So I didn’t have a chance to discuss the new season of Eureka when it came out. But it is a show that I really enjoy, so I watched it again. And I find the new season off to an interesting start.
When last we left Sheriff Carter, he had just lost his job. A situation that meant he would have to leave this secret town of big brains. Plus it meant that he would have to leave Dr. Blake, whom he should be with.
We pick up the show with Carter interviewing, a task made harder by the fact that he cannot make any reference to his duties at Eureka. Basically he has to interview under the basis that he was just working in a simple small town. Which makes me wonder why there was no device (kind of like the one used in the 2nd season opening episode) used to remove his memory and ensure that this super-top secret is not leaked to anyone.
But as the job hunting at the Department of Homeland Security is on-going, we see that Dr. Blake has progressed quite a bit with her pregnancy. Something that is odd considering the lack of time from the prior season ending.
Things even get more odd when Deputy Lupo, next in line to be sheriff is passed over for the position. The person hired is such a surprise that everyone is amazed. He is Sheriff Andy (as in Griffith) and is a robot. A step that is not too far out for this town of science fiction made reality. But way too much for Deputy Lupo to handle.
Of course while all this is happening, everyone is saying their goodbyes. It’s definitely a sad tone to it all. Thankfully Zane is no where to be seen. Though Carter’s girlfriend (runs the cleaners) is gone. Whatever happened to her is something I never recall hearing mentioned. One day he is supposed to go on a weekend fishing trip with her, then she is just forgotten.
But its these little mistakes that fill this episode. We see things like a robot with a supercomputer brain, that can’t arrive at an accident scene faster than Carter who was told after Sarah (his house) mentions it to him, though Andy is hooked up to the internal web of the town. Andy seems incapable of making obvious inquiries, which Carter and Lupo do even though they have no authority to do so. And Andy is the obvious target of situations that seem so blatant that halfway through the episode you are guessing at who might have done it.
My guess by the way was the obvious choice, and wrong. Though the real culprit is just as obvious and has done similar actions before.
Basically this is the same series that we left. The characters are just as familiar and interesting. The relationships feel genuine. But this first episode is sloppy. Far more so than usual, and with far less explanations to cover the plot holes.
Plus a new arc is created by the end of the episode. One that seems to involve aliens, or at least something from space heading to Eureka. My guess is that it will be similar to Vjer from Star Trek: The Motion Picture (the first of the big screen adaptations – and after 30 years still better than the latest film). Which might be interesting if the writing improves.
This is not to say that I did not enjoy the episode. I’m glad Eureka is back, Carter, Blake, and all. The episode was entertaining, if a tad bit bland. I’m interested to see the birth of the babies, Zoey is growing up to be a cute intelligent young woman, and the suggested love triangle with Fargo/Lupo/Zane has me betting on Fargo. Plus we may actually see Carter and Blake finally get together as the fates allowed once upon a different dimension.
All of it has great potential still. But I get the feeling that the writing is slipping. That too much is being taken for granted. That the move to Friday nights signals the end is very near. That SyFy [or SciFi – the name change fits since they never had any respect for their supposed core audience] is still the same lying bunch of television executives that can’t understand anything more complicated than the same sitcoms we have seen since 1950. And the show may be winding down. Which would be a shame.
Yet, there is time. And everything seems as entertaining as it was before. Maybe even a bit of innovation in the writing too. Which means that if you are stuck home on a Friday night, this is an option to take.
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