TVSquad

(S04E18) "I connected you to a dangerous terrorist in three links." - Charlie

I've got to say - four seasons into Numb3rs and I can't believe we got a story like this now. Brother vs. brother. As Alan said, it had to happen sooner or later. It's just such an obvious plot that I figured it would have been sooner. Better late than never I guess. That being said, I suppose we could have done without it. Blame the WGA strike, but this episode felt like a lot of stuff just randomly thrown together to make it sort of season finale-ish. Anti-climactic at best.

Gallery: Numb3rs: When Worlds Collide

(S04E17) "I think if these were Travis Tritt fans, I might have better luck." - Colby

Sometimes I just don't know what they're thinking when they come up with stories for this show. Call me crazy, but the notion of a small rap label feud just doesn't strike me as something that the FBI is going to handle. And I do mean small. Besides the fact that the only real purpose that the case served was to play up the humorous stereotypes and clichés it created (like the scene with Larry and Charlie in the recording studio), I don't think it felt realistic. The music industry is far larger than the microcosm depicted in this episode and writers just hand-picked elements for this small, almost indie, rap label. I mean, c'mon - "2x4?" Really?

(S04E16) "It's not Heat?" - Colby, amazed that the Pacino/De Niro classic isn't Don's favorite movie

I think it's a given that sooner or later, every cop show is going to have an episode about religious cults. They're just so easy to make into a bad guy, especially with all the crazy stuff you always hear on the evening news. That's part of the problem though; that it is too easy to turn into an hour episode and things can get stale fast. You've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Fortunately, the folks behind Numb3rs must have realized this because this episode was way more than, how did Colby put it? A bunch of religious "nut jobs."

Gallery: Numb3rs: Atomic No. 33

(S04E15) "I don't like a guy who thinks a purple heart gives him a free pass." - Colby

Well there's something you don't see too often on Numb3rs - resurrecting an old case from a previous episode. Usually, this show is pretty self-contained. Each week it's a wrap. Despite the fact that the last time we saw Clay Porter was when he escaped, his story still felt finished. But the writers took one small detail about his past and turned it into a pretty solid episode.

(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.

(S04E13) "...and dry erase boards. Lots of dry erase boards." - Charlie

Return of the nerds! It's been almost 3 months since we last saw an episode of Numb3rs, and I've been looking forward to it to be honest. Not because it's the best show on TV, but with all the crap that rolled out during the WGA Strike... well, you get the idea.

The episode began with a really well done montage that juxtaposed Don and his FBI team against Charlie, Amita, and Larry handling a lecture at CalSci. CBS must be really worried about maintaining old viewers and picking up new ones because the entire sequence could have easily served as the opening to the pilot episode for this show. It laid everything out - who was in charge, their jobs, attitudes. After the first commercial break, it was back to business though.

(S04E12) "We need simulations for our game theory algorithm to determine what our next step should be as a couple." - Charlie

Nerds in love. Awww. If I started talking that way to my girlfriend... I'd probably be sleeping on the couch. Whenever Charlie starts talking like that, all I can think of is that throaty hacking/laughing sound that Professor Frink from The Simpsons makes.

Once again, Charlie and Amita were discussing about moving in together, and once again that's all it was -- a discussion. It's old at this point and frankly, I wish they would just get it over with. I was honestly hoping for some tension when Larry asked Amita to assist on his new research project; perhaps some jealousy from Charlie. No such luck. So if they're so happy together and everything is perfect, explain to me why they aren't living together?

(S04E11) "He's not one of your agents. You know that, right?" - Alan

The return of everyone's favorite FBI nerd! With only one new episode left ("Power," it airs next Friday) you better savor it, though. We won't be getting any new Don and Charlie exploits for a while now.

Fortunately, we started off this final two episode run with a good one. I've always been a proponent of episodes that play to the characters weaknesses/strengths and this was a perfect example. A good case that doesn't overwhelm the storyline coupled with some personal issues (Alan and Charlie in this episode) generally makes for a good hour of Numb3rs.

(S04E10) "It's always something." - Charlie

Great episode! I've always wondered when Don's team would encounter a situation right in their own building. While this wasn't on the grand scale that I imagined, this was still pretty damn good. Plus, you have to admit, right from the beginning it felt like a math problem. Two guys in a box. Sounds like the type of thing that was probably tossed around the conference room table when this show was originally developed. Sounds exactly like the type of thing that Charlie can take apart with theories and equations. And that's just what he did.

(S04E09) "If you're good enough to fake a comic, you're good enough to be drawing your own." - Seth Marlowe

Numb3rs finally returned to form tonight with an episode that didn't quite make sense to me. When I think of the FBI tracking down a counterfeiting ring, currency comes to mind before comic books. Regardless, this was a great episode layered with an enjoyable and overly nerdy case, some mathematical explanation from Charlie (for once!), and some great sub-plots. It got even better though. Not only did Christopher "flux capacitor" Lloyd guest star, but the episode also saw a great turn from TV Squad's very own Wil Wheaton.

(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.

(S04E07) "You could move in with me but I don't live anywhere." - Larry

Calling all nerds! Kind of an odd choice for this show. I know for a fact that my folks and many of their friends love Numb3rs, but after watching this episode, they had no idea what an MMO, an ARG, or an MMORPG were and as a result were lost as to what was going on. I'm not saying I know all there is to these games. World of Warcraft is something that I gave up playing a long time ago. But when it comes to the demographic that this show is trying to reach, I'd be willing to bet that only about 50% of that group knows what an MMO is. Most would probably describe this episode as being "something about computers" (as my Mom put it). But if this episode proved one thing about MMOs, you never know who's behind the avatar.

(S04E06) "Even the vow of silence guys are grumbling." - Larry

Well this was unexpected. Just when I thought that Numb3rs was starting to tumble down the same path that it did last season with a string of mediocre episodes, it bounced right back. Last week's installment was, in my opinion, sloppy and there were far too many layers. This week was great though, much like the season premiere. It had personal involvement because of Don's stake in the case as well as a current issue that everyone loves to read about: the mob and witness security. Plus -- wait for it -- scandal! I love dirty agents!

(S04E05) "I dunno. I just like watching things explode." - Larry

For a show that most folks (I include myself now) often refer to as just another cop show, Numb3rs can sure as hell be confusing sometimes. It's almost as if the writers are trying to one-up each other by making every episode more intricate than the last one. It's a good thing I watched this early this morning though. Had I sat down and put it on last night, I don't think I could have kept up with all the twists and turns.

(S04E03) "Oh... well. Enter Fleinhardt." - Larry

That might very well have been the funniest thing to come out of Larry's mouth yet. I'm glad they brought his character back into the fold, although it'd be nice if he were utilized more and the whole "I live at a monastery" story was dropped. He's barely even talking with Megan we found out and let's be honest -- he isn't learning anything from those monks if he lets her slip away.

Anyway, despite the fact that this episode was like watching a scene from any of the three horrible Fast and the Furious films, I still liked it for a handful of reasons.