Courtesy of CBS
Warning: Spoiler Alert
Walter is speed dating, just wrap your head around that. It goes exactly the way you might think. Walter is being Walter and most of the women sitting across from him have no idea if he’s being complimentary or insulting. Cabe just seems to reject the notion that he belongs in the ‘second chance circle’ or that he should have any idea what it’s like to be a member of AARP. Toby running the tech to assist with tips for Walter seemed fine enough until his bartender sneezed in his drink. Now Toby has the flu.
Happy engages Paige about Walter’s speed dating. When Walter decided to branch out, Happy was under the impression that Paige was under the impression that Walter’s branching out would be with Paige. Paige quickly rejects the premise. However, it is obvious that Paige is not as “cool with it” as she claims.
Cabe calls and only asks if Sylvester is there. Walter confirms and hangs up. This puts Sly in a very awkward mind-set. Moments later, Cabe hands him a dossier and claims the ‘issue’ is in the folder. Sylvester begins to read and plops down like his emotions just quit on him. Sylvester’s pulse is instantly racing and he concludes that he cannot participate in this mission. For one reason. The inside contact and weapons specialist pertaining to weapons of mass destruction is none other than Sylvester’s father.
Senior Dodd has been trying to find evidence of an attempt to build a satellite with enough reflective material to cover 10 football fields. That surface area could harness enough solar energy to essentially weaponize solar power. And until yesterday, all of this was conceptual. He believes a formerly occupied African nation found old buried prototypes and continued working on the project. The bigger issue is the Daddy issues (that appear to be well founded) that may create complications later.
All goes to plan in the beginning. This time, they are identified as Team Scorpion, their identities are not fake. Sylvester keeps trying to distance himself from his father to no avail. A presidential aide enters the room to politely request Walter’s presence. Then when they try politely decline it is clear this aid is not permitted to take no for an answer. With Toby in his ear, Walter presents himself to the President. The President sees himself as an equal. So much so that he believes they are both geniuses. Even claiming that he has a higher IQ than Walter at 203. Funny thing is that 205 is the highest ever recorded.
The team has split up to cover two different angles. Sylvester, Paige, and Ken (Mr. Dodd) look into a destroyed building by what appears to be weaponized solar energy. While the hangar has tons of solar panels, no evidence of the “Sun Gun” which Sly is all too happy to point out. Sylvester has an idea. By lighting three different paper airplanes on fire and sending them over the solar panels, the light from the flame would send by a beam of energy back. Which is exactly what happened. Dad 1 Sly 0.
They grabbed the weaponized solar panels that were strategically hidden behind the typical solar panels. They need to smuggle them out to build a case against the President. With Walter still playing genius buddy with the President he creates a distraction. Sylvester ran the numbers on how to transport the panels using a blimp. Ken gives him grief on the off-chance his numbers are off. Sylvester calculated in meters while Happy game dimensions in feet. Sylvester’s numbers are off.
The President is none the wiser but another problem presents itself. The President wants to hire Walter (at a healthy seven-figure salary to start) to build him a rocket. The first step in creating a space program. Problem is, the President I doubt is interested in a space program. He’s interested in a vehicle to get his ‘sun gun’ into orbit. Walter believes the President has the ability to mass produce these panels. “You don’t build a turnip truck unless you already have turnips.” -Toby
The President takes Walter to a steam bath, where he does his best thinking. Walter rushes in too hot and fast. Toby begs him to butter the guy up first. Walter claims he’s flattered and wastes no time accepting the President’s job offer. And just like that they get the information Walter needed. The President said Walter would work during the day and cool off in an Olympic sized swimming pool at night. That pool is the perfect cover for the panels. The panels cannot be exposed to sunlight and the pool provides that cover and it also creates a cooling system that would also aid in the production and preservation of these panels.
