Scorpion 'Rogue Element' Review: They Finally Feel Like Family

Scorpion aired its latest episode, "Rogue Element," on Monday, and we finally got an episode devoted mostly to Cabe Gallo that explored his past and relationship with Walter. By the end of the hour, the show had accomplished something it had struggled to do for the first handful of weeks.

I've said it over and over again, but I'll say it again. The procedural elements of Scorpion continue to be its weakest points. This is not to say the action isn't engrossing or interesting because, many times, it is. Yes, the exposition is still extremely clunky and the plots can often border on ridiculous, but they're still more or less fun to watch.

But the character moments and the personal relationships among the members of the team are what continue to drive the series. And this week, finally, Scorpion learned from its own mistakes in this regard. Instead of forcing the idea of "family" onto the audience, the show went about it organically and demonstrated why the relationship between Walter and Cabe is so special.

Cabe received a text message from "R" with a code word, and he and Walter raced into action even though Walter had absolutely no idea what was happening. Eventually, he learned that "R" was Cabe's ex-wife, Rebecca, who was in danger thanks to some information she recovered on a flash drive. After a few attempts to solve the case, the Scorpion team came home to find its base ransacked, which led them to a safehouse Cabe had in waiting.

But the safehouse turned out to be Cabe and Rebecca's old home where their daughter, Amanda, had died. Suddenly, the episode had a different weight, and many of the moments that came before it appeared in a new light. Cabe gravitated to Walter as a child because of his own loss of a daughter, and Walter grew to see Cabe as a father figure. When Cabe "betrayed" Walter, it ripped them both apart. Cabe had essentially lost two children.

This is the kind of storytelling with which Scorpion struggled immensely in its first few episodes as it built its characters and established its world. It tried too hard to convince us that these people cared about each other rather than just showing us why. But something as simple as Walter skipping dinner with Paige and her baby daddy to share some burgers with Cabe did more to reveal who these characters are than 100 lines of dialogue could.

Speaking of Paige's family unit, Drew is suddenly developing into an interesting character. It feels in a way like the show can't decide if he's supposed to be a jerk or a good guy and if we're supposed to hate or like him, but maybe that's the point. He continues to try to do right by Ralph and is bonding with him, but he also has a career to think about and he might just succeed in that regard. What would any of us do in that situation?

I've been hard on this show, but it's starting to hit its stride a bit. As long as it keeps developing its characters, it might just be downright entertaining.

Notes:

-       Walter's line to Rebecca after she asked if they could reactivate her ID card ("Oh, that's right, you just met us.") actually made me chuckle. Walter's funny when he wants to be.

-       Toby continues to slobber all over Happy, and I'm very much enjoying the way she's not even getting angry. She's just exhausted, like she has no time for his shenanigans.

-       What did Walter mean at the end of the episode when he said he always says what he means? It felt like there was something deeper there.

-       What does everyong think of the way Walter behaves with Drew, Paige and Ralph? It's clear he wishes Drew were gone because he has feelings for Paige, but he also wants Ralph to know his father.

-       One minor gripe. If Walter and Cabe are so close, then why, when Cabe was about to go nuclear a few episodes ago and delivered a heartfelt message to Walter, did the genius just say "OK" and show no emotion? Was that just his way of dealing with the situation?

What did you think of "Rogue Element"? Let us know in the comments section.