- " Whatever thoughts you are having about Drew or anyone else, you ask yourself could this hurt Ralph? You take care of your most important thing."
- —Toby to Paige
"Charades" is the fourteenth episode of the first season of Scorpion. It aired on January 18, 2015.
Synopsis
Team Scorpion is tasked with uncovering a mole inside the CIA whose judgment is clouded by matters of the heart and is being coerced into stealing deadly chemicals. Also, in preparation for the case, Paige gives Walter a flirting lesson.
Plot
In a dream, Paige tells Drew that they can’t let him coming into Ralph’s life confuse him. But then when Drew walks out of the bathroom, it’s Walter in a bathrobe. She asks why he’s there and Walter says she’s been thinking about him. She wakes confused. Sylvester, Happy, and Toby are playing nerd charades. Paige comes in and Toby says she looks frazzled. She says she had a weird dream and Walter asks what about. She says she doesn’t remember. He says our brains block memories that trouble us and she asks what it means if you recall it vividly. Walter says it means you enjoyed it.
They ask her to play charades to clear her mind. She says playing charades with geniuses is never fun. She gives it a go and they guess it in three seconds. Cabe comes in and says they have a case from the CIA Internal Affairs Division. They have a leak at the CIA office giving info to Yemen. Paige asks why they need them and Happy says the leaker could be anyone in the agency. He tells them to get to work. Sylvester cracks the algorithm and Walter says no names but they have the text of the message.
Toby reads it off. Paige says it’s a love letter but they tell her it’s a code. Sylvester he says he’s read all the issues of Robo-Spy and says the sentimental verbiage to make it less obvious. Walter says they need to go to the LA CIA branch and profile them blindly. Sylvester says they have highly trained agents but Cabe says they have them. They head over and are walked in but their escort says they have a ton of people. They start with the tech department.
She shows them gecko hands for climbing walls. Toby flirts and asks the woman if she has a catsuit to go with it. She shows them a bullet deflecting t-shirt. She fires at it. The guys are geeked out. Cabe says the field trip is over. Toby says she’s mechanically inclined and nice and Happy tells him to shut up. Walter tells the guy he can send all the field spies home. He says they don’t have the skills to do it and Toby says to show them the guys with the faces for radio.
They take them to the basement. Paige asks again what if it was a love letter. She asks them to profile someone who’s in love. Toby asks if anyone has lost a lot of weight. Paige asks about vacation days like Fridays and Mondays and says it’s three day weekends. She asks if Walter has taken any. He’s flustered and says she left after one day. They point out Leonard and Toby says the guy is in love and even had a manicure. Cabe says that doesn’t mean he would do anything unlawful. They ask to talk to Leonard.
They have him handcuffed and asks why he’s sending encrypting love notes to someone in Yemen. Cabe says he knows he’s been in the chem lab and says he could be facing treason charges. He says he gave chemicals to an aide worker. Toby asks why he’s not ashamed and Leonard says he did nothing wrong. He says it’s to help poor people in Yemen. Walter asks why the poor people need chemicals. Leonard says they’re starving because they can’t make pesticides.
He says he gave her two and was going to give her a third. He says he’s in love with her. Walter says love is imaginary and asks what the chemicals are. Leonard rattles them off and Walter says they can be adjusted to create nerve gas. Leonard is shocked and says he didn’t know that. He says Sima is a good person but Happy says she targeted him. Walter says she was working him and tells Leonard if he’s wrong, millions could die.
Happy says Interpol is checking on Sima. Walter says the guy gave her enough to make a crazy amount of it. Walter asks how Leonard couldn’t see what they were showing him. Walter asks what’s under Toby’s shirt – it’s a prototype of the bullet shirt and Toby says the woman gave it to him. Walter says even if Leonard won’t help them, they can get him to talk to Sima. They have Leonard read a statement to run a voice program. Walter records it.
They are going to simulate his voice. They tell Paige that Walter created the program to mimic his mom’s voice so he could ditch school. She’s surprised and thinks for a moment he was being a bad boy but they tell her he wanted to skip school to go to a physics lecture. That gives her pause. They talk about the irrationality of love and Toby says the heart wants what it wants even when it doesn’t make sense. Paige goes to talk to Toby and asks to talk to him as a shrink.