Sylvester, Cabe, Happy and Ken continue the search. They believe they’ve found something but it takes Sylvester doing some thinking. It appears there is an old tank with a value they may be used to corrode. After that, Cabe takes a moment to share something he’s learned working with Scorpion. As a military man himself, Cabe has found these geniuses respond better to a velvet glove than a hammer. Ken just looks confused. Sylvester has created a MacGuyver way to create acid to eat through the lock.
Under the lock, they’ve discovered enough panels to make a sun gun twice the size of what they anticipated. The President isn’t manufacturing panels, he just found the German motherload. They plan to use the concrete and lime as mortar and make one big cement block housing all of the panels making them ultimately unusable. Cabe and Happy split to deal with the President and a transport out of there. This creates a wonderful opportunity for a potential growth moment between father and son? Just as that seems to happen, Ken’s bag gets bumped and one of the original plates is exposed. It receives what little light there is, and sends a beam of light upward. This knocks the hatch closed and at the same time, melts it shut.
Their nice moment turns combative very quickly. Nothing overtly hurtful but it becomes apparent that Ken doesn’t feel he can trust Sylvester because he doesn’t know Sylvester. As if he blames their poor relationship on Sylvester’s leaving when he was 14. Sylvester begins to hash out his Daddy issues that do indeed seem well founded. Even including his demand that his father admit right than and there that Sylvester is not the son Ken wanted. Then Ken realizes the mortar has already set. With them standing in it. In this moment of despair there is a breakthrough. Whether it’s the prospect of dying together or a cold father letting go, Ken tells Sylvester why Scorpion got this mission.
Ken: You know, when I went to the Pentagon with the evidence of the sun gun, I…I recommended your team for the project. I did. I read all about ya. I was trying to reach out. You’re right Sylvester. We never really connected. I wasn’t prepared to raise a kid like you. There’s no manual on how to raise a genius. If there were, I would’ve read it a hundred times cover to cover because I loved you from the moment you were born. I just didn’t know how to show you. (Hug)
Walter, Happy and Paige attend the President’s shindig in order to get his smart watch. The smart watch that controls the main gate. The President is about to leave momentarily. Paige jumps into action and creates an impromptu karaoke situation. Now sure, you could see this as an excuse for CBS to get Catharine McPhee to sing on camera, but this is more about Walter. He starts off bad, but it gets better. Not good, but better than you might expect. Now Happy needs to try to lift the smart watch. Happy is successful but it only buys them about 60 seconds.
The reconciliation attempt in the bunker is ongoing. Then Sylvester interrupts Ken. Ken tries to explain that he can’t ‘undo’ the mistakes he’s made. Undo. Using the original panel that sealed them in, Sylvester thinks they can undo it the same way. He explains how Ken will have to throw the panel, Sylvester will hit it with light, then Ken needs to catch it again in order to use it to free their feet.
Ken: This is ironic, after all these years, we are finally playing catch.
The plan comes together just as they drew it up…with some typically Scorpion drama mixed in. When they get back to the garage, Sylvester stops short. Ken says it may be time for him to get back on the road. Claiming Sylvester’s mother gets lonely. Ken suggests she might want to see Sylvester, but he resists. Ken apologized for not being the family Sylvester needed, but admits he’s glad Sylvester found the one that was.
Throughout the episode, Ralph kept bringing some of Toby’s favorite things to him. Favorite soup. Favorite cartoons. Toby fast asleep from the flu, Ralph asks Happy why she wanted him to do all of that?
Happy: The truth is, I’m falling for the guy.
Ralph: Gross.
Happy: I know, right?
Walter probes Paige for the benefit of truth vs. deception. He was honest in speed dating and that went horribly bad. He was dishonest parading around like he was impressed with the President. Which one is it? Paige claims that slight dishonesty can save a person’s feelings. He then complimented her on the karaoke performance. She then questions if that was a sincere or slightly deceptive compliment. He won’t answer. She then invites herself and Ralph to join Walter for dinner until she finds the truth.
