this was a show where anyone could die. However, it rubs me the wrong way that Harold freakin' Finch, the character who learned the least over the course of the show, the man who called Root by her dead name, Samantha Groves, got his happy ending when all Root got was a bullet. 

But let's look past all that and look at the reasons I loved Root and Shaw in the first place. Shaw is a non-neurotypical woman, which we rarely see on television. I happen to be non-neurotypical as well, although I have Nonverbal Learning Disorder and not an axis II Personality Disorder, it's still nice to see someone who thinks differently on television. She's also a POC, also rare in television's depictions of lesbians and bisexuals. 

One of the things I loved about Root and Shaw was how it started like a subtext couple. Lingering looks and innuendo filled words were common and then finally they culminated in that kiss in season 4 episode 10. 

I'll remember Root and Shaw fondly. But if Westworld has any lesbian or bi characters in its next season, I'll know not to trust Nolan with them.