At the end of Numb3rs: The Fourth Season, Megan (Diane Farr) decides that she wants to leave the team. She just needs to do something else with her life. I really liked Megan and I hate that she left. I do like her replacement too, though. Nikki Betancourt (Sophina Brown) joins the team. She used to be a cop, but has decided to switch to the FBI. I think that she makes a great addition to the team. Of course, Don (Rob Morrow) is still in charge. David (Alimi Ballard) applies to be his second, so he's in charge when Don is gone. Colby (Dylan Bruno) is still there as well. Charlie (David Krumholtz) lost his security clearance at the end of the last season and he has to figure out if he wants to try and get it back or not, because without it, he doesn't have the clearance to work with Don's team anymore! Of course, Amita (Navi Rawat) still has her clearance, so what's that going to do to their relationship?
Agent Ian Edgerton (Lou Diamond Phillips) is back a few times this season. He's especially there for the return of the spree-killing kid whose teacher/lover was killed by the team. Edgerton seems to cross paths with the group more though, which I like. He's really a very good character! It does seem like there's more math this season than last, which is good because I was missing it. Given how many different cases and situations they all end up in, I'm really glad they could apply the math more. It's getting to the point that the team remembers some of it and is catching on a lot quicker.
Some of the things they deal with this year include a train wreck that's so much like real life that it's creepy! They posted a message before it saying that the episode was filmed and scheduled before the huge wreck that happened just before the air date. The group also learns that sometimes a little paranoia is a good thing, especially when there really is a conspiracy. They also run across a really smart psycho who buries his victims in a cemetery on top of existing graves. Ingenious really, but is there another reason for it other than covering up the crime? My personal favorite is the A.I. episode. Did someone create the world's first A.I., and if he did, did she kill him? Then there's the case where do-gooders let animals go from a lab. Now I'm not for animal testing by any stretch, but didn't these people see 28 Days Later? You can't just let the animals go without knowing what's been done because you're more likely to kill them. Of course, people like that don't think about logical things such as those.
It's not all horrible, though. At one point, Charlie goes surfing. I never thought I'd see a math genius surfing. Oh, and after trying to help the basketball team get better since they haven't won a game since 1986, (there are more high school valedictorians on the team than high school basketball players), the coach quits and the crew ends up coaching the Cal Sci team! For once, the season doesn't end on a horrible cliffhanger like the previous seasons have.
I've been a huge fan of Numb3rs ever since it first aired. If you're a fan of math and logic, you'll love it. Even if you hate math but are a fan of action, ignore all the math and you'll still love it. You should go pick up Numb3rs: The Fifth Season today!
