White Out

"Scorpion never fails."

- Ralph

"White Out" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of Scorpion, and the thirty fifth of the series overall. It aired on January 4, 2016.

Synopsis
''The team must brave the cold in Antarctica in order to save a U.S. Special Forces unit. Meanwhile, Toby risks his life to find Happy after she gets cut off from the team and lost in a blizzard.''

Plot
TeamScorpion starts in North Eastern Africa with an American military unit under assault. They take on fire and return fire. They are near an industrial facility and have fallen prey to faulty intel. Cody Decker, the Captain of the Special Forces unit, calls in the bad news.

At the garage, Sylvester checks Cabe’s blood pressure. Toby comes in with bagels tossing them around then breaks something of Happy’s. She tries not to freak and is all positive. She quotes Quincy Birkstead, Toby’s nemesis.

He’s horrified to see Happy is reading Quincy’s book. She quotes more and Toby freaks out more. He says New Year’s resolutions don’t work but Cabe insists all you need is will power. Toby encourages him to try and kick coffee for one day. He accepts unhappily.

Walter says Megan told him to open up so that’s his resolution – to be more social. He talks about how he’s been studying the Kardashians on social media then shows them a video of Ferret Bueller he made online and says he got 17k likes in 10 hours.

They tell him that’s not real friendships. Walter tells Paige he will go with Ralph to his Boy Scout type event but says he won’t tie knots or sing songs. Paige says Walter had better play along so Ralph doesn’t stick out.

Cooper shows up and says they caught a new case. She tells them the Pentagon lost control of a satellite that ties to military drones and shows them video of Decker’s unit pinned down. He says they will be dead by daybreak.

Cooper says they got it 30 minutes ago and Cabe says it must be Darfur. Cooper says the unit went to take out a genocidal warlord. They need the satellite back online so they can send drone support.

Sly says the satellite will be over Antarctica in 12 hours and that’s their best shot to try and fix the signal. Walter says they can get to the South Pole in 10 hours and they’ll have an hour to fix it. Sly stays behind to coordinate.

Cabe goes to pour a thermos of coffee to take with him but Toby stops him. The polar specialists give the team all the dire death warnings as they arrive at the South Pole scientific station. They head inside and the chopper lifts off.

Toby jokes that his screen is frozen and Cabe threatens to put him into the ice. They connect up with Sly and Paige back at the garage and Happy puts up the antenna. The satellite is over them and ready to get the patch.

The wind gusts and shakes the tent. Cabe says the storm is getting worse and Happy tells them the hut was built for this weather. They send the patch to the satellite. Sly says nothing and Paige points out that the signal crashed.

Walter says the storm is interfering. They have just 45 minutes til sunrise in Darfur. Walter says there is a ridge 90 meters away with better signal. Toby says the storm is too much. Happy says let’s do this.

Toby says eat a protein bar and Cabe ties ropes around their waist with 15 foot gaps. Walter asks Ralph for a Forestry Brave trip and he says count your steps and leave a trail back to base. Sly warns them the weather service shows a blizzard. It’s a total white out.

The team works their way to the ridge. They are down to 38 minutes. Happy says her toes are getting numb. Sly tells them what to look for. Walter goes down in the snow. Cabe spots the right point. They pop up the antenna.

Happy says the poles are frozen and they can’t put it together. Happy says there’s too much wind to hold it. Cabe says they can wedge it into the rocks. Decker comes on the feed and Paige says they’re working with Homeland to help them.

Decker asks when the drones are coming and Sly says they’re trying. Ralph speaks up and asks if they’re wearing diver’s watches. He tells them to break the glass and throw their watches to make it look like there are more of them.

Decker tells the team to do this. Paige says the kid always amazes her. The antenna falls over and Walter says they can pour water around the poles and they will freeze. Sly says they will only have a small window to get there and back.

They hear a loud noise and realize ice is coming loose from a shelf. The team is knocked down. Happy is down and the rope was cut. Happy starts screaming for Toby. She also lost her comm out of her ear. She walks into the snow.

Paige says they have nothing from Happy’s comm. Cabe tells them to shut up and listen and they hear her screaming for Toby. Toby says she’s the love of his life and is going to get her. He tells Walter he’d do it for Paige and walks away.

Sly says Happy can only last 41 minutes before she freezes to death and Toby has a few minutes longer. Paige goes to call Cooper. Cooper tells Paige no rescue party because of the weather. Paige argues with her then hangs up on them.

Decker’s video comes back and he says the watches helped. Ralph talks to him and says he’s sending a song to him and when it’s done he’ll be three minutes closer to being saved. He sends the guys a Fallout Boy song.

Happy walks and yells for Toby. She then falls – we hear her scream and she’s down in a crevasse. She looks up and then goes for the backpack. She dumps it out and looks up above her. Walter and Cabe make it back to the hut.

Toby says the storm is getting worse and no sign of Happy. Cabe tells Walter to stay close and they head back out. Decker says the sun is coming up and Sly says maybe 13 minutes. Decker says they can’t hold out that long.

