If you’ve missed Eureka this season, you’ve also missed a bit of a twist. Five of our well known Eurekans ended up in 1947, when Eureka was just a budding military venture. They returned, but the journey changed the future. I have to admit I got a bit complacent in my Eureka viewing last year. There were mostly standalone episodes and I just enjoyed the ride. Well, this year the writers have the nerve of using the now-altered present to revisit the past. Hmpf. In doing so, I am finding my complacency has left me a bit behind the eight ball. More on that in a bit.
Getting “stoned” takes on a whole new dimension in Eureka this week, when people, quite literally, turn to stone during some sort of freaky petrification process. Carter asks what I would have asked: Why were their clothes were petrifying right along with them? Good question, right? Frankly, I could have lived without Allison’s illustration. “Remember the woman who was fused to the fabric of her couch after sitting there for six years?” Um … ewwww! I actually DID remember, and I did not WANT to remember. Blech. I still don’t get why that woman and her couch fused, so the explanation was lost on me. I vote the writers use more creativity and less real life in the future.
When visiting Tesla University student and Sheriff’s daughter, Zoe Carter, turned to stone, the need for a cure went into high gear. It all boiled down to a troubled professor seeking fame, the use of a nifty invention called flash-crete for quickly built houses and a skin care agent designed by an irritating spa owner. Mystery solved, everyone saved. Duh. This is Eureka. Other than her unfortunate turn to stone, I’m really glad Zoe is back in town. Her character development has been very engaging and I miss her when she’s away at school.
When the voyagers made their way back to the present earlier this season, they inadvertently brought back one of Eureka’s first scientists and an assistant to none other than Albert Einstein, Dr. Trevor Grant, played by Battlestar Galactica alum James Callis. They can’t tell anyone about their little time trek and Grant’s true identity would be a fly in the ointment, so Fargo created for Grant a back story as his own direct descendant in one Dr. Charles Grant. When the Department of Defense is found poking around in Dr. Grant’s employment file, it appears an outsider knows the dirty little secret. That very someone sent him a gift basket ripe with items from 1947 and an invitation to meet.
Upon arrival at the rendezvous point, Beverly Barlowe (Debrah Farentino) is the mystery guest. She was last seen at the end of season two escaping justice via a transporter device after she wreaked havoc on the town by fiddling with “The Artifact.” Thanks Wikipedia, because after a year of viewing repose, I remembered exactly nothing about that storyline and her departure. Barlowe worked with the The Consortium, a group hell bent on keeping the true nature of The Artifact a secret. They did a good job, because we never did find out what the heck it was. Assuming she still works with that group in this altered timeline means all of that may be in play in the coming weeks. I’m a bit disappointed in Grant, as I was hoping that Callis would play against type (set forth as Dr. Gaius Baltar in BSG) and this episode definitely played to him turning bad guy.
I’m impressed how well the Eureka crew is binding the actual history of the show with a completely different past, but still staying true to the characters. The visiting Farentino shows just how far they are willing to go to with the story, and I look forward to any upcoming surprises!
Other things of note:
What do you think? Are you enjoying Eureka Too, the addition of Dr. Grant and infusion of the past in the present, or would you prefer to stick with stand-alone science mishaps of the week?
Clacked by Guest Clacker
on Aug 24, 2010 @ 10:47 EST5EDT
Great review, interesting insights! Enjoyed the read!
I liked the recap of what’s been going on this season in context of what happened in this episode. I think this new timeline offers some interesting storylines and also some interesting questions about who is still alive and who might be able to make appearances (particularly what’s coming next week…no spoilers here).
Great write up and hopefully you’ll get the chance to keep writing here. One note though. Zoe doesn’t go to Tesla University, she goes to Harvard.
Why did I think she went to Tesla? She keeps talking about professors at Tesla – was that her high school? Stupid me.
Yeah, Tesla High School is the HS in Eureka. She never really said that he taught her in high school but at Telsa. I can see how that would throw you off.
Well written, easy to follow. Great insights and the right touch of humor. I say Modwild is a keeper!
Excellent over-view, very well written. I agree Modwild is wonderful.
A chance to be on the other side of the table … unfortunately, never seen the show. But I enjoyed the read! :)
Thanks Aryeh – with all the crap I’ve given you, it was good of you to say so. :-)
i’m starting to wonder, what happened to stark in these alter-universe, hope he makes an appearence!!!
I was really hoping that the guest star last week would be Stark. Bringing him back, and yet changed, would be a real coup. I’ve not seen him in anything, so maybe he’s still available. If he is, I have a feeling they are already riding that train. This years crew seems really invested in the show; its fun to realize how much they care for Eureka as a town, and not just as a job.
