Scorpion, “Twist and Shout,” was written by Paul Grellong and was directed by Christine Moore. Once again the team is thrust into a high pressure situation and must all work together to save the day. Once again, my credibility was strained – until they went just that one step too far, something they seemed to have pulled back from in the most recent episodes. I did like how this episode revisits Walter (Elyes Gabel) dealing with Megan’s death. Tim (Scott Porter) continues to work with the team and find a place within it. And of course, the chemistry between Tim and Paige (Katharine McPhee) heats up. With only three episodes left, I wonder if we will get any satisfaction on the Waige front… Also? I am very much enjoying the dreadful title puns…
As the episode opens, Tim is about to beat Walter’s high score on the video game. Walter pretends not to be bothered – even after Tim does it – and states that higher intellect will always be better – until it isn’t. Walter also gets a surprise visit from Linda (Brooke Nevin) who has decided that she’d like to take Walter up on the offer of another date after all. She’s thought about it, and he did save her life. Walter maintains he was just “acting responsibly” in not letting anyone get hurt when the bomb exploded. He does, however, promise to call her to set up a date. Begging the question – why not just set a date?
There are a couple of really horrible puns – and by horrible I mean terrific – in the episode that pick up from the sequence of titles. So Walter says that Linda thinks he’s “dynamite”… because he saved her from the bomb… I loved Sylvester (Ari Stidham) just rolling his eyes behind him.
Ralph (Riley B Smith) is prepping his homework for his college course. It’s a software program that allows the user to upload data at super speeds. Ralph is not happy when Paige leaves Sylvester to go with him to present his project. He tells Paige that Sylvester is a little too enthusiastic – but who didn’t love his GO RALPH shirt!
Cabe (Robert Patrick) arrives with John Pandova (Josh Randall) and their case. Pandova recovers the remains of American military and brings them back to the US. The current mission is to find evidence of 10 missing marines in Vietnam and stop a factory from being built over their remains. The hitch? The marines went missing on July 24, 1971. The other catch? They only have two days to get the evidence – and oh yeah. One of the marines was Pandova’s father.
It’s Toby (Eddie Kaye Thomas) who figures out that Pandova is after his father’s remains. Pandova also tells them that his mother (Ann Benson) is dying and only has six months to live. He needs to get closure for her. Cabe tells him that they’d be honored to assist him.
Walter, however, doesn’t get why the case is important. Cabe tells him that “regular people need closure. Something to say goodbye to.” Walter admits that he felt terrible when Megan passed but he missed her, not her organic material. In fact, he kept her ashes in a coffee can in his glovebox! Happy (Jadyn Wong) points out that that was messed up. I loved how Cabe related to Walter in such a fatherly way in this scene.
The team has a rough flight to the site. On the way there, Tim tries to apologize to Walter about the video game. He tells him he was just trying to fit in, not step on Walter’s toes. Walter tells him that he knows there’s no competition between them. When they arrive the workers are preparing to start work on the factory. Tim steps in front of Walter to speak Vietnamese with the leader, Quan (Dat Phan). Paige is impressed.
The team runs into trouble when they are caught in a storm – they now have 2 hours to do what they were supposed to do in 2 days that should have taken 2 years! When the chip they need is broken, Walter, Pandova, and Paige head to a nearby nursing home to get another from an ultrasound machine. Thanh (Long Nguyen) keeps calling Pandova “spectre.”
Paige refuses to abandon the Dr (Joseph Tran) and patients when it’s clear they can’t evacuate everyone before the storm hits. Walter has Paige and Pandova get them to some tunnels while he goes back for thermometers. I loved Paige telling Pandova while Walter worked that Walter would eventually explain himself if they just waited, and then when he does, she adds, “you might not understand it, but he explains!” Walter uses the material in the thermometer to eat through the metal door to the tunnel to save the patients.
Pandova, however, gets more unexpected closure when it turns out that Thanh was calling him spectre because he thought he was a ghost because Thanh knew Pandova’s father – who happens to be a dead ringer for his son. As it turns out, Thanh tells Pandova his father died a hero – and he knows because he saw him die. Pandova forgives Thanh because Thanh and his father were soldiers, carrying out orders.
