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</scorpion> - Mondays @ 9 EST on CBS

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P

Pickman

Member
So I really don't have the chops to start an OT but I wanted to discuss this show with folks after watching the premiere last night.

I really didn't like it. We've already had plenty of shows with geniuses and their 'normal folk' handlers (Monk, Eureka, etc) and the formula has been done.

Production value was cheesy most of the way through, along with the character archetypes being set up within the smarties group.

Sadly I don't see this going the way of "Last Resort" anytime soon, though 2 for 2 on Robert Patrick being part of dying series would be the beginning of a trend.

So what did you guys think? Am I just trying to be too highbrow about my entertainment, or is this show just a poorly written trope-fest?
 
S

Siegcram

Member
Tropes over tropes over tropes. Also IQ. And cables from flying planes into driving cars.

Conclusion: Utter shit.
 
I

ItIsOkBro

Member
When the dude looked at the kid playing with salt shakers, and then he tells the waitress to take care of the kid or some crap. That's when I tuned out.
 
D

Darth Pinche

Member
I was turned off by the ads pushing socially inept geeks and a seemingly autistic genius child saving the world garbage. It just looked like crap so I never watched.
Sounds like it was as bad as I thought.
 
S

Siegcram

Member
Darth Pinche said:
I was turned off by the ads pushing socially inept geeks and a seemingly autistic genius child saving the world garbage. It just looked like crap so I never watched.
Sounds like it was as bad as I thought.
Click to expand...
It's worse. People with 190 IQs (lol) can't figure out how to pay a power bill on time.
 
T

Trouble

Banned
I really wanted this show to be good, but I don't think I can sit through another episode. The writers have absolutely no subtlety whatsoever. Everything in this show was done with a sledgehammer.

I can't tell if random genius strangers instantly connecting with genius autistic kid was lol-worthy or offensive.

lolfensive

Edit: Also mom-of-the-year over there so completely oblivious to her son playing chess (at a grandmaster level *groan*).
 
R

RetroMG

Member
It was rough, but I really liked it. I'll keep watching, although from what I'm hearing I don't think it will stick around for very long.

My wife liked it, but had some trouble suspending her disbelief on the technology aspects.

FoneBone said:
does this have a character named/nicknamed "scorpion"? if not, fail
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Yes. The main character is referred to early on (in his childhood) as Scorpion, and it looks like he names his team that later on.
 
R

Rafa=FedKilla

Banned
Was pretty damn incredible. I think GAFers and general audiences are really going to connect with Walter. And it's nearly impossible to outshine Katherine McPhee's star. She is like a northern light that guides you to greatness. You'll connect with her and understand her fast, and she looked great in that waitress outfit. The psychology expert was great as the unreliable buddy, like a white Ken Leung. It did have its drawbacks, ghe Asian ladies voice was insufferable and I hope they don't try to outdo themselves with the stakes. CBS has another hit on their hands. Enjoy.
 
spookyfish

spookyfish

Member
Rafa=FedKilla said:
Was pretty damn incredible. I think GAFers and general audiences are really going to connect with Walter. And it's nearly impossible to outshine Katherine McPhee's star. She is like a northern light that guides you to greatness. You'll connect with her and understand her fast, and she looked great in that waitress outfit. The psychology expert was great as the unreliable buddy, like a white Ken Leung. It did have its drawbacks, ghe Asian ladies voice was insufferable and I hope they don't try to outdo themselves with the stakes. CBS has another hit on their hands. Enjoy.
Click to expand...

That's a lot of words for "mediocre actress."
 
T

Tamanon

Banned
Slayven said:
I am hopping this will fill my Leverage itch.
Click to expand...

I don't see it. The Leverage guys could at least be charming when they wanted to be. They weren't just always misunderstood assholes.

I wasn't that big a fan of the first episode, it seemed incredibly heavy on explaining how smart they are and how much they don't understand people. The threat seemed super silly, especially when you realized that the plane could've just landed on that airstrip and they would get the program they needed instead of having to do that car nonsense.

Also, pet peeve, but the title tag should really be <Scorpion> to open the show and </Scorpion> to close it dangit!
 
S

Slayven

Member
Tamanon said:
I don't see it. The Leverage guys could at least be charming when they wanted to be. They weren't just always misunderstood assholes.

I wasn't that big a fan of the first episode, it seemed incredibly heavy on explaining how smart they are and how much they don't understand people. The threat seemed super silly, especially when you realized that the plane could've just landed on that airstrip and they would get the program they needed instead of having to do that car nonsense.

Also, pet peeve, but the title tag should really be <Scorpion> to open the show and </Scorpion> to close it dangit!
Click to expand...

First ep, give the characters time to be flushed out.
 
L

LumpOfCole

Member
This is /r/shittyaskscience the show. It's actually hilarious and enjoyable to watch to see how wrong they get the 'smart' elements.
 
M

MattyG

Banned
It was... something. I can't see it going anywhere. And the actress who plays the technical expert or whatever she was. So. BAD.
 
V

Vengrim

Member
LumpOfCole said:
This is /r/shittyaskscience the show. It's actually hilarious and enjoyable to watch to see how wrong they get the 'smart' elements.
Click to expand...

You're dead-on. The more I think about last night's episode, the more problems I have with it. I doubt I can remember it all now but what I do remember...

