Scorpion (CBS) US Pace [** Spoilers **]

Nody

I'm giving it one more episode but where's the "international terrorist" part?

squonk

Episode 2 was an improvement but that's like saying the milk in your cornflakes is a little less sour this morning than yesterday morning. Still fairly dumb but not as stupidly flashy as the pilot. I wish they'd drop the Ireland based stuff now. There's only so much American actors doing bad Irish accents I can take. I think it's an insult to compare this to Intelligence. Intelligence was dumb science fiction but I never really got he sense it took itself very seriously and didn't try to hammer home any particular points. This show however does so I judge it quite differently. I'll stay in for a while longer, heck I might last the season if they get an arc going or something. It's forgettable enough but I think my hatred for the show will grow as it goes on. I still think they'll only get a season out of this.

pooch90

OK, actually quite liked episode one and was looking forward to two, which we watched last night.
Bloody awful!!!
They start out in a classroom in Callan KK in 1994 with a 1950s teacher patrolling the top of the class and then goes to cane Walter, in 1994????Are u sh1tting me? Also, the kids in the class were about 14 and he was asking a division question about whole numbers, Walter divided it to two decimal places. It wouild be impressive in 3rd class but that must have been the remedial class or something he was in. Not even trying to look anyway real.
So insulting, not to mention the awful accents!

Spon Farmer

squonk wrote: »

Yup. Sadly it looks like the new Intelligence

No, it isn't THAT good :P

Alfred Borden

This has been absolutely dire imo and one I am dropping. Surprised it got a series pickup but if it gets a second season I have no faith in CBS.

Agent Coulson

Fun liitle cameo from NCIS LA's Hetty in this today's episode.

I like it as just a fun popcorn show.

Watching the second episide and really enjoying it. This isn't a show to challenge viewers, it's a bit of light hearted fluff that exists simply to entertain. It's not ever going to considered great tv but honestly, it's the kind if show I'd like to see more of. It fills that void for when you want something easy to put on and veg out to and Robert Patrick is just an absolute joy to watch in anything.

After watching the latest episode of Sons of Anarchy this evening I was struck by just how cruel the show was. It seems to exist simply to showcase vile and inhumane acts and its wearisome. It's simply not enjoyable and is a slog to get through. Scorpion is the opposite in every concur able way and just works. I found the characters and their demons far more relatable and touching than anything in Sons in a long, long time.

Watched episide 3 earlier this week and it really was just a nice little 42 minutes of TV that doesn't ask much more than for you to enjoy it. Having a pretty crappy day today so decided to watch the latest episode of The League which wasn't all that life affirming or fun so decided to throw on episode four if Scorpion. Hoping that it'll cheer me up a little and just be some fun.

Honestly think that this may be the best new show of the year thus far, now don't get me wrong it's not a great show or one which will ever be compared to the likes of The Wire but at the same time it's not trying to be. It's just a fun show with likeable characters, some interesting and fun stories and a sense that the whole thing is being made simply to entertain. It's perfect afternoon TV, the kind of thing that goes brilliantly with a cup of tea and the dark winter afternoons.

paleoperson

I think intelligence really doesn't work the way a lot of these "high IQ" types really wish it worked.

IQ and standardized tests were initially devised as a way to split schoolchildren into different classes, something it performed pretty well in. I have no doubt that Walter O' Brien would have been capable for the top class in his neighbourhood at the time of testing. Other than that I would say average intelligence at most.

Up to date with this and I've really enjoyed what I've seen. Ias I said before it's a simple show that exists simply to entertain and is perfect after a long day. Much like The Finder, Scorpion is a show that I watched at a time in my life when things turned to crap and that may play a part in why I warmed to it so easily. There's times in your life when all you want is a distraction and I found one with the show. That it has likeable characters whom you can easily warm to is a no us. It's not the most striking of shows and is decidedly old fashioned in how it's told and a the better for it.

jmcc

paleoperson wrote: »

I think intelligence really doesn't work the way a lot of these "high IQ" types really wish it worked.

IQ and standardized tests were initially devised as a way to split schoolchildren into different classes, something it performed pretty well in. I have no doubt that Walter O' Brien would have been capable for the top class in his neighbourhood at the time of testing. Other than that I would say average intelligence at most.

