Fans have been hyped for the return of the beloved CBS drama Scorpion. But after the season finale left off with an unsavory twist, it’s been difficult to maintain hope that the show will continue in a positive direction. The winter premiere of Scorpion had a promising premise: the team was forced to work with Toby’s nemesis, Quincy, as well as Toby’s ex-fiancé (now Quincy’s wife), Amy, and, minus Cabe and Paige, they all ended up being trapped in a post-apocalyptic bunker together. The simple plot seemed to have a lot of comedy and interpersonal drama packed into it, but it tragically fell flat.
One of the biggest disappointments in this episode was the lack of development between Toby and Quincy. Quincy’s decision to program Toby into an artificial intelligence system as a threat after so long was a red flag that there was an even greater level of immaturity between the two than we realized. And let’s be honest, Quincy is a spineless jerk, so in retrospect, that seems fitting. However, Toby has shown in the past that he knows when enough is enough. Yet in this episode, he was reduced to a few jokes about his ability to perform in the bedroom and an underwhelming amount of self-esteem issues. Instead of developing any sort of serious discussion, Toby and Quincy were locked into a pissing race that did absolutely nothing.
Seeing Happy jealous was no surprise, and it was all too relatable. We’ve all had moments where we got jealous of someone, and we’ve all had to deal with the repercussions of hastily making judgments about them. The bond that was formed between Happy and Amy was perhaps the best part of the episode. But, unfortunately, it seemed that Amy’s character was swept under the rug. Her introduction was rushed, her ability to effortlessly calm Toby down was never explained and we probably won’t see much more of her. Bringing her, and Quincy, into the plot felt peculiar and unnecessary. It left viewers with more questions than answers.
After having a dream about being married to Florence, it’s no wonder Walter was feeling awkward around her. His guilt and subsequent anxiety about being around Florence during the case was by far the most cohesive and believable arcs in the episode. And from a pure fangirl perspective, it was frustrating to see Florence’s reaction to Walter confessing about his dream. Was it just me or did Florence seem a little disappointed with Walter after he tried to play off the romantic scenario as something platonic? I thought Waige might be in the clear, but I’m not so sure anymore.
Finally, it seemed odd to me that Toby would recommend Walter confess about his dream to Florence – at least before talking to Paige. Toby may not be the best with emotions, but he’s a psychologist and he usually has a pretty decent understanding of how someone might react to something. So, why didn’t he factor in Paige’s reaction to the dream? Why was the team’s emotion specialist not even considered in the discussions about the relationship between her and Walter? This seemed like something that should have been priority but was glossed over instead.
“The Bunker Games” felt like a rushed and jumbled episode. With everything that was going on, it seemed like it could have been drawn out into a two-hour block, but even then there would have been no guarantee that the characters would have had time to develop all the plot. But, it looks like episode 14, “Lighthouse of the Rising Sun,” will have some great content for us tonight! Ralph is back in the garage, and this time he’s brought some friends. Let’s get pumped to see all of Walt’s Whiz Kids in action!
