Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Shifting Gears Season 2 episode "Passion." Stream the episode with a Hulu subscription and read at your own risk!
Shifting Gears Season 2 kept the cameos rolling this week with comedian Gabriel Iglesias showing up to Matt's auto garage, but after the first two episodes brought on former Home Improvement stars and actress Lilly Singh, I was looking for more than celebrities this episode. Fortunately, I got my wish with a major development for Kat Dennings' Riley, which fixed a problem I had with the new season.
The first couple of episodes started rough for Riley, which flew in the face of my hopes last season of her getting a big win in life. Fortunately, the latest episode ensured I got my wish before the end of the 2025 TV schedule, and made Riley's working situation far less awkward.
Riley Finally Quit Working For Eve, And Started Her Own Business
I was all about Riley taking a job with Matt's arch-nemesis, Eve, right up until her dad and boss started making out on a regular basis. Suddenly, it felt less entertaining that Riley was working with Eve, and it could become problematic should the couple have issues. Also, am I the only one who thought it was weird how often Eve would talk about her relationship with Matt to Riley? If I were her, I wouldn't want to hear anything about that.
Fortunately, Eve fired Riley when the latter decided to throw in the towel after her dad refused her initial pitch for investment money for a coffee shop. Eve told her former employee she was "removing the safety net" which forced Riley to try to make her coffee shop happen on her own despite not having Matt's blessing. It ended up being just the push she needed, as Riley got her business rolling and some early buzz.
Riley Running A Coffee Shop Stand In The Alley Is The Perfect Solution For Shifting Gears
While the coffee stand came together much quicker than I imagine it would in real life, Shifting Gears really found the perfect solution in setting Riley's new business up in the alley between the two stores. This allows her to keep showing up in the auto garage, which would've been lost if she had gone off to law school or picked up a job elsewhere.
Do I love this show for the chemistry that Kat Dennings and Tim Allen have as father and daughter? Absolutely. That said, Dennings is a gem who shines with all the cast, and limiting the scenes she could share with Jenna Elfman, Seann William Scott, or Daryl Mitchell would be a mistake.
In addition to all of that, I can now rest easy that Riley's job won't be at risk because Eve is mad at Matt or vice versa. It would've been all too easy for the Shifting Gears writers to pen in a storyline involving that, and now that Riley is in business for herself, we no longer have to worry. I'm excited for this new direction she's taking, and I hope Matt's fears of her failing won't come to fruition.
Shifting Gears continues on ABC on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Season 2 is off to a strong start, and I'm hoping it continues to keep entertaining us with more developments for Riley, and celebrity cameos along the way.
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