Tim Allen recently hinted at upcoming plot points in Shifting Gears that could mark a major shift in the sitcom’s sophomore season, proving pivotal in determining how the series looks at its biggest themes moving forward. Aspects of these upcoming story developments may even go beyond Shifting Gears season 2 to continue affecting the ABC show’s evolution across future seasons.
Romance pervades the air after multiple developments in the Shifting Gears season 1 finale, not the least of which is that still-grieving widower Matt Parker may now find himself in a new romantic entanglement with Jenna Elfman’s Eve. This will naturally affect other members of the Shifting Gears cast such as Kat Dennings’ Riley, but there are even greater implications.
Tim Allen’s Matt Parker Finally Starts Moving Past His Grief In Shifting Gears Season 2
A Single Mausoleum Scene Carries Deceptively Deep Implications
To promote Shifting Gears season 2, Allen sat down with Good Morning America to speak a bit on what to expect when the show returns. He began by sharing a clip in which Matt visits his late wife Diane at the mausoleum to tell her about Eve, during which he makes a subtle revelation not all viewers may have caught:
“Hey. Hope this isn’t too weird, but I got to talk to somebody about this. I met a woman. Get this, it’s Riley’s boss. That’s right, Riley’s got a job, so I’ll wait for you to roll over. Uh…we kissed. And, I’m not sure what that means.”
While telling Diane about the kiss is obviously the dramatic hook here, the subtler revelation is that Matt hasn’t told Diane about the job Riley took three weeks before we last saw him at the mausoleum. And that detail actually says a lot about how serious Matt and Eve’s Shifting Gears relationship stands to become.
Matt last visited Diane on Valentine’s Day, which he revealed to Nancy Travis’ Charlotte as the first time he’d visited in over a year. This makes sense because Matt spends much of Shifting Gears season 1 unwilling to fully accept that his life has changed. He only even agreed to therapy after snapping at Georgia for looking through Diane’s closet.
Although he’s interrupted by Charlotte during that first visit, it stands to reason that he hasn’t been giving Diane regular updates if he’s barely willing to acknowledge that she’s no longer there to witness them. Updating Diane now suggests he’s doing it solely to ask her for permission to move on because he’s already gotten closer to acceptance.
Shifting Gears Season 2 Marks A Vital Turning Point In The Show’s Acceptance Theme
Allen’s Sitcom Could Explore Grief In A Manner Not Commonly Seen
Just because Matt’s toyed with the idea of moving on doesn’t mean he’s quite there yet. As Shifting Gears showrunner Michelle Nader explains, Matt’s romantic subplot won’t be easy to navigate:
“Matt was very in love with his wife and was in a relationship for his whole life. Dating another woman is going to be hard for a guy like him.”
That’s an important line to draw. Matt and Eve’s relationship will more than likely blossom over the course of the season, but moving from denial to acceptance doesn’t mean grief ceases to affect those previously in mourning. Matt can fall deeply in love with Eve yet never truly fall completely out of love with Diane.
Aside from specific examples such as The Conners’ frequent Roseanne references, TV doesn’t always get this right. Surviving characters “moving on” sadly often means that the departed are rarely mentioned again.
But Tim Allen’s long history of featuring former co-stars in his more recent shows suggests a likelihood that Nancy Travis’ Shifting Gears cameos will probably continue as long as the show’s on the air, which means discussions on the topics of grief and acceptance will remain ongoing.
These have always been main themes since the series’ inception, but these story developments could mean Shifting Gears becoming a rare example of a series that earnestly explores how grief continues to shape our lives even after acceptance. For a man often accused of rehashing the same character, that’s an extremely uplifting new direction for Allen to take.
Enjoy ScreenRant’s primetime coverage? Click below to sign up for our weekly Network TV newsletter (make sure to check “Network TV” in your preferences) and get the inside scoop from actors and showrunners on your favorite series.
0 Comments