Decker says to record him so he can send a message to his family. Ralph records him saying goodbye to his wife Molly and their kids. Paige is sad. Toby makes a loop and tosses it up to an ice outcrop. She falls when it breaks loose.

She looks at Quincy’s book and throws it in frustration calling him a jackass. Toby is still looking for her and can’t hear Walter anymore. His comm is frozen and he accidentally breaks it. Toby says he doesn’t believe in God and says leave Happy alone.

Walter and Cabe get the water onto the antenna and it freezes and locks in place. They slide the dish into place and get the signal they need. Sly clicks to send the patch and says it’s working. Walter has to hurry back to the hut to set up the drones.

Happy sits in the crevasse singing Shiny Happy People. She’s falling asleep. Paige tells Cooper to get a search team out. Cooper gets a call telling her they can’t get a transport in there. Cooper says send a chopper to get them off the glacier or she’ll call his wife and tell her about the cat.

He agrees to help. Paige tells Sly that Cooper’s a badass. Toby calls out for Happy then steps on the book. He sees her down in the crevasse and tells her he’s coming. He jumps down into the crevasse. He sees she looks bad and checks her pulse.

Toby finds a slow pulse and is encouraged. He grabs his backpack and pulls out a blanket. He pulls her over onto it. He wraps her up into it and jokes about her being cold and unfeeling. He talks to her and says they have to get naked.

He says skin to skin contact will help her. He starts to undress and jokes about shrinkage. Decker says he’s down to his sidearm and the bad guys will know it soon. He tells Ralph he’s turning his camera off so he won’t see what happens and thanks him for the song.

Ralph tells him Scorpion won’t fail but Decker turns it off. Walter gets the drone system up and Paige says focus on Happy and Toby. Cabe says they can’t track them. Ralph suggests trying to hear them through the ice.

Walter has a sonography machine in the hut that the scientists left there. Walter has an idea how to rig it to listen for them. The grab a stretcher and load the heavy machine onto it then drag it out into the storm close to where they lost Happy.

Walter says they have to stop because Cabe’s blood pressure is about to skyrocket. Sly says Happy and Toby have to be close to death right now. Toby cuddles with Happy and says they’re not going to make it but he’s with her and that makes him lucky to go out like this.

Walter drives a spike into the ground and puts on the head phones. He hears nothing. They test it with Cabe stepping and then Walter says they need to get deeper into the ice. Cabe fires his gun to make a hole in the ice and Walter puts the spike into it.

Walter hears a heartbeat and says it’s certain. He says he only hears one though. They head out and call down to Toby. Walter drops a backpack near Toby’s head. He checks on Happy’s pulse and gives a thumbs up.

They tell Sly and Paige they’re alive. Walter says they need to reheat them and they’re going to use the MRE pouches. Cabe says they’re too hot but Walter says he’ll use them in a way that will help. He drops one down on them.

Walter tells Toby to breathe it in and he holds it near Happy’s mouth then his then alternates. They start moving. Happy wakes. She asks if they’re naked. He says he saw the opportunity and took it. Cabe asks how to get them out.

Paige tells them how to tie a figure eight knot to hoist them out. It works. They hear the chopper as they get them out. The chopper picks them up. Ralph sits brooding and Paige says all their friends are safe. Ralph is worried about Decker.

Sly sees Decker’s camera come back on. He thanks them and says the drones got to them just in time. Decker says they’re going to name the son they’re about to have after Ralph. Toby brings Happy more coffee and then gets her a sweater.

Toby hands the mug of coffee to Cabe and says he earned it. Cabe asks about Happy. Cabe says when they heard only one heartbeat, maybe their hearts were beating together and says that’s love.

Paige checks on Walter who is shutting down his social media accounts. He says he needs to meet new non-digital people. Happy’s dad shows up and she asks him about a song she couldn’t get out of her head. He has a video tape with him.

They pop it in and he says when she was a baby they watched this video over and over. She sees her mom and dad talking and her mom is pregnant. He turns on the radio and it’s Shiny Happy People playing as her parents dance.

He says he wanted her to know her mom. Happy says they were so open and carefree. Her dad says she comes from a place of joy and that’s why her amazing brain remembered that song. She says she wants to be like them but isn’t capable.

He says she is but needs to figure out what makes her happy. He kisses her and goes. She looks at Toby playing with Ralph doing bad card tricks. Paige calls them to the roof. She’s made a campout set up for all of them.

Cabe says he won’t share with Sly since he snores. Paige starts making s’mores. Happy asks if Toby wants to share her tent and says no hanky panky. Toby is thrilled when she says he can spoon her.

Walter comes over to Ralph and shows him he brought back South Pole ice for him. Toby complains about organic chocolate and Ralph hits him with a snowball. Walter gets hit and says don’t start a snowball fight with a genius. He throws back. They are all in it now and it’s madness. Sly says he doesn’t want to play.

Original recap from celebdirtylaundry.com

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

 * Riley B. Smith as Ralph Dineen
 * Peri Gilpin as Katherine Cooper

Trivia

 * A "White Out" is a storm where the snow and wind are so powerful you can barely see in front of you.

Ewiges Eis