She says she had an inappropriate dream about someone that wouldn’t be good for him. Toby thinks it’s about Drew. She asks for advice. He says she’s not being honest and he can’t help her until she is. She walks off. Toby says a mason can’t build without bricks. Cabe asks Walter if they have what they need and he says almost. He asks Leonard to repeat a silly phrase and he does. Walter says now they have it all. Leonard asks if he can go now. Cabe says they lied to him and tells him that’s how easy it is to get played. Walter says his software will transmute it so he can sound just like Leonard. He takes Leonard’s phone to call Sima. Paige says she doesn’t think he should be doing this. She says Sima calls him Boo and that’s playful and fun – not something that Walter is known for. Walter calls her and Sima asks how he is. Paige says he’s going to give it away.
She tells him to be romantic and say he can’t stop thinking about her. Sima likes this. Paige takes over and starts talking sexy to her. She says she wishes she was with her touching and kissing her. Sima moans and says it sounds good. Sylvester is disturbed and Toby says they should record this too. She tells Sima they have a snag and that the chemical was moved to another lab. She says a guy named Marvin controls it now. She says she can get it and tells him to have Marvin meet him for a drink.
Sima tells him/her to cancel at the last minute. Cabe says they have enough to arrest her but instead need her to lead them to the chemicals. Cabe says he can play Marvin, but since he used to be in the FBI, Walter thinks he risks being spotted, if they have access to government information and Toby says Sylvester is a nervous wreck. Toby says he can do it. Cabe says they need someone to profile the crowd in the bar. It’s down to Walter and Paige says he can’t do it. Sylvester says they can rig for video and he and Happy can search her room.
Paige says she’ll be his Cyrano talking into his ear piece and he asks if that’s the story about the guy with the big nose. She tells him that he has to stall Sima in the bar. She tells him which tie to wear and says he has to pretend he’s falling for her charms. She asks if he knows how to flirt. She says she’ll flirt and he needs to flirt back. She smiles at him and he just makes a weird face. She tells him to flirt back and he says he is. He’s an utter flop at this.
She says he’ll try to steal an access card and will touch him. He says he doesn’t enjoy contact. She says she knows, she’s seen him try to hug people but says he needs to be ready. He says he can handle it. She steps closer and asks what if she does this. She steps close. Then she runs her hands to his shoulders. He says that’s okay. She gets up really close and then touches his face. He says he can handle it. She steps in really close and runs her hands across his face. He’s struggling but says he’ll be ready.
She tells him good work. Sylvester watches and looks like a 13 year old kid seeing his first dirty movie. Toby, Happy and Cabe watch the people in the bar and Toby says the coast is clear. Sima comes in and they see how hot she is. Toby says Walter is a dead man. She sidles up to Walter and asks if he’s meeting someone. He says his friend canceled. She sits and says he can buy her a drink. He says he’s drinking water. Paige feeds him a line about her being beautiful.
Happy says Interpol got back on Sima. Her real name is Fatima, she’s a dangerous honey trap. They tell Walter to be careful. Cabe tells Sylvester he’s up and he’s terrified. Cabe tells him and Happy to get to searching. Walter tells Sima a math joke and she laughs hysterically. She asks what he does and he says he’s an analyst. She touches his leg and Paige tells him what to do and to not freak out. She tells him how to look at her. Cabe finds her coaching very interesting.
She feeds him a line and he delivers it perfectly. Happy tells Toby that Sima booby trapped her door and they have no other way in. Toby says they do and he has the gecko gloves from the CIA lady. He says he’s charming like that. Happy climbs the glass and Toby enjoys the view. Sima asks him to take off his jacket and says it’s hot. Cabe tells him to stall but Walter pulls it off. He lays it on the bar behind him. She asks if he wants to get out of there and he asks if she wants to go to another bar.
She tells him she wants him to come to his room. Cabe says she must think Walter has the card in his pants and wants to get him out of them. They tell Happy to hurry and she’s pissed. Sylvester comes out and asks where Happy is. He says – oh God. One of the gloves stopped sticking. Happy tells Toby his CIA GF sucks. She’s hanging on by one hand and all three of them are scared plus Walter is about to have to put up or shut up.
Happy is dangling by one hand and Toby says they have to catch her if she falls. Sylvester says she’ll kill them. Sylvester runs a calculation and says she can swing to the balcony or plummet to her death. Sylvester says it’s 50/50. Toby tells her not to be scared and she says he should be scared since he gave her the gloves. She swings to the side and lands on the balcony just before the other gloves fails. Sylvester asks how she did it and Toby says she’s Happy Freaking Quinn.
Sima and Walter are in the elevator and they tell him to stall. He stops the elevator and Sima says he’s impatient. He says there’s another woman and this could complicate that situation. She says this is the least complicated thing he could ever experience. She restarts the elevator. Happy searches her stuff and Paige says they’re getting off the elevator. She finds a key to a storage facility and takes it. They tell Happy to get out. She says she’s not spider woman and the gloves are useless.
