"Dork Day Afternoon"
Original Airdate: March 5, 2018
On Scorpion, the old saying “it takes a village” has a whole different meaning.
This entire episode revolves around one thing, and one thing only: getting Happy pregnant. And it takes the whole team to get the job done. With Happy waiting at the clinic and Paige there for support, the very time-sensitive task seems simple enough. All that needs to take place is for Walter to drive Toby and his precious cargo the short distance to the clinic. To make things easier, they’ve practiced the run and on top of that, they’ve got Sly and Flo at the garage controlling the traffic lights along the way to make sure they get there in a timely manner and before the sample becomes useless.
But this is Scorpion, and as convoluted and ridiculous as it may be, something will go wrong. Pretty soon, Toby realizes that maybe Walter is not the best choice for designated driver for this very important task. Failing to truly appreciate how delicate and intricate their job is, Walter decides that a little stop at the bank on their way to the clinic is a smart decision. Ignoring Toby’s very loud and incessant objections, Walter stops at the bank, and unlike the rest of humanity, Walter doesn’t use ATMs — he still withdraws cash from the teller.
I’m honestly impressed at Toby’s self-restraint there. I personally would’ve either tackled and brought him back to the car, or just took over and left Walter at the bank and drove myself to the clinic. But Toby doesn’t do that. He walks in with Walter and immediately realizes something is off. Even with his preoccupation with the little paper bag in his pocket, Dr. Curtis is still the best at what he does, and it only takes him a split second to figure out what is going on.
They’ve just walked in on a bank robbery.
And just like that, Walter and Toby and the potential future Quintis baby find themselves hostages in a bank heist, locked up in the break room with the staff of the bank.
Luckily, these geniuses go nowhere these days without their comms, so they are immediately all hands on deck to stop the bank robbery. While their intentions are pure, it remains hilarious that the pressing matter here is not stopping the robbery, but getting the sperm to Happy in time. The bank robbery is just an annoying inconvenience.
With Sly and Flo at the garage (and Sly still crushing hard on her), Happy and Paige need to get access to the bank cameras and do so by literally occupying one of the offices at the clinic. The one nurse who tries to tell them it is off limits gets a taste of Happy’s rage and immediately leaves the two alone. Outside the bank, Cabe is working with the police and finds himself commandeering an adorable little puppy at some point.
Inside the bank, all of Walter and Toby’s attempts at stopping the robbery and getting Toby’s sample out to Cabe face failure — until they finally figure out that what needs to be done is to make the dye packs explode and knock out the men in the safe. And as for Toby’s sample? They had attempted to send it out through the pneumatic tubes that banks used for deposits and withdrawals between the tellers and the drive-thru. Unfortunately, it got stuck along the way.
Yes, it is as ridiculous as it sounds.
But more ridiculous is the solution they find: popcorn. Toby tosses corn kernels after it because the heat generated by the dye pack explosion will be enough to cause them to pop and then push the sample out.
The dye pack plan works, the police get into the bank, and the hostages are rescued.
And the slow-motion sequence that follows is pure magic. Toby runs out of the bank, sprints around the block and then leaps into the air in the most athletic performance we’ve ever seen and catches the sample as it flies out of the tube. Then Toby and his sample get an entire police escort to the clinic, getting there in the nick of time.
The two major lessons, character-wise, in this episode go to Happy and Walter.
Walter’s selfishness in this episode may just have cost Happy and Toby the one chance they have at getting pregnant, and everyone’s anger and disappointment is loud and clear throughout. Even though he spends the episode — or at least a part of it — not showing any signs of regret, he does eventually apologize for his behavior. But honestly in recent episodes, I have been really worrying about Walter. His relationship with Paige has taught him a lot and he has often shown signs of growth, but then he goes and pulls stunts like this and I wonder if we’re about to witness a relapse in Walter’s growth that will jeopardize the relationships he has developed with his friends and with Paige.
As for Happy, I love the subtlety with which they always portray Happy’s more vulnerable sides. On the surface, the mechanical genius is the toughest and has the hardest shell to crack, but they always remind us just how gentle and vulnerable she truly is and how her insecurities have the potential to absolutely cripple her. These insecurities come to the surface in this episode, when she finally voices her fears of being a mother. Luckily for her, Paige is there to support and encourage her. And what better mentor can she ask for than Paige?
Sylvester also had a slightly emotional afternoon. With Ralph as his wingman, Sly tries to ask Flo out on a date. When she says yes to grabbing a bite, he thinks he has succeeded in doing so. Unfortunately, he soon learns that Flo took the invitation as just a meal between friends after work and not as a date. After an initial heartbroken reaction, Sly doesn’t let this little bump in the road stop him and he remains hopeful.
And I just hate that they’re doing all this to set up a love triangle... or rectangle or whatever.
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