Shifting Gears has raked in impressive viewership due to Allen’s notoriety, but the same can’t be said for the sitcom’s critical response. Rather, Tim Allen being the main character has proven to be a double-edged sword for Shifting Gears, with his past roles in Home Improvement and Last Man Standing feeling eerily similar to Matt’s caricature-adjacent personality. There’s nothing wrong with having an antagonistic main character, but given that Shifting Gears season 2 is still unconfirmed, the sitcom likely needs to incentivize the audience to care more about its grumpy grandfather— and episode 9 kicks that into motion masterfully.
Surprisingly, Shifting Gears Episode 9 Exposes That Matt’s Abrasiveness Is An Act
Behind His Rough Exterior, There’s A Good Guy
Shifting Gears episode 9 begins with Matt as brusque as ever when Jenna Elfman’s Eve arrives to ask for a donation for a charity auction to benefit a local park. Matt refuses to offer anything, leading Eve to insult him before turning to Shifting Gears’ scene-stealers, Stitch (Daryl “Chill” Mitchell) and Gabriel (Seann William Scott). After Matt takes a marijuana-infused gummy and becomes high, he becomes much more open with his emotions, even admitting to Gabe and Stitch that he appreciates them. The morning after, Matt pretends it never happened, but Shifting Gears episode 9 proves Matt is sentimental.
Even after he sobers up, Matt’s depth is further hinted at when Eve returns and reveals that Riley mentioned Matt’s documented philanthropy of the very park he claimed to despise. According to Riley, Matt has donated to the park for decades, a generous fact that Matt nonetheless denies. Though he seemingly loathes to admit it, Matt has soft spots in life that make the Shifting Gears main character feel 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
Shifting Gears turning Matt’s rough exterior into nothing more than a front is the best gift it could give to Tim Allen’s character. From Shifting Gears’ strange age-gap couple joke to the awkward generational divide, Matt hasn’t been the most pleasant character to watch. Although Matt still hides his best qualities, Shifting Gears episode 9 at least proves he has positive traits, despite how clandestine he keeps them. Any snide comment Matt makes hereafter in Shifting Gears can be taken with a grain of salt, offering the audience an easy caveat for his cold demeanor.
