In the Star Wars universe, there are many memorable characters. One of those unique characters is named Boba Fett. His legend and mythos have been a part of the Star Wars universe since The Empire Strikes Back and then again in Return of The Jedi, where he is knocked into the Sarlacc pit by a partially blind Han Solo (Harrison Ford).
For more than 30 years, we thought that was the last of that legendary bounty hunter until we saw him again in the Disney plus series The Mandalorian.
In Season 2, Episode 1 (Chapter 9: The Marshal), at the very end of the episode, we see a figure watching Mando (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu as they leave the area. Turning to the camera, we can see that the long assumed dead bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) is back from the dead.
Image courtesy Disney Star Wars
It was great to see this legendary character come back to life in the Star Wars universe. The collective reaction was overwhelmingly excellent and excited when it was announced (with a teaser end credit scene) that Boba Fett was getting his own Disney plus series.
The Book of Boba Fett series started in December 2021, and for me, it was yet another thing to look forward to closing out 2021. There will be spoilers for this series, so stop now if you have not watched it yet.
The initial reactions to the series were mixed, with expectations being more of a badass Boba Fett to the more subdued, wiser, and more philosophical Boba Fett. Instead, we were treated to flashbacks of how Boba Fett escaped the Sarlacc pit from the first episode. This question has plagued fans for years, and we were finally shown how it happened. The scene itself was pretty creepy but brilliantly directed by Robert Rodriguez.
Image courtesy Disney Star Wars
Seeing the inside of the Sarlacc pit and how Boba was entangled in the tentacles would make any viewer recoil. It was your worst nightmare come true; waking up in the dark, disoriented, and immobile, being slowly digested can make anyone terrified. Finally, the flight or fight instinct kicked in, and we saw Boba use his flamethrower to burn his way through to the surface and the sands of Tatooine. Crawling out of the Sarlacc pit to his freedom was more than satisfying to fans that have been waiting for this to happen for decades.
When it comes to the Star Wars universe and its lore, there is no better team than Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni to help navigate through that universe. With the blessing of George Lucas, both Favreau and Filoni took the helm of the spin-off series and added their terrific twist to the story arc. These creative genius’ showed us a side of Boba Fett that we never really saw in the original movies. Instead, we saw a man who had been fundamentally changed through his trauma. The series consisted of most episodes having flashbacks to Boba’s life after escaping the horrendous Sarlacc pit. These flashbacks occurred while Boba healed his visible wounds in the bacta tank. It showed him being found and captured by the Tusken Raiders or sand people.
Image courtesy Disney Star Wars
What we knew of the Tusken’s was akin to how the Indigenous people were viewed in the West of early America. We, as fans, always assumed that the Tusken’s were savages and killers, not knowing precisely what they indeed were. It was refreshing to finally see another side of the Tusken’s and how they lived than what we fans have known for years.
Image courtesy Disney Star Wars
Once Boba was accepted by the Tusken tribe, he began training with the gaffe stick, the sacred weapon that the Tusken people have been known to carry with them. We saw Boba yield this weapon in The Mandalorian, season 2 episode 6 (Chapter 14: The Tragedy), and wreck several Storm Troopers with a swift but brutal swipe of that legendary stick. We saw him suit up again in his fabled armor in that same episode. With his armor restored to its rightful owner, the bounty hunter we know and love returns with a vengeance. Annihilating a garrison of Storm Troopers in a rampage brought to life the myth that we have always known Boba to be.
Image courtesy Disney Star Wars
Because of these episodes in The Mandalorian, I think fans were expecting The Book of Boba Fett to showcase Boba as the badass bounty hunter in every episode. Instead, what we got was different, and I was delighted with what we received. Boba took over Jabba the Hutt‘s throne on Tatooine from Bib Fortuna and declared himself Daimyo; he said that he would rule the territory with respect and not fear as Jabba had done in the past. The flashbacks also showed us Boba as a young boy back on Kamino seeing the devastating effects that his father, Jango Fett’s, death took on him. All the trauma that Boba has experienced in his life, both as a young boy and a man, has shaped him into the man he has become.
