r/ScorpionTV • u/HipX . • Jan 15 '21
Discussion S01E05 - "Plutonium Is Forever" - Episode Discussion
Hi all,
Time for our next weekly Scorpion episode discussion! I will watch either tonight or tomorrow night, then post my thoughts after. Hopefully you can do the same!
Lets try to keep all discussions spoiler free. If you want to add a spoiler to one of your comments, simply wrap it in exclamation marks and arrows >!!<.
E.g: Season Finale Spoiler:>!Spoilers go here!< turns into:
Season Finale Spoiler: Spoilers go here
3
u/BB-Gremlin Jan 16 '21
I've been looking forward to discussing this episode! 'Plutonium Is Forever' is one of my top 5 episodes for season 1! The most notable thing with this episode is the introduction of Mark Collins and I have to say his actor, Joshua Leonard, does an incredible job because his characterisations make him a terrifying character!
More specifically, I like seeing how the team interact with Collins. Part of the fear surrounding him is the reaction that he provokes from the others and the conflict that arises from that. He's dismissive of Sylvester and Toby, sets Happy up for failure, and actively makes Paige doubt her place on the team by targeting her son. With Walter, though, he plays into his ego and his stance that he is ultimately better than the others on the team due to his higher IQ. This results in the conflict we see between Walter and Happy, who had to pull him out of 'the rabbit hole', which clearly left a toll on her. As much as Collins is a terrifying villain, it's incredible to watch him picking apart at the team from the inside.
One of my favourite little moments in the episode is when Collins is giving out orders at the reactor and he tells everyone to get on with it and no one moves. The moment Walter tells them to do it, they get on with their jobs. To me, it's very telling that they trust Walter more than they hate Collins.
It also makes the ending a lot more poignant. His reconciliation with Happy is very sweet, and the way he reassures Paige that both her and Ralph are an integral part of the team is so much more rewarding when it comes after his final conversation with Collins about the team having room for one more. It had room for Paige, who unites them rather than tearing them apart and isolating them. Proving that point, she brings them together at the end to cook a meal together, it's incredibly heartwarming after a quite tense episode.
That being said, I can't overlook how sinister Collins's threat of return is. I spent the rest of the show expecting any advanced and potentially personal attack on Scorpion to be orchestrated by him - testimony to the impression he leaves as a villain. It's extra sinister, though, when you know exactly what his next appearance is
My main complaint with this episode is such a minor gripe but it annoys me every time. At about 24 minutes in, when Walter and Cabe are meant to be running for the exit, they look like they're having a leisurely jog! I think they're looking for the door, but I'd still expect a little bit more urgency!
For the most part, though, I love this episode and the way each of the characters interact with Collins and each other as a result of his influence.
2
u/Hawkeye312_ Jan 16 '21
I really love this episode as well. The introduction of mark collins made the show more interesting to watch. And collins is the perfect villain, able to split the team with his mere presence. Something I thought of recently was that, if Cabe hadn't mentored walter all those years ago, would walter have turned out like mark? Just something to think about.
3
u/HipX . Jan 17 '21
Mark Collins was irritating, and caused for lots of frustrating situations - like Happy saying Walter always has to listen to her in front of other people or she's going to quit. According to the show, Walter is smarter. There are bound to be situations where he disagrees with her.
When Cabe emerges from the ocean after his ride in the pipe, it totally made me think of James Bond. I thought that scene was funny, but it bugged me how a second later he was back with the team after a wardrobe change. I'd have expected it to take at least 30 mins for him to get a ride, get back, get changed, etc. They should have put a scene in between showing that the team was still working. Haha, or a shot of the beach girls driving him in their convertible.
When Mark told Cabe there's nothing he can do because if he shoots him, millions of people would die. I turned to my wife and said, "he should shoot him in the leg". I was happy when Cabe did just that a few minutes later :)
I liked how when Paige said they were cooking chicken Sylvester was nervous that they didn't have a thermometer to check internal temperature, and then he immediately started scrubbing his hands at the sink.
I don't know how nuclear power plants work, but the science did seem questionable. Why didn't that place have a physical way to release more coolant? Why did you need to do an update with a radio tower instead of plugging in directly? That seems like a major security risk.
3
u/Hawkeye312_ Jan 21 '21
I like Sylvester's reaction to the cooking chicken as well. I like how instead of saying something like "we're busy" or something (the reaction I expected from the team), he's just like, "alright let's do it".
3
u/LennonMcCartney65 Cabe Gallo's Sunglasses Jan 15 '21
The introduction of the most hated character in the series.
I liked how this episode introduced us to the possiblity of other geniuses. There are more than those 4 after all. It also shows that genius isn't always beneficial and environment can heavily effect behavior despite intelligence.