Great Women I

Carter  (copy from:Baidu)

Zoe (copy from: Weibo)

This week I would like to talk about the female characters in the Peron of Interest. POI is the most feminist TV show that I have ever watched before the Agent Carter came out few weeks ago. There are plenty of powerful and independent women characters in this show: Detective Carter, Shaw, Root and Zoe; they all are intelligent and outstanding women who represent the new roles of modern female.  

Never underestimate women’s capability is one thing I learn from this show. Female character can be ambitious, smart and crafty, but they are not tender girls who need to hide behind men. Clichés, bias or judgment about female’s traditional role is not depicted by the writers. Since feminism acts as a necessary element of this show, POI attracts a large number of feminist fans.

Shaw

Sameen Shaw is my favorite ever since she directly transfused a Russian mob’s blood into her body. Shaw is so bad-ass that I am thrilled every time when she shoot someone. She is just too AWESOME!!!

Shaw is a former government assassin who is supposed to be taken off by the government because she and her partner get involved in national secret; however, Hoard Finch and John Reese rescued her, after that she stayed with them and help them save other people.  She is a very unique person. Dark humor, smart, strong, anti-social and rude all can be used to describe her, but at the same time, these adjectives all fail to depict her. She does not feel emotion but she sacrifice herself for numerous people. She is irritable, however she is also very reliable that I feel like I would marry her and rely on her for the rest of my life. Anyway, Shaw’ contradictory personality is really appealing to me.

copy from: Zap2it

Also, the actress of Sameen Shaw – Sarah Shahi is not an eye candy who know few about acting, she has her own inner sight about acting. I am not going to give a whole speech on how she great is, because I love her so so much. She is like sunshine to me.

Besides Shaw, various great women characters can be seen in this show. They all have their unique personalities which the audiences can only love, but never dislike. The writers of this show contribute a lot for creating them. I truly appreciate them for valuing women.

Sarah Shahi (copy from: Mtime )

Sarah Shahi once said these on the Santiago Comic-Con:

            “In a world, unfortunately, where women are still treated as second class citizens in a lot of parts of the world, I think it’s so important and so commendable they [the writers] recognize that they [the writers] have responsibility to put women in the forefront; to say that these girls are nor secretaries, they’re not the finger-pointing girlfriends, but they are very capable, very individualistic strong women. They are not relying on the size of their chests to get what they want. And I just think that [it] is very important for women. Just as a woman, I’m proud and thank you [to the writers] for recognizing it.”

Root (copy from: Wikia)

Next week, I will continue to interpret these excellent female in POI, so stay tuned!                       

TO BE CONTINUED….

Are You Afraid of AI ?

Recently, a lot of celebrities from various aspects begin to discuss AI (Artificial Intelligence). Experts all seem to consider AI as a threat to human race. There is one article that everyone should read, http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-1.html.

 I, myself don’t have stance on whether AI is going to be good or bad for people. I have watched too many scientific fictions and movies that AI seems to be too fake to me.  Although most of the intelligent people believe that AI will appear in our life in the next thirty years, I tend to believe that they will not show up at all. I don’t really have evidences to support my perspective, I just truly hope that such unnatural invention will not show up in the world forever for good.  

painted by: euticphicl

AI is always the central topic of Peron of Interest. The writers created a world that a civilian surveillance machine is already watching people at everywhere. And this machine not only watch human, but also learn from human race. The machine has free will, so it actually is an Artificial Super Intelligence. But, In POI the machine is not a role that people be afraid of, because the person (Harold Finch) who designed the machine has the most correct moral code in the world. He designed this machine to detect acts of terror, and the machine only provides limited information and does not threaten the human being. On the contrary, Samaritan, the opponent of the machine, does anything to achieve its own purpose. Worst of all, Samaritan had a huge anti-human supporters to enforce its orders.

Using the word from of the article that I said everyone should read, if an AI is born in the world, it will develop in exponential increase. Once an Artificial Super Intelligence shows up in the real world, it will as powerful as a god and human being can never stop it from achieving its own code.