Image courtesy Disney Star Wars
“You can only get so far without a tribe.” Boba had said to Fennec Shand (the fantastic Ming-Na Wen), referring to the Tusken tribe that accepted him as one of their own. That tribe that taught him their ways and, in turn, Boba taught them a bit about what he knew. The slaughter of his tribe was another traumatic event that added to his change and future decisions, especially when he finds out who it was that slaughtered them.
The series itself had elements of classic western and mafia themes and Eastern samurai themes running throughout the series. You could almost pinpoint precisely what elements were part of each episode by how it was shot and the other characters introduced into the series.
Boba has established rule was the opposite of how Fennec Shand had thought he would rule. The cunning assassin and right hand of Boba, Fennec, would have done it her way and most likely led with a bit of fear instead of respect. She may not have agreed with Boba at first, but eventually, it made sense to her and his decision. Fennec was also another voice for Boba to listen to, having gone through her journey and trauma to get where she is currently. It was nice to see how both actors meshed together and made one hell of a team. It was nice to see the balance out of opinions and strategies, the decisions made by the writers to show that was a brilliant move, in my opinion.
Image courtesy Disney Star Wars
I know that most fans of the series were disappointed that Boba did not use more of his bounty hunting skills in the series. We only saw glimpses of it throughout the series instead of a constant barrage in every episode. Most fans failed to see or did not want to know the man behind the iconic mask. They did not want to see the trauma that shaped him into the new man we see before us. In my opinion, it would have been a disservice to the character not to have him change and go through what he did to come out a changed man. It would be boring to see him constantly do nothing but fight and not the reason behind it.
Image courtesy Disney Star Wars
More Star Wars characters were introduced into this series as the series progressed. Characters in the animated series and the offshoots (like the comic book) come to life in live-action. Black Krrsantan (Carey Jones) was one such character, a meaner and more extensive version of the beloved Wookie Chewbacca. When you first see Black K (as he’s affectionately called), your first reaction is one of shock and awe.
Image courtesy Disney Star Wars
The mere presence of this gladiator-turned bounty hunter is formidable, to say the least, with his menacing stare stopping you cold. Black K and Boba have a history together in the comic book story, so seeing them on opposite sides made for a tense interaction. Again, we see how Boba decided not to engage the Wookie or the Hutts because he knew that bringing war instead of peace to Tatooine would defeat the purpose of the change he wanted to implement as the new Daimyo. Also, it was nice to see the very popular Grogu character near the end of the series.
The elements that most intrigued me were the ones that mirrored the mafia. The different families that were part of Tatooine, the Pyke Syndicate, and how Boba had gathered all the capos to discuss the business and protection that Boba would offer were reminiscent of many mafia movies that showed the same thing. It was as if you were watching an intergalactic commission with Boba being the Capo di Capi or the Don Vito Corleone of Mos Eisley. Because of this element of the series, my love for it grew more. I am fascinated with the mafia and that way of life that I have made a point to research and deep dive into the inner workings of that way of life. By doing so, I understood, probably better than most, why Boba was doing what he was doing made more sense than the fear people expected him to use. One of the most infamous gangsters and arguably the father of the modern American mafia, Charlie “Lucky” Luciano, said, “We cannot make money with guns in our hands,” which credited what Boba had set out to do, rule with respect, not fear.
Image courtesy Disney Star Wars
Boba wanted to rid the city of the “spice” trade (or drugs) that have been prevalent on Tatooine up to that point. He knew the Mayor Mok Shaiz (voiced by Robert Rodriguez) was tolerant and perhaps even involved with the spice trade and made it a point to let the mayor know that the spice trade and any other shady business with Boba in power would not be tolerated. The Mayor does not take kindly to the new Daimyo encroaching on his territory and sends assassins after Boba and Fennec. As the fight ensues, we see a bit of Boba using his skills to fight off the assassins sent to eliminate him. It was a quick fight with Fennec and Boba being the victors.
Image courtesy Disney Star Wars
I will admit that I have not watched the other offshoots of the Star Wars universe, such as Clone Wars or Rebels, but I do know (thanks to my geeky friends) the specific characters that are brought to life in this live-action series. From bringing in Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) and Black Krrsantan to giving the fans what they have been jonesing for a live-action Cad Bane (Corey Burton). The introduction of Cad Bane was nothing short of spectacular. The scene of Cobb Vanth noticing a shadowy figure approaching from the horizon is heavily influenced by Sergio Leone‘s films. Classic gunslinger tropes and standoffs in the middle of town were brought to life beautifully in this series. Again, there was no doubt that the Western and samurai tropes were prevalent in these particular episodes.
