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Shifting Gears Season 1 ends with a bang or, more accurately, a kiss. Tim Allen’s Matt locking lips with Jenna Elfman’s Eve might’ve been a shocking moment, but it also sparks a serious issue: it threatens to steal focus from the real couple fans are rooting for — Riley and Gabriel.
That final episode twist was meant to be cheeky, unexpected, and fun. Kat Dennings, who plays Riley and also serves as producer, admitted (ScreenRant), “I actually squealed out loud watching it… I couldn’t believe it even though I knew it was going to happen.” But that “OMG” moment might come at a cost.
Until that party scene, Matt and Eve’s relationship was all snark and sparks—in the not-so-romantic sense. From bickering over a picnic table to passive-aggressive wars across the street, nothing suggested romantic tension. Then boom — instant chemistry? It doesn’t land quite right. And Dennings herself even called it “definitely unexpected.”
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Compare that to Riley and Gabriel. Their story’s been a slow simmer. Gabriel, the shy and steady mechanic, has been tiptoeing around his feelings all season. Riley, fresh out of a messy situation with her ex, is learning to stand on her own again. The build-up was sweet, hesitant, and real. Then, just as their arc was set to blossom, the spotlight swerves.
Seann William Scott, who plays Gabriel, wasn’t even aware of the Matt-Eve kiss until much later. “I didn’t even know that Tim Allen and Jenna kiss until just now,” he admitted, laughing.
The bigger concern was Shifting Gears doesn’t have room to juggle two big romances. And let’s be honest—Matt’s relationship with Eve is flashy. It’s quick-fire dialogue, exaggerated drama, and sitcom chaos. Riley and Gabriel, on the other hand, are more heart than hijinks.
Dennings knows what’s at stake. She and Scott both hope to stretch the “will they/won’t they” tension between their characters for seasons to come. “That would be the smart way to do it,” she said. Rushing that story — or worse, sidelining it would be a waste of the season’s most emotional groundwork.
Matt and Eve’s kiss isn’t just a wild twist; it’s a pacing problem. With zero foreshadowing and barely any genuine connection, their storyline risks becoming the loud distraction that drowns out the more meaningful love story the show spent ten episodes developing.
Sure, the series needed a hook for renewal. But if Season 2 leans too hard into the chaos of Matt and Eve, it might stall the real emotional engine: Riley and Gabriel’s slow-burn connection. Because sometimes, the best stories aren’t about who kisses who first but who remembers your coffee order.
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