January Talking Meme #9 - Harold-as-ghost ending headcanon

[grimorie]

For ghostmartyr

My headcanon for Harold at the end of season 5, is actually, Harold died and what Grace saw was Harold's ghost saying his final goodbye to Grace.

Harold was shot, around what, midnight? And then he made it to the roof of the building and it was already morning, I think that was a long time to be bleeding with a gunshot wound. I don't think he really made it out of that building alive, also due to Terra Incognita I fully believe ghosts are canon in Person of Interest. (Also, ghosts being canon in POI thrills me because it makes my Shaw can see dead people story canon!).

And he was wearing the same thing when we see Harold in Italy, and from what Sen. Garrison said it's been a few days, a week at the most and he's still wearing the same clothes.

Plus, it's neater in my head this way. A clean new start with Shaw at the helm and it felt right for Harold, who I always thought was going to die since he told John in Foe, season 1 and they were standing over Ulrich Kohl's grave. I thought what Harold said about already being dead sounded a lot like foreshadowing to me.

It also seemed fitting that Harold would show up as a ghost to Grace as a way of saying goodbye.

Comments

[netgirl_y2k]

Yeah, I think that Harold's dead too. I agree both that it's more narratively satisfying and in line with foreshadowing.

Actually, I'm going to lay this one in part at the feet of the studio. I think being pretty sure they were cancelled, but not having been told outright, meant they were slightly hedging their bets right up to the very end.

[grimorie]

Oh, I think so too! Especially after reading that when the network announced Person of Interest's season 5 schedule and no announcement about the show's future Nolan and Plageman thought enough was enough and immediately after sent a press release to IGN.

And it really does feel more narratively satisfying that Harold would die at the end, I've always thought that's how the show would end since season 1.

[aurumcalendula]

This makes me like the finale better and it really makes more narrative sense, especially considering the foreshadowing…

(not to mention, it makes him not contacting Sameen to let her know he's alive and/or say goodbye make more sense to me)

[grimorie]

It really does make more narrative sense especially given all the foreshadowing with everything Harold said about dying in season 1. Honestly, I thought of Harold and John as dead men walking already, more Harold than John tbh.

Harold had a survivor's guilt that never left, he had it so much that even though he could have had a way to get a procedure to take the pain away, he never took it.

Also, Harold was the Man who Destroyed the World. Given the compressed time frame in the series finale, they only showed us snippets but when he unleashed the virus he really did destroy the world for seven days, doing that kind of thing despite the outcome, he still did major damage to the world systems.

[rthstewart]

This is of course all your fault. I completely agree with you about Harold's end. I loved Machine Ghost Root being there for John. One other thought I had was that I'd love to see more of the B Team, Harper, Joey, and Logan. There were so many wonderful characters we never saw again, like Zoey and that little girl who was the spy and gave Shaw her grandfather's medal? There were others, like the hacker boys, too, And whatever happened to Samaritan's kid avatar? I didn't like that plot twist that went nowhere but in a future with the Machine, what would happen to him?

Anyhow, all wonderful head canon and wishing on stars!

[grimorie]

I accept the blame!

I didn't like that plot twist that went nowhere

*sigh* you and me both, and I feel like I can also pinpoint the episode when the writers changed course, and realized that they were not coming back, because the first half of season 5 felt different to the remaining season.

I really miss Zoe too, I hate that Paige Turco's schedule with The 100 conflicted with the filming with POI. :( Also, I wanted to see more of Gen too! (the little girl).

Oh man, now I want to know what happens to Gabriel too (Evil Samaritan kid), I wish I do have the energy to write an epic length story for post season 5 because its such a rich landscape to explore!