Image courtesy Disney Star Wars
The significance of Cad Bane showing up in the series means that Boba was making the families nervous. Bane being a gun for hire meant that whoever had the money, Bane had no qualms about doing a job no matter how criminal it was. Again, the meeting of Bane and Boba meant that there was a history between the two, albeit a rocky past, but one that could be exploited and used for pure adrenaline-fueled action. The irony of Bane calling Boba an “old man” is when Bane himself is living way past the typical life expectancy of his alien species. Bane accuses Boba of going soft since living with Tusken’s, with that statement hitting a nerve in Boba that makes his subsequent actions wholly justified.
Image courtesy Disney Star Wars
The Book Of Boba Fett also gave us fans another piece of iconic Star Wars lore. We got to witness Boba being given a Rancor as a gift by the Hutts. What made that even more special was the Rancor handler was none other than celebrated actor (and Robert Rodriguez staple) Danny Trejo. I could hear fans across the fandom yelling “MACHETE” once they saw Trejo grace their screen. Trejo is one of those treasured actors that has made an indelible mark on audiences that whenever they appear on screen, it undoubtedly brings a smile to fans everywhere. Fans were also treated to witnessing Boba ride that Rancor in episode 7 during a battle with Scorpenek droids. It was very cool to see the Rancor in action as the last time we saw any Rancor was in Return of the Jedi when Luke (Mark Hamill) came face to face with one. With the live-action Rancor, we got glimpses of both Godzilla and King Kong movies as the Rancor battled the droids and faced down Cad Bane.
Image courtesy Disney Star Wars
I love that with this series, elements of older movies again were prevalent and used as an homage. It was clear that the showrunners wanted to pay tribute to the film that shaped them as filmmakers and Lucas, whose influence is crucial to Star Wars as a whole. Adding in a bit of The Mandalorian and giving viewers a taste of what might come in The Mandalorian season 3 was great. It added another layer to the story that helped establish Boba’s loyal “tribe” around him.
I would love to go over every episode and reveal spoiler after spoiler, but I will refrain from that because I want you to watch the series and judge for yourself. To give the series a chance and look at it for the wonderfully complex series it is. The way the series was left, I am hoping for a second season. A LOT more can be told in this series; the story is far from over. Fingers crossed that Disney would give the green light to another fantastic season of The Book of Boba Fett so we can partake in more adventures with Boba and Fennec Shand.
Thanks to Kenn for video and image embedding for my feature article and many thanks to you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. We will be back soon with more analysis about new television series, movies and conventions on our screens this year and beyond!
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The Mandalorian Season 2. Images courtesy Disney Studios
Are you ready to hear about the Disney plus series The Mandalorian?
I hope you loved it as much as I have. I am a Star Wars fan, but not fanatic, the franchise has always been a favorite of mine and will always have an incredibly special place in my heart. I was 5 years old when I saw the original Star Wars in 1977 at the Alexandria Theatre on Geary street here in San Francisco (sadly that theatre is no longer there). Over the years I have seen all the subsequent films that have come after the original three. As I have grown older, I have become a lifelong fan, I was so happy to hear that a series based on The Mandalorian was coming to Disney plus.
We were first introduced to the most famous Mandalorian, Boba Fett in Empire Strikes Back and again in Return of the Jedi. From those movies on we knew that whenever we saw those bounty hunters, we knew things were about to get interesting. The series picks up 5 years after Return, it is set during the New Republic that was established by The Alliance. The series is the brainchild of Jon Favreau who wrote 23 episodes, directed one and pretty much had a say in everything and anything that was to be involved in the series. Dave Filoni a lifelong Star Wars nerd executive produced the bulk of the series as well as directed and wrote two episodes. With the masterminds like these two gentlemen behind the series, there was no doubt that fans were going to get the series they had long desired.