Paige and Tim discuss how Pandova is managing to keep him emotions in check to complete his task. Tim points out that it is a military technique. However, eventually you have to acknowledge the emotions or they will eat you up. Paige tells Tim that’s something she’s been trying to teach the team.
They find the proof they need just as Sylvester lets them know that an F4 tornado is now headed down the valley directly at them! Walter comes up with the idea to make dry ice to cool the air and stop the tornado’s rotation. Walter tells Cabe that it wouldn’t work in Kansas where it’s flat – the valley helps contain and steer the tornado.
Walter wants to use Ralph’s software program to get the satellite data in real time. Ralph, however, has lost faith in his project because his professor failed him! Walter doesn’t hesitate to say, “Who cares?! Your professor is a human and you’re a genius!” Sylvester already told Ralph that his professor simply couldn’t follow what Ralph was doing and people reject what they don’t understand. And can we apply that to Walter and emotion? His feelings for Paige???
Ralph takes heart from Walter’s praise and declares he can do it. And we see Paige smiling at Walter in the background this time.
Walter and Paige, Toby and Happy, and Tim and Cabe take three trucks to drop the dry ice. Walter’s truck ends up not being fast enough. He wants Paige to jump out – and so does Tim! – but wouldn’t that just have left her in the tornado’s path?? In the end, Walter pulls a 360, dumps the ice, but kills the truck. I was still mostly with them here until Walter is going to belt Paige to a tree and take his own chances and then ends up having to hold the belt with one hand and Paige with the other as the tornado tries to pull her out of his grip…. Um…. Moving on…
On the plane home, Paige overhears Walter sympathize with Pandova about closure. When they get back, Paige asks Walter if he really understood the importance of closure or if he was just pretending to understand. Walter tells her that he understands the level of importance if not the actual why.
However, when Mrs Pandova comes to the garage, Walter watches as Pandova gives her his father’s dog tags. She is utterly overwhelmed. Cabe tells her it’s an honor to meet her before escorting her out. Walter tells Paige that now he understands closure.
Toby and Happy have a nice moment – and we learn that Toby has spare hats stashed all over the garage. Toby asks Happy theoretically, if they were married, would she carry a torch for him or shack up with the next available guy. Happy tells him that she doesn’t think she could find someone who annoyed her quite as much as he does – aw! Then Toby throws in, “Chew on that theoretical marriage…”
Ralph discovers that his professor has stolen his project and is taking credit for it! Paige is determined to get a lawyer to fight it, but Walter points out that an Intellectual Property lawyer in LA will be prohibitively expensive (he’s not wrong!). Sylvester immediately suggests they contact Heywood! Because of course, he’ll work for free.
Tim tells Walter that Walter can go toe to toe with any risk taker he’s ever met! He “was blown away” by what Walter did – and we have another terrible pun – when Walter replies, “We all were – It was a wind storm!” Tim asks Walter if he wants to get a bite to eat, but Walter says he should call Linda, after all if he can have dinner with a smart, kind, and beautiful woman, he should! Tim tells him, have fun, boss! Walter mutters, “I’m not your boss because you’re not on the team.”
Naturally, when he calls Linda she’s out. When he sees Tim is still there, he suggests dinner, but Tim has taken Walter’s advice and invited Paige and Walter to the local diner. Tim confides that he finds Paige intriguing, and Walter says he noted Tim’s concern for her during the wild truck ride. It’s Walter’s turn to tell Tim to have a good time. Walter then starts to play the video game, clearly determined to win back the top spot.
This was another enjoyable episode. Gabel continues to do a terrific job slowly developing Walter’s emotional range. The cases are always a fun ride with good special effects, but what continues to make the show is the human element and the great chemistry between the cast. What did you think of the episode? Can you blame Paige for considering moving on when Walter not only does nothing to pursue Paige and actively pursues dating someone else? Do you think we might just see Happy and Toby head down the aisle? 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, Agent Carter, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The X-Files, Defiance, Bitten, Killjoys, and a few others! I'm active on the Con scene when I have the time. 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.
