What I’m Watching: Person of Interest

Person of Interest: Season 5, Episode 4 “6,741” (B+)

I could not be more excited to have Sarah Shahi and Sameen Shaw back. I had read that, now that Shahi gave birth to her twins, she would be returning, but I didn’t know when that would be. I thought that, when that fantastic simulation-heavy episode aired, that was the last we’d see of her, but how terrific to have her back, even if she’s really not in good shape. Her escape from custody was pretty impressive, and her past as a doctor came in handy so that she could take out the chip that had been implanted in her herself. She’s not doing too well, passing out frequently just like she did the very first time we met her. Calling in an intended murder so that her friends could find her was smart, and her reunion with Root was quite legendary. What we saw of their sex scene was rough and surprisingly unfiltered, completed by the affirmation that there was “plenty of sucking.” From there, however, things went very downhill, with Shaw realizing that she was being mind-controlled and shooting Greer in the head before putting a bullet in Reese and then shooting herself in the head. As soon as Reese went down, it became clear that this couldn’t be reality, but the revelation that this is the 6,741th time that Greer’s acolytes have run a simulation designed to get Shaw to reveal the location of the machine is crazy. It’s a shame that Root doesn’t know this is going on, since she would surely burst in guns-blazing to save the woman who clearly reciprocates her feelings. I hope we see Shaw again soon and that it’s when she’s finally found and broken out by her friends.