Besides Doctor Who, Eureka is one of the few shows I watch regularly and, for what it's worth, the only other SciFi Channel show I watch. Although the show keeps me coming back, it's not perfect. Here's are my thoughts on Season 2 so far...
- Eureka, as JP has mentioned, is about the characters, and the characters are strong. Mostly. See the exceptions noted below.
- It looks like they are trying to get Carter away from "stupid newbie" to "unintentionally smart Do-Gooder". The crimes that Sheriff Carter has to solve always seem involve Carter's basic understanding of the science that somehow escapes the town full of Braniacs. That dumbing-down they do for him works wonders, but the stories are in danger of becoming formulaic.
- Seeing Carter's ex-wife was a nice glimpse into his personal life. Seeing Carter and Allison get closer isn't. Their chemistry worked better with the unrequited lust spin.
- Speaking of Allison, what's up with her replacing Stark? I guess her "temporary assignment" gig was wearing thin. And what about Stark himself? Stark still annoys me. I thought - no, hoped! - that his dismissal would be the last we saw of him. Sadly, that was not to be. Now he loiters around like a wet napkin, failing to emote anything at all, with his deadpan delivery of every single line of dialogue that the writers are forced to throw his way.
- Taggert (Max Headroom) is virtually gone from this season, which is fine by me. That character did nothing for me. But I still would rather see him stick around instead of Stark.
- Deputy Jo Lupo is emerging as a standout character. Good move.
- Fargo is getting more screen time this season. Every time he appears, I can't help but think of his effeminate house-voice: "Good morning, Sheriff Carter!"
- The story arc of Henry and his wife's accident looks intriguing. I'm interested in seeing where they are going with it, but not if they drag it out too long. They need to ratchet up Beverly's dastardly quotient.
- Speaking of story arcs dragging out, I'm interested to see where they go with the Artifact story line, but they need to show us more and soon.
Bottom line: The show's quality is a bit uneven. Some episodes are good, others not so much. Overall, I think the show is worth watching, if only for the quirkiness of the characters and humor.
Comments (7)
| PermaLink
| Category: Eureka, TV
Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday August 23, 2007 at 1:01 AM
© 2008 SF Signal
I'm kinda liking Stark this year. He's still a jerk, arrogant and superior, but somehow goofier and more fragile. On the other hand, he looks a lot like my ex-boss so never mind.
Posted by Walt on Thursday August 23, 2007 at 1:26 AM at 1:26 AM
I really, really must catch up on this---I've watched all of season one but have two still on my dvr. Glad to hear Lupo is getting more screen time; she's my favorite character on that show and Galactica criminally underused her talents.
Posted by Heather (errantdreams) on Thursday August 23, 2007 at 4:30 AM at 4:30 AM
I like what they've been doing, it's a well written show that's fun to watch. A rarity these days...
Posted by Chuck on Thursday August 23, 2007 at 8:32 AM at 8:32 AM
Stark is gorgeous. So I don't mind him sticking around. 
Posted by SciFiChick on Thursday August 23, 2007 at 2:50 PM at 2:50 PM
"Stark is gorgeous."
Heh, I bet that John would never, ever think that. I think he needs to shave.
Posted by jp on Thursday August 23, 2007 at 3:01 PM at 3:01 PM
Oh, and John, you forgot to add:
Henry is becoming the Wesley Crusher of Eureka. The man who can do anything: space shuttle mechanic, coroner, electrician, impressive technobabble spouter, etc. Is there nothing he can't do? The fact that I like him as a character says a lot about the writers.
Posted by jp on Thursday August 23, 2007 at 3:04 PM at 3:04 PM
I have a bone to pick with Eureka.
A couple of years ago all the rage was darkness. This show is dark, that's cool people would say, or oh I love the new darker Harry Potter. It was good for a while and then it got depressing. I love BSG, but sometimes i have to force myself to go to watch it because i just do not like being miserable all the time. I know what some are saying dark is good it is real it is emotional...
I am not saying that we should get rid of dark, all I am saying is that there should be variety.
When I first saw Eureka I fell in love. I had dreaded watching it because I thought it would be another police procedural, another one (enough already). I loved that for the first season I could just watch and relax. It was light it was fun, it was watchable. And than end of season one happened. It got darker. I have seen up to ep 6 of season 2 and i see a lot of darkness. But there is also some light. I loved the dreaming sequence, and some goofy stuff, but honestly I could do without the heart bleeding. I am not against it, some of the most powerful emotions can be had through comedy, think of Luck of the fryrish, a Futurama ep, or the Dave Barry columns when his son got ran over by a car, but when it becomes the norm it waters down the message, and it ruins a show I loved very much.
Posted by General X on Wednesday October 03, 2007 at 2:37 PM at 2:37 PM