Saw an episode (the "bio-hacking" one on ITV2). O'Brien's bio has too many holes in it and the IQ thing, and a lot of other claims, do not really stand up to analysis (claimed that it was a teacher who "diagnosed his high IQ when he was nine and the NASA hacking thing sounds exactly like an embellished hacker war story but with some technologically incorrect facts added). It is very fluffy, cliche drenched, escapism with a few Tech/Science buzzwords and concepts. You'd almost expect Jennifer Anniston to pop and say "here's comes the science bit". I suppose some people will like it. There have been worse shows.

Regards...jmcc

bnt

I think it's improving, with an increased focus on character development and team dynamics. (Funny that Hetty from NCIS LA popped up: I tried watching that show, she was the only interesting character while the rest were straight out of Central Casting.) The comparisons with The Big Bang Theory work up to a point.

I probably shouldn't feel good about my ability to spot plot directions well in advance.

When the car blew up, I knew straight away that the painting in the car would be the fake, and since the original's rightful owner was mentioned up front...

but I don't mind, since it makes for "feelgood" TV.

Catching up with recent episodes and just after finishing up episide 9 which was just a wonderful 42 minutes. The story was familiar and not all that exciting but it was secondary to the character development. Cabe was the star of the week and had a number of really touching moments, his relationship with Walter is nicely coming into its own and the final scene was perfect. With so many shows going for dark and gritty there's a lot to be said about a show that's light and fluffy.

Mr E

Another fantastic 42 minutes this week too - this show is really hitting its stride. I was on the edge of my seat for most of it, and they even threw in some decent character development for good measure.

Agent Coulson

Great episdoe and a perfect Christmas one I am really enjoying this and glad it got a full season order.


Katharine McPhee I shall say no more.

I said it already but this is the show of the year, it's not big or clever or hip or adult or groundbreaking in any way but each week it provides 42 minutes of nothing but entertainment and manages to delve into a number of weighty themes and issues. They made an episode about a boy trapped in a well and it's amongst the most gripping 42 minutes you'll see all year. The relationships between the characters is what really sells the show, there's a real humanity and honestness to each that's impossible not to warm to. Of all the shows this year this is one that I hope to see live a long life.

_Kaiser_

Just caught up with the latest episode - absolutely fantastic and the best of the season so far IMO

syklops

You guys must be watching a different program to me.

jmcc

syklops wrote: »

You guys must be watching a different program to me.

Very Walter Mittyish back story on O'Brien. That NASA hacking story does not stack up. He claims to have done it when 13 years old but that would put it at around 1988. The computer that he was using was apparently an ordinary retail job (Amstrad 464, I think) rather than a PC. That would have required an RS232 interface and external modem.

He claimed to have hacked NASA to get drawings (schematics) of the Shuttle so that he could print them out on for his bedroom wall. Schematics are generally CAD files and the file format is typically linked to the CAD software in use. Big flaw right there for anyone who knows anything about design work. Now here's the killer: the size of the CAD files.

The telephone connectivity in 1980s Ireland was patchy at best. The modems at the time would have been 300 Baud, 1200/75 Baud or for the really fast and expensive ones, 2400 Baud. (There were some "fast" ones that did 9600 Baud but they were rare.) Even with compression and a clean line, it would take up to an hour to download a few hundred kilobyte file. And even in the 1990s, going into the US on a dial-up line was not very reliable. The bandwidth would often fluctuate and disconnects were common and the phone bills were painful.

The other aspect of printing was that laser printers were quite rare and expensive devices in the 1980s. The most common printers were dot matrix printers. While they were available, they were often the same price, (or more) as the computer.

That scene with the special forces team raiding the house - it is a copy of the opening of that 1990s movie "Hackers".

Interestingly, there were hacks on NASA (and other) servers in the late 1980s. Cliff Stoll wrote about tracking one group in The Cuckoo's Egg. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cuckoo%27s_Egg ). The hacks were executed via Packet Switched Network access rather than ordinary dial-up. O'Brien was not one of this group. The real history is far more fascinating.

The one thing that is really false about the whole series is its treatment of genius. The more intelligent a person is, the harder they try to appear "normal". It is the people who really are not geniuses who try so very hard to be different.

Regards...jmcc

_Kaiser_

syklops wrote: »

You guys must be watching a different program to me.

I think the "issue" might be that this show is a bit of a throw-back to an earlier era (as are recent shows like The Last Ship and The Flash for example). Shows that forgo the "gritty ultra-realistic" stories and characters of the HBO generation in favour of a great focus on simple entertainment and a "feel good factor" that were common in shows like this 30 years ago.

