Scorpion - Talismans - Review

Scorpion, “Talismans,” was written by Alex Katsnelson and directed by Sam Hill. Katsnelson has also written for The Tomorrow People, Golden Boy, and Chuck. It’s another action-packed episode, but we learn a lot about our characters. I also really liked how the title of the episode plays out in several story threads. Walter (Elyes Gabel) tells both Paige (Katharine McPhee) and his sister, Megan (Camille Guaty) that he thinks talismans are a just a sign of weakness, but between saying it to Paige and saying it to Megan, he’s learned they are really a sign of hope and faith. Gabel is doing a wonderful job showing Walter’s evolution – and he only has a small window of EQ to work with with this character which makes the subtlety of his performance even more important.

The episode begins with Walter bailing his sister out of jail. She’s trying to enjoy her life to the fullest before her MS becomes too severe, but Walter not only wants to protect her, he also refuses to accept the inevitability of her disease. He agrees to bring her to work with him to meet the team. Paige immediately realizes what a big move this is for Walter to open up to the team in this way. The team, of course, is as painfully awkward as you could possibly imagine. Paige, being the only normal one, is the first to greet her and then prompt the rest of them on the appropriate social etiquette.

After a call from Cabe (Robert Patrick), the team is whisked away to help with a highly classified military operation that takes them into the field in Bosnia. A military plane has been shot down and, the team is tasked with recovering the plane’s stealth technology. They have to work with a Navy Seals team, who are tasked with recovering the pilot, Javier (Ace Marrero) and who are none too happy to have to work with them. Jim (Jake McLaughlin), their leader, tells them that they will do exactly what he says. Walter is not happy about relinquishing any control and starts to get in his face, but Paige pulls him away and reminds him that the Seals are having to recover the body of a dead friend – this isn’t easy for them. They aren’t simply hostile and condescending as Walter says. She tells him to think “What would Paige say?” Do we have a new hashtag? #WWPS? Walter actually takes her advice – and it isn’t even as sarcastic as it has been in the past. He’s learning!

Paige asks to go on the mission. She tells Cabe that she’s part of the team and can help to smooth the waters – after all, she’s sometimes a cooler head than Cabe too! For his part, Cabe does recognize Paige’s value as the glue of the team. I really liked that Cabe also thinks to ask about Ralph (Riley B Smith). Sylvester (Ari Stidham) meanwhile wants nothing to do with going to Bosnia, so he makes the case with Walter that he’d be of more use at the garage where he’d have access to better resources to help the team. Walter clearly recognizes Sylvester’s fear and doesn’t call him on it. He just agrees that Sylvester should stay back and asks him to look out for Megan.

Paige is given her own mission by the pilot’s wife, Rosa (Christine Garver). She asks Paige to recover a necklace from her husband that is supposed to come to their son. She also asks Paige to place a picture of Rosa, Javier, and their son in Javier’s pocket for the return trip. When they eventually find the plane and it is completely incinerated, Paige is frantic that she can’t find the necklace. Walter tries to tell her it’s just jewelry, but of course it’s much more than that. It’s hope for the future as the memories associated with that necklace are passed from generation to generation. Ultimately, Paige is able to give the picture to Javier himself – and it’s soon replaced by the shot of the three hugging.

Megan discovers the talismans that Walter keeps in a box. She finds her own bracelet that she lost when she was twelve, but she also finds a poker chip and a motel key. The poker chip is a reminder of how Walter met Toby (Eddie Kaye Thomas). He met him in a poker room and managed to save him and pay off the debt Toby owed. The motel key is something that Sylvester initially doesn’t want to talk about. It was nice to see Stidham get to do more than comic relief in this episode. We learn that Sylvester ran away from home after hacking a bank and stealing $2400 because his parents didn’t know what to make of him. Once the money ran out and he had nowhere to go, Sylvester confesses to Megan that he was in a very dark place – we can only assume that he was contemplating suicide, though the implication seems clear. Then the bank’s forensic accountant tracked him down, and it was Walter who not only saved him – and cleared his debt by telling the bank the thief got away – but also befriended him. Stidham is also excellent in the final scene with Walter when he tells Walter that next time, bullets or not, he’s going to be with them in the field. All of our team members are learning and growing.

Sylvester really is a help to the team even from the safety of the garage. I loved him helping Cabe with the missing fanbelt. It’s a pretty well-known trick to use pantyhose, but Patrick was hilarious as he barked “Why the Hell would I have pantyhose?!?” I actually really liked that Luke (Kamal Jones) had a realistically packed go bag – complete with toilet paper! You never see people go in a show, so this was a pretty close second. Regardless, it was also hilarious to see Cabe braiding the toilet paper to make the makeshift fanbelt for the Charmin Express!

