... in which Carter attempts to uncover the identity of “Captain Eureka,” the town’s new superhero.
After getting some closure on Stark’s death in the last episode, it was time to move on with business as usual in Eureka. I just wish we’d gotten a stronger episode to get us back into the wacky Eureka groove. Captain Eureka was goofy as all get out (his cool ability to walk through solid objects, notwithstanding), and his identity was painfully obvious from the get go. As soon as he showed up on the roof, I thought, “Let me guess. It’s Chuck, the recycling guy.” They did try to throw us a few red herrings with the parade of nerdy science types expressing interest in Lexi, but this mystery was pretty much a dud.
Unfortunately, the B-plot --- centered on a trio of super smart, yet incredibly stupid teenagers --- was even worse. I know Zoe was mad at Jack and wanted to assert her independence, but why on Earth would she think it was a good idea to go exploring a previously sealed-off area? Does she not remember what town she lives in? And what kind of brainiac idiot is her boyfriend? “What don’t you understand about ‘look, don’t touch’?” Are buttons on old equipment just that irresistible to geeky science guys? (Remember when Fargo and Spencer booted up the ultimate weapon of mass destruction back in Season 1?) Good grief. It was nice to see Zoe owning up to her supreme idiocy in the end, but what an annoying journey to get her to that point. I really hate stupid teenager plots. (So much for my hopes that Zoe’s job at Café Diem would put an end to her involvement in these sorts of things!)
At the very least, ‘Phased and Confused’ gave us some good movement on the Eva front. We learned that the underground complex seen back in ‘I Do Over’ was constructed in the 1930s, before the town was built, but was then buried and forgotten. Except by Eva, apparently. She told Zane she’d been researching it for a very long time. But why? What does the key do, and how is this related to the vial of purple liquid she’s got stashed in her safe? Whatever she’s up to, it must have incredibly personal stakes for her. I was absolutely stunned by the steely resolve in her “No,” when Carter said she needed to tell him what was going on. Wow. She’s got her mission and no one is going to stop her. At this point, I’m fairly convinced that her agenda isn’t something completely evil. She truly seems to care about the well being of the town’s residents. Last week she reached out to a grieving Allison, and this week, as soon as she knew that Carter’s daughter was at risk, she coughed up the information needed to rescue her. Like Carter, I do believe her when she says “I never wanted anyone to be hurt by this. You’ve gotta believe that.” Hopefully, we’ll learn more about her plans soon.
Other Thoughts
I enjoy Lexi and her dynamic with her brother, but she was WAY out of line giving Carter grief for telling Zoe she couldn’t skip school for a yoga retreat. Zoe is only 17, and Jack can most certainly tell her what to do. It is in no way Lexi’s place to tell Zoe it’s OK to skip school. She’s the aunt, not the parent. I’m glad that Carter completely called her out on it, and that she came to realize the error of her ways by the end.
“Why throw it away, when you can chuck it?”
Pretty clever recycling slogan, when your recycling guru is named Chuck.
I sort of wish we’d seen the flying bunnies, but I imagine the effects would have just made it look ridiculous. Some things are better left to the imagination.
The guy talking about Maureen the robotic whale was laugh-out-loud hilarious! “Here we are in Cape Cod. Oh, and look, this is us at SeaWorld --- we had such a good time!”
I’m really glad that Zane has gone back to being more than just Jo’s love interest, but it would still be nice to see the two of them interacting once in awhile. When is the last time they had a scene together?
The thing with the finger was pretty gross.
Lexi: “He put out the word? How? Bat signal?”
Jo: “No, better. He told Vincent and made him promise to keep it a secret. The crew of the space station probably knows by now.”
Allison: “Look, Carter, I can’t lose you.”
Final Analysis: I’m glad we are getting some movement on Eva’s story arc, but this was a pretty mediocre episode.
Jess Lynde is a highly engaged television viewer. Probably a bit too engaged.
I actually really enjoyed this episode. So many people fantasize about becoming super heroes; it was fun to see everything going wrong. I did not care that it was obvious; it was funny. And I loved how Zoë used her birthdate to send her dad a message.
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