TVSquad

(S04E14) "Good morning! This is Charles Eppes. I'm in pursuit of a burgundy-ish, sort of merlot colored...um, well, what kind of car would you say that is?" - Charlie

I've got to honest, and I never thought I'd say it, but I've really enjoyed the return of Numb3rs. I can't decide if it's just because we haven't had new episodes in so long or it's because these new episodes are actually better, but I'm loving it. I even gave up reviewing Numb3rs last season because it got so stale and I reached a point where I had nothing new to say each week.

Something has changed though. It's not because the plots are unique and different, that's for sure. This entire episode pretty much mirrored last week's ep of CSI. A gang boss up for trial was sending coded messages to take out key witnesses and enemies and in each show, the ADA in charge of the cases became the next target. On CSI, the boss was using his urine to tint pages of library books with messages. Here, we had a guy using chess lessons to send out his wishes. Other than that, same plot.

Maybe it's because Numb3rs seems to have taken on a broader development of the main characters beyond just their day jobs. We saw it last week as Charlie and Amita made some huge steps regarding her parents and this episode introduced a lot more too.

I loved how Charlie went through basic FBI training. It was a riot. He couldn't drive a car, got his ass kicked during self-defense, but when he picked up a gun? Perfect aim. The guy is a natural. All the scenes were funny though, like some sort of goofy montages you'd expect to see in an episode of Starsky and Hutch or Reno 911. It was just a really well done departure from his normal activities. But at the same time, he still got his job done by having Amita and Larry do the grunt work for the case. I'm sure the comparison has been made before, but those three are really starting to remind me of The Lone Gunmen on The X-Files.

I also liked how we saw another side of David, taking an interest in that young kid who played chess at the community center. Who knew David even volunteered there? Although, with all the episodes we see him and Colby working at night, I'm not exactly sure when he has time for it. Regardless, it's nice to know these people have lives outside of the FBI.

One thing I am questioning is the return of Robin, the ADA who Don had been dating. Last time we saw her was in season two when she left town to take over a major prosecution in Miami. When it comes to relationships and Don, they always end badly. So I sometimes wonder why bother at all. I will say, that despite the bitter feelings over the break-up, the two of them made up awfully quickly. If he's going to end up with someone, I'd rather they at least bring Liz back into the fold.

Another person I wouldn't mind seeing back is Millie, if only for an episode or two. I realize Kathy Najimy was only there to fill Peter MacNicol's shoes while he was on 24, but I would like to see some resolution between her and Alan. The whole story about him "greening" the house is great, but Judd Hirsch could use a bigger role. Someone want to explain to me how his recycled rain water was "for the toilet?"

One other point: I was surprised the "Megan isn't happy with her job" plot was sort of forgotten.

Overall, another good episode. What does everyone else think? Is Numb3rs actually better, or is just because it's not a repeat?

This week's numb3rs: 64 squares; 32 pieces; 10 murders; 1 dying declaration
This week's math: Checkmate