Scorpion – Pilot

• Title: Scorpion – Pilot
• IMDb: link

Adapted from the real-life adventures of a computer genius’ work with the Federal Government, Scorpion stars Elyes Gabel as one of the five smartest minds on the planet who, along with the team of geniuses (Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jadyn Wong, Ari Stidham) he leads has trouble with emotional reactions and connecting to the wider world. The “Pilot” centers around Walter and his flailing company being hired by his old government handler (Robert Patrick) who needs to team to get the corrupted computers at LAX up and running before planes start falling from the sky in less than two hours.

Along for the ride are a waitress (Katharine McPhee) whose diner the group commandeers and her wrongly-diagnosed introverted young son (Riley B. Smith) who Walter immediately recognizes as a fellow genius. A mix of humor, adventure, and geek tech, Scorpion works mainly on the premise and cast of oddball characters, although it comes dangerously close to becoming too cute for its own good every now and then.

Throughout the episode the team works on constantly developing a new plan when they run into trouble. The “Pilot” ends in a fun, if ridiculously over-the-top sequence involving the genius and waitress driving under the plane to set up a direct connection to its internal computers. Although I have some doubts regarding the show’s writers churning out complicated enough problems to make use of the geek squad on a weekly basis, I enjoyed the interplay between the team as well as possible mentorship for young Ralph going forward. With Walter getting most of the focus here, I hope we also see the backstories of the other members of the team filled in as the season progresses.