Root and Shaw became an official âI choose only youâ couple at the end of 4.7 âHonor Among Thievesâ.
Do I believe they were hooking up before that? No, I do not. All you have to do is look at how Shaw behaves. Look at how she behaves AFTER âHonor Among Thievesâ. You can see that they have NOT been hooking up before.
This is the moment. After she turns down Tomas and says âthere are things I care about here.â
Root is delighted. She knows Shaw means her.
When she asks her, Shaw denies it because Shaw cannot name the thing. Root knows. Shaw knows.
Now letâs focus on how their behavior has changed after this moment.
Shaw letting Root spoon her in 4.9. The devil you know.
A major one. Shaw flirts with Root. Shaw has NEVER flirted with her before. This to me is the clearest one. She doesnât play with Rootâs feelings. This is a huge signal that their relationship has changed.
Also, Shaw says: âSamaritanâs goons can come blast US into the next dimension. â They are a unit.
This whole scene. Shaw speaks in relational language : âyouâre killing the mood.â Can you imagine Shaw saying that to anyone else?
Root calls Shaw âsweetieâ for the first time.
Root violates Shawâs autonomy despite her knowing Shaw HATES that. (Itâs the reason Shaw decked her last time, in 3.6 Mors Praematura. Which is how I read that they didnât hook up then. Shaw wouldnât sleep with her then deck her. Plus in 6741, Shaw says â I couldnât stand you when we first met.â Nothing in Shawâs behavior says âloverâ before 4.7. But I digress. )
Now on to 4.10. The Cold War. THE most domestic Root and Shaw episode.
Root openly watching Shaw eat đ. Shaw is unbothered. Shaw teases her, saying : â I wouldnât want anything to happenâŚ.to the dog.â
Root draping herself over Shaw. Root stealing Shawâs drink. Access has changed. Theyâre being playful.
This scene. Shaw openly panicking about Root going to see Samaritan alone. She packs half her weapons arsenal to go protect Root herself, despite her cover being blown.
A few scenes before she was talking about taking a vacation (Sameen âI donât do quietâ Shaw is talking about taking a vacay!) , imagining a future with Root. The way she speaks changes. She says things like âkiss and make up.â Relational language, again.
So okay. This is my thesis on why I think that was the turning point for my beloved Root and Shaw