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

Scorpion continues to surprise. Smart, funny, emotional and griping from end-to-end, the EQ of this show is high!

Scorpion — Just an FYI, if you’re not watching Scorpion, you’re doing Monday nights wrong. Case and point, this week when team Scorpion discovers that the Governor’s daughter is incredibly ill with a deadly virus targeted solely to her—everyone’s past or worst fears rush in to haunt them. For lack of a better term, she’s been biohacked. In the effort to save her, emotions and tensions run high as Walter pushes everyone to the extreme in order to track down who is responsible and save her life.

RELATED | Scorpion Review: 1×01 “Pilot”

A computer virus on his daughter’s computer taunts Governor Paul Lane (Joel Gretsch), telling him that her sickness is his fault. It becomes clear that both the computer and his little girl have been “hacked” in order to exact a painful revenge. None of the group seems smacked by reality harder than Walter. Seeing this sick little girl is a painful reminder of his sister’s childhood diagnoses with MS. Patience, when confronted with things he can’t solve, doesn’t seem to be Walter’s strength. And the words “no solution” are just not part of his vocabulary.

Feeling the same helplessness of his childhood, Walter drives everyone to take incredible risks in order to find a cure in time. Can they learn to trust each other enough to find a solution without being ripped apart by the demons that haunt them? Not everyone will face down their pasts and come out of this without new scars. With the clock ticking and a little girl’s life in the balance, there’s a ton to sink our teeth into so let’s dive into this week’s episode!

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Revenge is a petri dish best served with a cold

Kudos to writer David Foster for paralleling the current crisis and problem to solve with one that forced every one of our team members to face their fears or their past. Most weren’t as dramatic and so clearly linked as Walter’s sister and the MS she battled, but everyone had pieces of themselves they’d rather not share exposed in ways that either made them stronger or pushed them further down a spiral.

Gabel brought an edge to this episode that made us wonder if there were ghosts from his own past that inspired him. This push seemed to lead to the team making some logical, yet risky plot jumps. Did anyone else cringe when Walter unzipped the girls quarantine tent? We certainly did. Yes, we all knew that the girl had likely been targeted because her computer had been too, but that seemed an unnecessary risk just for the sake of the dramatic moment. What if Walter had been wrong?

Walter’s shell and protective reactions all had a tension—one that was visible in Gabel’s eyes throughout. When the team finally tracks down the source of the computer virus, Walter shows just how on edge he is when he tackles the identified hacker making a run for it.

“When does Walter ever get physical?” ~ Paige

“Never..” ~ Sylvester

Learning that there are other victims raises the stakes. The team seems to hone in on the Governor’s previous SMA drug testing as the source of the frustrated and vengeful threats despite having no information shared by his former employer to make that connection. That zipped us forward a bit more quickly than feels natural, but the greater plot sometimes skips a few details so this leap was only slightly noticeable.

Despite some plot jumps that were a tad jarring, the brilliant stroke of this episode was how the emotional core touched almost everyone’s past in a way that could either inspire each to grow or fade. They may eventually find that it’s only each other they can trust. They aren’t yet in a place where those deep trusting bonds are solid, but this weeks’s story made small steps in that direction for everyone. The question would be who had the courage to move forward and who might fall further back.

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When faced with great risk, sometimes poly-cotton blend is enough

All of our team members seem to have a past that is clouded, difficult and mired with emotional hurdles. As we got to see this team fleshed out more on screen everyone had their moments of growth. The writing team has been smart to maintain an emotional balance with action and tension in the first two episodes. We need to believe in theses characters to learn to love them for who they are.

Most of our teams’ emotional cores weren’t happy memories or good places. Would any of us know how we would feel if we could remember our father trying desperately to give us away at the age of two? Most of us don’t have many memories that early. Much less crystal clear ones that hurt every time you close your eyes. Jadyn Wong brought that moment out clearly. Happy had been rather one dimensional up to that point, but seeing a glimpse of her past brought more depth.

