Scorpion: Season One Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Scorpion: Season One Blu-ray Movie Review

Brilliant.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 4, 2015

Who says the life of a genius isn't exciting? Scorpion sees the marriage of The Big Bang Theory with the classic crime-solving procedural show like The Mentalist, then mixed with the team chemistry style of Hawaii Five-0. And it's every bit as unique a character show as it sounds, even if it, at times, struggles to escape the repetitive clutches of those procedural roots. The show is based on the life of super genius Walter O'Brien, an Irish-born whiz-kid and founder of Scorpion Computer Services. Scorpion has a lot of fun with its eccentric group of high IQ personalities in their various quests that challenge them to use their own unique gifts in a collective effort to save the day but also in their interactions with one another and, oftentimes more humorously, with the "real world" populated by average Joes and Janes and, certainly, more than a few below average types as well. But it's all in good fun. The show plays with high spirits and finds just the right balance between serious devotion to task and high minded levity. It's a fun series that might not make its audience smarter, but it will leave them happier for the adventure with one of TV's most fascinating collections of characters.

That's a lot of brainpower.

Super genius Walter O'Brien (Elyes Gabel) sports an IQ of 197, which ranks him fourth in the world and well ahead of the late Albert Einstein. Yet with all those smarts, he's been reduced to repairing WiFi networks around the city. Behind the scenes, however, he's putting together Scorpion, a small business that's brought together several more gifted minds under one roof, including mathematician extraordinaire Sylvester Dodd (Ari Stidham) who is also a germaphobe and a Chess grandmaster; mechanical wizard Happy Quinn (Jadyn Wong) whose detailed memory runs deep; and Toby Curtis (Eddie Kaye Thomas), an expert people reader whose gift has gotten him in trouble more than once in various gambling establishments. One day, Walter is approached by Homeland Security agent Cabe Gallo (Robert Patrick) with whom Walter has a history. He was the arresting agent who apprehended an adolescent Walter after he successfully hacked NASA. Now, he's hoping to enlist the group to use the members' skills for a greater good and prevent multiple aircraft from falling out of the sky following a crippling software malfunction. While frantically working to solve the problem, the group encounters a waitress named Paige Dineen (Katharine McPhee), an ordinary woman who is mother to an extraordinary boy named Ralph (Riley B. Smith) whom the group quickly identifies as a budding super genius. With Paige acting as the group's de facto interpreter of, and voice to, the "real world" and Ralph growing under the group's collective wing, Scorpion, along with Agent Gallo, becomes a formidable strategic response team that can solve any threat, anywhere, with their collective genius guiding the way.

Scorpion puts a unique spin on the procedural. It doesn't turn it on its head, but it certainly takes it in a new, and oftentimes exciting, direction where the mind remains the number-one crime fighting tool but here amplified to a significantly higher order. The show is endlessly clever in how it brings together each character's strength and allows them all to play a critical role in the dilemma of the week. But, as with the best such shows, the broader story arc details often take a back seat to the more attractive allure of character development and interaction. The Scorpion team shares exceptional chemistry, evident right out of the gate. Their growth, both individually and together, is tangible, and often evident in the show's well balanced approach that mixes high intensity action, sharp humor, and warm heart. But it's perhaps in their social awkwardness where the show finds its greatest strength, in how they must adapt around their own little idiosyncrasies to save the day. In many ways, that makes Paige the most valuable member of the crew. She serves as the de facto voice, a translator, so to speak, between the group's inner circle awkwardness and the world that exists outside their brainy bubble. There's always a nice blend of "out of touch" and "right on target" with the group, and the formula, at least through the first season, never gets old but in fact matures with the show's development. It's fast and furious out of the gate, and why wouldn't it be with Justin Lin at the helm of the series' superb pilot episode? Yet while none of the other episodes can match that barnburner for sheer intensity and excitement, Scorpion satisfies along the journey of its brainy first season.

