Scorpion returned for season 3 with a two hour, double episode. “Civil War” was directed by Sam Hill and “More Civil War” was directed by Jeffrey Hunt. Both episodes were written by the team of Nick Santora and Nicholas Wootton. The show continues to provide fast-paced action – at least where the cases are involved – and some great dialogue and humor. The cast remains strong, but the writers really need to either get the couples together – Happy (Jadyn Wong) and Toby (Eddie Kaye Thomas); Walter (Elyes Gabel) and Paige (Katharine McPhee) – or definitively move on. I am beyond tired of the will they, won’t they back and forth.
The episode opens with two F-130 jet fighters having lost control of their planes. The action then shifts to Walter driving to Tahoe to declare his love for Paige. And the drawback to picking up exactly where you left off last season? Walter appears to have stopped somewhere for a haircut.
Meanwhile, Tim (Scott Porter) and Paige have experienced a number of snags with their weekend – which it turns out were all caused by Walter. Tim does offer Paige an out, asking point blank if something is holding her back. She denies that there is, and naturally, Walter arrives just as the two kiss.
In the midst of all this, Cabe (Robert Patrick) calls with a case. He’s sent a plane for Tim and Paige and takes no pity on Walter’s embarrassment, telling him to get on the plane with them. Meanwhile Sylvester (Ari Stidham) and Ralph (Riley B Smith) arrive at the Garage dressed in their pajamas – it is the middle of the night! When Ralph hears about Walter being in Tahoe, he wisely remarks “Walter went up to Tahoe? Oh boy. Mom’s going to be confused.”
When Happy arrives at the garage, everyone is uncomfortable – let’s not forget that in the show’s timeline she just turned down Toby’s proposal – and we’re subjected to him sweeping up the celebratory confetti all episode! Regardless, he tells her that they need to talk. Happy says she didn’t lie – she is in love with Toby. She asks him to trust her. She tells him that she can’t tell him who it is, but she doesn’t love the other guy. Walter, of course, knows, and he’s the one who “fixed” Happy’s marriage records so that Toby can’t find out who her husband is. Could it be Walter? Did she marry him so that he could remain in the US? Let’s not forget that Walter is actually Irish…
Meanwhile, the fighter jets are circling Los Angeles until one shoots down the other. Four hacked battleships have also taken up position at the four corners of the US. They have to shut everything down, which essentially leaves the US defenseless! Walter splits the team up, sending Cabe, Tim, and Sylvester to Bulgaria. Tim loses it, suspecting that Walter is trying to get him out of the way as Walter has paired Paige with him. But it’s really just the most efficient split for the mission. Cabe tells Tim to grow up. There’s a nice guest part of veteran actor Max Gail as Bruce their pilot to Bulgaria. He even gets to be the hero and save Sylvester!
Happy and Toby work together to save the one remaining fighter jet. Happy tells Toby that she isn’t an open book. She’s given 99% of her heart and soul to him, but the remaining 1% is the admission to “Happy-land.” He has to give her that – and instead, he withdraws his proposal.
Walter and Paige try to stop the hack by breaking into the Pentagon building in LA. It’s like a giant Farraday cage, but when it turns out the hackers are using a satellite and not the building, they send a missile and blow up the building. Paige and Walter make one of the over-the-top escapes down the elevator shaft that are just one step too far for me.
Paige finds out about Walter sabotaging the weekend and thinks he just doesn’t want her to be happy. She refuses to give him a chance to explain, but Walter mutters under his breath that he’d been planning on telling her that he loves her! Everyone else hears because their comms are working now that they’re out of the Farraday cage (except Paige), including Tim, who tells Walter they need to talk when he returns. It’s Cabe who steps in and tells Tim that he’s not going to let him hurt Walter.
Meanwhile, in Bulgaria, Sylvester has to play baccarat with a thug called Skunk in order to find the hackers. When Sylvester beats him, Skunk says he’ll tell them if he can borrow Sylvester for one game. Sylvester is defeated by Bulgarian customs when he has to drink from a dirty bottle and then nods his head the wrong way.
Sylvester manages to get away from them temporarily with the help of an old woman who is just a little crazy from living alone in the woods – she thinks she’s married to a small tree… In the end, as already mentioned, Bruce saves him.
Walter, Paige, Happy, and Toby manage to gain control of the battleships by getting them to shoot and destroy two giant aluminum balls. But the hackers have also taken control of a nuclear sub. Paige, Happy, and Toby are too late to stop it when Paige and Happy have trouble getting out of an oil pipeline in time for Toby to electrify it. The Hackers manage to launch a nuclear missile at Cody, Wyoming.
This actually lead to one of the most interesting scenes in the episode when the Captain is going to sink the ship, sacrificing the lives of his crew to save the 10,000 people of Cody. Tim, as a soldier, is quick to agree with the Captain. Paige is feeling guilty for not having made it out of the pipeline and insists that he not sacrifice his crew – she even tells Tim to shut up! Cabe, interestingly, also points out that the Captain has a duty to his crew. Luckily, Cabe and Tim find the hackers and stop them “analog-style.” Just it time for the ship to take control of the missile and explode it harmlessly.
As always, the episode ends with the gang gathering back at the garage. Sylvester brings “family-style” Italian for dinner. He’s learned that being alone sucks and is trying desperately to bring his family back together. Happy is the first one to agree to eat, and she promises Toby that she will fix her situation. Paige is happy to see Tim, which makes Walter lose his appetite.
Cabe once again acts as father-figure/mentor to Walter and pulls him aside. He tells him, “In this area, I’m substantially smarter than you. It hurts me to tell you this, but she deserves more than you can give her right now.” He tells Walter that he knows he’s come a long way, but it’s not fair to her because Walter isn’t ready yet. Walter points out that if he waits, he might lose her. Cabe tells him, “It’s not about you. It’s about her.” Which really underlines that Walter isn’t ready when he doesn’t see that.
Walter apologizes to Tim and promises that he won’t cause future problems. Tim is surprised but accepts Walter at his word. Tim and Paige leave to pick up Ralph and have dinner with him. Alone in the garage, Walter picks up the phone to ruin their dinner plans, but stops himself and puts the phone back down. Progress?
This was far from my favorite episode. There were far too many over-the-top escapes. Are they trying to compete with
MacGyver? I would think that
MacGyver’s resurrection was actually due to
Scorpion’s success. Most annoying for me as a viewer, however, it the constant re-visiting of the same issues with the romantic pairings. You have two couples. This is the third year and neither of them are together? You can only tease for so long before it simply feels like bait and switch. I’m tired of waiting for at least one happy ending. I have become increasingly dissatisfied with this aspect of the show, so due to time constraints and a waning interest, this will likely be my last review of the show.
What did you think of the episode? Are you tired of the romantic plots stalling? Did you like the case? Are you hoping we’ll see Bruce again? 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.
