Contributor: Gregg Wright
Written by Eric Tuchman
Directed by Joe Morton
Well, for better or for worse, “Eureka” has only four more episodes to go in its final season; and that includes the episode that SyFy ordered at the last minute to make up for cancelling (or “not ordering”) the shortened sixth season. The fifth season should not have to bear the burden of being the last, and it’s hard to imagine how a single episode could satisfyingly end a story that was originally planned to span six episodes. But this is what we’re stuck with, so a certain amount of disappointment with this season was inevitable.
I don’t particularly dislike Holly’s storyline, but the fact that it has almost been the sole bearer of the myth-arc, since the three-part opening, is a bit troubling to me. I’m rather neutral toward Holly, so I don’t mind seeing her brought back. But to have this plot dragged out so long, only to discover that this season of “Eureka” is significantly shorter than I expected it to be (only 14 episodes total), is disconcerting. I guess I’d been spoiled by all the fascinating, often surprisingly dark, multi-episode story arcs in previous seasons.
And I’m also growing more and more tired of the Carter and Allison relationship drama. I don’t know why, but throwing them together just hasn’t been good for either character. They don’t even make sense as a couple, anymore. They’re both just so different from each other, and Carter’s attempt at a honeymoon makes their differences glaringly obvious. If the intent this season has been to begin planting the seeds of doubt over the longevity of this relationship, the writers have more than succeeded.
Undoubtedly, the most interesting part of the episode was the heartbreaking discovery of a Consortium spy in Eureka. At first, I was simply irritated at the reveal. If Grace had simply been unveiled as some sort of evil villain, it would have felt like an utterly contrived plot twist and an overly artificial attempt to inject drama into the proceedings. But things are not quite as they appear to be. Grace did work for the Consortium once, but it’s pretty clear that she broke from them a long time ago, after realizing what they were capable of.
But better yet was the reveal that the “old” Henry (the one that was overwritten by “our” Henry) was the one who recruited Grace. I like that even at this stage, the consequences of the switch to the new timeline are still being felt. Henry’s conversation with Jack in the wake of the discovery nails home this point. After the switch, Henry found himself married to a woman that he didn’t really know. And he’s never learned that much about the other Henry. Just what kind of a man was he? Henry has always had the potential to delve into a bit of moral ambiguity, so it’s not at all surprising to hear that another version of himself may have had less of a moral compass.
So now Holly finally has herself a new body, but getting a new body wasn’t quite the end of her troubles. Hopefully, now that her post-Matrix psychosis has been remedied, the show can start delving into something more interesting. I was hoping for a fulfillment of the “big brother” fears of GD, as a way of paying off the Matrix plot in a satisfying way. But I really don’t know where things are going now. Maybe the Consortium will return in some capacity. As interesting as Grace/Henry reveal is, I don’t see how it can spin off into something bigger. My complaints list for this season continues to grow, but it’s still going to be a sad day when “Eureka” goes off the air.
Score: 7/10