The Mandolorian cast. Images courtesy Disney Studios
Seeing those movies and then watching the series you can clearly see the similarities and parallels. As someone who loves Leone’s Westerns and those Japanese films that influenced it, I knew from the get-go that I would love this series.
The Mandalorian – Cara Dune, Mando and Greef Karga. Image courtesy Disney Studios
The cast alone is another reason worth watching it for, it is a virtual goldmine of amazing actors, some of which are seen on screen or heard through their voices. Let us start with the Mandalorian himself voiced by Pedro Pascal from the Netflix series Narcos. Pedro may not be the actual man in the suit (you do see him donning the suit in a few episodes), but his emotion is still present and powerful. He is the “man with no name” the lone bounty hunter that roams the galaxy and finds work when he can. We do not find out Mando’s name (Din Djarin) until Chapter 8: The Redemption in a series that goes by chapters, not episodes.
The Mandolorian poster. Image courtesy Disney Studios
The great thing about having a series like The Mandalorian at Disney is the production value of the series. With a powerhouse like Disney behind you and the best technology in the business each chapter (episode) feels like a movie within itself. From the costumes (costume designers Joseph A. Porro and Shawna Trpcic) to the sets (set designer Amanda Moss Serino) to the music (Ludwig Göransson), it immerses you fully into that world and for that brief time you feel like you are right in the middle of the galaxy. Add in ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) to the mix and you have the perfect combination.
The Mandalorian – Giancarlo Esposito as the evil Moff Gideon. Image courtesy Disney Studios
It was about the second chapter that I realized it was Nick Nolte, and that made me love the character even more. The directors for the first season are some of the best in the business, from Bryce Dallas Howard to Taika Waititi, all bringing their own love of Star Wars to their respected episodes.
The Mandalorian – Ming Na Wen as Fennec Shand. Image courtesy Disney Studios
The second season has added even more talent to the series both in front of and behind the camera!
The Mandalorian – Katie Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze. Image courtesy Disney Studios
Behind the camera is more great talent with Robert Rodriguez, Dave Filoni, Carl Weathers, Taika Waititi, Peyton Reed. The series is better because of who is in front as well as behind the camera, when you have people that have a deep love and admiration for the material it shows in each episode. For example, the episode that Robert Rodriguez (Chapter 14: The Tragedy) directed is indictive of his style, if you have watched any of his movies then you know what I mean. You will be able to know from the first few minutes of that episode that he was the one that directed it.
The Mandalorian – Baby Yoda. Image courtesy Disney Studios
Mando finds himself in an unexpected role of father figure to “the child” who Mando is tasked to find and kill. Not realizing that the target is a child, and Mando instead rescues the child and protects him from the Imperials who want him dead. Even though Mando is dedicated to the ways of The Mandalorian, the code of Bounty Hunters’ Guild, he is still a man with feelings and emotions. He was tasked with finding others like the child and returning the child to his family. As a fan of the Star Wars franchise “the child” (later in Season two is when we finally find out his name, Grogu) is remarkably like what we know as Yoda, but the origin of his species has never been revealed. He does share the same traits as Yoda, as the series progresses, we do see that the child does possess the ways of the force and has on a few occasions helped Mando out of sticky situations by using said force.
The Mandalorian – Baby Yoda Grogu. Image courtesy Disney Studios
With each chapter the mystery of the child, affectionately known as “Baby Yoda” becomes more apparent and that makes the urgency to find his kind more dire than first anticipated. We then find out that he may be the last of his kind and the reason he is wanted so badly by the Imperials is because of his capabilities that wield more power than thought possible. Nothing like having a whole galaxy of bad guys chasing after you, right? Thankfully Mando is more than capable of handling anything that comes their way.
The Mandalorian – Werner Herzog as The Client. Image courtesy Disney Studios
The series is wonderful in that it shows the progression of a man who was bound by honor of the only way he has been taught (“this is the way”) and he has always known to maybe becoming more of the human he is. The armor he wears is not only symbolic of what he was, but it slowly becomes the thing that frees him as well.
