Root

She didn't just hack the system; she became its soul.

Root (Amy Acker) is a character in the American television drama series Person of Interest. In the episode "/" (the 17th episode of the third season), she is shown completing tasks for the Machine, including hijacking a prison bus to release an inmate named Billy Parsons. She later locates a janitor, Cyrus Wells, in New York, following the Machine's instructions. Root confesses to Harold Finch that she was responsible for the deaths of Cyrus's college friends, justifying her actions by stating that if Samaritan is activated, the whole team (including herself) will die. At the episode's end, she declines Finch's offer to work together to stop Samaritan, leaving for an unspecified location instead.

Quick Facts

Affiliation: The Machine (Later)

Lore & Background

In the episode "/", Root's actions are directly guided by the Machine. She hijacks a prison bus in Champaign, Illinois, to release inmate Billy Parsons, giving him a fake ID to infiltrate a government building. She then travels to New York to locate a janitor, Cyrus Wells, who is the team's new number. Root and Cyrus go to his apartment to pack, but Vigilance hitmen, led by Collier, arrive.

Reese and Shaw hold off Vigilance, but Root and Cyrus escape. Root later has Cyrus arrested for his protection, then uses a fake federal warrant to release him. Cyrus confesses that he and his college friends founded a firm, but a shooter killed his friends. Root later meets with Finch and shows him a note she retrieved in Illinois; they deduce Cyrus has access to a company named Maxwell Limited, which houses an advanced supercomputing chip that could activate Samaritan.

Root confesses to Finch that she is responsible for the deaths of Cyrus's college friends, excusing her actions by stating that if Samaritan is activated, the whole team will die. At the end of the episode, Root declines Finch's offer to work together, leaving for an unspecified location.

Reader's Guide

In the episode "/", Root is portrayed as a character who follows the Machine's instructions without question, even when those instructions involve morally ambiguous actions like hijacking a prison bus and releasing an inmate. She demonstrates a willingness to manipulate others, such as giving Billy Parsons a fake ID and later using a fake federal warrant to release Cyrus from custody. Root's relationship with Finch is tense; she refuses his request to step aside and instead warns him about Samaritan. Her confession about causing the deaths of Cyrus's college friends reveals a darker side to her character, but she justifies it as necessary to prevent Samaritan's activation. The episode ends with Root choosing to leave for Paraguay rather than join Finch's team, indicating her independent nature and her continued devotion to the Machine's agenda.

Did You Know?

Root forces a doctor to fix her left ear with a device after arriving at Maxwell Limited.
The episode "/" is the 17th episode of the third season of Person of Interest and aired on March 18, 2014.