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A Town Called |
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Jack Carter - Colin Ferguson Allison Blake - Salli Richardson-Whitfield Jo Lupo - Erica Cerra Henry Deacon - Joe Morton Douglas Fargo - Neil Grayston Charles Grant - James Callis 
OTHER EUREKA SEASONS Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 OTHER SCI FI COMEDIES Chuck Red Dwarf Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy 3rd Rock From the Sun 
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Founder's DayIt's Founders' Day in which the creation of the town called Eureka is celebrated with display of old inventions on the main street. Carter, however, finds himself transported back to 1947 when the town was being built and was under the control of the military, who didn't much like spies who claimed to be town sheriff. Fortunately Allison, Henry, Jo and Fargo have been transported back with him. A TOWN CALLED EUREKA comes back for a new season with a nice twist. Time travel has been done before on the show, but transporting everyone back to 1947 allows for all kinds of period fun and introduces James Callis (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA as an initially disbelieving scientist of the time. Because this is a primarily plot-drven episode, the level of witty banter is lower than usual, though Fargo does show up in 1947 naked and does a quick TERMINATOR riff that's lots of fun,but Salli Richardson-Whitfield looks great as a 40s nurse and Jo's entrance is certainly action-packed. And the sting in the tail sets up the second episode quite nicely indeed thank you very much. Welcome back to Eureka. TopA New WorldBack in the present, the few who went back to 1947 have to come to terms with their new lives. Jo is no longer Zane's girlfriend, but is the head of security for Global Dynamics. Fargo goes one better by being the head of GD, Allison being demoted down to a medical job, but she has a son with whom she can connect now. The cause of the changes is Dr Grant, who also passed through time, altering the past, but even as the gang try to find a way to send him back, there are other problems to be sorted out, such as a giant robot bug gone insane. The almost total remodelling of EUREKA is a brave step and one that is pulled off quite well as this episode mixes up the usual catastrophe of the week storyline with the ongoing story of the group discovering and coming to terms with the changes in their lives. The fact that there are significant, but hardly world-changing differences is cogently explained by the show that has always made some challenging science accessible and the return to the town allows for the witty banter to reassert itself. The two strands of the story fight work against each other, but by the end the balance has been struck and the new season can go ahead with confidence. TopAll The RageFargo is under pressure from the military to show results in the non-lethal weapons branch of General Dynamics. The head of that particular branch is not very co-operative and soon neither is anyone else as everyone in GD starts to get very, very angry and most of them are in possession of equipment that can make big holes in people. Wil Wheaton (STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION) guest stars as the angry scientist who is initially blamed for the outbreak, but it's stunt casting that neither improves nor damages the episode as a whole. This episode goes for a bit darker than the usual, using the rage virus as an excuse to stage some really quite creepy zombie rip off sequences in the emergency-lit corridors of the research facility. Despite this, there is plenty of the usual fun banter and silliness that the show is home to. TopThe Story Of O2It's Space Week in Eureka and whilst Carter is away visiting Zoe and chasing an invisible cat, the rest of the gang are trying to figure out how the oxygen content of the atmosphere is getting so high and how to stop the rockets from the space race returning to the town and igniting what is fast becoming an oxygen bomb. There are two stories going on here and the one with Carter trying to reconnect with the daughter who might have become completely different thanks to the changes in the time is the funnier of the two as it features Colin Ferguson doing his everyman schtick faced with a father's fears for a daughter in college. The story back at Eureka is less funny and attempts to be the dramatic and tense race against time story that the show is usually made up of, but the diffuse nature of the threat and the revelation of who is really to blame don't work in its favour. TopCrossing OverThings are appearing in Eureka, like trees in General Dynamics, a plane in Cafe Diem and a nuclear warhead in a wall. They are objects from the past and the problem may lie in Charles Grant. Allison Scagliotti guest stars as Claudia Donovan from the Syfy Channel's sister show WAREHOUSE 13 as a potential love interest for Fargo, but it's a bit of stunt casting to boost the newer show and the character just slots into a standard EUREKA plot. A 'standard' EUREKA plot means that there is an oddball mystery, some deadly threat to the characters (courtesy of a time transported minefield and exotic particles) and a lot of gobbledygook that doesn't mean a whole lot, but sounds fun. All of which means that the show is as entertaining as ever. TopMomstrosityCarter