Scorpion, “Revenge,” was written by the team of Elizabeth Beall and David Foster and directed by Mel Damski. In his long career, Damski has had an Oscar and two Emmy nominations, and his credits include Psych, Charmed, and Boston Public. As always, there’s an interesting, time-sensitive case that only our team can solve. There’s a good car chase – mostly accurate – through Santa Monica. But the heart of the show is what this case does to our central characters.
Once again, we see each of the characters use their talents to help solve the case, and that’s one of the strengths of the show. We see Happy (Jadyn Wong) use her technical skill to determine who could have made the metal/plastic casing and use the fire hydrant to stop the thieves from getting away. Toby (Eddie Kaye Thomas) helps narrow down the suspect and then create the sting to get him to talk. I loved the delight Cabe (Robert Patrick) takes in running the sting with Toby, and there’s a great shot of Thomas’ face as he gets dragged out of the interrogation room. Paige (Katharine McPhee) runs interference, but really has the least to do in this episode.
At the heart of the episode, however, is Sylvester (Ari Stidham) being seriously injured. Sylvester is clearly freaked out by the case they’ve been asked to take on, and tells Walter (Elyes Gabel) that he doesn’t think this is the kind of case they should be taking on. Walter simply stares at him and walks away saying, “Duly noted.” It’s hard to tell from his face whether Walter is disappointed in or disgusted with Sylvester. Does he believe that even though Sylvester is denying it, this is just Sylvester’s fear talking? Remember that it was just last week that Sylvester promised to step up and not let his fear keep him from helping in the field.
Naturally, because he is afraid, Sylvester’s OCD kicks in big time and he has to organize the boxes in front of him, leading to the explosion. All of the team members channel their worry in different ways. Walter leaves Megan (Camille Guaty) in charge at the hospital to be his eyes and ears, and it’s her quick thinking that gets them the shrapnel, gruesomely from Sylvester’s chest, that helps break open the case.
While the potential couples learn more about each other, they don’t really come closer to being couples. Happy and Toby are there for each other. We see that they understand each other’s different ways of coping – Toby reminiscing and Happy smashing. It’s a nice touch when Toby is able to fulfill his debt to Sylvester and bring him the comic books he owes him.
Cabe’s former colleague from Interpol, Simone (Karolina Wydra) causes problems between Paige and Walter. I did like her introduction and the banter between Patrick and Wydra. Simone lets the team know that they are getting a good reputation, and there’s a great shot of Paige, Happy, and Sylvester reacting and looking surprised and pleased. Simone ends up relating to Walter because her partner was also gravely injured by Javier (Christian Ochoa) the leader of the Ghosts.
There’s a really interesting dynamic created between Paige and Simone. Paige keeps trying to protect the team and give them time to deal with Sylvester’s condition. Simone, however, is driven to push them. Paige insists that it isn’t healthy to pretend they’re not hurting, and Walter backs her up by letting them take a minute. Paige confronts Simone and tells her you can’t be so driven that you don’t see what you’re doing to other people. She also reminds her that once this case is done, life will go on. Walter’s drive has lead to Sylvester’s injury and the case has far reaching consequences for him too. After Simone follows Walter out of the room and returns with him, there’s a nice reaction shot of Paige. She’s not impressed – is it jealously? Or is she simply annoyed that Walter is listening to Simone? She warns Walter, “Let’s not forget who we are.” This really echoes Sylvester’s plea at the beginning of the episode. I have to say, I didn’t really see how this case was that different from the others they’ve already taken on. They’ve faced danger before after all.
In the end, the case does lead Walter to do something – or not do something that leaves him troubled. When Javier is left dangling from the building, Walter hesitates to try to pull him up. Given the title of the episode – revenge – this is clearly Walter’s desire for that very thing. Walter hesitates, but does try to save Javier in the end – but it’s too late. Cabe feels badly for having pushed Walter. He’d wanted to keep Walter from having no closure, but it’s backfired. It’s a nice scene when Cabe goes to Walter. Walter is clearly lying to Cabe. And there’s a good shot of Paige in the background, and she clearly isn’t buying it either. Does he not want to appear weak in front of Cabe the way that Sylvester appeared weak in front of him at the beginning of the episode? Walter also assures Cabe at the very beginning of the episode that he doesn’t have feelings that will make it difficult for him to focus on the case.
Interestingly, Walter is able to share his guilt with Sylvester. He says he has a “brain teaser” for Sylvester, but Sylvester sees right through him. He assures Walter that he couldn’t have saved Javier and would have been pulled over and killed himself if he’d tried. Walter, however, says he didn’t know that when he hesitated – it doesn’t absolve him of the guilt he’s feeling. He’s still blind to Sylvester’s dilemma, however. Stidham has little to do in this episode, but the scene with Megan after Walter leaves is fantastic. He’s terrified to go back to work, and he’s terrified for Walter to find out. The question is whether Walter will be able to make Sylvester feel safe ever again or whether Sylvester’s fear of being alone will help him conquer it.
It’s interesting to see both Walter and Paige end their days on separate dates. Simone invites Walter for that drink and there has been a clear attraction between the two throughout the episode. Drew (Brendan Hines) and Paige reminisce as Drew clearly begins to try to woo Paige away from the team. It’s interesting that Drew immediately assumes she is thinking about Walter when she’s a million miles away. She looks surprised and says she’s thinking about the whole team. While her interactions are most often with Walter because he is the team leader and the one most likely to piss off those the team encounters, it’s clear that she is close to the whole team and vice versa. I loved them eavesdropping on Drew asking her out at the beginning of the episode. She knows she can get Sylvester to cave – and then she tells him not to let Toby corrupt him. Seems everyone has a soft spot for Sylvester – and his inherent innocence.
In the end, both Walter and Paige ditch their dates and join the entire team - all of whom have snuck back into Sylvester’s hospital room. This is a fantastic scene, and we see how the entire team has come together as a family. I loved Cabe telling Paige that he’s get Homeland to pay for her babysitter, and Toby and Happy picking out a specific comic for her to read. And of course, there’s that look between Walter and Paige. I was worried throughout the episode that Walter seeming to take Simone’s advice or his own counsel over Paige’s directions were distancing her from the team – possibly making her think she wasn’t needed and therefore pushing her closer to Drew. I loved the scene at the beginning when Walter points out that Ralph likes telescopes and then tries to be more polite about Drew’s give of the Erector set – Paige is having an effect on the team. This final scene seems to reassure us that she’s not going to consider leaving, however.
What did you think of the episode? Are you watching for the cases, the chases, or the team? I did like that Walter plants his phone on Javier – and loses the physical altercation – once again winning by brain and not brawn. Do you think Sylvester will leave the team? Do you think Walter is going to continue to feel guilty over Javier and possibly Sylvester? Do you think Paige will seriously consider Drew’s eventual offer to leave with him? Do you think Drew will consider staying? 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.
