Tom Swift Review: …And Nine Inches of Danger (Season 1 Episode 3)

Tom may be keeping things from his mom in order to protect her, but he needs to learn a bit more about delegating. On Tom Swift Season 1 Episode 3, “…And Nine Inches of Danger” we learn that Tom doesn’t quite have the handle he thinks he has.

Sure Tom is able to stop the infiltration of Barclay, but at what cost? He’s failing as an interim CEO which is giving Claire the space she needs to make her moves. 

Swift Enterprises is now in danger from multiple sources and there is no way Tom is going to be able to juggle all of that and find his father.

Tom’s Quick Save

One thing Tom is good at is tech, he is a genius inventor after all. However, the one thing he’s not good at is using that tech to its fullest advantage. 

He thinks that he needs to take on everything because he has created the tech. However, during this episode so many things go sideways because he feels he’s the only one who can do it all. 

Getting the phone cloned could have been Zenzi’s job, she’s got a thing going with Eskol and Rowan is never far from him. If Tom could just relinquish some of his control issues things could easily go much smoother and he could increase his mother’s confidence in him.

All in all, he has managed to stop the malware from completely taking out Barclay, but not without his tech almost ruining the champagne and allowing Claire to essentially take over. 

The viewers know that Tom has the capabilities to create Swift Enterprises into a bigger success, but he’s not doing so well showing others that strength.

Things Get More Complicated

On top of Tom failing at being the host with the most, he’s also failing to see Lino’s problems. Lino is his brother and respects him dearly, but Tom couldn’t be bothered with him during this episode. 

Tom Swift has done a great job so far of showing us who Tom’s real team is. Lino has been part of that, but Tom continues to shove him to the side in exchange for Isaac or Zenzi instead.

Lino is just as much a tech genius as Tom, so it’s time the young man recognize that. On top of all this, Lino is also dealing with some mysterious ability that supposedly his mom also had.

Here’s hoping Isaac can handle things, because it seems like Lino’s abilities are getting in the way of his work and his life. While I don’t think Tom can handle yet another thing right now, this also points to a bigger issue.

There are way too many secrets floating around between everyone on Team Swift. Silence may keep them alive, but it cannot keep them safe.

Claire Sinks Her Teeth In

During the previous episode, Tom Swift Season 1 Episode 2, “…And the 4b Curl,” Claire starts to show her more manipulative side. This episode she is definitely more subtle about it, but the diabolical is still there. 

It starts off very innocent with things like making sure she is first to the podium for speaking to cutting off Tom’s mic. It’s things that can be seen as just pushing ahead without being outright sinister.

However, the plot where she is manipulating Lorraine is downright evil. Using Swift tech to get what she wants is something Tom is definitely doing with Eskol and his crew, but hers is more self-serving.

I can only imagine what these signed documents of supervision are going to do for Tom’s future plans. It’s definitely going to make finding Barton that much more difficult. 

Now, Tom is having to deal with sabotage plots from two sources, finding investors, and searching for his father in order to save the company. It’s all too much, and he’s not one to easily let other’s assist.

 

What did you think of this episode of Tom Swift? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Tom Swift airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

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