Did That Really Happen? The Most Mind-Blowing Mysteries from Shifting Gears Season 1 Finale

Shifting Gears season 1 finale left several lingering questions for its potential sophomore year. Although Shifting Gears season 2 hasn’t been confirmed yet, it seems more than likely that ABC will give the order before long. Shifting Gears’ cast has been its primary selling point from day one, and the series’ consistent ratings have reflected that. Plus, with ABC about to lose The Conners for good, Shifting Gears is officially the most successful three-camera sitcom on the network’s slate.

It would certainly be a shame if the series didn’t get renewed, since the Shifting Gears season 1 finale left a lot of plotlines open-ended. Matt’s potential romantic future with Eve isn’t set in stone, and Gabe spends most of the finale denying his obvious feelings for Riley. But that’s not to say neither of those storylines got a major push forward. Only time will tell which unresolved stories the series chooses to prioritize.

Has Jimmy Really Given Up On Getting Riley Back?

We Haven’t Seen Him Sign The Divorce Papers Yet

The Shifting Gears season 1 finale starts with the major reveal that Jimmy’s landed a touring gig with the Foo Fighters and rented a house so that Riley and the kids can move in with him. It seems like the kind of news Riley’s been waiting on for years, but she ultimately decides that she’s never been truly happy with Jimmy and asks him for a divorce. He doesn’t argue with her about it, but it’s clear from the look on his face that he’s heartbroken.

Although it seems like his tour would interfere with his ability to appear in Shifting Gears season 2, anything could happen to keep him around and in Riley’s life.

Since Jimmy never actually signs divorce papers onscreen, it’s not a completely done deal that he’s given up on the relationship for good. Although it seems like his tour would interfere with his ability to appear in Shifting Gears season 2, anything could happen to keep him around and in Riley’s life. If nothing else, he seems to care about spending more time with Carter and Georgia. And since Kat Dennings has suggested a few of the writing staff wanted their relationship to pan out differently, there’s every chance those writers will keep pulling for Jimmy in the future.

Does Riley Remember Trying To Kiss Gabriel?

He’s Certainly Bound To Remember

Stitch finally called Gabe out on his feelings for Riley, but it’s not clear that she herself is aware just yet. Riley’s relationship with Gabe on Shifting Gears has always felt destined to take a romantic turn at some point, but Riley’s incredibly drunk when she finally recognizes Gabe as a love interest and tries to kiss him. He pulls away and explains that he wants things to happen at the right time and under the right circumstances, but she appears to have fallen asleep too immediately to have heard a word he said.

Even if she’d heard him, it’s uncertain from the state she’s in how much she would remember. She later seems to have some vague memories of the party beforehand, but blackouts can take a while to settle in. Because he wants to do things the right way, Gabriel’s unlikely to bring up their near kiss if Riley’s forgot about it. Riley and Gabe finally dating seems like an obvious plotline for Shifting Gears season 2, but Riley’s memory of that night might significantly affect how long that story takes to develop.

Are We Ever Going To Meet Riley’s Brother?

Sam Has To Appear On The Show Eventually

While a number of episodes might give the impression that Riley’s an only child, her brother Sam has been mentioned in passing a couple of times throughout the series. In an interview with ScreenRant, Tim Allen said that Sam is in the Navy and will eventually be introduced. He said this prior to the series premiere, which naturally led to the expectation that he’d be introduced at some point during Shifting Gears’ 10-episode first season. By the conclusion of the season 1 finale, however, Sam has yet to take leave from naval duty long enough to make an appearance.

Not much is known about Sam’s personality or his role in the overall family dynamic, but adding a new voice to the Parker clan could prove beneficial. With the death of the family matriarch still looming over the series, Sam’s perspective would provide a lot of additional context to the fallout between Matt and Riley, particularly Matt’s resentment toward Riley regarding the lack of support she showed him at his wife’s funeral. Shifting Gears executive producer Michelle Nader has said they’d like to introduce Sam next season, so hopefully a formal casting announcement won’t be far off.

Will Frankie Ever Get A Storyline?

She Felt Like She’d Be More Important By Now

Although her role isn’t nearly as significant as Sean William Scott’s Gabe or Daryl Mitchell’s Stitch, Cynthia Quiles’ Frankie stands out as the only female mechanic in Matt’s garage with an actual speaking role. She’s also one of the most impeccably cast, since Quiles grew up with a love for cars under the roof of a father who does the same restoration jobs as Matt for a living. She’s had great rapport with the rest of the cast during her limited interactions, but she unfortunately hasn’t received a great deal of focus outside of episode 4’s Gabriel subplot.

While she’d love to see Frankie have more interactions with Matt and Riley, Quiles’ main hope is for Frankie to eventually get a love story.

In several episodes, Frankie doesn’t have any dialogue at all. But Quiles has spoken on a few stories she’d love to see play out with Frankie, some of which could happen in Shifting Gears season 2. While she’d love to see Frankie have more interactions with Matt and Riley, Quiles’ main hope is for Frankie to eventually get a love story. Episode 2 casually reveals she’s lesbian and suggests she has an active sex life, but seeing her pursue an actual romance despite her tough persona would be an effective way of getting to know her on a deeper level.

How Long Will Riley Stay With Matt?