It is complicated to say the least, we all wear our own “armor” throughout our lives and as we go through the journey of life, that armor becomes tarnished and eventually becomes that thing that either sets us free or destroys us. With Mando it is no different, his journey changes him in ways he never thought. From not being able to remove his helmet in the presence of another human to potentially abandoning the code he has followed his whole life. It is Shakespearean at its finest and we are here for it.
The Mandalorian – Mando. Image courtesy Disney Studios
Pedro Pascal does a fabulous job at not only having the disciplined way about him, but eventually having that compassion, love, loyalty that has transformed him into the man he becomes at the end of the second season. I have always been a fan of Pedro’s; he is a great actor that can convey more with his voice than he can with an action.
It is hard to write about the series because I do not want to give away anything about the third season. Honestly when friends of mine started watching this show (and they are total Star Wars nerds), I was a bit reluctant to start because I thought they may be a bit biased. I was pleasantly proven so wrong about that. It was at the end of the first chapter (episode 1) that I had become enamored, enthralled, hooked, and obsessed with the series. I did not start watching it until the third episode had aired and once I binge watched them, I was salivating for more. Disney is smart in that the series is not given to you in one shot (as has been the case in most series nowadays), but weekly so you are made to tune in every week to see what happens next. I like having the anticipation during the week and speculating what might happen next in the series.
The Mandalorian – Mandos ship. Image courtesy Disney Studios
Having a series like The Mandalorian has opened my Star Wars world a bit more. It has made me want to delve further down the Star Wars rabbit hole and watch the other series that have been associated with this series (and the potential ones that might get spun off). I do know that there will be an Ahsoka Tano series coming soon, with Rosario Dawson. With each spin-off of the franchise we as fans get to enjoy the best parts of that entire franchise.
The Mandalorian – Mando. Image courtesy Disney Studios
If you are a fan of any of the series that are part of the Star Wars franchise the I highly recommend this series. There is so much to sink your teeth into that covering it in one post will not really do it justice. All I will say is that the Season two finale was so incredible that I literally cried, but happy tears. It leaves it open for more and let me tell you there is a lot more in store for Mando. It also will make you have a slight deja vu regarding yet another movie related to the franchise. You will be (hopefully) as mind blown as I was when you see what happens . My advice to you is when you do watch the season two finale watch it ALL THE WAY THROUGH the credits and then about a minute after you will get something worth it. Trust me, I had to tell my friends to go back and watch it and they were glad I told them.
That about wraps up my post about the Disney plus series The Mandalorian. I hope this convinces you to watch the series. I am looking forward to season three and anything that comes after it. We leave you with one of our favorite videos from the series, Ludwig Göransson beautifully scoring The Mandalorian.
Thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. Thanks to Kenn for video embedding and adding images for my feature article. I will be back next season for more on The Mandalorian about the adventures Mando faces as we learn more about Baby Yoda!
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With the mid season premiere just around the corner, I would like to take this opportunity to refresh the slow-started but action-packed season one of this awesome show!
If you have not seen the midwinter finale, be alert! Spoilers ahead!
“What will I become?”
Back in season one of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the beautiful Raina, (Ruth Negga), asked a question that seemed out of place. No one understood it, it had no context, and it certainly did not seem like the first question she would ask of the elusive Clairvoyant.
As season one continued, it still did not entirely seem like the question had a place in that universe. There were indications that something was different about Raina, and certainly about Skye (Chloe Bennet), and even Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) himself, but still the question was not answered.
Season two began to focus on that question, however, and amidst the madness of writing, the danger of HYDRA, and the skin-crawling creepiness of Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), the layers peeled away, revealing purpose, motivation, and understanding. Finally, we were led by the obelisk into that dark room in Puerto Rico as the eager Raina and the driven Skye made contact with what they would become.
The final sequence at the end of the midwinter finale left me gasping. It was breathtaking, beautiful, heartbreaking, and game-changing.
As I had suspected, the attractive, smart, friendly Antoine Triplett (B.J. Britt) turned out to be a redshirt. All right, he got more screen time than the average redshirt, but still ultimately I noticed early on in season two that his character was often relegated to chatter, background, with little time to step up and really shine.
It has been my experience that when this happens to characters, it means they are likely being written out of the show. (See Chyler Leigh and T.R. Knight in Grey’s Anatomy and Craig Veroni in Stargate Atlantis). I was sad to see Trip go, but his timing is absolutely exquisite.