Why would they try to find a wireless network that won't go down? Something wrong with a wired network? How about the Homeland Security office?

I'm pretty damn sure LAX has their own IT staff and not some bumbling luddite manager.

Why do they need to break into the datacenter (that looks like it is in a storage shed). Can't they just call the people? Can't someone just stop the job for backing up or copying the files?

They can't communicate with the planes because they all now use this proprietary system. I get that. I'm betting they still have radios though for backup. Why not use those?

Don't even get me started on the psychoanalaysis of where the hard drive would be in the data center. Hint: the drive will go where there is room, not where some insecure middle management mook decides to put it. Further, 1 drive for all of LAX? It isn't spanned with hot spares both because there is so much data but also for redundancy?

It was mighty convenient the plan had an ethernet cable just hanging around but why did they even need it? Once they got in contact with the guy on the plane, why not get someone that has a smart phone, turn it on, and have that person email it. Hell, I bet someone has a usb drive. Put it on that and drop it out of the plane. No need for the whole car thing.
 
S

SwiftDeath

Member
Ugh it was quite bad for most of the show but I can usually handle that but then the Ethernet cable from a flying plane into a Ferrari as the actual solution was literally the dumbest thing I have ever seen on cable TV. Planes can be landed visually and they managed to achieve communication with the pilot of that plane via that old phone so they could clear a specific runway for the plane which they would do then land the plane then get the software. So dumb
 
C

Chichikov

Member
SwiftDeath said:
Ugh it was quite bad for most of the show but I can usually handle that but then the Ethernet cable from a flying plane into a Ferrari as the actual solution was literally the dumbest thing I have ever seen on cable TV. Planes can be landed visually and they managed to achieve communication with the pilot of that plane via that old phone so they could clear a specific runway for the plane which they would do then land the plane then get the software. So dumb
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"Inspired by a true story!".

By the way, everything I read about the real guy reeks of bullshit, but whatever, if nothing else, he got a TV show to promote his business, can't take that away from him.
 
A

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Everyone on this show looks like a poor-man's version of a different actor.
 
C

Chichikov

Member
WorldStar said:
the guy who the show was based on was supposed to show up on the kevin and bean show and he didnt even show up

dick
Click to expand...
I went to that company website, and snooped under award, and holy mother of god -
Under awards, it lists only one amazing feat -

Winston Churchill and Albert Einstein prestigious classification awarded to Irish National!

OMG, sounds awesome, until you realize he's talking about the fact that he got an EB-1 Visa.
For those who are unfamiliar with the American immigration process, this is the priority visa, and while it does list "extraordinary abilities" in its name (this how athletes tend to get their visas) it is routinely given to executives and postdocs, they are literally awarding tens of thousands of those per year, I know numerous people who immigrated to the US on this visa.
It's nice to get one, but for real, if that's what you draw comparisons to Albert Einstein...

Dude look like a bigger fraud than the 49ers.
 
R

RetroMG

Member
Vengrim said:
Don't even get me started on the psychoanalaysis of where the hard drive would be in the data center. Hint: the drive will go where there is room, not where some insecure middle management mook decides to put it. Further, 1 drive for all of LAX? It isn't spanned with hot spares both because there is so much data but also for redundancy?
Click to expand...

My wife lost it at this. She works at a company that does data backups for hospitals, and she gave pretty much this exact same rant.

jtb said:
feels like they've been playing promos for this all the fucking time
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Yeah, there's been a promo for this before every movie I've seen lately. Kind of sad that it still took 3-4 times for me to remember the name.

Angry Grimace said:
Everyone on this show looks like a poor-man's version of a different actor.
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Yeah, I spent the whole time going, "He looks like poor-man's Marc Ruffalo. He kind of looks like Joe from MasterChef."

Overall, I liked the show a lot, but man, was it rough.
 
S

sarcastor

Member
so this show is basically House + Numbers with a bunch of weird people

The whole plane thing was ludicrous but maybe the show will get better?

And Katherine Mcphee is always a pleasure to look at :)
 
K

Kung Fu Jedi

Member
Watched this show online after hearing the real Walter, whose life it based on, on the Adam Carolla podcast. Real Walter sounded super interesting, but this show is just CBS normal procedural crap. Didn't care for it at all, and doubt I'll ever tune in again. It wasn't clever, interesting, or smart, despite all of the "geniuses." No one was particularly likable either.
 
K

Keen

Aliens ate my babysitter
That Ferrari Plane thing might have been the stupidest thing I've ever seen in a TV-show. And that was just the most egregious part. Wow, I might watch when I'm bored for just the train wreck.
 
A

Almighty

Member
Trouble said:
I really wanted this show to be good, but I don't think I can sit through another episode. The writers have absolutely no subtlety whatsoever. Everything in this show was done with a sledgehammer.
Click to expand...

This is pretty much my impression as well.
 
Z

zorlaczerohero

Banned
Just watched episode 2 and I'm really enjoying it, yeah it's mawkish, feel good crap, but we all need some of that once in a while. At least they haven't made the 'special' people gibbering fools like they did on Alpha's.
 
A

Aaron

Member
I think this is the first show ever culled together from other scripts. There's not a whisper of originality or decent writing to be found.
 
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