We actually learn a fair bit about Toby in this episode – and so does Happy (Jadyn Wong)! It was sweet in the plane that Happy fell asleep with her head on Toby’s shoulder. Naturally, the two are separated from the others during the initial firefight. I loved Cabe giving them the pep talk and then putting Happy in charge!

Toby does finally get Happy to let him try to stabilize her ankle. Both Thomas and Wong are terrific in this scene and their final scene in the episode as we finally see them both take down their walls – even if it’s just for a little bit. We learn that Toby didn’t become a “real” doctor because his mother was bi-polar and his father tried to look after her. He became a psychiatrist in order to help both of them. Toby breaks the moment with humor and Happy calls him on it, asking him why as soon as he becomes a bit human he has to become a wiseass. With uncharacteristic candor, he tells her it’s his defense mechanism, especially around her. He’s says stupid things so she won’t know how he really feels. He’s adorable stating how wonderful she is in this terrific little package! Happy is taken aback by his honesty and puts up her own defense mechanism, and Toby in turn calls her on it – “when things get real, I make wisecracks. You put on your armor.”

Of course, Thomas and Wong are also great at the comedy and the scenes with Igor (Michael Klesic) are classic – just like the classic American sitcoms he loves to watch – which is really convenient because it also predisposes him to love all Americans. Did you notice that in addition to The Facts of Life on the television, he also had a Charles in Charge and an A-Team poster? I also loved Cabe being absolutely right about putting Happy in charge. She easily grabs the gun and gets Igor to talk when things look like they’re going south. I loved the team finding them with Toby piggybacking her out to spare her ankle, and Happy declaring, “None of you saw this!”

The final scene between Happy and Toby is really satisfying as we see both of them let their defenses down again. Happy thanks Toby for taking good care of her in the field. Toby takes the chance and says that he could take better care of her… Happy with fondness and only a small amount of annoyance says, “You never give up…. Good.” At least we’ve got one pair close to making it official!

Those waiting for Walter and Paige to get together will have to wait at least a bit longer. Walter has some way to go to really be a good catch, but he really shows that he’s making progress in this episode. They are clearly concerned for each other and both tell the other to be careful and safe. We see that Paige is really good at interpreting the world for the team, but she’s also begun to appreciate the way they all work too. She tells Cabe that it doesn’t even seem odd to her anymore that Walter can focus on the job in the middle of what is essentially a war zone. What’s really interesting in this episode for me is the way Walter’s relationship with Jim changes during the course of it.

Walter and Jim clearly both have no time for the other to begin with. When they first realize that they are moving from an extraction mission to a rescue offensive, Walter is focused on retrieving the software, and Jim is offended that Walter isn’t putting Javier first. Walter shrugs it off, saying you know what I mean. When Walter is able to figure out what happened with the plane, Jim is finally impressed and tells Walter so. “You’re what Seals call a professor.” Walter grudgingly says he’ll take it as a compliment, and Jim tells him it is. Jim is completely won over, however, when Walter risks his own life to save his with the mine. Walter shrugs it off and says “you had a problem and I saw a solution.” Walter then returns the compliment, saying that Jim was pretty handy with the rocket launcher. Jim responds deadpan, “we had a problem, and I saw a solution.”

The fight scene with Jim using the pipe was excellent. I loved Walter telling Javier, “I’m the tech guy. I’m helping.” I also loved that he got them to stop beating Jim and then erased the harddrive! The best part may have been Walter setting the guy on fire though! We saw Jim playing with his own talisman – a coin – at the beginning of the episode on the plane. At the end of the episode, Jim presents Walter with a unit challenge coin for exemplary service on the mission. Not to be outdone again, Walter responds by giving Jim a code to beat his DVR!

The final scene between Walter and Megan is also terrific. She tells him to face the reality of her situation. It’s fine to have memories and to have hope, but you can’t live in the past and you can’t control or fix everything. Keeping memories locked in a box can’t prevent the future from happening. Walter not only accepts what Megan tells him, he clearly understands it and instead of taking her back to the hospital, he takes her to the beach to watch the sunrise.

I thought this was a really good episode with an exciting mission that also advanced our characters. It was nice to get a little more backstory. The entire cast gave terrific performances, but I especially loved the Toby/Happy scenes in this episode. What did you think of the episode? Were there enough Walter/Paige moments to tide you over? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

About the Author - Lisa Macklem

I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.