RE: BUZZFEED APPLICATION
1. Artificial Intelligence & Surveillance
Big Brother abounds in Person of Interest. Someone or something is always watching. The themes are totally relevant to this day and age. In case you needed any more reason to be freaked out about the NSA and like spies and evil computers and stuff.
2. The Machine
Person of Interest revolves around the existence of The Machine, an artificial intelligence created by Harold Finch after 9/11, in the hopes of preventing future acts of terrorism on U.S. soil. Initially, The Machine is a kind of background entity, allowing the plot to push forwards, but by the fourth season, The Machine is a legitimate character in and of itself. An unnamed someone may or may not have cried due to Machine-related feels in the season four finale.
3. Taraji P. Henson as Joss Carter
Joss Carter is the HBIC. When I mentioned to my sister that I was making this list she suggested Joss Carter be numbers one through one hundred. She is that vital. Henson's performance as the no-nonsense homicide detective is excellent and easily steals the show's first season.
4. Amy Acker as Samantha 'Root' Groves
Root is easily my favorite Person of Interest character, which is saying a lot, and played absolutely devastatingly, flawlessly by Amy Acker. Root is a hacker and ex-killer for hire who becomes obsessed with Finch's Machine and forms a unique relationship with it (or Her, if you're using Root's preferred pronouns for The Machine). She kicks so much ass, wears a lot of amazing leather jackets and is super gay for Shaw.
5. Sarah Shahi as Sameen Shaw
Compact Persian sociopath from heaven or hell, depending whose team you're on. Shaw is a total badass ex-Marine, ex-covert government agent, ex-almost doctor who joins Team Machine in season two. If you ever wanted to watch Sarah Shahi shoot dudes' kneecaps or choke them out with her tiny body, this is the show for you.
6. Kevin Chapman as Lionel Fusco
Lionel Fusco starts out the series as a pretty annoying dirty cop but soon becomes entangled with Reese and Finch's shenanigans. While not a core member of Team Machine, Fusco becomes increasingly endearing and eventually his character evolves in unexpectedly touching and emotional ways. He also brings a fair amount of welcome levity to the show.
7. Finch & Reese
The show's initial only main characters, Harold Finch and John Reese (played wonderfully by Michael Emerson and Jim Caviezel, respectively) are each interesting characters in their own merits, but like cookies and milk, much better together. Finch is your typical reclusive millionaire, computer nerd, while Reese is the strong silent type. A bromance I can get behind (and not without a few blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments of homoerotic subtext).
8. Shoot
Root + Shaw = Shoot. Meet your new OTP. May or may not be the reason I started watching this show in the first place (also the reason I'm now a complete and hopeless fangirl). These two have insane chemistry from the first moment their characters meet. It's the kind of relationship that'll have you obsessively refreshing Tumblr and feeling all kinds of feelings and all that lame stuff Shaw would hate. Doesn't hurt that Amy Acker and Sarah Shahi (and the whole Person of Interest cast and crew) also ship the hell out of it.
9. The Mayhem Twins
Reese + Shaw = The Mayhem Twins. And for good reason too. When they work together on missions, hilarity, ass-kicking, mishaps and explosions are sure to follow. While they're both stoic and prefer brooding quietly to sharing their feelings, they definitely care for each other and form a strong bond as the show goes on.
10. Team Rocket
Reese + Root = Team Rocket. While they don't usually team up that often, certain events in season four lead to Reese and Root on a cross country rampage. Competent and violent on their own, together these two become a wrecking ball of straight up rage. I can't say too much for fear of spoilers, but suffice to say, you're gonna wanna see this.
11. Finch & Root
Finch and Root are an interesting combo. They're both computer nerds, hackers, geniuses, but they approach everything from completely opposite perspectives. Conversations between the two make up some of the most compelling moments of the show. They are often at odds when it comes to morality, The Machine, and what one is willing to do for the greater good. The complex arc of their relationship could fill up a whole show all on its own.
12. The Dog
Bear: Belgian Malinois, fluent in Dutch, destroyer of bad guys, rare first editions and Harold Finch's sanity.
13. Feminism
All the badass ladies you could possibly want, doing all the badass stuff you could possibly want. Women make up a huge percent of the characters in Person of Interest and those characters are varied, interesting and three-dimensional. Good, evil, fighters, lovers, heroes, thieves, girlfriends, mothers, loners and everything in between.
14. Women of Color
Women. Of. Color. Enough said, right? It's rare for a show to have even one significant character of color, but Person of Interest gives us a bunch and a lot of them happen to be ladies and they are all indisputably awesome.
15. Big Bads
Person of Interest's villains are generally as compelling as Team Machine themselves. Pictured above is Team Samaritan, the main antagonists of season four, and they are evil evil evil, but so interesting. You'll almost regret seeing the show's various bad guys be eventually defeated by our heroes, but only almost.
So there's 15 great reason to start watching Person of Interest, if you aren't already. But wait! There's more! Person of Interest also features incredible writing, cinematography and music. It's action packed, full of drama, a 'lil romance thrown in for good measure. For my money, it really is one of the most well-rounded, exciting shows on television. Season four just ended, so now's the perfect time to catch up and get sufficiently obsessed before season five.
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