Article first published as SCORPION Review on Seat42F.
CBS’s
new drama SCORPION is labeled as ‘inspired by a true story.’ It tells
the tale of Walter O’Brien (Elyes Gabel, Game of Thrones), a genius who
was recruited by the government at a young age because of his superior
hacking skills, then felt burned when they misused what he developed for
them. Now, as an adult leading a group of social outcasts like himself,
though each has their unique strengths, Walter is sucked back into the
agency he abandoned.
SCORPION’s pilot
is extremely entertaining, to say the least. The pacing is fast, the
stakes are higher, and action sequences pump up the adrenaline. The
characters are all fun and likeable, with a dynamic that is enticing and
contains many amusing quirks. Lives are at stake, but as one might
expect, the heroes will surely win the day. I would dare anyone to watch
this initial hour and not enjoy it.
That
being said, the pilot is riddled with holes. How many times can
characters stop to talk as the clock ticks down? There are action pauses
that don’t make sense, too. Why is Walter the only one who can fix
LAX’s computer system when they surely have an IT staff? Why does it
take someone with an IQ pushing 200 to think of rolling back a software
update that doesn’t work? That’s troubleshooting 101! And don’t even get
me started about the big airplane scene.
Which
makes this basically summer, popcorn-style fluff. But it’s not airing
during the summer; it’s attempting to be a regular-season weekly show
that will pump out twenty-some episodes a year. With the current
formula, that will get old pretty quick.
The
acting is decent. SCORPION has put together a capable cast, a feat
dozens of other crime shows have done, too, though this group may be
just a bit better. This includes: Robert Patrick (True Blood) as Agent
Gallo, the law enforcement representative who shares a past with Walter;
Katharine McPhee (Smash) as the hot waitress, Paige, with the genius
son who makes a connection with the usually anti-social Walter; Eddie
Kaye Thomas (American Pie) as charmer Toby; Ari Stidham (Huge) as
anal-retentive Sylvester; and Jadyn Wong (Being Erica) as Happy, who
considers herself the ‘normal’ one of the group. I assume Paige’s son,
who isn’t listed among the principal cast, isn’t important, though he
should be if the series wants character development.
The
‘hook’ about the intelligence level of most of the characters is simply
a gimmick. Without that, this is pretty much the same series as Bones,
NCIS, The Mentalist, and plenty of others, lacking anything original.
What this means is talent is being wasted on a repetitive procedural,
though that seems to be CBS’s favorite kind of show, perhaps because of
the large ratings the lucky ones garner, a phenomena I do not understand
when so much higher-quality fare is readily available.
Now,
SCORPION could be very good. I still watch Bones as my one allowed
example of this type of series because the cast is so damn delightful
that I can’t resist them. SCORPION actually has the potential to replace
Bones for me when it goes off the air, presumably soon, if it fixes its
writing. I like the characters, the tone, and the pacing. I just hope
it allows itself to evolve and build upon its best parts. Even better
would be if it goes serial, ditching the case-of-the-week stuff, but I
think that’s probably too much to hope for.
Despite
its flaws, I like SCORPION, which is not something I can say about all
of its peers. Given time, it may grow into something worth watching,
though it will never be the cream of the crop. It’s just not very
watchable yet.
SCORPION airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.
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