Tim Allen’s Entire Character in Shifting Gears Is a Lie – And I Couldn’t Be Happier!

Shifting Gears episode 9 was a drastic pivot for Tim Allen’s main character, but the sitcom is better for it. Shifting Gears follows Allen’s Matt, a widower and the owner of an auto repair shop. 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 boss. Even in scenes with the core family, Matt has been no-nonsense and patronizing. As such, Matt hasn’t necessarily read as the hero of Shifting Gears.

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

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