What Aryeh said. I dropped Eureka after Season 1 because it was rubbing me the wrong way (production value too low, s/fx to weird, stories to far out) so it’s kind of a bummer that this post doesn’t really interest me and I can’t read it just in case I might spoil myself by reading it. I hope you write about another show soon (maybe “The Glades”?) so I can find out if you’re any good.
Ok that was mean ;-) I always like reading your comments so I know that it has to be good. Write another post for me and Aryeh. Pretty please :-)
Oh – The Glades. Swoon. My new favorite cop show! Definitely worth writing about, that’s for sure!
As for Eureka, I think you might like it more now. The production value has gone up a bit, and there is more comedy. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and there hasn’t been an arc (but this could change, given this episode) driving the background story that makes you go “huh?”
Thanks for stopping by, especially given that you don’t even watch. You rock, Sebastian!
Hey of course! I know how it’s like, especially discovering errors after you handed something in. I usually think about what I’m going to write while driving and then only take 20 minutes to write the post down – and then I’ll read it for about 4 hours, fact check every little detail, check the spelling – and still without the extra work Deb puts in it wouldn’t be half as good. And then I still get something wrong and blush like a schoolboy when someone spots it and comments on it. It happens and since you can’t edit the post yourself it pains double. Don’t worry :-)
And of course I rock ;-))
Ok Sebastian. I’m going to work on a Glades post. Covering an entire new series on one post should be, shall we say, challenging for me. :-D
Wohoo! (Homer-style) :-D
Great review. I have missed the Eureka posts here this season, especially with the twist this season. Thank you for a great post.
I wasn’t sure what to think of the twist, but I do like it. And, I do like the way it creates opportunity for Stark or others to come back. But…until this last episode, I would have liked to see Stark come back, after that Allison-Carter kiss, I will be disappointed to have him come back now. Been there…seen that.
I think my favorite changes are Joe as Head of Security and Fargo’s new role.
I would still like to see Stark come back, but as a bad guy. When he was sinister, he was much more interesting.
I like Jo and Fargo in their new roles, too. Especially Jo – she so deserved to have something great happen. They haven’t really shown much interest in how they got where they were (any of the five). I’d be dying to know all about my alternate self!
have none of you seen the promo for this week’s episode?
No. Please share. DVR cut off before the promo. What am I missing?? Is there an online promo?
@gordon i kinda hate that i’ve seen the promo. damn whoever capped this ep!
Ok – we’re damning me. Why are we damning me? I didn’t see the promo. DVR cut off before the end. What did I write that damned the promo? Write spoiler or something if people are afraid of promos. I’m not!!
I _guess_ he meant “whoever ripped the episode and put it on the interwebs for downloading via the torrents” – capping from screencapturing I thought – because that could be the reason why he saw it – the person who put it on the interwebs didn’t cut at the end and left the promo in. Usually you don’t do that as a m4d 1nt3rn3t ripper (or something like that)
Sorry bad choice of words. Sabastian is right, I meant whoever capped the ep & uploaded to newsgroups.
I don’t pay for cable, I pay for newsgroups & dl everything (i’m not a nelson family so why do i care?) & normally the scene groups are good at not putting promos in their caps, but this one did. I hate seeing upcoming promos. I like being surprised when the ep comes out.
BTW if you want to throw in The Glades that’d rock. I like that show. This has been a great summer for new shows.
I’m going to work on a Glades post. Fun fun fun!!!!
I second Sebastian’s glee & say ‘heck yes!’
I like the combo of Jim & Carlos, although I just realized that there are 2 new shows this summer with a homicide detective & ME who do everything together (Rizzoli & Isles). I want to see some more golfing antics too. I love that he brings at least 1 club with him to wherever he is.
Great review–I agree that Modwild is a keeper. I also agree with xnifex, that this has been a great summer for new shows on Cable, plus an excellent season for the standards on Cable, i.e., BURN NOTICE, CLOSER, WHITE COLLAR, etc. As someone commented in an earlier piece; I am only sorry that cable seasons are so short. Let us hope some of the new network shows are nearly as good as what Basic Cable has given us this summer season. Before, I forget–The Glades is really a pleasant surprise.
Awww…thanks Bob! Other than the fact that they are TOOO short, what I like about summer seasons is that we have them! :-) For a short time in the spring I get sad that Fringe is over, for instance. Then the promos for the premiere dates of summer shows start popping up and I remember just how excited I am to see these favorites again!
In the “olden days” we had to watch {{gasp}} REPEATS over the summer months! The only way that was good was to catch up on shows that I hadn’t otherwise viewed. If you don’t catch a network show when it’s on, you’re screwed. Cable shows give you more than one chance to view, which also adds to my enjoyment factor exponentially.