Scorpion closed out its second season with “Toby or Not Toby” written by the creative team of Nick Santora and Nicholas Wootton and directed by Sam Hill. I was a little concerned that this season was going to end in the same way as last season with a car crash when Walter (Elyes Gabel) took off after Paige (Katharine McPhee). However, maybe we can see this as a progression in that Walter’s emotions don’t end up in a car crash this season. Of course, last season seemed like it ended with “Waige” being a certainty too.
Once again the title of the episode was “punny” and referred not only to Toby (Eddie Kaye Thomas) being in peril but also to the state of the relationships on the show. Are Toby and Happy (Jadyn Wong) or Walter and Paige ever to actually “be”? I liked that this episode relied mainly on everyone on the team being clever, including, somewhat surprisingly, Tim (Scott Porter), but didn’t strain our credibility that one last thread of dental floss. Even though the episode seems to end with Toby and Happy’s break up – after taking all season to get them in a good place – I still feel that this was one of the strongest episodes of the season.
As the episode begins, Toby is tied to a chair, but Collins (Joshua Leonard) is offering him water and telling him it’s going to be a long day. I have to say that that lowered my anxiety about Toby right from the outset. When Collins then threatens to shock Toby, and the camera immediately cut away, I was positive that Collins wasn’t doing it even before the team was. And in fact, I noticed that Toby’s scream was too uniform too! I’m torn over whether the show underestimated how smart the audience was – that is, that they thought we wouldn’t notice – or whether the show was setting us up to feel like geniuses by figuring it out before or with the team.
At the garage, Tim is sharing his love for jazz with Paige. Sylvester (Ari Stidham) share my own dislike of the art form, so I really appreciated him responding to Tim’s remark that you listen for the notes not heard, but saying he wishes all of them weren’t heard! Sounds like chaotic noise to me too Sylvester!
When Tim and Paige thank Walter for the tickets, he simply blurts out a nonsensical word (in the context). Sylvester tells Walter it’s a manifestation of how upset Walter is that they are going away for the weekend together. Walter denies it, but it also brings up the subject of the missing Toby. Happy storms in about then convinced that Toby must be on a gambling bender because he’s in the wind. It’s interesting that it’s Tim who is immediately most worried.
Cabe (Robert Patrick) arrives and tells them that Collins has escaped and the team immediately realizes that Toby is in danger. Sylvester admits he knows where Toby was going, and Happy knows he’s hiding something. Sylvester is in agony over keeping the secret, but he insists he would share the secret if it were at all relevant.
Collins finally calls and demands all of Walter’s research on the brain transfer technology that Walter was working on for Megan. Collins has his own brain-to-brain interaction technology but needs Walter’s cognitive research to complete his own.
Happy, Paige, and Tim head to the mental institute for clues. Happy finds a signal booster hidden in the mattress which explains Collins’ access to wifi. But it’s Tim who figures out that Collins has been using his work station in the kitchen to do his calculations on. Sylvester is impressed and comments that it was smart thinking on Tim’s part, but Walter merely grunts, “Adequate.” They find a link to Ponder Creek Farm on the Internet and head to check it out.
Collins calls again and they hear Toby screaming, but Walter is quick to figure out Collins’ clue from “not leaving with any parting gifts.” Collins has used Toby’s scream from the recording of Sylvester’s appearance on The Price Is Right. All of what Collins did felt like him reaching out and trying desperately to reconnect with Walter – really the only person he ever had connected with – from the clues to the actually research into brain-to-brain interaction – Collins wants his brain interacting with Walter’s.
In order to track Collins’ short wave signal, Cabe and Walter team up to go to the signal tower in Griffith Park while the others go to check out the farm. When they are accosted by a farmer with a gun, Paige and Tim urge caution, but Happy is getting desperate and attacks the guy. They learn someone tried to steal his goat collars.
Collins promises Toby that he will die that day, but not at Collins’ hands. Collins goes through Toby’s bag and finds the ring for Happy. Collins tells Toby that Happy can’t marry him and laughs. Clearly, Collins knows something about Happy that Toby doesn’t. Collins drops the bomb on Happy that Toby was going to propose, so naturally, she then feels completely responsible for Toby getting taken.