“Tools don’t let you down, only people do.” ~ Happy

Despite their emotional struggles, when the team can’t get the files of the SMA trials from the Governor’s former employer in time, Walter has them make a desperate attempt to retrieve them—by breaking Sylvester in and letting his photographic memory “scan” the documents and then walk out clean. In a slick moment of inspirational Two-for-One lunch inspired trickery, they hack their way past security, fake an ID and then slip Sylvester in (despite his vehement protests to the plan) while Toby and Happy distract the person Sylvester is impersonating.

After memorizing the files and with security breathing down on him, Sylvester finds himself in a germophobe’s worst nightmare—a biohazard lab. Yes, we were freaking out with him too!

“I am in a dirty room Walter!” ~ Sylvester

With only seconds to push through, it’s Paige that encourages him by getting him to focus. In a genius moment of humor for us and genuine panic for him, she finds the mechanism in him to get him to use his poly-cotton blend as a barrier for the door handle and to flee his way to freedom. More and more Paige is becoming the emotional fulcrum of this group and McPhee is owning that role. As the person we all identify with most, she often jumps in at the same moments we see things make us cringe. When someone needs a push in the right direction or steered away from a wrong one, she’s there.

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There is no greater loss and no greater joy than that of a child

Robert Patrick was probably one of a select few that could have played Cabe the way he needed to be portrayed. Known for humanizing tough-guy roles and even villains makes Patrick the perfect choice to bring to life a character that’s blunt and direct, but still possesses enough empathy to relate to the rest of the world. He seems to somewhat understand our Scorpion crew of isolated geniuses having worked with Walter and maybe even others like him in the past. Patrick brings a toughness and grit to Cabe, but at the same time relaxes and humanizes Cabe at just the right moments. An actor of his caliber was exactly what this leadership role needed.

In a moment that exposes his own vulnerability, it’s Cabe that finds the final connection in the search through the SMA files by understanding that there is no greater loss than that of a child. Someone that angry may be willing to do anything for revenge. The team then races to find microbiology professor Robert Richter (Erick Avari), who lost daughter after the SMA trials were abandoned. Pushing against the clock, they search Richter’s office and quickly send his files to have the CDC synthesize a cure.

Just when things seem safe, they discover Richter has a final victim in mind. He intends to kill Governor Lane in a face-to-face meeting. After a blur of tech wizardry to find the two by their phones (we don’t plan to ever cross the Scorpion team, we’d be toast by smartphone alone) they manage to save Lane just before he can be infected. Smart editing and music add tremendous tension to the frantic moments leading up to saving the Governor, but in just the same manner, the hopeful theme song of this show brings us down to an emotional calm. Composers Bryan Tyler and Tony Morales have outdone themselves with Scorpions’s music. That’s not surprising given that Tyler has penned music for some of the biggest blockbusters (including The Fast and Furious and Marvel franchises) in the last two decades.

In the quiet after the action, it’s Cabe that brings us full circle.

“Some things you just can’t fix. You just have to live with them.” ~ Cabe

In an emotional moment with Richter we finally learn that Cabe knows all to well what it means to lose a daughter. Guest star Erick Avari was believable as Richter. We’d have loved to see his character have more depth, but this was Robert Patrick’s scene in which to shine. Showing us he can deliver the emotional depth of a father that has lost everything, we don’t forget that he’s also the leader of this team.

As the group celebrates and leans on each other for support we see both Walter and Cabe with second chances at connecting with each other through Ralph. In time, Ralph may be the one thing that pulls all these characters together. After all, he may well be the future of Team Scorpion.

FINAL VERDICT: Despite a few small flaws, the second episode did exactly what we needed to stay hooked. Pacing, action and tension were all balanced with emotional depth.

As we got to see this team fleshed out more on screen everyone had their moments of growth. Writer David Foster was smart to maintain the emotional balance with that of the first episode. We need to believe in these characters to learn to love them for who they are and good writing is helping us do that.