Think back to shows like Knight Rider or The A-Team... The Wire they were not, but they were very successful and fondly remembered today because they offered an hour of easy, disposable viewing that you could just watch, enjoy and move on.

It's a bit like people who go and see an Arnie film or a Michael Bay movie and then complain that it's about as deep as a kids play pool... but that's also missing the point - these films aren't supposed to be taken too seriously or over-analysed. They are what they are.. fun, loud, action and effects heavy mindless nonsense

Personally I welcome a return to such TV. While shows like The Wire, The West Wing, Battlestar Galactica and other "gritty, real" examples have their place and I enjoy them too... there's nothing wrong with just switching your brain off and enjoying the ride sometimes too!

Guy:Incognito

jmcc wrote: »

Very Walter Mittyish back story on O'Brien. That NASA hacking story does not stack up. He claims to have done it when 13 years old but that would put it at around 1988. The computer that he was using was apparently an ordinary retail job (Amstrad 464, I think) rather than a PC. That would have required an RS232 interface and external modem.

He claimed to have hacked NASA to get drawings (schematics) of the Shuttle so that he could print them out on for his bedroom wall. Schematics are generally CAD files and the file format is typically linked to the CAD software in use. Big flaw right there for anyone who knows anything about design work. Now here's the killer: the size of the CAD files.

The telephone connectivity in 1980s Ireland was patchy at best. The modems at the time would have been 300 Baud, 1200/75 Baud or for the really fast and expensive ones, 2400 Baud. (There were some "fast" ones that did 9600 Baud but they were rare.) Even with compression and a clean line, it would take up to an hour to download a few hundred kilobyte file. And even in the 1990s, going into the US on a dial-up line was not very reliable. The bandwidth would often fluctuate and disconnects were common and the phone bills were painful.

The other aspect of printing was that laser printers were quite rare and expensive devices in the 1980s. The most common printers were dot matrix printers. While they were available, they were often the same price, (or more) as the computer.

That scene with the special forces team raiding the house - it is a copy of the opening of that 1990s movie "Hackers".

Interestingly, there were hacks on NASA (and other) servers in the late 1980s. Cliff Stoll wrote about tracking one group in The Cuckoo's Egg. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cuckoo%27s_Egg ). The hacks were executed via Packet Switched Network access rather than ordinary dial-up. O'Brien was not one of this group. The real history is far more fascinating.

The one thing that is really false about the whole series is its treatment of genius. The more intelligent a person is, the harder they try to appear "normal". It is the people who really are not geniuses who try so very hard to be different.

Regards...jmcc

If that was the only inconsistency in his story he'd be doing well. I was googling a while back and after a couple of minutes came across loads that I stuck in a thread n the Kilkenny forum that was about him.

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140924/14422128627/another-story-fake-brilliant-inventor-is-scorpion-walter-obrien-real-computer-security-genius.shtml

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20141004/07211128727/mythical-almost-certainly-made-up-legend-walter-obrien-continues-to-grow.shtml

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20141018/06582528871/scorpion-walter-obrien-finally-sorta-barely-responds-to-inconsistencies-his-many-claims.shtml

https://twitter.com/AsherLangton/timelines/514456527118143488

jmcc

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

If that was the only inconsistency in his story he'd be doing well. I was googling a while back and after a couple of minutes came across loads that I stuck in a thread n the Kilkenny forum that was about him.

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140924/14422128627/another-story-fake-brilliant-inventor-is-scorpion-walter-obrien-real-computer-security-genius.shtml

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20141004/07211128727/mythical-almost-certainly-made-up-legend-walter-obrien-continues-to-grow.shtml

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20141018/06582528871/scorpion-walter-obrien-finally-sorta-barely-responds-to-inconsistencies-his-many-claims.shtml

https://twitter.com/AsherLangton/timelines/514456527118143488

Yep. His back story has been shredded. The thing about hacking and systems security is that there are many wannabes who like the idea of being an elite hacker but that actually involves a Hell of a lot of work and expertise. And Law Enforcement tends to be extremely wary of using any hackers they catch as anything more than a confidential informant or bait in an ongoing investigation.

I watched the Late Late Show interview where Tubridy "interviewed" O'Brien and O'Brien's body language was all wrong. He was talking around issues rather than answering questions. Tubridy can't interview people properly and of course RTE is going to show the series in the New Year. It was very much an RTE puff piece interview.

