Scorpion 'True Colors' Review: Walter O'Brien's Human Side

Much of the focus of the first few episodes of Scorpion has been on Walter O'Brien's psyche and how he relates to the world around him. His beyond genius-level IQ allows him to solve problems other people could not, but it also prevents him from relating to other people and empathizing with them in a lot of ways.

The latest episode, "True Colors," addressed that topic by showing some of the cracks in Walter's mental state and revealing that he does have some basic human emotions underneath all the rationalizations and thought processes. And most of that emotion and empathy comes from his team and, most recently, Paige.

It was pretty obvious from the first episode that Scorpion was going to create some romantic sparks between Walter and Paige, and "True Colors" took the first major steps toward starting that relationship. Unfortunately, the path the episode chose exposed more of the show's ongoing problems.

By this point, we have a fairly decent grasp on who these characters are. We obviously don't know them inside and out, but a handful of episodes gives us a snapshot of their personalities. So it's highly surprising to the point of unbelievable that Walter would jeopardize an entire mission just because he wants to spend another 30 seconds dancing with Paige. The Walter O'Brien we've met in these first few episodes would never do that. It was meant to be surprising and as a signal of how much Walter is starting to feel for Paige, but it just came across as out of place.

More effective was Walter's decision to hide the true details of the mission from Cabe, the government and everyone else outside his team so that he could return the painting to its rightful heirs. Walter may not have cared about the art itself, but even he was able to recognize that this family had gotten a raw deal and wanted to rectify that. It was a more subtle change in Walter's approach to other people and one that worked much better than his budding romance with Paige.

We also got more of the bad habits Scorpion has developed in its first few episodes. The show continues to dump the plot on us via exposition, such as when Paige had to explain IQ and EQ to the psychologist for our benefit. And Scorpion continues to try to drive home the message that the team is a family. To be fair, each episode does show how Walter brought these people together and gave them a place to be happy and use their skills. So there's no need to keep literally saying, "We're a family" in every episode.

Perhaps the biggest strength of the "True Colors" was the narrative structure, in which each of the members of the team discussed the case with the psychologist, who tried to determine if they were fit to continue with their job. The flashback structure worked well, as did the multiple reveals at the end that made the viewer rethink what had happened earlier. The more Scorpion can avoid becoming too formulaic, the better, so kudos for switching up the storytelling successfully this week.

After a handful of episodes, Scorpion is starting to find its legs a bit. It's still riddled with problems (too much exposition, too much technobabble at times), but it has also shown flashes of good storytelling and character development. Walter is certainly a fascinating character, and his relationship with the world and the other members of his team should remain the focal point of the series for now. The more we learn about Walter, the better the show will become.

What did you think of "True Colors"? Let us know in the comments section.