TVSquad

(S04E01) "Because I hate owing you." - Colby

Yeah, yeah... I know. Here it is, the end of the the fall premiere week and I'm blogging about a show that only seven months ago I said I was done with. "It's bland" I decried, and it's lost the spark that originally drew me in. So what am I doing here? Well, despite the fact that I stopped writing about Numb3rs, I'm a sucker for pretty much anything on TV. (Case in point? I reviewed the entire first season of Dirt!) That's right. I put my pen down and I watched Don and Charlie's antics for the whole rest of the third season anyway. And you know what? I sort of got sucked back in. Last season's finale was right up there but I still bit my tongue when I considered throwing up a post. I knew I'd end up being negative despite the fact that I enjoyed it. So I here I am, starting from scratch, attempting once again to remember why I liked this show in the first place.

I think the camaraderie of the characters was always a big part of what distinguished this show from other cop procedurals on TV. Everyone worked well together, added to the laughter when appropriate, and just overall played off of each other perfectly. Casting was top notch and after Sabrina Lloyd left at the end of season one and Diane Farr joined in season two, a real nice groove from week to week was achieved.

That was all lost last season and as I think about, it's a big reason for why I enjoyed it less. Peter MacNicol was lost to 24 and as a result, his character Larry went to the moon for half the season. Kathy Najimy joined Numb3rs in his absence, but she quickly went from a solid foil for David and Amita, to an easy friend. Speaking of Amita, she disappeared quite often. David too. Spans of two or three episodes and then all of a sudden they'd be back. Add in Diane Farr's pregnancy, and her on-screen persona Megan was caught in a revolving door as well. Overall, the cast issues just made the season feel extremely uneven.

It looks like all of that may have been corrected. The regular cast is back intact, and for those that saw the finale last season, the only person in question is Colby. Megan has returned, Larry and Charlie are back at their chalkboards sporting beards, and all seems well with the world. Well... sort of. Let's break down the episode.

First off, for those that thought this episode seemed a bit more action packed (rocket launchers, explosions, helicopters, and gun fights on Chinese cargo ships), credit that to Tony Scott. He helmed this episode and it was noticeably filled with much more eye candy than I think we're accustomed to on Numb3rs.

Unfortunately, that didn't help out the predictable story. For those that pay attention to the trade magazines and casting news, the off-season never gave us anything to indicate that Dylan Bruno was leaving the show. So from the first second we saw him get that key from Agent Kirkland, it was pretty obvious (to me anyway) that Colby was actually playing Dwayne and the Chinese in a triple agent capacity. Too bad his FBI buddies weren't in on the secret. Now that the ordeal is all said and done, the real question is what sort of consequences will Colby have to deal with from his actions. Appeasing David's hurt feelings will be a top priority I'm sure, but for the most part it seems like Colby will be back on team once he wakes from his coma.

Story aside, there are a few more things I feel obliged to talk about. One thing? Math. In addition to what I said earlier about the cast crumbling last season, Charlie's math skills were sorely underused. I think the writers and producers realized this and even made what I think was an unintentional crack about it when Charlie said he was doing less math consulting for the FBI. Yeah... we noticed. I think that's going to change this season... I hope. One nice addition to the Numb3rs website is a revamped section where Charlie's techniques are explained. It's a nice reference if you actually care about the little things. Personally, I love to read the stuff as it adds some clarity when the episode is over and you're racking your brain to figure out what the hell Professor Eppes was talking about.

Next up? Keeping with the trend of casting incredibly random guest stars (alums from Deadwood, The Wire, and the quintessential Numb3rs scene stealer Lou Diamond Phillips), this episode saw Val Kilmer step on board (literally... he was on a ship) for about, what? Two minutes? Whatever. I loved it if only because this guy has pretty much fallen off the face of the Earth. Granted, his casting makes sense (Scott directed Kilmer in Top Gun, True Romance, and more recently, Deja Vu) but still... Val Kilmer?!? Priceless.

Overall, I'm about 50/50 on this episode. As I said, it was predictable to no end, but I like what it sets up. The cast is whole again and that's the most important thing. Here's to hoping that with everyone in the mix (that better include Judd Hirsch), the show can re-invent itself a little and try and find its early voice.