Director Bobby Roth made the most of every quiet moment and pulled together the tense drama-driven scenes equally well. This show appears to be a good balance of action, drama and emotional moments. Plus, great editing by Anthony Miller and music by Tyler and Morales make this show far more than it would be without them. As they speed up, so does your heart rate and when things subside, the editing and music bring you back down. You know something is seeping into your subconscious if you find yourself humming the theme song at random times later.

The chemistry between Gabel and McPhee is obvious and brewing. Actors often shine the brightest when they play well off of each other and these two seem to be finding that zone. Whether this relationship will ever be more than the work related one we see isn’t known, but there’s a tenderness they both displayed toward each other that was easily felt and real.

“Hey, I shouldn’t have yelled earlier. You’re the bravest person I ever met. That girl would have died today without for you.” ~ Walter

“Without .. us.” ~ Sylvester

Seeing Walter encourage Ralph and maybe most especially praising Sylvester in both the first episodes are moments of growth. Not every problem CAN be solved quickly and easily. Some take the long road. He sees himself as the person that becomes for them what his sister was for him growing up. The difficulty might be in stretching himself to do more than causally check on Toby and Happy. Toby seems especially vulnerable given his gambling habits and how he pulled away from the team at the end. We think that’s going to come to light sooner rather than later. Both are more vulnerable than they let on and their tough exterior or humor act as deflectors to how they genuinely feel.

We love the way the writing team, and this week Foster in particular, has paralleled the main story with personal ones. In facing the demons of their past, Sylvester, Walter and Cabe may have farther to go, but Toby and Happy may have farther to fall. All the actors portraying these traits did so in ways that were both entertaining and endearing. The Scorpion cast, crew and team are doing what we need, and we’re learning to love these characters for who they really are at heart.

Questions, Comments, Concerns, Reactions…

• I’m liking the way they parallel personal and episodic situations. #TeamScorpion
• This is a medical problem. Why am I here?
  Blrrrp. Stopped by Paige. Nice emotional “save” Paige. #TeamScorpion
• Hacking and then biohacking. This scares the crap out of me. Every problem has a solution—I hope Walter and team find it fast. #TeamScorpion
• Walter’s reaction to the girl was strong.
  “She reminded me of a problem I couldn’t solve.” #TeamScorpion
• Well, if the source won’t tell, let he letter left into the open do the talking, Paige. #TeamScorpion
• Since when did does Walter get physical? Never Except when you seriously piss him off and remind him how helpless he can be. #TeamScorpion
• We’re breaking in.. (Freaks everyone out)
  I like Walter. There are few obstacles to solving a problem he won’t try. #TeamScorpion
• The @scorpionwriters make it very hard to live tweet their show. I don’t want to miss anything! #TeamScorpion
• That’s a really good deal.
  Ha! Thinking with his stomach. I’m liking Toby. A lot. #TeamScorpion
• Spending your life scared to connect to anyone is no way to live. No it’s not. Even harder if you’re a genius. #TeamScorpion
• I think the words “I don’t want you to panic” don’t help Sylvester at all. #TeamScorpion
• All of our geniuses are being fleshed out—all have flaws. I love the way these characters are being molded. @ScorpionWriters #TeamScorpion
• Maybe I should call campus security? Feel free, but my badge is bigger. Ha!! @robertpatrickT2 #TeamScorpion
• Damn this show is intense!!! @ScorpionWriters .. kudos, you have a freakin hit on your hands. KEEP going. Please!! #TeamScorpion
• Some things you just can’t fix. You just have to live with them. Damn. That was heavy @robertpatrickT2. #TeamScorpion
• “Without us..” ~ Sylvester This team may heal the wounds that have haunted them all their lives. #TeamScorpion
• Cabe: Having a family can be a bad thing. Makes you vulnerable. Walter: I know. Cabe: It can also be a good thing. Walter: I know. (with a smile :)) I LOVE this show. #TeamScorpion