This is an article by Cliff Stoll on dealing with the hack:
http://pdf.textfiles.com/academics/wilyhacker.pdf

It is worth reading.

Regards...jmcc

squonk

I do think we have to take the back story with a pinch of salt. I don't know anything about O'Brien and, for this show I'm not sure I need to either. I've a feeling it's based on his life in much the same way you could say that BSG or Star Trek are based on the ISS. The ISS is up there performing a function but the shows are a highly fantasised progression of that fact.

I hated the pilot. I posted here after it aired saying as much and predicting the shows early demise. Since then however it's improved in leaps and bounds. The characters are getting better developed each week and they fit the gimmicks into the show rather than place them at the center. As said earlier, its a nice 42 minutes of escapism and entertainment. The last episode I watched was about a boy caught in a well and was, quite simply, some of the most gripping, moving and entertaining episodes of any new show this season. I want the show to stick around now. It's worked its way into my list if shows I look forward to each week.

Honestly I couldn't care less if O'Brien's entire history was a fabrication. It doesn't lessen my enjoyment of the show and while I can understand how some people don't like it at the same time I think that it's hard to dislike a show whose sole purpose is simply to entertain. Scorpion isn't trying to be adult and edge, it has no interest in being the next Game of Thrones but rather it simply wants to entertain and that's actually a rare quality in a show. Scorpion can cover some adult themes and issues without ever resorting to gratuitous violence or sex as many "adult" shows do and that's a nice change of pace.

Tristram

Watched the first two episodes and thought it was fairly mindless with some terrible casting. Will give it a bit more time to see how it progresses.

syklops

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

I think the "issue" might be that this show is a bit of a throw-back to an earlier era (as are recent shows like The Last Ship and The Flash for example). Shows that forgo the "gritty ultra-realistic" stories and characters of the HBO generation in favour of a great focus on simple entertainment and a "feel good factor" that were common in shows like this 30 years ago.

Think back to shows like Knight Rider or The A-Team... The Wire they were not, but they were very successful and fondly remembered today because they offered an hour of easy, disposable viewing that you could just watch, enjoy and move on.

It's a bit like people who go and see an Arnie film or a Michael Bay movie and then complain that it's about as deep as a kids play pool... but that's also missing the point - these films aren't supposed to be taken too seriously or over-analysed. They are what they are.. fun, loud, action and effects heavy mindless nonsense

Personally I welcome a return to such TV. While shows like The Wire, The West Wing, Battlestar Galactica and other "gritty, real" examples have their place and I enjoy them too... there's nothing wrong with just switching your brain off and enjoying the ride sometimes too!

Its not a case of me not enjoying it because i was expecting Ullyses. I didn't enjoy it because its a load of ****e. Incidentally, I'm watching the Last Ship at the moment and I'm loving it. I am absolutely able to leave my brain at home when watching some light drama, but it needs to make a bit of sense. Some of my favourite movies are as you put it as deep as a paddling pool.

However, there is something about this show which my system rejected faster than bad shrimp.

bpb101

good ep this week , i think they should have made Ralph 12 maybe 13 so in a few years they could bring him in to be more of the team when he hits 15/16.
Love page in the show , but i cant see what she contributes. Anybody explain to be why she there she pr, but dosent really do much

squonk

Paige is there to do what they tell you at the start, to translate the team into something the rest of the world can understand and vice versa. She's Walter's connection to normality and prevents him going off the deep end at times. I like why she's there and I like how she's played by Catherine McPhee. I'm not particularly interested in the ex husband plot but even that seems to be going somewhere.

bpb101

squonk wrote: »

Paige is there to do what they tell you at the start, to translate the team into something the rest of the world can understand and vice versa. She's Walter's connection to normality and prevents him going off the deep end at times. I like why she's there and I like how she's played by Catherine McPhee. I'm not particularly interested in the ex husband plot but even that seems to be going somewhere.

i know her job description , but i cant really see her make any impact on her designed role. It very much looks like that Walter just wanted to give her a job. Dont like the ex husbands role , expect the reason id say he is there is that they want to hold off page and walter getting together. Take any show where its clear the 2 main people will end up together, they cant let it happen on day one as the build up , the tension , the waiting is all lost on the audiences. Most shows its 3-5 seasons before it happens eg bones,castle,tbbt and in each one of these there needs to be somthing or someone who gets in the way.