Person of Interest Season 3 has seen the addition of a new member to the team: Shaw. More than just a one-time player, she’s now a permanent part of the group, but is her addition to the team awkward or awesome?
Let’s take a look at the evidence on both sides.
Exhibit A: Shaw is Awkward
When Person of Interest first began, I was intrigued by the concept behind the show and the cast so I decided to give it a shot. Within the first few episodes though, I found that I wasn’t very impressed. I was a little confused by where the series was going story-wise and couldn’t figure out why some characters (such as Carter) were even in it. But then all that changed by the mid-season break. Suddenly the show had added a new mythology and amped up the mystery – plus nearly killed one of the leads.
From then on, I was hooked and I realized what pulled me in more than anything was the team. Once Carter and Fusco were added in as a part of the group to work with Reese and Finch, I fell in love with that dynamic. Every single one of them was different and all had something to contribute to the group. Then in dropped Shaw last season and though I enjoyed her character during her brief visit, I’m not so sure how I feel about her being there permanently. In a way, it’s like they just added a female version of Reese to the show and I have to wonder: Why did we need that? She takes away from the dynamic that fans had come to know and love and it’s unclear if that will change.
Exhibit B: Shaw is Awesome
Everything being said above, I have to admit to having a lot of affinity for Shaw. This might be pure bias as I really love the actress who plays her, Sarah Shahi. I fell in love with her when she was in the USA series Fairly Legal. Though that show was sadly ruined in its second season (they turned her character into someone I barely recognized), I still loved the actress. So when I saw that she was going to be doing a guest role on Person of Interest last season, I was ecstatic. I found her turn as Shaw funny and badass. and I thought Shaw and Reese played well off of each other.
Also, the concept of bringing Shaw on the team permanently is a strong one. When the series began, Reese was this nearly emotionless animal who was just out to follow orders and didn’t seem to care much about anything. In just two seasons, we’ve seen him open up a lot and now it’s not that unusual to see him actually (gasp!) smile. He and Finchhave formed a wonderful bromance and they’ve even adopted a child…er I mean a dog together. With Reese turning into more of a warm and fuzzy character, it makes sense that the show would need to fill that emotionless and cold void. What better way to do that than with a female version of Reese? A woman who, if anything, is even more cold and emotionless than he ever was.
What do you think? Do you think the addition of Shaw has made things better for the team or worse?
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(Image courtesy of CBS)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