So, how can we prevent the creation of an anti-human superpower?

copy from:MotherJones

POI seems to give us some answers of this question. The scenarios of the old days all are apocalyptic and impressed in this show, when Harold Finch was still programming the machine. Finch taught the machine to care people and to be moral, and he actually did a great job on them. In the Season 4, when two AIs start to kill each other, the difference between a moral AI and an AI is clear to the audience. Although Harold still does not trust his own machine because he cares people too much that he is not willing to kill one politician even his team (in a sense they are also his friends or families) may get killed because of that jerk politician.

In conclusion, POI teaches us the ways to stop any AI from destroying human civilization :

1.       A.  We have to teach machines morality;

2.       B.   Multiply interests group have to program AI together, otherwise one group may design programs that only benefit itself then violets the rights’ of the majority;

3.      C.   Be prepared for this accelerated electronic world !

Start at Being Watched

This is my first blog, normally I should write something really attractive, but…while…I am not that good.

copy from: Download JET

Person of Interest (POI) is my recent favorite TV series. I am very enthusiastic about it right now. Such enthusiasm is something I would never expect before, because I used to despise this show.

To be honest, the first episode of POI is not really attractive, definitely not as good as the first episode of Empire. Maybe even half of the first season are not interesting to most of the audience, because I have a lot of friends who quit watching this show after they watched several episodes, including myself. Almost the first ten episodes follow an easy pattern: main characters save people who are going to be killed. Three years ago I watched POI, recommended by a bunch of people on Internet who were crazily talking about POI at every website. I watched four episodes of the first season, then I dropped it, transferred my interest to the Two Broke Girls and never thought I would watch POI again. I totally felt that such repeating boring crime stories of POI were not even as attracted as daily silly jokes happened in a cheap diner.  

copy from: zap2it

copy from: GIPHY

However, last winter break when I went back home, my best friend kept telling me stories in POI and stories about the actors and actresses in the show. I was attracted by those stories. At the moment, few weeks ago, just in time the show was playing the fiercest war between the Samaritan (a civilian surveillance machine manipulated by an evil organization called Decima Technologies) and our upright main characters on TVs. The story happened to develop to an intense moment and, again whole lot of people were posting stuffs about POI. I couldn't help myself to re-watch this show. Thereby, I started my long way of following the plays of two lovely gay couples (This’s not true lol) and a robust dog.

copy from: tv.com

I still feel that the beginning episodes of POI are not successful on drawing audience attention. Every time the director is presenting legends of the “Man in the Suit” in ways similar to superhero stories in comics. The character John Reese who is a ex-military and former CIA agent is nearly invincible. Recruited by a reclusive billionaire Harold Finch, Reese resumed his old job, but this time he only save lives instead of taking them. He shows up at vital moment when people need help. He is skillful in various weapons especially guys. Like most of the heroes, he also lost someone he love in the past. Scarifying himself for others, Reese is one of the gentlest persons in the world. This hero type of setting has been used by too much film or drama right now. Simply hero stories without extraordinary special effect are no longer appealing to most of the audience. Therefore, the story about the “Man in the Suit” cannot grab my attention at first.

copy from: OBSERVATION DECK

But when a powerful villain start to make noises in the show, my interest was suddenly raised. Carl Elias, one of the most popular bad guy in POI, put a bullet on Reese in S01E07; John had to let Elias free. This seventh episode is pretty interesting: a surprise changeover in the plot, the person Reese and Harold thought they were protecting turns to be the head of the most powerful gang in the future. Although it still seems to be cliches, and predictable (because the writer and the director really enjoy twisting the plot, the audience can basically tell that the nice guys in the beginning are usually the real perpetrators) this is the first time that “the bigger picture” of this show emerges and a kick-ass character finally beat our “the Man in the Suit”.

In spite the fact that almost three seasons of POI are composed by scattered stories on saving individual person of interest, until Samaritan replace the machine(a civilian surveillance machine built by Finch however has its own thoughts) and plan to erase everyone who is on Finch’s side, a lot of separate stories are elaborate and edifying. Especially each episode turns to be more compelling along with the scenario develops. More importantly, POI creates very successful characters who are beloved by the audience. Those captivating characters will keep the audience to watch this show towards the end. 

 

copy from: Wikia