Skye undergoes this amazing change, receiving this gift she did not even want, and as she is reborn from the cocoon in one of the most beautiful visuals I have seen in the show to date, the first thing she sees is her dear friend crumbling to pieces before her eyes.
Her (re)birth, his death, is something she will have forever linked in her mind. Chloe is stunning in that moment, on the verge of tears, shocked, terrified, even hopeless (but not yet helpless).
It is easily one of my favorite moments of season two. What a send-off for Trip!
Hats off to Chloe Bennet for all the work she has had to do with Skye. She has had to embody a coming of age type story (and origin story) over the course of one and a half years instead of one and a half hours, and she has handled the change brilliantly. From the character perspective, Skye has completed her original character arc by receiving many of the answers she has sought. She joined S.H.I.E.L.D to find out about her parents, then stayed to find out more about who she was.
She certainly got her answers and, in the process, gained herself friends, a family, a purpose, a father (figure, and the one she really wants, I think), a father (real…if a madman), and a stalker. Skye has come a long, long way and now with the revelation of her true identity, things with her are only going to get more intense!
So the hints were dropped excessively in the last two episodes, especially in word choice and the ever-famous song, and now we have a confirmation from the creators: Skye is Daisy Johnson, daughter of “The Doctor (Kyle MacLachlan).
Skye is a character known to many as ‘Quake’ (and all the earth-shattering puns that accompanied that revelation were done to death within twenty-four hours of the finale airing.).
Perhaps more interesting is the revelation that Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D has shifted perspective just a tiny bit. They are no longer exclusively focusing on the non-superpowered people of the Universe. With the arrival of Daisy, we have the arrival of the Inhumans, something many of the cast members and creators seem exceptionally excited about.
For those of you who really have no idea who the Inhumans are, let me give you a brief paragraph, (and thank you http://marvel.com/universe/Inhumans for the assist.). Inhumans are the result of genetic experimentation on early humans by another, powerful race known as the Kree. We are familiar with the Kree already – the GH-325 serum that formed the basis of Coulson’s T.A.H.I.T.I. project came from one.
We saw it first in season one, episode 14, ‘T.A.H.I.T.I.’. Also, the legend spoken of by Raina in season two, episode nine ‘Ye Who Enter Here’, involves a star falling from the heavens and blue angels coming to change humanity.
That is likely a direct reference to the Kree and their experimentation on humans. The city of Attilan (the city Coulson and so many others were forced to draw) is the main city for the Inhumans, which means we may have a whole hotbed of excitement awaiting in those hallways.
Now, while Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen have said other characters will get more screentime, you cannot just drop a bomb like: “Hello, you are an alien!” and then let the storyline sit. We can certainly expect more Skye/Daisy-centric episodes now in the back half of season two.
With the help of Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), Skye has to learn about her abilities, of course, and control them, and learn how to live in a world where she is suddenly different. How will the others perceive her now?
Will she be able to stay away from her father despite his confidence that she will need him to help her? Now that Skye’s questions have been answered, all the avenues of storytelling for her open up.
I know this worries some people as the first half of season two seemed to be so much about Skye as well, though I disagree – I think it was more about the Inhumans in general and the rebuilding after HYDRA. Skye has become a main character, for certain, and now with her father in the picture and her new abilities ready to come out, she is going to become even more of a major player.
The biggest question for season two for me right now is who are the bad guys? We beat HYDRA to the punch, Daniel Whitehall (Reed Diamond) is dead, and we do not have a ‘Centipede’ equivalent running around. There is always Calvin Zabo, (Kyle MacLachlan), who likely still wants to keep beating up Coulson for stealing his satisfaction.
There’s Raina, who might be heavily upset by her new look (she will always be beautiful to me though). Grant Ward took off with Agent 33. Then you have Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki) and Mack (Henry Simmons) keeping something from everyone. There are plenty of antagonists out there but I am wondering which will take center stage. One thing is for sure: the writers have Plans, so Something Is Coming.
