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Eureka: Welcome Back, Carter

... in which Carter is officially replaced by a new sheriff.

Although amusing at times, this one was a little tedious to get through. Even if the title hadn’t made it blatantly obvious, we all knew that the show wasn’t going to move forward with Carter off in L.A. working for Homeland Security. It was also clear that the robot sheriff wasn’t going to last for long, so it was just a question of how and when General Mansfield would come around. As a result, the episode largely felt like killing time until we got back to the status quo.

That said, I did enjoy some of the adventures along the way --- Sheriff Andy’s repeated deaths and his brief stint speaking Dutch were highlights --- and I thought the revelation that S.A.R.A.H. was behind the disaster-of-the-week was a brilliant stroke of character consistency. Given how she’s gone off the rails in the past over the prospect of Carter and Zoe leaving her, it probably should have been obvious to me that she was the culprit. But since I was certain they weren’t going anywhere, it never even occurred to me that S.A.R.A.H. would be getting worked up and anxious about the prospect, and it came as a delightful surprise when we learned she was Dr. Marguerite von Dieter. Great way to build on past history.

I also really liked the minor twist that, in the end, General Mansfield didn’t come around, but instead was overridden by Henry with an assist from Sheriff Andy. After all the near-fatal accidents that befell Andy during the episode, I was fully expecting that he would be permanently destroyed and that Mansfield would be forced to admit that Carter was the best man for the job. It was a pleasant surprise when Andy realized he wasn’t really built to be sheriff (ironically) and that the town’s odds were better with Carter on the job. Just a nice bit of character development I didn’t expect for a sheriff-in-a-box. Hopefully, we’ll get to see Andy again. He’s already proven that he can ably serve as “the Sheriff’s Jeep” by getting repeatedly damaged (once, while in the Jeep --- ha!). Maybe they can bring him back once in a while to give the poor Jeep a rest.

Other Thoughts

Jo and Carter had some very nice moments discussing her fitness for the job of sheriff. If it isn’t going to be Carter, Jo absolutely deserves that job, and I was outraged when she was passed over in favor of a robot. How insulting! Good for her, for standing up for herself and quitting. “I am not working for that … thing!” That said, I was still pleased to see her back in her familiar role at the end. I know she’d make a fantastic sheriff, but I really love the partnership she and Carter have, and was happy to see that particular status quo restored.

Jo: “Carter, you know I’ve always wanted your job. And I deserve it. And I’ll probably do it better than you did.”
Carter: “Yeah, you will.”
Jo: “I want it … but not like this.”

Henry finally added a job title to his overalls: mayor.

I was shocked when Allison walked into CafĂ© Diem looking so pregnant. I wasn’t expecting so much time to have passed between the cliffhanger moment and now. How long has it been? About 4 to 6 months?

So, Allison is back to being sole head of Global Dynamics. With Stark gone, maybe she’ll finally step up to the plate. She’s off to a good start with the way she took charge of the Dr. Fielding situation.

Allison: “You’re not going to find what you’re looking for at the bottom of that glass.”
Carter: “Well, what if I’m looking for a banana milkshake?”
Allison: “Well then, you’re good.”

Zoe’s “Bite me, Terminator” comment to Sheriff Andy amused me because I was thinking Ty Olsson played the original Cromartie in the pilot for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. But I just checked and that was Owain Yeoman. Oops! (In my defense, the actors look really similar.) Here I was thinking poor Ty was typecast.

Carter: “What do you think, S.A.R.A.H.?”
S.A.R.A.H.: “I believe the saccharine sheriff act is getting quite tiresome.”

Carter: “I think what we’ve been experiencing is, uh, random acts of gravity.”
Andy (ever polite): “I’m still a little foggy, but that sounds nuts.”

Henry’s trick with the feather was pretty cool.

Carter: “You know, you could stay here.”
Zoe: “Right.”
Carter: “No, I’m serious. And I’m OK with it. I think that you are old enough, and I think that this town is your home.”
Zoe: “No, it’s not. You are.”

We got a little taste of the new season arc at the end. Apparently, there’s something “out there” in space capable of generating a radio signal, and it’s headed straight for Eureka. OK, then. This doesn’t sound as promising as the last arc, but I guess we’ll see.

Carter: “It’s gonna happen for you, Jo. It will.”
Jo: “I really don’t care.”
Carter: “Yeah, you do. And you’re gonna be a great sheriff.”
Jo: “Damn skippy, I will.”
Carter: “Damn skippy.”

Final Analysis: The first episode back from the break felt a bit like going through the motions, but it still managed to surprise and amuse.

Jess Lynde is a highly engaged television viewer. Probably a bit too engaged.

2 comments:

  1. The deputy Andy site gags were a lot of fun. I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but the idea grew on me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Jess,

    I did like this episode, for exactly the same reasons you list, especially Sherriff Andy getting killed in humorous ways over and over again, and his reaction to it (sticking up his thumb from the squashed Jeep).
    I did see the resolution to Carters dismissal coming right from the beginning, though: when Henry’s election to Mayor was shown, and a bit later when someone quoted the town charter I saw where this was going.

    One amusing thing that most people will not have noticed: Andy spoke Dutch, and Allison understood him, which is quite an achievement: Dutch is my native tongue, but I had to hear her translate and then repeat Andy’s lines five or six times before I could make out what he tried to say.
    Worst Dutch pronunciation ever: he literally got every sound and every emphasis wrong…

    ReplyDelete

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