TVSquad

(S04E08) "I'm not a cowboy. I'm just a field agent." - David

I never thought I'd say it, but the cases on Numb3rs have officially taken a back-seat to the personal lives of the main characters. The cases just aren't that interesting anymore. Come on! A Paris Hilton wannabe with daddy issues. Big deal. I practically wanted to throw my glass of soda at the TV screen when Megan figured out that the daughter was behind it all -- 45 minutes into the episode! Could it have been more obvious? It doesn't help that Charlie's math (the centerpiece of the show) has been relegated to him just sort of being there, rattling off a few complicated theories every now and then. However, Don and his gang are now more interesting than they've ever been.

They actually have personal lives! Granted, all of it stems from coupling up with someone from the office, but I'll take anything. The biggest development was with Don and Liz. Superior and subordinate. Don called it off after a chat with David led him to believe that their relationship is more about the adrenaline that the job leaves them with at the end of the day rather pursuing a future together. Don seemed conflicted and Liz seemed surprised. It'll be great to see how this affects the office politics though. Honestly, now that I think about it, it might not affect much since Liz isn't in every episode.

Which leads me right into my "list." I'm this close to giving up on Numb3rs just like I did last season. I'm falling into a rut where I end up writing the same things for each and every review because nothing really shifts on the show. Things need to change and this episode was definitely a step in the right direction. Granted, with the strike, nothing is going to happen now -- but here's what should happen:

• Less reliance on the cases in each episode. Make them simple. More kidnappings, more robberies. Instead, focus more on Charlie's math. It's what made the show good in the first place. Have him explain more stuff in the episode rather than sending us to a website like that link I provide at the end of every review. This show airs on Friday, so only a select audience is tuning in as it is. My guess is that those folks wouldn't mind seeing a bit more explanation when Charlie starts talking about his latest theory.
• Directly related to that is Charlie's cohorts. We don't need a specialist each week to assist Charlie. That's what Larry and Amita are for. This week it was a guy with expertise in kidnapping (Sean Patrick Flanery, a.k.a. "Powder"). I thought it was weird that David and the FBI were so easily willing to work with an independent contractor like that, but I digress. I know this goes directly against what I said about these supplementary characters a few weeks ago, but I've thought more about it and all it does is give us a character that we quickly forget about and it takes away from the main cast.
• Which brings me to my next point. Stick with the same cast! Stop having such erratic line-ups! This week, Colby and Alan were missing for no good reason. It gets annoying. On top of that, another change I would support? Alan needs to move out, possibly somewhere with Millie, so that Amita and Charlie can shack up. I'm dying to see what home life together will be like for them. I picture them making pancakes from scratch and expertly using measuring cups to achieve optimal consistency for griddle frying.

If some of those things can take effect (it's not asking much), then I think the show would drastically improve. As I said earlier, there was a lot of positive stuff in this episode. I liked how David was put in a position where he had to question his role in the FBI when he was asked to consider going private. With the way things are between him and Colby, it's not hard to imagine that he'd consider it. I also liked the budding relationship between Megan and Liz. I know this show has a large female following and some "girl talk" might lighten up the office scenes a little. I'd Iove to hear what other folks think in the comments though. I still think this is one of the better procedurals on TV, but I can't be the only one who thinks it's slipping.

This week's numb3rs: 2 demands, 40 million dollars, 2271 satellites, 322 e-mails
This week's math: Tabu