Below is a list of all season one episodes. Summaries are provided courtesy of the Blu-ray insert.

Disc One:

• Pilot: A faulty computer program threatens every plane over Los Angeles and only Scorpion can patch the code and prevent an aviation disaster.
• Single Point of Failure: Scorpion must track down a biohacker who has infected the governor's daughter with a lethal disease.
• A Cyclone: While investigating a bombing at a lawyer's office, the team uncovers a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of government.
• Shorthanded: During a freelance mission in Las Vegas, Walter is accused of robbing a casino, and the rest of Scorpion must prove his innocence.

Disc Two:

• Plutonium Is Forever: A decommissioned nuclear reactor is on the verge of meltdown, and only Scorpion (with help from an unstable former team member) can prevent a nuclear catastrophe.
• True Colors: After a disastrous mission to recover a priceless painting, the fate of Scorpion hinges on a psychological evaluation from a government analyst.
• Father's Day: When a brilliant hacker escapes from prison, Scorpion discovers they are dealing with something far larger than an ordinary jailbreak.
• Risky Business: The team uncovers software that writes chart-topping pop music, and soon learns the music industry is willing to kill for a hit song.
• Rogue Element: When Cade's ex-wife is caught up in a deadly political conspiracy, she is brought under the protection of Scorpion.

Disc Three:

• Talismans: The team is caught behind enemy lines when they are assigned to recover top-secret military technology from a downed plane is Bosnia.
• Revenge: After Sylvester is injured while investigating a brutal robbery, the team begins an obsessive hunt to catch the criminals and avenge their friend.
• Dominoes: The team scrambles to rescue a young boy who is trapped in a sinkhole at the beach before the tide rises and the boy's time runs out.
• Kill Screen: Vital government secrets are being revealed through an online video game, and the team must catch the game's designer before more lives are put at risk.
• Charades: To catch an international terrorist, the team of socially awkward geniuses must face their toughest challenge yet: romance.

Disc Four:

• Forget Me Nots: In order to save the world from a nuclear holocaust, the team must unlock the memories of a brain-damaged Secret Service agent.
• Love Boat: Scorpion goes undercover in high society when a ruthless arms dealer uses a luxury cruise ship to smuggle experimental rockets.
• Going South: Scorpion travels to Mexico to rescue a kidnapped journalist from a brutal, tech-savvy drug cartel.
• Once Bitten, Twice Die: A longstanding conflict in Eastern Europe threatens to escalate into a global war, and only Scorpion can broker peace between the nations.
• Young Hearts Spark Fire: A mission to rescue lost hikers turns into a battle against nature when Scorpion's crashed helicopter ignites a deadly wildfire.

Disc Five:

• Crossroads: Scorpion is drawn into the drug war when the team assists the U.S. Marshals to escort the key witness against a ruthless cartel.
• Cliffhanger: A vengeance-crazed hacker has released a deadly gas into a government laboratory, and Scorpion must confront a long-buried secret to save the scientist trapped inside.
• Postcards from the Edge: The future of Scorpion hangs in the balance when the team tries to rescue Walter from a wrecked car teetering on the edge of a cliff.

Scorpion: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scorpion: Season One's 1080p presentation excels at every turn. The image is vibrant and remarkably well defined, very healthy and absent all but a hint of the digital flatness that defines so many other, similar, presentations. Details are beautifully crisp throughout, evident particularly in bright, sun-drenched exteriors where skin textures prove intimately complex, clothing seams and lines effortless in up-tight definition, and various city accents -- concrete, cars -- sparklingly clean and precise. Colors are vivid and healthy without exception in these same outdoor scenes. Greens pop, accent colors around the city dazzle, and clothes look great. Some of the lower light interiors can be a little iffy in terms of detailing proficiency and color definition, but most raise no serious alarms. Black levels impress and flesh tones appear neutral. Light noise and banding creep in at times, but never to a debilitating extent. Fans should be more than satisfied with how good these episodes look.