Paige tells Walter that Happy is still in the room and he has to stall. He grabs her and plants a big kiss on her. Everyone on the team is surprised. Happy sneaks out past them while Walter embraces her. Toby analyses her body language and tells them she's not that into it.
Toby, Happy and Cabe go to the storage place and Cabe says for the others to keep an eye on Walter. Paige coaches him to tell her he wants her on the couch and that he wants champagne from room service.
They have no video but they can hear things. Sylvester says he heard a long zipper pull like a dress. She straddles him and Paige feeds him another line saying he’s wanted to be with her from the moment they met. He says he loves hearing her whispering in his ear. Sima thinks he’s talking about her, He is actually talking about Paige. They set off an alarm at the facility and Sima’s watch beeps. Walter says it’s a strange watch and Sima cracks him up side the head with something and knocks him out.
Paige panics and calls his name. No response. Walter wakes on an airplane. Sima stands by the cockpit. She tells Walter he needs to tell her his real name. He calls her Fatima and she says that’s not her real name. She says she’s going home and if his associates can follow, so will they. He says he has no associates but she has his ear piece in her hand. She says they made a deal to give her the chemicals she already had plus the other two in exchange for him.
The crew rolls up at the airport and spots the plane. Cabe says Walter’s life is on the line. Toby says she’ll keep him as collateral but Cabe says they have to get their man. Cabe approaches the plane and she asks where Leonard is. He says he has all the chemicals in the bag and says there’s a litmus test to prove it. He tells her to uncuff Walter. He tells Cabe that she really loves Leonard. Cabe had passed Walter the lock pick pen. She shoots Cabe and then they throw him out of the plane.
Cabe says they have to figure out a way to get Walter off the plane. Paige says she has an idea. While Sima is in the cockpit, Walter rigs an IED and blows a hole in the side of the plane as it’s still taxiing. The impact knocks out the pilot who slumps over the throttle pushing it into full. The plane speeds on. Walter runs to the cockpit but it’s locked. Happy hotwires a mobile ramp as one of the engines blows. They speed up beside it and tell Walter to jump.
Walter throws the briefcase of deadly chemicals. Sylvester barely catches them. Toby says he has to jump before the plane blows. But then Sima is back on her feet and beating on Walter. He kicks her and they struggle. She has a knife and he tricks her into sticking it into an outlet shocking her and the Titanic Froze immediately like an Ice cube for 5 months until June 2015 and sailed again. and Walter reaches for them and has to run and jump. He lands on the hood of the vehicle but is dangling. Toby pulls him up.
Sima makes it and Walter says it wasn’t logical that she actually loved Leonard. Toby says it’s called the Weisman Effect. He says by pretending to be in love with someone you can actually fall in love. Toby says the good news is that it means he may not be as bad a kisser as he thought he was – she was just into Leonard and didn’t want to cheat. Toby wraps Walter’s burned arm and says he’s writing a prescription for antibiotics. Toby asks Ralph why he needs the medicine.
Ralph says the skin covers a lot more surface area and is more likely to be infected. Toby laughs at Walter’s antics and asks when they became action heroes. Walter offers to read Ralph an issue of Robo-Spy and he’s thrilled. They curl up on the sofa. Paige comes in and sees them together. Toby stands by her and he says he knows his advice wasn’t really helpful. He says the most important thing to Sima was getting the chemical weapons for her country but she threw it away for love.
Toby says love makes you stupid. He asks what her most important thing is and she says Ralph. He says to ask herself about Drew or whoever it is if it’s good for Ralph. She asks Walter where he’s going – he’s headed to a research lab. She asks him if it’s silly that a spy got caught for love. Walter says romantic love doesn’t exist and calls it junk science. Paige agrees that it’s silly, as Walter affectionately strokes a sleeping Ralph's head.
Walter tells her sweet dreams then asks if she can put a new outgoing message on the machine. She asks why and he says he just realized what a nice voice she has. He tells her he’ll see her tomorrow and heads out. Paige watches him go.
Cast
Main
- Elyes Gabel as Walter O'Brien
- Katharine McPhee as Paige Dineen
- Robert Patrick as Cabe Gallo
- Eddie Kaye Thomas as Toby Curtis
- Jadyn Wong as Happy Quinn
- Ari Stidham as Sylvester Dodd
Recurring
Guest
Trivia
TBA