I have to say, another absolute favorite moment of season two would be Skye finally meeting her father, Cal. Call me a rosy-eyed optimist, but I seriously think that was some of the most realistic and intelligent writing for that kind of scene I have ever seen – and the acting on both sides is marvelous! It gets me every time and I have seen the episode at least four times now. There is, to me at least, no question that Cal loves Skye. There is no question as to how important she is to him. The stakes were so high and the tension so thick in their first meeting that I found myself holding my breath.
The moments were alternately agonizing (Cal telling Skye she had to stay), and creepy (Cal touching her shoulder while he hummed the lullaby…well that was kind of sweet too), and sweet (Cal having to start over and stumbling through his introduction.).
Kyle does an impressive job of playing so many emotions all in one second, and the character himself seems to be incredibly conflicted and complicated. Cal, like Raina, is ultimately out for his own personal goal, and he is willing to use anyone to get it. His backing down when Skye held a gun to him was a little surprising to me, but at the same time it made him vulnerable, more likeable, and perhaps even more realistic. He wants his daughter to be happy and to be with him and if she has to do some crazy stuff, let her. After all, he is Doctor Jekyll (or so the rumor goes.).
I completely understood his attacking Coulson and did not actually see it as a ‘bad guy’ act at all. It is a perfectly understandable reaction. Imagine you have held an obsessive hatred of one man for twenty-five years. You have planned how you are going to kill him, imagined it, felt the echo of satisfaction that you know one day will be real. Then, as you are literally walking towards him to enact the revenge you have waited for, someone else shoots him dead. Sorry, Coulson, but I was totally with Cal on that one. No, you could not have known the whole story. But still….twenty-five years of agony just evaporated….Cal had to take it out on someone and you happened to be right there.
I like Cal, there is no secret there. I almost wish he was not already genuinely assumed to be a bad guy. Like Raina, he could be a neutral factor and pull it off with more charm and humor than Grant Ward (who was starting to get outright stalkerish by the end there.).
Grant Ward. Over the last few episodes, Ward has managed to do what I was hoping the writers would let him do, and get out of his cell and back into the real world. From there, the overall question of how he handles life when he has no one to follow definitely began to answer itself. Ward also had his own agenda, and was perfectly capable of following it within the rules he set for himself. It seems now that he is loyal to no one, simply using both S.H.I.E.L.D and HYDRA for one purpose: to re-ingratiate himself with Skye.
Raina outright calling him on it made me chuckle with evil glee, even though at that point it was pretty obvious to everyone what was going on. But things went upside down when Skye pulled a one-eighty and shot him.
He clearly, obviously, and shockingly did not see that coming. Is Ward really so stupid as to believe that Skye would not hurt him after all that has happened? It is totally possible…love makes you blind. Either way he may become even more dangerous now that he has been spurned.
Finally, we get down to the remaining characters of the show. I am sorry to put it that way but a lot of them did seriously take a backseat this half of the season. Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) has been her usual badass self this season, and seeing her laugh and dance and take it personally when her face got taken was all lovely.
Hopefully we will get a little more into her again to round things out. Characters have to wait their turns, understandably so, and not everyone was as quiet as May this season.
Jemma Simmons, (Elizabeth Henstridge), got a good, solid episode to herself, which FitzSimmons fans (as well as everyone else) desperately needed to try and understand why she left the team when Leo Fitz (Iain de Caestecker) needed her most (to use his words.).
While we still do not completely have all of those answers – and in fact what we have is almost contradictory – the dynamic between Fitz and Simmons has changed painfully, (especially with Jemma telling Bobbi she had only ever seen Fitz as a friend….say it isn’t so, please!). Fitz has outright admitted that he needs to work ‘for’ Simmons, not ‘with’ her, and that he is no longer as capable as he was. It seems to me that Fitz is trying to deal in reality and Jemma is not there yet. I could have that backwards, but maybe the second half of the season will get more into it.
Still and all, Fitz has Mack, (who thankfully did not die, at least as a zombie), and Hunter (Nick Blood), and Jemma has…well Jemma does not really have anyone anymore, unless Skye and Bobbi will listen, and frankly both of them are stuck in their own stories at the moment. I hate to view Jemma as an antagonist because she did what she thought was right…it just seems now like it may have been the wrong decision.
The spring premiere of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D is this Tuesday, March 3!!
