CBS’s Scorpion has great potential. It’s struggled a bit to find it’s identity. We’re watching, but cautiously and with a critical eye.

The Show: Scorpion

The Network: CBS

The Genre: Drama

The Challenge: Give a show four episodes with which to draw you in, impress you, challenge you, make you feel something deeply. Four episodes for the chance to find out if you care what happens to the characters you’re watching enough to become invested in the story. If after all that, it does none of those things for you? Then no biggie. You gave it a good shot and you can move on. But if you love it, you’ll be glad you stuck around.

The Premise: Welcome to Scorpion. Based on the real life of Executive Producer Walter O’ Brien, an information technology genius played by Elyes Gabel, Team Scorpion is a small group of super geniuses recruited by the U.S. Government to help solve some of the world’s most complex problems. Walter is himself, a genius, with the fourth highest recorded I.Q. at 197. Einstein’s was 160. Walter trains his team to act as the last line of defense from worldwide threats that no one else can handle. Agent Cabe Gallo (Robert Patrick) is their government handler with whom Walter has a tenuous history. Toby Curtis (Eddie Kaye Thomas) is a world-class, Harvard-trained behaviorist. Happy Quinn (Jadyn Wong) is a mechanical prodigy. Sylvester Dodd (Ari Stidham) is a human calculator and Paige Dineen (Katharine McPhee) is very normal. Her job is to translate the world to this team of geniuses who’s people skills are less than stellar and in turn, they will help her connect with her genius son Ralph (Riley B. Smith).

#1: Can we care about these characters?

While the character of Walter had moments to show growth away from his lack of empathy, the rest of the cast struggled a bit to build that same momentum. They were distinguishable and unique, but lacked depth early on. We got glimpses of depth from Paige and Cabe that were touching, but there just wasn’t time to build that same connection with the rest of the cast at the breakneck speed in which the show moved. A heartwarming connection between Walter and Ralph and a painful realization from Cabe did give us hope that although you can’t fit all those tender moments into one episode, as long as there are genuinely relatable and gratifying moments ahead this show could succeed in getting us to care for everyone.

RELATED | Scorpion Review: 1×01 “Pilot”

#2: What happens when the break-neck pace slows down?

The pilot, directed by Justin Lin, of Fast and Furious fame, was definitely a thrill ride and the subsequent two episodes pitted our team in a race against the clock that maintained that thrill. The mix of breathtaking action, tension and emotional growth kept us on the edge of our seats throughout the first three episodes. By the end of each, we all had our collective breath taken away. The question of course is, can Scorpion entertain us when there are not only seconds to spare or 200 mph network connections. The jury is still out, but we’ve seen enough good character touches to believe there is the possibility for much more from this cast and this show than simply a thrill a second. The writing team has been smart when they are able to parallel personal character moments with the “crisis of the week” episodic arcs. Those touches have helped us identify with characters in a relatable way. Small steps by Walter, Sylvester and Happy are starting to round out the rest of the cast and build a feeling that we can understand these characters beyond the tense, high-octane moments.

RELATED | Scorpion Review: Episode 1×02 “Single Point of Failure”

#3: There is no “i” in team

Within the first few episodes it became clear that a central theme of Scorpion was the idea that no “one” character would ever be the sole hero of an episode. Teamwork, trust and learning to rely on each other were becoming critical ingredients for individual characters that aren’t used to depending on anyone but themselves. Throughout every episode thus far, the most growth and character development came from each of these individuals pooling their talents to reach a solution greater than any of them could achieve on their own. In doing so, through the first three episodes especially, the series found a nice balance between action, drama and emotional drive that will keep us coming back week after week.

RELATED | Scorpion Review: Episode 1×03 “A Cyclone”

#4 Avoid gags and keep a good balance between humor and drama

While each of the first three episodes seemed to get better and better, the fourth took a step back. As the team stepped out on it’s own away from Cabe and home, it became clear that Robert Patrick was a huge factor in emotionally grounding this team and his absence was felt in this episode. A few too many gags for humor and plays on personality flaws felt like they should have been treated more seriously from the tone established already. Perhaps the reality is that this show isn’t quite ready to go on it’s own without Patrick just as the team wasn’t ready to step away from Cabe. We also missed Ralph in the fourth episode. Without him to provide moments of reflective growth for Walter we just didn’t have the same feel-good ending. Granted, not every story can use these same two characters as devices for depth, but there still needs to be moments where our characters grow and change. The change doesn’t even have to be positive, but to use the character flaws as gags made those flaws feel less real to us.

RELATED | Scorpion Review: Episode 1×04 “Shorthanded”

Final Verdict:

Team Scorpion, despite stepping back a bit in it’s fourth episode, has earned enough good faith from us to keep us watching. We may not watch it live every week, but it’s definitely secured valuable space on our DVR. If the team continues to grow and build upon the more serious treatment of their character flaws shown in the first three episodes, Scorpion could emerge as a break-away hit. All of these characters have flaws that give them potential for depth, but those flaws don’t need to be exploited for gags but rather moments of bonding, trust and growth. Despite their flaws, all of these characters have very likable traits as well. Keeping the right blend of those good and bad traits and using them for quality character building could lead to great success for Scorpion.

Show developer and Executive Producer, Nick Santora along with writers David Foster, Nicholas Wootton and Elizabeth Beall all did some good things to build character equity and make us care for this team. As long as they don’t take a radical turn and the fourth episode’s gags aren’t a regular device, they will continue to see people tune in and Scorpion will find a solid audience.

The ratings have been excellent and the fourth episode aside, this show has demonstrated tremendous potential for us to fall in love with this team. There is a wealth of great television to watch these days and if Scorpion can avoid episodes like the fourth and stay grounded to it’s dramatic pace and emotional maturity shown early on, it will can not only survive but eventually thrive. Time will tell, but in the mean time, we’re giving Scorpion the benefit of the doubt and continuing to watch. Be sure and look for our Season in Review at the close of the year for Scorpion!