‘Shifting Gears’ Needs To Do Way More With Its Most Underused Character in Season 2
While Shifting Gears has a stellar ensemble cast, one character stood out for the tragic way they were underused. Pretty much every character in the show gets a chance to shine, delivering comedic asides or giving their opinion on the conflict of the episode, except for Frankie (Cynthia Quiles). If you’re unaware of who that is, I don’t blame you; that’s the entire problem. Instead, you may recognize her as the lone woman working in Matt’s (Tim Allen) car restoration shop who will often stand in the group during conversations, mostly silently. Despite Quiles’ standout character design and enthusiastic comments, her character’s involvement in the show is limited to a small handful of lines. Furthermore, it is a great shame that we didn’t get to explore how she would interact with Matt, her colleagues, and the other strong female characters in the show.
Frankie Stands Out Yet Rarely Speaks in ‘Shifting Gears’ Despite Cynthia Quiles’ Passion For the Role
If Frankie were simply a background extra named in the credits, this would be a moot point. However, when we see Frankie, she is immediately recognizable due to her striking character design with a white tank top and undone overalls, standing next to Matt, Gabe, or Stitch. By blocking the scene so she stands next to these men, we see that while the others wear grubby, baggy clothes, she looks stylish and tough. In a way, this plays up to the archetype of the female mechanic, such as Michelle Rodriguez‘s character in Avatar or Megan Fox‘s character in Transformers. When done well, you have a strong character or can have something rather surface-level and overtly sexualized. Therefore, it is odd to include something similar to this archetype in a sitcom without using the trope to a comedic advantage, especially when the contrast between her and her colleagues is so stark.
Even with the risk of portraying the character in a way that feels out of touch, when we look at comments made by Cynthia Quiles, who plays Frankie, it seems the intention was to come at this character from the place of breaking stereotypes. Cynthia Quiles told Screen Rant that it was a “dream come true” to “represent a woman in a male-dominated industry.” However, with her lack of screen time, this representation and design aren’t as significant as they should be. Considering how much Shifting Gears deals with what is expected from a mother, father, grandfather, man, and woman, not taking advantage of tackling the subject through another lens feels like a missed opportunity.
‘Shifting Gears’ Could Have Slotted Frankie Into the Supporting Characters’ Existing Dynamic
Of course, Shifting Gears shouldn’t be expected to make an entirely new subplot for one supporting character. With only 20-minute-long episodes, every line needs to keep the plot moving forward. However, the Hulu sitcom already had the perfect subplot and friendship group to make Frankie a part of. Since we already have multiple comedic scenes with Gabe (Seann William Scott) and Stitch (Daryl Mitchell) in their side stories, these felt like easy opportunities to include further Frankie, who only speaks a few times in these scenes.
We don’t see much of how this dynamic would play out, but in an interview with Tell-Tale TV, Quiles mentioned how her character “brings strength and helps Stitch out a lot in the shop.” Quiles also mentioned how she wants to bring Frankie’s “sexuality more into play” next season when talking about how she could interact with other characters in the show. Perhaps we could see her and Gabe help each other with relationship troubles, after the reveal that Gabe had a crush on Riley (Kat Dennings) in the finale, “Kiss,” and Quiles’ queerness was alluded to in Episode 2, “Accommodations.”
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Frankie Would Have Added a Stronger Female Presence to Matt’s Male-Dominated Shop
While we don’t lack powerful female characters in the show, with Riley, Georgia (Barrett Margolis), and Eve (Jenna Elfman) all representing feminine strength in different ways, focusing on Frankie could have given Riley an extra ally in the restoration shop, as a fellow young woman with a connection to Matt. How Matt treats her versus Riley could have revealed a lot about how Matt, who tends to view the world through stereotypes, actually treats people. Even though Riley consistently references his right-wing and outdated opinions, he hires a disabled black man and a Latina woman. However, since we don’t see Matt and Frankie interact, this detail remains in the background, much like Frankie’s character.
Luckily, since Shifting Gears is getting a second season, there will be another chance for the show to use Frankie to her full potential. With Quiles’ comments about wanting to see Frankie have “a love interest” in the same interview with Tell-Tale TV, a same-sex relationship would provide another test to see how far Matt has come in accepting the changing world around him. I fully expect him to do so, but we need to see it happen in action for his arc to pay off. Additionally, Frankie wouldn’t just exist for the sole purpose of Matt or Riley’s story, but by giving her a partner or just someone to bounce off of, the character would be given an added layer of drive and allow us to explore someone who was dreadfully underused this season.
It’s always a shame when there seems to have been something missing from a show, especially when it is standing right in front of us. We don’t know if there was an original intention for Frankie to be more involved, and her scenes were cut for runtime, as the actress’s interviews seem to imply a bigger role than she had. Perhaps there was too much narrative to get through concerning Matt and Riley’s relationship, which is the core thrust of the show. However, that doesn’t stop me from hoping that, in Season 2, Frankie will be given her chance to shine.
