On episode six of "Person of Interest," Shaw (Sarah Shahi) was brought back to her past in the form of a young POI who evoked memories of her troubled childhood. But at episode's end, she was roused from her reflection when Root (Amy Acker) pulled out a stun gun.
On the latest episode, "The Perfect Mark," Shaw had more of a low-key role in focusing in on a con-artist hypnotherapist who scams his patients and steals their money.
Shaw's backstory is slowing being revealed bit by bit. Sarah Shahi gave hints to TVLine about Shaw's private life and discussed her love/hate relationship with Root.
Although the producers have begun to hint at Shaw's backstory, Shahi said that they do not want to reveal her personal story too quickly. "We have such a rich, dynamic character with backstories that we're just barely touching upon, you definitely don't want to give in too much. I think we've established a bit of charm and her sarcasm and her "balls," the way she goes about things," she explained. "But I don't want to push too hard or too much with her because I feel like it would be false."
Shahi also said that one of her favorite moments was racking the shotgun, "Terminator-style." She also thinks that her character is having lots of meaningless sex, at least a couple times a week.
"I feel like she's got a good ["liaison"] or two lined up. Again, she's so emotionally detached, everything is so suppressed for her, that I think she's very much like a repressed male," she said.
Shahi further said that sex isn't the only form of release for Shaw, and that she uses "knives" and "cutting," because she lacks the "ability to feel."
"It's somewhat of a disease, and I feel like part of the reason why she wants to go on these insane missions and why she joined with the group as opposed to just going off on her own is she wants to tempt fate. Because possibly in those moments right before death she might feel something, something might get unlocked within her," she explained.
As for Shaw and Root, she says there is a very "love/hate" relationship between the two characters.
"I think Shaw loves her on one hand, because she knows it's going to be a challenge and she knows that they're both going to go down trying," she shared. "Then on the other hand, she wouldn't piss on her if she were on fire. She would just sit there and watch her burn."
She said that even though Shaw is a "lone wolf," she is also a "soldier," and will carry out a mission, no matter what.
Shahi also praised the producers of the show for portraying women the way women want to be portrayed.
"On the whole, these writers really do write women well - they give women a voice other than "the secretary," "the girlfriend." I feel so blessed to work with such a team of people that really recognize women and their strengths and are not afraid to make them smart badasses and allow them to be feminine at the same time," she said.
The next episode, "Endgame," will kick off a three-episode event. The 30-second promo suggests a major plot twist focusing on Fusco (Kevin Chapman).
Executive producers Jonah Nolan and Greg Plagemen teased, "We promised our actors and our audience that these characters wouldn't be static, stuck in an endless loop - that they would have a journey. And, of course, every journey comes to an end."
Watch the promo for "Endgame," which airs Nov. 12 at 10 p.m. on CBS.
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