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The following contains major spoilers from Person of Interest‘s 100th episode.
With just three episodes left to air in its fifth and final season, CBS‘ Person of Interest, with its milestone 100th episode, made it painfully clear that Team Machine will need to make ultimate sacrifices in the name of battling Samaritan.
Cases in point: Not long after Episode 100 killed off Finch’s frenemy Elias (played by Enrico Colantoni), Amy Acker‘s Root Groves took one for the team — literally — by darting herself into the path of a sniper’s bullet with Harold’s name on it. For her heroism, Root would ultimately die from her wounds, yet “live on” in the form of The Machine’s long-awaited “voice.”
TVLine spoke with Acker about her number being up, Root’s “profund” effect on members of the LGBT community, that “broken tailbone” rumor and more.
TVLINE | What did you know and when did you know it, that Root wouldn’t last the season?
They actually told me over the summer, before [San Diego] Comic-Con. We had that trailer where The Machine was talking over the subway set — well, me as The Machine — so they told me what was going on and asked me to record that. So I’ve known for a while.
TVLINE | What do you think about the fact that she died taking a bullet for Harold?
I mean, that would be the way I would want to go. To me, she was never really afraid of dying. Throughout all of the storylines, especially between Root and Harold, she always made it clear that she knew he was the priority, that The Machine needed him and all of that. I’m glad that Harold made it. That makes me happy!
TVLINE | [Co-showrunner] Jonah Nolan told me he had that spectacular car chase sequence in mind for you for a while.
I’m very flattered — he obviously never saw me drive in real life! [Laughs] When I read it I was like, “That’s going to be awesome,” and when we started shooting it, it was very complicated and hard. But I’m excited to see how it all came together.
TVLINE | Obviously there are stunt doubles and cutaways and riggings and such, but what was trickiest part of shooting that sequence?
Well, [Michael Emerson and I] were having a pretty intense discussion all around that…. [Laughs] And there wasn’t a lot of real estate, streetwise, to shoot on, so we kept having to talk at a certain speed and get the gun out and aim the gun and get my foot on the [steering] wheel…. There’s a lot of little pieces. And it kept starting to rain, so we want back and shot that scene in pieces over three different days.
TVLINE | Even though that was your on-screen send-off, I reckon that as the voice of The Machine, you in fact got to be with the show until the very end?
Yes. Yes. It worked out that way. I was really sad and told everyone how much I was going to miss them, and then they were like, “Can you come back and do the voice on set…?” I was like, “I just gave everyone their goodbye!” We thought it would be advantageous for some of the bigger scenes to have me there, so in the next episode you’ll see Harold talking to The Machine in the car, and I’m laying down [unseen] in the back seat of the car having this conversation. [Laughs]
TVLINE | Where did the dog who plays Bear rank among the sad good-byes?
I didn’t cry at all, but he was right up there.
TVLINE | Now, did Sarah Shahi really “break” your tailbone during that Episode 4 sex scene, as you said in a New York Comic-Con video, or were you exaggerating for comedic effect?
I mean, there was a bruise. I’m not sure it was “broken,” but yes, damage was done. [Chuckles]
TVLINE | When last we spoke, it was the start of Season 4 and the Root/Shaw thing, you acknowledged, was pretty much just flirtations. Were you satisfied to see that, at the end of the day, the two of them went “all in”?
Yeah. I think that throughout Season 4 they definitely implied that things were happening off-screen, and that’s the way the writers were presenting it to us. I remember David Slack saying one time, “You remember that night with the zip ties…,” and I was like, “Ohhhh!” They have their own fanfic going on in the writers room. I really liked the way they did the whole relationship, that it was never something that was discussed or talked about, even amongst other characters. It was just, “This is what it is.” I think that showing the simulation the way they did was a really good tool, because Root had been the pursuer of Shaw for a majority of [the series], and we’d see Shaw kind of pushing her away. So getting to see inside Shaw’s mind — that even without Root there torturing her, she’s thinking of her on her own — made me feel good.
TVLINE | What was your favorite get-up that Root got to wear?
That’s a hard call…. Colonial Girl was pretty random, I liked that one. The bear costume is an all-time favorite. The ripped wedding dress was good…. They really didn’t let me down with any of my cover identities.
TVLINE | As you reflect on your career, how will you regard the role of Root?
