Pressing Person of Interest Questions We Still Have After the Series Finale

[Warning: spoilers about Person of Interest's series finale ahead. Proceed with caution if you haven't watched!]

Person of Interest said farewell with a tremendously emotional finale that put a bow on several storylines. John Reese (Jim Caviezel) sacrificed himself for his friend Harold Finch (Michael Emerson), the Machine defeated Samaritan and survived, and Shaw (Sarah Shahi) will have to clean up Bear's poop.

But because Person of Interest had a shortened final season and because some plots were left open-ended, we still have a few lingering questions. Let's get to 'em.

What's going to happen to Fusco?
The last time Detective Lionel Fusco (Kevin Chapman) saw his coworkers at the police department, they had guns pointed at his head. Was the whole precinct rotten because of Samaritan's deep pockets? And with Samaritan now out of the picture, can the NYPD rebuild with a guy like Fusco at the top? I'm hoping Fusco is part of the new uncorrupted police force and that he's recognized for his heroism... provided he can stay away from the temptations of his bad past.

Will the Machine continue to sort through relevant and irrelevant numbers to keep people safe?
We saw the Machine reboot itself back up, check out citizens' social security numbers and even give Shaw a ring on a public pay phone. But just because it's online, does it mean it will go back to doing Finch's work? And without an admin and troops on the ground, how will it come to the aid of people in trouble other than opening elevator doors for them and setting their home thermostats? This is the ultimate question that viewers can fill in their own blank as an answer, but I like to think that it continues to watch over people in a more understated role. A new team could be involved, but for now, I'm guessing the Machine works alone.

Will Finch ever know that the Machine survived?
Finch made it to Italy with his boo Grace (Carrie Preston) before he could ever know that the Machine started itself up again. Obviously all the Machine has to do is send a Snapchat to Finch's phone to let her daddy know she's alive, but I'm wondering if that's such a good idea. Finch has a chance at a normal life -- something that seemed impossible halfway through the series finale -- and that's the happiest ending the series provided. I doubt the Machine would want to ruin that, even though Finch and the Machine have a father-daughter relationship. But maybe down the line they could reunite after Finch has gotten a taste of the good life.

WHYYYYY? Why did Reese have to die?
No one wanted John Reese to die (except for a small portion of the fanatical pro-Root fandom), but his death made the most sense. Reese was only alive because Finch saved him, and when Reese had nothing to look forward to or fall back on, Finch gave him a purpose. That was the general theme of the finale: to find purpose in your life. Having accomplished that purpose by helping people, Reese felt his work was done and paid his good friend back with the ultimate sacrifice. He gave his life so that Finch could have his, and continue it with Grace. And did you see that little smile from Reese as Finch made it off the rooftop? That was a man who was pleased with his decision.

What will Shaw do?

Root's (Amy Acker) dead and Shaw's job with the Machine is done, so what's left for her? At least she has Bear! However, the Machine already contacted Shaw once since returning from space, could the Machine use Shaw as its new analog interface, replacing Root?

What happened to Control? What happened to Zoe? What happened to [insert character name here]?
Well, we'll have to figure that out for ourselves. Due to actors' schedules and the reduced episode count, the producers opted to focus on the open storylines that were central to the series rather than diving back into previous characters, which was the right decision to give us such a tight and meaningful finale. Use that imagination of yours and write some fanfic!

What did the Machine say to Shaw on the pay phone at the end of the series finale?
Another great mystery for us to chew on! In all likelihood, she said something to the effect of, "Hey sweetie, I'm still here." But the meaning behind it keeps the door open -- either for more Person of Interest or for us to dream -- which is a much better way to let the show live on, even if it is only theoretical.

Which brings us to... Will there ever be more Person of Interest, either as a spin-off or a continuation of the series?
This is just my guess, but I'm going with no. With Warner Bros. behind the series, CBS decided to cancel Person of Interest because the profit sharing didn't benefit the network enough. (In contrast, Elementary had similar ratings to Person of Interest but because it was a CBS Studios production, it made the company plenty of money.) That type of deal would stay in place if Person of Interest went elsewhere, meaning it would be hard to find takers willing to take on that risk. And with one of the main stars dead in the finale and Root gone a few episodes before, it doesn't seem likely that Person of Interest would live on as a continuation. The only real options here would be to rebuild the team or focus on one of the other teams in another city, like the one introduced in "Synecdoche."

What lingering Person of Interest questions do you have?

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