grimorie | [January Meme] “If Shaw were to find out that Harold was still alive after s5, how would she react?“ (Reply)

for potcpoi

I think, of all the people in the team Shaw would have the least dramatic reaction to Harold being alive. Fusco would feel hurt but I don’t think Shaw would be. But I feel like she’d say something pointedly snarky about it.

After the initial bump in early season 3 episodes, I think Shaw and Harold actually work well together even though there are instances where they both frustrate each other. Shaw is always open to listen and debate and then offer up solutions. Admittedly, in early season 3, Shaw wasn’t very good at it but by season 4 Shaw learned how to argue her point in a way that would get Harold to listen and even agree with her, which is more than could be said with Root and Harold’s very interesting though more times than any, circular debates.

Case in point:

Shaw: So this guy likes to play games, huh? Well, so do I.

Harold: Need I remind you, I'm not a proponent of violence.

Shaw: We imply it. We may not have to use it.

Person of Interest 4x02, Nautilus

Then the next scene we see Harold’s first instance to playing a dark boss character in season 4.

The next instance was during Honor Among Thieves:

Harold: But if the relevant side is taking care of the virus, perhaps our work here is done. Now that Samaritan is providing the relevant numbers to the government, any encounter with those operatives could easily escalate into a run-in with Samaritan's agents. Why expose our operation to unnecessary risk?

Shaw: Because I know how the relevant side works, Finch. And I know Grice and Brooks. After they kill Marko and his men, they're gonna track down everyone involved in stealing the virus, and they're gonna kill them too. Tomas is trying to make this right. He may be a criminal, but he doesn't deserve to die. And isn't that what we're here for, to save his life?

John: She's got you there, Finch. Besides, the Soviets messed around with weaponizing Marburg. The Americans never did. Do you really want the relevant side to get their hands on that virus? Or let them turn it over to Samaritan?

Shaw: The only way to make sure those vials get destroyed is to do it ourselves.

Harold: Fine, we'll commit your felony.

Person of Interest 4x07 - Honor Among Thieves

Shaw seemed to have figured out one of the ways to get around Harold’s hard line stance is to fudge the line without going over it, or simply use his words against him. And I like that. I also like the points where Shaw is genuinely puzzled at Harold’s stance and proceeds to both challenge and then listen to his points.

If and when Shaw finds out about Harold, Shaw would be surprised but accepting. A lot happened to Shaw that one more thing won’t register in her weird meter anymore, but I have the feeling that Shaw’s not going to mince words either.

I have this strong image of Harold tending a garden, or a vineyard, looking up and finds Shaw looking at him. There’s a beat when they both process this, with Shaw probably thinking about having another talk with the Machine and her penchant for surprises.

And then Harold removing his hat and smiling, and inviting Shaw for a glass of wine. And then, I would like for Harold and Shaw to get that conversation they had in the simulation but with reactions that are more truer to Harold than Samaritan’s simulacra of Harold.

In the end, I don’t think Shaw would drag Harold back into the life he left, and while I loved their dynamic, they’re not close enough friends to keep in touch with each other. Other than a promise to Harold to keep all the AI madness, whatever it might be in the future, away from Harold and Grace.

Then, cribbing from lithiumdoll‘s Symbolic Constant they would end with: