Scorpion New Episode Review: 'Charades' Focuses on Walter and Paige's Relationship

CBS aired a new episode of Scorpion on Sunday night after the AFC Championship Game between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots. The episode, which aired on a special night and at a special time, was entitled "Charades" and focused on the relationship between Walter and Paige.

As we said in the review of the latest episode two weeks ago, there are clearly some signs of romantic feelings toward Paige on his part, which also plays into his desire to nurture Ralph. Your mileage may vary on this subject, as you might think the show needs a love story or you might roll your eyes if you think it's forced or unnecessary.

If you're a fan of this romance angle, then you likely enjoyed "Charades," but if you find yourself cringing every time the show brings up the idea of Walter and Paige, then it was likely a long hour for you.

Given the show's placement after one of the biggest football games of the year (thanks for showing up, Indianapolis...), it's not surprising the episode was more than just a procedural hour. Scorpion has done a good job in recent episodes of developing its characters and making us care more about them than about the actual case of the week, and this week was no different.

The episode began with Paige having a dream about Walter, which complicated her feelings for him. Coincidentally enough, the case that landed in the team's lap this week was all about love between a Yemeni woman and a CIA employee. Walter needed to pose as another CIA worker to try to stop the woman from stealing dangerous chemicals that could create nerve gas.

Unfortunately, Walter had almost no flirting skills whatsoever. ("I hope you had an efficient day.") Enter Paige, who had to teach Walter how to be a smooth operator with the opposite sex out in the field. It was an obvious move that many likely saw coming, but it inched the Walter and Paige story forward a bit by forcing some mild sexual interaction between the two.

But it didn't stop there, as Paige literally coached Walter via earpiece on how to flirt with the target. She told him what to say and what to do, and it worked up until the woman got wise and knocked Walter unconscious. By the end of the sequence, it was pretty clear that Walter and Paige were flirting with each other rather than the target.

This whole story between the two characters appears to be a slow burn at this point, and we'll likely see something major happen between them by the end of the season. It was odd to hear Walter say that love doesn't exist, as he clearly loves his sister and at least cares for the people on his team. We'll have to watch as Paige chips away at Walter and works through her own feelings.

The actual plot of the episode was fine, but the special night and time brought with it some of the more unfortunate problems of the show. The episode went a bit over the top with all the action sequences, including Happy climbing up a building like Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible and Walter jumping out of a plane like Bruce Willis in Die Hard. It was reminiscent of the ridiculous pilot episode in which Walter hardwired a laptop on a plane while driving a Ferrari at 200 mph. At least the show acknowledged its own absurdity when Walter and Toby questioned when they became action heroes.

What did you think of "Charades"? Let us know your opinions in the comments section.