Scorpion(2014–2018)- Review

“Not Good”- Happy Quinn, Scorpion (2014–2018)

“Not Good” as Jadyn Wong’s character Happy Quinn would say almost every episode, the series too can be simply put under that category. The premise of the series is very simple; a group of ‘geniuses’ use their intelligence time and again to solve complex problems, usually problems that can’t be solved by anyone else. These high-intellect individuals work for Scorpion, lead & founded by Walter O’Brien (Elyes Gabel) whose IQ is the fourth-highest ever recorded. Walter is aided by Sylvester Dodd (Ari Stidham) a ‘human calculator’, Tobias Curtis (Eddie Kaye Thomas) a world-renowned behaviorist, and Happy Quinn (Jadyn Wong) ‘world’s best mechanic’. The team also houses a couple of ordinary people, Agent Cabe Gallo (Robert Patrick) a Homeland Agent working as the muscle of the team, and finally Paige Dineen (Katherine McPhee) who helps the geniuses interact with the world. Scorpion throughout the series takes on numerous high-profile cases which on the face of it seem impossible to be worked with.

The pilot of the series is fairly encouraging and proposes to be something different with its raw characters waiting to evolve. Bust sadly the series is on the downturn after the initial set of episodes and most certainly after the first season. The only thing that can be deemed good about the show is Brian Tyler’s music and that’s about it. Acting-wise only Katherine McPhee can be said to be remotely satisfactory.

As mentioned earlier the characters are unique and fresh but ultimately that works against the series. These genius characters are always shadowed by the stereotype showcasing them as eccentric, socially awkward, and everything else that movies/tv-shows display in such characters. Developing the storylines would probably have been quite a cumbersome process with its minute details and the flow required. But while all episodes get going well amusing the viewer, they always end-up being unearthly making the stories senseless where all things fall into place and coincidence & fortune always around the corner for the team. While the series is supposed to be dramatic with serious issues on hand, it still tries to make it funny for whatsoever reason but fails horrendously employing very bad comic timing.

The show is said to have taken inspiration from executive producer and self-proclaimed computer expert Walter O’Brien but I seriously doubt there is any reality to the type of stories that are thrown around, claiming to be ‘Inspired by True Events’. No wonder why they choose not to display the statement after the first season. In conclusion, Scorpion tries to be something of an amalgamation of superhero movies & crime-solving dramas but fails terribly achieving neither of the two. 

Acting- 6

Casting- 5

Cinematography- 7

Dialogue- 5.5

Directing- 8

Editing & Effects- 7.5

Sound & Music- 8

Story- 7.5

Storytelling- 5

Rating- 6

Available on: Amazon Prime

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