- Title: Scorpion – Plutonium is Forever
- wiki: link
Tensions run high when the team is brought in to stop a nuclear meltdown at a government facility using antiquated (and failing) technology which should have long ago been retired or replaced. If the situation wasn’t stressful enough, the team also has to deal with the man responsible for bringing the situation to Scorpion’s attention: former member Mark Collins (Joshua Leonard) who no one, aside from possibly Walter (Elyes Gabel), is happy to see return.
The relative newness of both Agent Gallo (Robert Patrick) and Paige (Katharine McPhee) allows the other members of the team to discuss their the history of Mark, particularly his negative influence on Walter. Showcasing that even someone of Walter’s intelligence can be controlled or steered in a direction that is ultimately harmful, the episode also explains why the rest of the team grew to hate Collins’ mind games and how his theoretical puzzles with Walter got both lost down rabbit holes than ended with one committed to an asylum and the only needing to be nursed back to health by Happy (Jadyn Wong).
Eventually Walter rallies the troops and sees through Collins’ games which thousands of lives at risk. Even if he ultimately loses his gambit, the introduction of Collins creates an interesting frenemy for the show to bring back in an adversary who can (as we see here) out-think the brightest minds Walter has assembled. Collins even plants a seed of doubt about Walter in Paige’s mind about why the genius is so interested in helping her young son. We’ll have to wait and see whether there are any lingering effects to Collins’ short return.
