Rule 5 Saturday - Women of Interest

Today's Rule 5 special celebrates the women of "Person of Interest", the CBS TV series which postulates a self aware intelligent surveillance computer, capable of reading all communication and surveillance cameras, at least in Manhattan, and predicting the future, used by the government for the usual nefarious things that governments use surveillance for, but, in secret, being used by a small group of vigilantes led by the machine's designer Herald Finch (Michael Emerson) and ex-government assassin John Reese (Jim Caviezel), who use it's predictions, given in the form of cryptic numbers to save innocent, or in some cases, not so innocent people. Three of these are women.

Root (Amy Acker): a highly intelligent computer hacker and contract killer with a keen interest in both Finch and the Machine. Her real name is Samantha "Sam" Groves. The Machine identifies Root as its "analog interface" and uses her as its agent for missions of unknown purposes, as well as an intermediary between itself and individuals with whom it wishes to communicate.

Sameen Shaw (Sarah Shahi): a government assassin who worked for Special Counsel, unknowingly dealing with the "relevant" numbers from the Machine. She is now an ally of Reese and Finch. She has a self-identified personality disorder, and enjoys shooting the bad guys. She states that she is only helping Finch and Reese because of their dog, Bear.

Detective Jocelyn "Joss" Carter (Taraji P. Henson): an NYPD homicide detective and the mother of a teenaged son, Taylor. Carter is a former U.S. Army interrogation officer who passed the bar exam in 2004, but gave up practicing the law to return to police work. Carter first crosses paths with Reese following his encounter with a group of young men on a New York subway, but knew him principally as a mysterious man in a suit. Carter is initially determined to apprehend Reese, but eventually forms an alliance with him and Finch (during which she is unaware of the existence of the Machine). 

Joss was killed off in a heart rending scene at the end of season 3.

In the 164th issue of his blogging magazine GOODSTUFF considers, among other things, the generous assets of Claudia Cardinale, the Italian bombshell who may have invented the wet T-shirt contest. Linked at Blackmailers Don't Shoot in "#ShirtGate Rule 5: Chicks in Space!" Wombat-socho chose to hold Rule Five Sunday on Monday this week.