This has been one of my favorite roles that I’ve ever gotten to play. I’ve been super lucky to work with such great writers and showrunners…. I feel like I always get to play the best role on the shows that I’m on. Starting out, I had no idea what I was really what my [POI] character was, because I was playing a cover identity for Root, a psychiatrist, in the episode where I was introduced, so I really didn’t know what the role was. So just to see what they went on to create, and all of the different things that have happened….
I felt really lucky to have had the relationship with Shaw. I haven’t had a character that seems to have and such a profound effect on people. In the LGBT community, I’ve met so many people who have said such amazing things about this show and the writing, so to play a character that’s had an impact on people that way, I feel very blessed. They weren’t afraid to take her in any direction, and not just in that [romantic] sense but with everything about her. There were never any boundaries for this character, and I loved that about her.
TVLINE | And you got to shoot a lot of guns.
And I got to shoot a lot of guns!
I’m a huge fan of the show, but this episode was way too predictable. Both Elias and Root’s deaths were pretty obvious well an advance.
The preview saying some would die was a spoiler so I can see how you managed to put it all together. Put a gold star on your fridge……
I was completely taken by surprise. I was so sad about both of them but mostly Root (Amy)
When you don’t watch the show but the thought of an Amy Acker character death makes you remember Angel and you cry yourself to sleep.
Fred dying in Wesley’s arms still haunts me to this day.
And the later Wesley dying in not-Fred’s arms, asking her to lie to him. :(
Yes to all of this!!
I’m a newbie for this show but it’s the only one in 20 years that hooked me, and now it’s going down, bummer. Root just got hit and now all that’s left is her “voice” !
Man I really thought POI would be the one show to duck the Dead Lesbian Trope, but my faith was misplaced. Root was a fantastic character, arguable more compelling than Finch, she shouldn’t have had to die for him.
My thoughts exactly. I love Finch & Reese but a lot of women have died for them over the years. ://///
Root was the one that saw The Machine as a possible sentient being, then it spiraled down to a soap opera role. Frustrating.
So because of her sexuality she should have full series long plot armor? How does that even begin to make sense when you know what is going on with this show? It is likely every character or every but one character will die on this show. It isn’t like this is West Wing and The Office and the lesbian character was just killed off in a shoot out. Grow up. Sarah Shahi’s character is bisexual and is still alive.
I have a feeling Root won’t be the last death on the show, but the PC plot armor police (who like to reduce characters down to just their gender or color or sexual orientation) won’t say anything about it. These are miserable people who just look for things to be miserable about when they’re not hiding in their safe spaces, because if Carter had been white and Root had been straight then suddenly their deaths would’ve been alright? Talk about tunnel vision.
I thought Carter was wrote off because the actor got her own magnificent series.
Nope. She got the Empire script long after she’d been told she was being written off POI. The showrunners would like you to believe she wasn’t to leave, but it was entirely Nolan’s choice and he had to fight the network to make it happen. So yeah, it’s all on him,
The Carter actress said in an interview, later, that she was upfront from the beginning that she only wanted to work in the series for a few years, or they were upfront it would be for a few years and that was what she had wanted, too. I forget which, now, but the point is made. Maybe, it was an interview covered by this site? The husband and I were devastated, and gnashed our teeth in frustration, over her death. The show was never the same, but I felt better after reading that interview and/or story. I hope it wasn’t an after the fact spin, but things worked out for her.
Perhaps those people are miserable because of the stunningly high percentage of diverse characters that have been killed off in general and in the last year. Talk about tunnel vision, thinking only your enjoyment matters.
Word.
Its not just her sexuality. Root was an awesome character. But think it this way, why people are getting frustrated. There are/were like 45 queer women on tv this TV season, out of like few thousands of characters on tv. Over 20 of them were killed off this year, and we are only 6th month into the year. Half of the queer women on tv were killed off, most were gunned down. 50%. That doesnt matter to most people, but to LGBT community it means a lot. The representation is minuscule as it is and even when there is, they are killed off. Not written off, but killed. Also, just because there are other LGBT characters in the show, doesnt make the death of one any less painful.
I doubt any of them were killed because of their sexuality.
It’s pretty shallow to only like characters because of their sexuality. Am I supposed to like every straight male? That’s ridiculous.
Its not that they were killed because of their sexuality, in fact every showrunner who has killed off their LGBT characters have been very clear that it wasn’t, but it’s the sheer amount of them dying this year that is causing the issue. If, for example, using your example, half of the straight males on tv died within a few months of each other, there would be a serious problem. There probably wouldnt be enough characters left on tv to make a show. But since there is already so little LGBT characters, the general audience will not pay any heed to what is essentially, only a handful of characters dying, and will have no problem with it. To be honest, i wasnt even aware of the Bury Your Gays trope until this year, but now it horrifies me. On average, one lesbian character has died each week this year, and that is ignoring all the other sexualities in the LGBT umbrella. That is a staggering statistic, and one that needs to be rectified immediately.
The fact of the matter is that minorities want to see people like us on the screen. Yes, we get upset when the people that represent us are routinely exterminated on show after show, for whatever the reason, while the white male and female characters always get a free pass and remain front and center. Boiling it down, we just want our stories to be told and the characters representing us to be around long enough to tell those stories.
I mean, I’m no assassin and my job is pretty mundane and boring, but I haven’t been shot at or targeted by a maniac. Why can’t there be a handful of characters that represent that aspect of the LGBT or POC community?
I’m not getting into the straight versus lgbt thing and yes I’m gay. I would’ve liked to have seen where the Root/Shaw relationship went instead of killing one of them off. They could’ve killed Fusco for effect and just let them be. Do you know I have not seen one prime time show where a same sex relationship has stayed together or has been let to grow and blossom. It’s sad. I’m a hopeless romantic and would’ve loved to have seen them live and just go one to live without the machine. Let’s face it the machine is going to die as it should.
It’s unfortunate that it’s Yet Another Dead Lesbian, especially right now considering all the others so far this year, but really, some version of this was Root’s character arc all along. My favorite character played by one of my favorite actresses, she’ll be missed but I’m sure she’ll still have a presence in the remaining episodes.
They rejected Tage’s script where Root yells, “Don’t shoot me! I’m a lesbian! Kill the white guy instead in the name of diversity and tolerance!”
Hahaha! Exactly.
Hi Normandy, today is June 21st and things have happened in the real world since you commented. This mentality is a problem. You, and other people having the same mentality are part of the problem.
The show has always been about Finch, Reese and the machine. When Root was first introduced I couldn’t stand her, but she became one of my favorite characters. I’m sad that she died because I liked the character, but it had nothing to do with her being a lesbian.
She was my favorite character on the show. I have loved her ever since her “Butch Cassidy/Sundance Kid” appearance, all two guns a-blazing back a few seasons ago.
My only disappointment was that she didn’t get to go out the same way, in a heroic hail of bullets.
RIP Root.
Sad to see Root getting killed off in POI’s 100th episode. Hope her and Shaw are going to have one hot mess after another.
Not a fan of them killing off Root.
Agree, it doesn’t make sense, given her role in presenting The Machine’s sentient possibility to Harold at the beginning of the series.
So another show that just kills off a lesbian. And by a bullet. Man, did they even try to be creative or did they just follow the handy step-by-step guide on lesbian characters
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I’m severely disappointed.
I’m disappointed in the concept that fictional lesbians are special snowflakes who should never be fictionally killed. Yet Rosie O’Donnell roams the majestic savannahs. Last time I checked, Janet Reno who burned 80 people to death, is still alive and kicking. But please don’t kill our pretty fictional lesbians.
They developed her into a rich and complex character. What I find disappointing is how people are reducing her character to just being a lesbian like that’s the only aspect of her character. What we should be talking about is how bad ass she was. And that despite coming a bit mentally unstable at times, she was the most passionate of team both in her love of Shaw, loyalty to the team, and dedication to the machine.
this…
Agreed
so she was killed off because she was a lesbian…is that it??? Was that all that the character of Root should be remembered for…being a lesbian!! Stop trying to victimize lesbians were it does not apply.
I’m working on turning the biography of a lesbian cop who dies saving her fellow officers into a movie. But after reading your comment, maybe you can help me change it so that she refuses to put her life on the line rescue anyone who’s straight. I’m sure her real life family members will love the movie even more that way.
I’m confused, isn’t the show ending in a few episodes? I was always under the impression everyone would die at the end, in the first episode (I think) Harold and John agree they won’t make it out alive. Why is killing Root at this point about her sexuality? I feel like I’m missing something here, or at least part of a larger conversation?
Anne reducing Root to simply being a lesbian tells you more about Anne than anything.
You mocking LGBT representation problem tells us lots about you as well.
You are an idiot. How did you even make it to the 5th season. There was no lesbians in season 1. Why did you even start watching. Man i wish the snowflakes would all just melt. Until tumblr startd producing tv, deal with it….