Scorpion: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scorpion: Season One features an exciting and oftentimes intense DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Episode one is certainly the high water mark for the season's sound design. It throws quite a bit at the audience: buzzing helicopters, roaring jet planes, and zooming cars. Maneuverability throughout the listening area is precise; the surround speakers carry a large load of the action and the sense of immersion and weight is about as stunning as one will ever find on a television episode. The entire series does carry a broadly diverse sound design in terms of offering a wide variety of sonic content, some of which is aggressive, some of which is a little more nuanced, but all of it always plays in well defined harmony and immersion. Clarity is exceptional, too, whether the most dynamic effects or the most subtle musical notes. Generally, music is impressively wide and features effortless definition throughout the range. Dialogue is firmly grounded in the center with positive articulation.

Scorpion: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Scorpion: Season One contains supplements scattered across all five discs. Inside the Blu-ray case, buyers will find a voucher for a UV digital copy.

Disc One:

• Audio Commentary: Nick Santora, Nicholas Wooten, Ari Stidham, Katharine McPhee, Eddie Kaye Thomas, and Robert Patrick for "Pilot."
• Deleted Scene (1080p, 0:59): From "A Cyclone."
• Building Team Scorpion (1080p, 14:28): A basic overview of the show's foundation, working with the real Walter O'Brien, casting actors who can play geniuses, the qualities the main cast brought to the show, Justin Lin's contributions, O'Brien's fears for the show, Elyes Gabel's work with Walter O'Brien, and the pilot's success.
• Chasing the Plane (1080p, 5:16): A detailed look at making the big special effects stunt piece from the pilot.
• Launch Promos (1080i, 5:25): Preview bursts from CBS.

Disc Two:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): From "True Colors" (0:31) and "Risky Business" (0:40).
• When Hetty Meets Scorpion (1080p, 2:10): A look at Linda Hunt's crossover appearance in Scorpion from NCIS: Los Angeles.

Disc Three:

• Audio Commentary: Nick Santora, Nicholas Wooten, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jadyn Wong, Sam Hill, and Don Tardino for "Talismans."
• Deleted Scene (1080p, 2:59): From "Kill Screen."

Disc Four:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): From "Forget Me Nots" (0:38), "Love Boat" (3:53), and "Once Bitten, Twice Die" (0:35).

Disc Five:

• Living on the Edge (1080i, 2:18): Making one of the key stunt scenes from season one.
• Unlikely Heroes: The Making of Scorpion: Season 1 (1080p, 19:59): A piece that examines the show's core details, the emotional character underpinnings, and highlights from a handful of episodes.
• Meet Team Scorpion (1080p, 14:31): A quick look at each main character.
• Inside the Brain with Eddie Kaye Thomas (1080p, 0:55): A short look at the human brain, featuring Dr. Glenn Fox from the USC Brain & Creativity Institute and Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang from USC's Neuroscience & Education department. The piece then allows users to look more closely at Logic (2:45), Addiction (1:47), Fear (2:21), Compassion (1:46), Protection (2:41), and Mechanical Ability (1:38) as they relate to the brain and various characters in the series.
• Stunts on Scorpion (1080p, 10:32): As the title suggests, this piece looks more closely at making some of the more ambitious stunts from season one and the important role they play in key moments throughout.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 5:17).
• Cast "Thank You" (1080i, 0:25): The cast thanks the fans for watching.

Scorpion: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Scorpion really works. The cast is terrific, the idea strong, and the execution precise. The season starts with a bang that it can never quite recreate as it goes smaller and deeper into procedural stock plots, but it comes together very well with a solid foundation and a burgeoning sense of character exploration through the various crises the team encounters and resolves. For audiences looking for a little more brain power in their procedurals, this is the place to be. Scorpion: Season One's Blu-ray release from CBS/Paramount features top end video and audio. Supplements are to be found throughout the set. Highly recommended.