agrees to take Allison's son Kevin on a cmaping trip for a bit of male bonding, but is less pleased when Charles Grant decides to come along. In their absence, all of the AI systems in Eureka go haywire, leading to potentially lethal consequences. Getting these characters out into the wilds and then sending a mad killer space probe after them is the kind of plotting that EUREKA does so well. Comic flashes all over the place and a final resolution that just has to be seen to be enjoyed, not to mention more film references than you can shake a stick at. By comparison with all that fun, Henry finally telling his 'wife' the truth about the time travel conundrum is low key. TopStonedZoe comes home and gets involved when one of her professors finds a bone in the foundation of Jo's new house. Things turn serious when members of the dig team start to turn to stone and Zoe is the latest victim. For once, the plot takes more of a central place than the fun banter and the silliness that is the heart of EUREKA. Yes, there are some good lines, but this goes more for the tension of the situation and the race against time to save Zoe. Henry and Fargo laying some disco moves on Grace is a funny scene and Carter finally makes a move on Allison, which will melt the hearts of all fans of the show, but there is a cliffhanger as an old enemy resurfaces. TopThe Ex-FilesThe time-travelling quintet are assailed by hallucinations of people from their past as an old adversary comes back from the past to create a crisis. For Carter that means Nathan Stark is back from the dead. With all its usual verve and vigour, EUREKA's latest adventure slips from the usual crisis mystery to the exorcising of personal demons and does it all without missing a beat. There is plenty of wit and humour and it is great to see Ed Quinn back as the irrepressible Nathan Stark, making the most of his double act with Carter. There are also twists and turns and a longer term storyline kicks into motion. Long term viewers will also echo Stark's 'about time', but will have a smile on their face as they do so. TopI'll Be Seeing YouBeverley Barlow uses the stolen DED device to send Grant back in time to create a new timeline making use of his new knowledge of future events. In the process, Allison is killed, but Carter is caught in the timewash and has to ally himself to Grant in order to find a way of saving Allison and getting home. This episode puts Carter and Grant back in the events of Founder's Day, moving around in the background and trying to ensure that things happen precisely as they were meant to happen. It's a purely plot driven episode and whilst the plot is very clever, you have to have seen the season's first episode for this to make any sense at all. It also means that the bright banter that is such a hallmark of the show is sadly missing, but since this is the mid-season finale the aim was clearly to go out with an action bang than the usual charming oddness. TopO Little TownA malfunctioning shield keeps Sheriff Carter and his daughter in Eureka for the Christmas period. Probably just as well as the temperature is soaring and a crystal in one of the labs is getting dangerously big. Or is the town that is shrinking? EUREKA gives us a cracking little Christmas present in the shape of this seasonal special that teeters painfully on the brink of sentimentality at times, but manages to pull itself back with the trademark verve and wit that takes on the festive season and gives us holographic reindeer, a flying sleigh, homicidal Christmas tree decorations and a man with a twinkle in his eye who might just be the real deal even though he's not fat, doesn't have a beard and isn't dressed in red. Some of the effects (yes, you the giant Christmas decoration) are poor by the show's standards, but the fun and frolics are all present and correct with the characters all making the most of the festive script. It might all be a story concocted by the sheriff, allowing for even more wild flights of fancy than the usual plots, but there's just enough doubt to be getting on with. All the principles remain delightful company to spend time with at Christmas and there is a welcome return for Matt Frewer as mad Australian Taggart. It's Christmas, so we can forgive the mawkishness that creeps in, especially towards the end, but just this once and in the spirit of the season only. TopLift OffFargo and Zane are launched into orbit in a rocket that hasn't been space ready for years. With only six hours of air left, the race is on to save them. EUREKA comes back off its midseason break with this story that is one of the lesser efforts. It is still full of the trademark EUREKA quirkiness and humour, but isn't quite as funny as the show at its very best. That said, it's not often that you get to see someone scrape the international space station. The characters are all present and correct, though the story takes for granted that the audience is au fait with what's been going on in the past, leaving no time for anyone to catch up. TopRepriseA scientist tasked with checking up on the faster than light drive that Fargo has developed and the accident in which it was first used turns out to be not as expected. Then again, neither is anyone else in town as everyone goes a little crazy. It's business as usual with a silly story that goes in all sorts of directions before finally revealing what is going on behind it all. The trademark