Someone from the team was obviously going to die this season. And I have always expected Root wouldn’t survive until the end of the series. So it was predictable but it was still a great episode.
Why do people just see a lesbian character death? I thought we weren’t supposed to define people like this. In the context of the show it made sense that Root would be the one to die. She was the badass with the gun after all. It had nothing to do with her sexuality. Just like Carter’s death had nothing to do with her colour but that’s all people wanted to focus on.
Well said!
Karen, You’re 100% right. It’s not a gay issue. I was sad at Root’s death. She had become my favorite character. However, as the story is coming to it’s climax, it is time for the machine to declare war and Root has become the machine. I’m loving these final episodes.
True. I am sad that Root died so soon after she and Shaw reunited, but I’m also sad because I didn’t want any of the main characters to die. I didn’t care for Root at first but she really grew on me the past two seasons.
Have to agree here with you 100%. People seem to only be focusing on only one aspect of her character when she’s so much more than just what her sexual preference was, She became the team’s heart, Harold’s intellectual and philosophical sparring partner, hacker extraordinaire, and a dependable chameleon and assassin who’d risk everything for the team.
This ranks as one of the best episodes in the past two seasons. The action was great and the climatic speech by Finch in the police station Emmy worthy. I warmed to Root overtime but feel she was too much of the story the past couple of years especially after the departure of Taraji Henson who should have won more recognition for her part in helping to carry the show and solidify an audience. Acker did a bang up job with the role. POI is certainly one of the best tv dramas in the past decade and will probably kill it in syndication and streaming.
Great episode. The scene with roots foot on the wheel while firing the “big gun” was great, as was her asking for said gun and a hair thingy was great. It was a cool nod to the fact shes still a woman while kicking ass. What a great character. Amy acker is so great and cute as hell.
I wish they hadnt killed her though. Maybe a coma or something and fusco then has to protect “cocoa puffs” at the hospital. But i trust the show… Maybe shaw dies too and they end up numbers together in the machine or some weird thing like that.
Thanks for the interview tvline.
Ah…it wouldn’t be numbers together, but maybe taking up residence in the right and left sides of The Machine’s brain…cool.
I’m thrilled because I thought there was only one episode left (for some odd reason) so more episodes to watch. I’m sad Root didn’t end the series alive, but I’m happy she saved Finch. I’m really sad she and Shaw aren’t together anymore, though I do expect when Shaw hears Root has died, she’s going to go ballistic on Samaritan’s ass because she’ll feel she has nothing to live for and figures maybe she’ll join Root as a Machine “shape”. Maybe she’ll become the Root-voiced Machine’s new best friend. Crap. Only 3 episodes left. What a bummer. Damn you corporate executives and this corporate-run world.
Major props to Amy, your performance of Root was brilliant from the start. Root became my favorite character over the years, and Amy is the biggest reason for that.
Actually, Shaw did hear about Root’s death, John gave her the nod, and she knew. It was easy to miss because she didn’t give a *bleep*, but she is aware.
I actually really liked shaws reaction, because it was so in character for her to just compartmentalise and get on with the mission….though as im typing im remembering her reaction to joss dying…hmm
When Elias was killed, I had hoped that Root would not be the next to go but the episode raised the issue of Harold releasing the machine from its inhibitions if Samaritan is to lose. It was going to take some major action for Harold to change his mind which meant that someone else had to die. Nothing else was going to effect Harold to do what he had to do. The story was consistent.
Another great character portrayed by Amy Acker is dead. What else is new? I’m so sick of seeing her characters die. I don’t want to live on this planet anymore.
Tell me can Amy Acker finally get herself a decent leading role somewhere? But on one condition: her character should stay alive at least until the end of the show.
Technically Illyria lived until past the finale of Angel so…
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But I agree, she needs her own show. ASAP.
I know it’s popular to hate on Joss Whedon but..
Fred died but she wasn’t alone that day. It gave as a new great character portrayed by Acker. Also, originally her death was temporarily and she’s alive now in the comics.
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Claire Saunders wasn’t actually real and Whiskey wasn’t much alive to begin with. it’s not an excuse for killing off a character, but still the death of this type of character is easier to devour.
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Root died because it was planned. Root died alone to become the voice of the machine and the dark passenger for the rest of the characters. It’s just as wrong as Carter’s death.
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I despise Nolan, I really do.
My sole hope is that Samaritan’s goons capture Harold and they put a chip in him. That’s what he deserves for sitting back and letting Samaritan come on line.
