Shifting Gears
Warning : SPOILERS for Shifting Gears installment 9.Shifting Gearsepisode 9 was a drastic pivot for Tim Allen ’s main character , but the situation comedy is better for it . switch Gearsfollows Allen ’s Matt , a widower and the proprietor of an auto repair store . Aside from being the father of Riley ( Kat Dennings ) and grandfather to Carter ( Maxwell Simkins ) and Georgia ( Barrett Margolis ) , Allen ’s only discernible character trait thus far has been his stubbornness as a foreman . Even in scenes with the marrow family , Matt has been no - nonsense and patronizing . As such , Matt has n’t necessarily read as the hero ofShifting Gears .
Shifting Gearshas raked in telling viewershipdue to Allen ’s notoriety , but the same ca n’t be said for the sitcom ’s vital reception . Rather , Tim Allen being the master character has raise to be a doubly - edged steel forShifting Gears , with his past function inHome ImprovementandLast Man Standingfeeling eerily similar to Matt ’s caricature - side by side personality . There ’s nothing awry with having an antipathetical main lineament , but given thatShifting Gearsseason 2is still unconfirmed , the sitcom in all likelihood needs to incentivize the audience to deal more about its grumpy granddad — and episode 9 kicks that into question masterfully .
Surprisingly, Shifting Gears Episode 9 Exposes That Matt’s Abrasiveness Is An Act
Behind His Rough Exterior, There’s A Good Guy
pitch Gearsepisode 9 begins with Matt as short as ever when Jenna Elfman ’s Eve arrives to ask for a donation for a Polemonium caeruleum vendue to benefit a local park . Matt refuses to volunteer anything , precede Eve to affront him before turning toShifting cogwheel ’ scene - thief , Stitch ( Daryl“Chill”Mitchell ) and Gabriel ( Seann William Scott ) . After Matt take a marijuana - infuse gummy and becomes gamy , he becomes much more open with his emotions , even admit to Gabe and Stitch that he appreciates them . The dawn after , Matt hazard it never come about , butShifting Gearsepisode 9 proves Matt is sentimental .
Shifting Gears has had trouble balancing the three generations of its main theatrical role , but episode 7 indicates the sitcom is on the right path .
Even after he sobers up , Matt ’s deepness is further hinted at when Eve recall and reveals that Riley mentionedMatt ’s documented philanthropy of the very park he claimed to despise . According to Riley , Matt has donate to the parkland for decades , a generous fact that Matt even so deny . Though he ostensibly abominate to acknowledge it , Matt has soft spots in life that make theShifting Gearsmain characterfeel less like a nuisance and more like a neighbor .
Shifting Gears Episode 9 Has Made It Easier To Root For Him
The Sitcom Needed To Make Matt More Sympathetic
shift Gearsturning Matt ’s rough exterior into nothing more than a front is the best natural endowment it could give to Tim Allen ’s character . FromShifting Gears ’ unusual eld - gap couple joketo the awkward generational divide , Matt has n’t been the most pleasant character to watch . Although Matt still hides his best timber , shift Gearsepisode 9 at least proves he has positive trait , despite how undercover he keep them . Any snide remark Matt make hereafter in Shifting Gears can be taken with a metric grain of salt , offering the audience an sluttish caveat for his cold demeanor .
Actor
Shifting GearsCharacter
Tim Allen
Matt
Kat Dennings
James Whitcomb Riley
Maxwell Simkins
Carter
Barrett Margolis
Georgia
Seann William Scott
Gabriel
Daryl " Chill " Mitchell
Stitch
Cynthia Quiles
Frankie
Jenna Elfman
Eve
Many gene contributed to thepoor initial reviews ofShifting Gears , but a usual denominator was the eccentric needing more nub . grant , that review article was focused mainly on how the gifted ensemble cast seemed obliterate behind Tim Allen , but it apply to Matt now just as much as it did for the initial depictions of Gabriel , Stitch , and Georgia . Shifting Gearsstill has a lot of piece of work to do before it ’s out of the woods , but the sitcomtaking away some of Matt ’s jaggedness is a not bad start .
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shift Gearscontinues Wednesday on ABC .
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