JIMMY
Riley’s estranged husband, Jimmy, stops by to visit the kids and try to win her back. Matt notices similar issues between Carter’s relationship with Jimmy that he had with Riley and steps in to give advice.
Jimmy Returns
Matt is spending time with his daughter and grandkids, after showing Carter the car he bought for them to restore together, when the doorbell rings. Matt answers the door to find Riley’s ex, Jimmy, standing there. He closes the door and tells Riley it’s a dirty hipster. Jimmy texts Riley who tells the kids their dad is there. (Jimmy is played by Lucas Neff best known for playing another Jimmy, Jimmy Chance on Raising Hope.)
Disney/Raymond Liu
Jimmy gives his children some gifts, but Matt notices while Georgia is excited to see her dad, Carter isn’t. He begrudgingly accepts his present despite not caring about the band on the t-shirt. Georgia wants Jimmy to stay, and Riley agrees despite Matt not wanting him there. The next day, Jimmy offers to take the kids to the Santa Monica pier. Georgia is excited to go, but again, Carter chooses school over time with his father.
Grandfather Bonding Time
When Carter gets home from school, Matt brings him out to talk about the car and learn more about what he’s seeing. Carter points out that his father hasn’t taken the time to learn about Carter’s interests. Carter’s dream car is a Volvo which is amazingly sensible for a teenager. Carter likes K-Pop but his dad gives him a rock-and-roll t-shirt. Jimmy may be his father, but he’s never really been a dad.
Disney/Raymond Liu
Matt wants to change this because Carter is seeing him as more of a father than Jimmy. Matt is his grandfather and wants to be his grandfather. However, Carter is finally getting the father-figure attention from Matt. Recognizing the similarities between Carter and Jimmy and his previous relationship with Riley, Matt swallows his pride and does the last thing he wants to do to help improve Carter’s relationship with his own father.
Matt Talks to Jimmy
Matt asks Jimmy to speak in the garage which frightens Jimmy. In the main rooms of the house, there are witnesses, but alone in the garage with his father-in-law who hates him is not where Jimmy wants to be. Matt tries to get through to Jimmy about his relationship with Carter. Jimmy has been trying to make it big as a musician since he and Riley were in high school. But it’s taken a toll on Jimmy’s relationship with Carter.
Matt yells at Jimmy and speaks rationally to him. He’s torn between defending people he loves and helping them reconcile with someone he knows he’ll never like. In the end, Matt finally proves to speak like a mentor to Jimmy in a way to help him understand what he needs to do to repair his relationship with Carter.
Disney/Raymond Liu
Riley, Gabriel and Stitch
While this is going on, Riley has to deal with her own feelings on the Jimmy situation. She wanted him to sign the divorce papers but doesn’t want to be around him. He writes her a love song to try to win her back, so she needs to have a vent session like she used to have with her friends in Vegas. Unfortunately, since returning to California, her only friends are her father’s employees, Gabriel and Stitch.
Disney/Raymond Liu
Gabriel proves many times to be the next love interest for Riley as he lets her know Jimmy wasn’t good enough for her, and even though the song could woo her, she needs to sort her own life out. Jimmy swings by the shop after his talk with Matt where he explains that once his tour is over, he’ll look for a more stable job closer to the kids, so he can be a dad. This causes Riley to not ask him to sign the divorce papers. While Matt isn’t happy that Jimmy may be back in his life, he proves to be a loving father and grandfather who just wants to be there for his family.
Rating
After the serious tone of episode four, this episode transitions back to comedy. However, it still allows for character development and growth that was absent from the first three episodes. Whereas the first three episodes were all superficial in nature, this one tackles divorce, estrangement, familial relationships and the need to better oneself while still trying to bring the laughs. Plus, these jokes hit a little better than the ones in the first three episodes. It’s a step forward the show needs. It has momentum after the last two episodes. It just needs to sustain it.
Check out Shifting Gears on ABC and Hulu.
Article Written By: Jeremy Brown for Stelmach Brown Media 2025
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