I’m not a member of the LGBT, etc. community, but I strive to understand the pov of others. I believe I get some of their pov. While I agree with those, including the show creator /showrunner that this death had meaning and purpose, and made since in the larger context of the show’ s plot, I can still understand why it stings. When you are grossly underrepresented (or largely misrepresented) in mainstream popular mediums like tv, the few instances where this is not the case carry so much more weight and value. This is why it’s always a big deal. I think people complaining about minorities of any kind vocalizing their concerns would better understand (and perhaps be more sensitive to) those hurt feelings If the shoe were on the other foot. As a white straight male, I never have to (and do not) think about the demise of white male characters because we are everywhere most of the time, with rare exception. Most shows are lead by white male actors (as are most movies). Having said this, I am not advocating that actors be intentionally picked because of there minority status, but I often feel like there are more very good minority actors than there are opportunities for them. So yeah, I understand. If most movies and shows were 89% majority all minority dominated and we only saw a handful of white males on tv who were accurately and meaningfully protrayed, then I would be upset to when the few that did exist were killed off so frequently and easily. You cannot tell someone from an affected community how they should feel about the demise of a character that symbolized some form of representation. As I said, I don’t believe Root fits into a trope, but I can respect why LGBT members may disagree and why they are hurt and frustrated.
Love this show! It’s Practically the only quality show on television at the moment. Why can’t it continue on Netflix?
With the exception of Longmire and previously the final season of The Killing, they are supposedly more interested in “original” content at this point, rather than saving shows and adding more seasons.
In a sense what Root was saying came true. She lives on in The Machine and finally gave her a voice. That seems appropriate. I am going to miss the show and entire cast.
+200 TVLine Power User points (no cash value)
Yes but all this “died to become a God” thing is getting old and doesn’t make me feel any better. I’m still not over Fred’s death and now Root is gone.
I am trying to be sensitive here but it may not come across that way. I honestly mean no offense. But I have something to say.
RE the LGBT “deaths” complaint. As it is pointed out, these are fictional characters. Characters die off shows all the time for hosts of reasons. To my knowledge none of the deaths have been portrayed as them being killed BECAUSE they were gay. I think in these shows, whether the character had been gay or straight, they would’ve met the same end because that is simply the direction the show chose to go with the character.
How about directing that outrage in terms of ISIS who are literally killing people IRL simply because they ARE LGBT. Burning them to death, beheading them, tossing them off buildings. That is the true horror.
can’t believe this show is ending…it’s one of the best on TV
i completely agree and i couldnt sleep at all last night either ugh the crying im really starting to hate tv as a whole this always happens and yeah they do deserve better root was my all time fav character but after episode 5 aired i rly started to have a bad feeling about root dying some part of me is wishing and hoping beyond all logic that in some sick weird twisted way this is all still a simulation i kinda felt there so called actual reunion wasnt as epic and felt as it should have been in some ways 6741 felt more real to me then the stuff thats happened after that episode still after all thats went on none of this makes it hurt any less poor shaw and the way she took the news she barely even batted an eye i mean what the hell was that after all this time and what they went through cmon there should be more emotion there i do feel this is a slap in the face for LGBT community but ultimately i dont want to point fingers although i am not in any way satisfied with how this ending is going and i feel that even though CBS has given up on POI it doesnt mean that another network or even platform like Netflix still couldnt pick this up they just have to smart about it in all honesty i would keep it going and theres so many ways you could bring back root in a sense like what about the idea of maybe her implant somehow being able to re kickstart all her vital organs soon after she died to act as a chip that kinda gives u fail safe or back up hard drive so to speak to reboot root or imo as i stated b4 this could all very well be made into another simulation but as one of the machines simulations not samaritians maybe this could be what happens to the team as a whole if they didnt choose to open the machine at the right moment or even letting samaritian come online theres so many ways u could go with this if the show was cancelled ultimately because of budget issues fine so be it but uk theres ways to change that as well film in a less exspensive areas maybe not pay out as much to the cast although in this situation i feel all these actors deserve every penny they made out of this because they are just that stinking good! maybe changing up your filming equipment as well please just please either someone bring this show back because imo this story is far from over yet or just do a reboot with the original cast if possible but highly unlikely because of their ages now
This cast is tremendous every show. It is so well done and it is a real shame to see it end. I never missed one single show and reruns. God Bless these folks they are fantastic every single week. God Bless them all
Damn. I did not see Root’s death coming. I feared it, but hoped not.
I feel numb.