Meanwhile, Walter has climbed up the tower with Sylvester’s keytar – which he inevitable drops when he’s distracted by Tim and Paige. Sylvester is understandably upset. However, Cabe also climbs up and saves the day because he – unlike Walter – has music on his phone that they can use to help isolate the short wave frequency. I have to say that I like Conway Twitty – and any country – about as much as I like jazz!
The entire team meets back at the garage. They’ve narrowed the signal to a specific area but need more information. Collins lets Toby make one more call. Toby tells the team that Collins beat all of them. He tells Happy that he’s sorry and that he loves her and always will. Toby then tells Sylvester to “listen carefully. Take care of Happy.” But he’s emphasizing the first part. Toby knocked over the ammonium to get Colling so open the window. It’s a clue to where he is, but more importantly, Sylvester, who is a world-class ornithologist, will hear and recognize the Brown Pelicans outside. Naturally he does and they narrow the search further.
They arrive to find Toby tied to a chair with his head tied tipped back, looking up at a jar of acid about to drip on his face. And the entire room is filled with criss-crossing dental floss. If the wrong strand is disturbed, the acid falls.
Walter and Collins have a stand off. Collins insists that he is what Walter made him. But Walter insists that caring and emotions and friends are more than merely a logical course of action. Collins thinks the team makes Walter weak, and then the entire team works together to save Toby.
I really did like how they wove music throughout the episode. It’s Tim’s love of music that lets him recognize which strands that they can cut to get to Toby. Toby is sure that he’s going to die, and he wants to propose to Happy, but she won’t let him. I loved her finally just leaping the last distance to save Toby!
Walter goes after Collins and catches him with Cabe and Tim on a bus to South Carolina. Walter remembers Collins telling him about a childhood memory, and Walter points out to Collins that it’s his humanity that let him see the relevance and figure out where Collins would go.
Back at the garage, Paige and Tim are preparing to leave. Walter notices that Paige has over packed and tells her that it’s a sign of anxiety. She says she’s worried about Sylvester looking after Ralph (Riley B Smith).
Happy is refusing to let Toby talk to her – trying to dissuade him from proposing – and we’re back to our musical theme as Toby sings his proposal – complete with confetti canon. And then Happy drops her bombshell – she can’t marry Toby because she’s married to someone else. And then she runs off so that we can prolong this mystery and complication into next season. I’ve almost given up on any of the relationships in this show.
Paige tries to talk to Toby but he’s inconsolable and won’t talk to her. Tim gently suggests that they need to leave if she still wants to go.
Paige goes to Walter about the now messy situation. Walter blames himself. He should never have let Happy and Toby have a relationship to begin with. He insists that those emotions should just be buried. Paige asks Walter if he’s just talking about Toby – once again, giving him an opening to tell her who he feels. But Walter insists he’s just talking about Toby. Paige tries one more time and suggests she should stay, but Walter pushes her away, telling her it’s best if she goes.
Toby is doing a good job of drowning his sorrows. Walter offers to go and talk to Happy, and Toby is touched until Walter clarifies that he’s going to say that he was at fault for letting them get together in the first place because it put the team out of equilibrium.
Toby lets Walter have it, telling him he’s a gigantic ass! Walter has just pushed love out the door and love is what matters. Walter suddenly gets it. He tells Toby that he’s a moron and he’s going after Paige because he loves her. And the last we see of Walter is him driving to Lake Tahoe. Does anyone think he’s actually going to go through with telling Paige he loves her? Or if he does, she will say it back? Honestly, there comes a point when a show just jerks you around too much. My advice for season three? Have Happy and Toby quickly figure out how to get rid of her husband and have Paige and Walter actually have a relationship – without a lot of stupid roadblocks or surprises!
For all that, I did like this episode. It was one of the better written episodes of the season – relationship statuses notwithstanding. It may not have been the most exciting case of the season, but it also didn’t jump the shark at the last minute either. I really liked that almost everyone had something significant to do in the episode. And thus we end, Scorpion’s second season. What did you think of the episode? What did you think of the season? Will you be back for season three? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, Agent Carter, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The X-Files, Defiance, Bitten, Killjoys, and a few others! I'm active on the Con scene when I have the time. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.