She Can’t Live With Her Dad Forever

Matt and Riley’s relationship in Shifting Gears started out fairly contentious, but the season 1 finale leaves them on better terms than ever. Matt finally admitted that he actually likes having Riley around, and he plans to be there for her while she tries to figure out what she wants from a life without Jimmy. At some point, pursuing a new dream will have to involve Riley moving out. She seems to like her new job (even when Georgia was embarrassed by it), but her brief stint working for Matt showed that Riley has the aptitude for bigger things.

Riley moving out wouldn’t have to ruin the premise of the show, either. It took several seasons, but The Conners managed to move most of the family out of the main house without hampering their ability to write storylines that put them together. Riley and Matt needed to live together to develop their relationship early in the series, but their improved bond will make it more plausible for them to spend time with each other without necessarily living under the same roof. It’s just a matter of how long it takes Riley to stabilize her finances.

Is Gabe Ever Going To Start His Own Garage?

Does Shifting Gears Even Remember That Dream?

After filling in as boss while Matt was at grief counseling in episode 4, Gabe let Stitch convince him that he has what it takes to wear the boss hat someday. Not only did this boost Gabe’s confidence, but he actively started working on a logo design for his own custom shop. Matt was supportive of the idea, even giving him advice on how he might improve the logo to enhance his marketing appeal.

This never comes up again in Shifting Gears season 1, but it would be interesting to see the series continue this story thread in the future. Gabe doesn’t even need to quit his job for the next season to start down that road. Gabe deserves a storyline that doesn’t revolve around Riley, and having him prepare for a future as his own boss by getting some more hands-on training from Matt about the ins and outs of management would be the perfect way to accomplish that.

How Will Carter & Georgia Affect Matt’s Personality In The Future?

They’ve Already Been Changing Him For The Better

It’s been a long-running criticism that Tim Allen’s characters are often too similar to each other, and Shifting Gears hasn’t exactly escaped that narrative. Most of the differences between Matt Parker and other Allen characters such as Tim Taylor or Mike Baxter stem from backstory, such as the fact that Matt is Allen’s first sitcom dad to experience ongoing grief over the death of a spouse. But in terms of politics and general personality, the similarities between Matt and Mike are hard to ignore. However, Riley’s kids have already laid the groundwork to change that.

Matt loves having Carter and Georgia around, and he’s let them break through his curmudgeonly armor several times as a result. He’s played video games with them, he got high after encouraging Riley to let Carter try marijuana, and he even gave away his late wife’s coat to accommodate Georgia’s interest in fashion. Not only has this helped with his grief, but Shifting Gears’ production design has even evolved to show how Matt’s become more patient and accommodating with his new houseguests. Continuing that progression could be the key to really making Matt stand out from Allen’s other sitcom characters.

What Happens To Matt & Eve After Their Kiss?

She Walks Away Before They Can Talk About It

Jenna Elfman’s Shifting Gears character was a thorn in Matt’s side before she even appeared onscreen. Matt’s disdain for the neighboring dance studio predates Eve’s physical introduction on the series, and their ongoing feud made it even more surprising that Eve went from refusing to pay for damaging Matt’s car to kissing him without warning over the course of a single episode. But because Eve merely smirks and walks away afterward, neither Matt nor the audience is given much time to process what this kiss could mean.

Eve more or less admits to finding Matt attractive, even suggesting that she dinged his car solely to get his attention. Matt also seemed to feel an attraction the first time he saw Eve dance. But a combative relationship between two alpha personalities can make for a rough romance, even if Matt and Eve do wind up putting aside their differences to give dating a shot. No matter what long-term potential they may have, there are other issues that need to be addressed in the short term.

How Will Riley React To Matt & Eve Kissing?

She Might Not Be Entirely Thrilled

One of the first short-term issues standing in the way of Eve and Matt’s romance is Riley. They both care deeply about her, to the point they were willing to call a truce just to throw Riley a party when she was struggling emotionally. Riley cares about them both in return, but even Kat Dennings isn’t convinced her character will react warmly to learning about their kiss. No matter what she pursues in the future, Riley likes the job she has now. It’s normal that she’d be fearful of how any fallout in their relationship might affect her work environment.

At the same time, Riley might not even find it surprising. She mentions at the end of the Shifting Gears season 1 finale that it seemed like Matt and Eve were finally starting to get along. While Riley’s been there for many of their arguments, the expression “fighting like an old married couple” very much applies to Eve and Matt. There’s every chance that Riley saw this kiss coming before either of the people who were actually involved in it.

Can Matt’s Grief Withstand A Relationship With Eve?

He Didn’t Seem Entirely Certain About That Kiss

Matt’s grief over the loss of Diane hasn’t come up as much toward the end of Shifting Gears season 1 as it did toward the beginning, but that doesn’t mean he’s over it. This became clear when Last Man Standing’s Nancy Travis played Matt’s last potential love interest in episode 6. Matt’s chemistry with Charlotte largely stemmed from their empathy with one another as widowed spouses.

This is reflected on Matt’s face at the very end of the Shifting Gears season 1 finale. While he partly looks hesitant to tell Riley, he also seems uncertain about where to go from here. He might find Eve attractive, but Matt’s grieved over things as simple as cleaning his wife’s side of the closet. Even if he does decide to try things out with Eve, she’ll still have to decide if she can handle a guy who’s still emotionally married to another woman.