... in which Jo takes over as acting sheriff while Carter undergoes his bi-annual recertification test.
‘Your Face or Mine?’ didn’t strike me as anything particularly special, but it was still a reasonably entertaining hour that gave Jo and Erica Cerra a chance to take center stage. Erica’s not usually asked to carry an episode, but she does so ably here, pulling double duty as our favorite tough-and-determined deputy and as quiet geek Julia doing a Jo impersonation.
The title and the malfunctioning DNA scanner made it painfully obvious the disaster-of-the-week would be a stolen identity plot. So as soon as Jo uttered the words “Isaac Asimov is my personal god,” I thought “That is so not Jo” and began bracing for the horrors that would ensue. I was convinced “Jo’s” flirtations with Fargo would completely mess up the real Jo’s relationship with Zane, and was mentally shaking an angry fist at yet another roadblock for these two. But, all things considered, it wasn’t too bad. We got some really funny out-of-character behavior, including the karaoke number, the kiss, and “Jo’s” giddy exuberance about the big guns. Even better, Julia’s behavior as Jo wasn’t used as an excuse to blow up the Zane-Jo relationship again. Instead, it provided an opportunity to show Jo and Zane how well they really do know each other, and to help Zane realize that Jo is his “perfect” partner, flaws and all. Whew!
After all of last week’s talk about what an awesome job Jo would do as town sheriff, we finally got to see her in action, without Carter around to provide support. Unsurprisingly, she rose to the occasion. Not only did she doggedly pursue the case, but she was able to do so even though the whole town was convinced she was off her rocker. She quickly figured out that S.A.R.A.H. could provide her with an alibi --- although S.A.R.A.H. really should have coughed up that info as soon as Zoe started teasing Jo about drunken karaoke and Fargo --- and got Dr. Stefano to admit he had some anomalous data. Then, once Henry figured out that the stolen equipment and supplies could be used for DNA manipulation, she immediately zeroed in on the prime suspect. Plus, she was later able to work the “Carter magic” by bringing an outside perspective to the science and suggesting a potential solution to the problem. Jo filled Carter’s shoes wonderfully, proving to everyone that she absolutely is “up to this” (like there was ever any doubt), but ironically coming to realize that she’s happy enough to let Carter take the lead for the time being. “I should go away more often.” “I’d prefer you didn’t. Being you is no walk in the park.” Damn skippy.
Other Thoughts
I’m surprised it took them this long to tackle the “someone gets doubled” sci-fi trope. Or have I forgotten something?
Carter’s test was fun. I particularly enjoyed the video shot of him trying to push the button with the really long and very bendy straw, then yelling in frustrating when it inevitably collapsed.
I’m with Henry on the biometric DNA monitoring. I know Eureka is subject to a high number of unusual safety emergencies, but constantly monitoring everyone’s vitals and location is a huge invasion of privacy, and I would come down on the side of civil liberties.
Zane’s looking rough. Is he working too hard or growing a beard?
Zane: “Look. I’m just saying we all have our flaws. Like being hypersensitive and over-reactive.”
Jo: “And all I’m saying is that when you really care about somebody, you don’t focus on their flaws. So maybe that gives me something to think about.”
I’m not digging Zoe’s ‘70s Farah Fawcett hairdo. The style seems a little old for her and makes her look like a Desperate Housewife.
Was that really Erica Cerra singing during the ‘Making Whoopee’ number? If so, she’s got a really nice voice. And she was smokin’ hot in that red dress!
Jo: “I’ve been through my fair share of physical traumas in the last 24 hours, and kissing Fargo wasn’t one of them.”
Fargo: “Ouch.”
Zoe taking the flowers Fargo brought for Jo made me laugh out loud. Something about the absent way she said “thank you” just struck me as funny.
Nothing new on the “aliens are coming” arc they introduced last week.
Fargo impressed me when he backed away from Julia’s attempt at a second kiss. “I’m not sure I know who you are.” Given how much he wanted to believe in the fantasy that Jo was into him, it was nice to see him taking a stand.
Fargo: “You had me at Halo.”
Erg. Funny, but such a bad pun.
Jo: “How do I look?”
Zane: “Perfect.”
It’s wonderful that Fargo finally found the right girl, but I find it hard to believe that Julia is going to survive the ethics review. Who cares if she tried to make it right in the end? That doesn’t change the fact that she used science to steal someone’s identity (not to mention all the expensive GD equipment she stole). Brilliant or not, she ought to be redacted.
Final Analysis: A solid, if unspectacular, episode that gives Jo and Erica Cerra a chance to shine.
Jess Lynde is a highly engaged television viewer. Probably a bit too engaged.
Yes, I was surprised that Julia was allowed to stay. They took away the jeweler Charlie after what he did to Pierre Fargo (and even though Pierre was ready to forgive, I was glad to see that Carter was not). Henry went to prison (at least for a while) for his misdeeds, and he was not trying to kill anyone - and trying to get the Artifact out of control of the DOD was much better justification for the misdeed than wanting to be someone else.
ReplyDeleteIt would have been understandable or perhaps forgivable if Julia was trying to do it temporarily, but she knocked Jo out more than once and locked her in a cell and neary deliberately caused her death. I can't see Jo forgiving this crime so easily, and surely she would be involved in the final decision.