wit and banter is all present and correct and pretty good, though not quite as good as the show can be, but there are the usual flashes of emotional complexity and the last couple of minutes introduce a whole new, and darker, storyline. TopGlimpseWhilst Fargo interviews people for the prospective space flight to Titan, Carter and Jo are given contact lenses that automatically assess threats in their view. The lenses pick up a huge explosion due in just a few hours. There is all the usual wit and charm of the show present and the previewed explosion gives the ticking clock aspect to the show to add the tension. It's all light, bright, fizzy, inventive and ultimately disposable fun. TopUp In The AirCarter is delighted to have a good old-fashioned bank robbery to deal with until he finds out that it is the bank that has been stolen. Then other things start to go missing, and in an upwards direction. The opening sequence of EUREKA has always been the sheriff watching chunks of the town float off into the sky. This is the episode when that finally happens. Unfortunately, the effects in the cartoony logo sequence aren't a lot worse than those in the actual episode. Fortunately, there's a lot of fun to be had with Carter trying to save the bank in mid-air, a sequence that is very good fun indeed. TopOmega GirlsBeverly Barlow activates the mind link that allows her to run Allison's body on the day that she is installed as temporary head of Global Dynamics. Knocking out the entire town, she sets about stealing GD's secrets, but hasn't counted on Jo and Zoe, newly arrived back in town. This is effectively DIE HARD IN GD, as Jo and Zoe grapple with the armed baddies that want their secrets. Since the plot is the thing, the level of comedy and witty banter is somewhat reduced and it is surprising to see the Allison mind control plotline played out so quickly. TopOf Mites And MenThe Senator with oversight of the whole of Eureka's operations is paying a visit and isn't keen on Allison returning to work so soon. When metal suddenly starts disappearing from where it's needed and reappearing as random walls and doors, her help might be needed. Witty title aside, this is a straightforward episode that works hard to build up the banter, but is otherwise unremarkable when compared with earlier episodes. Even the special effects of the mites is disappointing, though the fact that Jack is nearly garrotted by the tie he is forced to wear by the Senator is a nice touch. TopClash Of The TitansA robot probe returns from Titan by faster than light travel and promptly explodes. Shortly thereafter, poisonous fog stats enveloping the town. Not a good time for a psychologist to come and check up on Jack and Allison’s fitness for their jobs. This is typical TOWN CALLED EUREKA fare with another crisis to be averted, but this time with four ongoing relationships under the microscope. The most obvious is Jack and Allison with an odious assessor in constant attendance (and providing the last minute cliffhanger), but there’s also Zane and Jo’s physical relationship that aims to be more, Fargo and Holly’s non-physical relationship that he doesn’t want to be more (at least not yet) and the plans for Henry and Grace’s renewal of vows. It hangs together well with the usual amount of wit and banter, but there is an increasing sense that we’ve seen all this before and isn’t there something new that can be brought to show. If there isn’t then perhaps it’s starting to show signs of having run its course. TopThis One Time At Space CampJack and Allison have appealed against the decision that they must break up or lose their jobs, but the assessor of their appeal is the same man who formed the original decision. Meanwhile, the Astreus candidates face the final interviews and the town is being sabotaged in ways that are strangely familiar to Carter. For the third week in a row the Jack/Allison relationship is under the microscope and it's getting a bit old. The way in which the situation is resolved, though, is at least interesting. It's certainly more interesting than the flashbacks to the past of the candidates which are quite tedious. The normal wit and charm of the show is also strangely absent of late and the laugh ratio on this episode is below what we have come to expect. TopOne Small StepDeputy Andy gets zapped to Titan and the team have to find a way to get him back before he corrodes. Other things in town, like cows for instance, are turning to liquid. The problems were originally caused by bats and Carter needs to bag one. The melted cow is funny in a sick sort of way and the story of Deputy Andy being stranded on Titan the the AI of the Sheriff's house losing her memory are as touching as any other relationship in this show, but the rest of the plotting shows signs of being tired and in need of some sort of pick me up. TopOne Giant LeapThe Astreus is about to go to Titan, but something is draining the power. That something turns out to be tiny black holes, but an attempt to stop them turns them into a dangerously large black hole. This is probably the tiredest plot that the show has yet to come up with and the surest sign that perhaps it is past its peak. Yes, there are some nice lines and yes the characters are as likeable as ever and yes there is a kick-ass cliffhanger at the end, but perhaps the show does need a rest for a while. Top |
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