Thanks to Kenn for final staging and audio video embedding, and thank you for visiting our dedicated Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. web site!
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This Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. reviewer remains impressed with the outstanding level of production quality values, character development, script writing and overall progress as the story arc builds to the series winter finale before the Christmas holiday season in an episode.
“Ye Who Enter Here” was written by imaginative Paul Zbyszewski and directed by the talented Bill Gierhart! who did a wonderful job with a great episode!
I cannot speak for all admirers of this series, but this reviewer remains ecstatic about the outstanding adventures we are treated to each week via the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series!
With only one episode remaining before the series winter break, the exciting details of “Ye Who Enter Here” laid a solid foundation for the tenth episode “What They Become”, when Skye (Chloe Bennet), seemingly abused by Agent Ward (Brett Dalton), who has been “Rolling in the Deep” will meet her father (Kyle MacLachlan).
“What They Become” airs Tuesday December 09, 2014 on the ABC Network at 9 PM, 8 Central time, a sure to be exciting episode that this reviewer is looking forward to when Skye is delivered to dear ole’ Dad by her unrequited lover Ward!
This reviewer loves these types of stories where theory and hypothesis are woven into the tapestry. Having been a admirer of the theories of the fantastic series, Ancient Aliens, as seen on the History Channel network, in “Ye Who Enter Here” we find out more details concerning the ancient alien presence and their ancient city as envisioned in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!
Most people we know love the concept of aliens visiting Earth in the distant past, long suspected of helping the natives build the Great Pyramids, Machu Picchu and other ancient archeological structures!
Many believe the aliens not only helped prehistoric human kind develop. Other believe aliens enslaved us fir their nefarious purposes. Still others believe that the aliens were believed to be deities that the edifices of modern religion were created from. Still others think the aliens are still here, monitoring Earth to this very day !
Regardless of whether you the reader believe in aliens or not, in “Ye Who Enter Here”, Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) has his team attempt to find the entrance a mysterious alien city.
The ageless story arc is a foundation long been enjoyed by hundreds of millions, if not a billion or more human being on our fair planet Earth!
In “Ye Who Enter Here”, we begin to unravel more of the fascinating aspects of the Marvel Universe that have dovetailed the adventures in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!
More fun is the dual role of MingNa Wen who portrays our beloved Melinda May and the horribly evil Hydra operative, Agent 33, a slavish minion of Hydra leader, and World War Two Nazi officer, Daniel Whitehall wonderfully portrayed by Reed Diamond!
Ye Who Enter Here:
As the as rest of the agents seek to rescue Raina (Ruth Negga) subsequent to confirming that Hydra is after her, all hell will break loose in the process as we open the Skye (Chloe Bennet) who is experiencing a series of frightening nightmarish dreams about her mysterious past, no doubt related to her father (Kyle MacLachlan), “The Doctor”. Skye cannot fathom all the details yet, but she is convinced that something horrific is about to happen.
This reviewer enjoys the acting talent of Chloe Bennet, a gifted and gorgeous actress who brings realism to her role in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Skye is dealing with the identity hidden from her for what the protagonists believe are good reasons.
A short time later, Coulson shares with his team that evil Hydra has obtained the feared Obelisk!
To make matters worse, horrific Hydra has now employed an expert who knows how to use it, none other than dear ole’ “Dad” aka “The Doctor”!
We have learned that there is a potent, in fact a devastating weapon contained within the Obelisk. A secret, known only the is that in order to activate the weapon, one must be inside an ancient alien temple located in the secret city that in buried under the city of San Juan.
Thankfully, the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. know where ancient city is. Fortunately malevolent Hydra does not… YET! The mission of our heroes, the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Get to the alien temple first, and blow the powerful temple to smithereens before Hydra can activate the weapon and enslave all of humankind!
Diabolic Daniel Whitehall’s (Reed Diamond) Hydra operatives, including a still wounded Agent 33, hunt down Raina (Ruth Megga) in Vancouver, British Columbia to exact their revenge.
Fortunately, a couple of Agents Sam and Billy Koenig (both portrayed by Patton Oswalt) are there to ensure Raina’s escape. Sam uses of a special type of cloaking umbrella to affect their escape.
Raina, now allied with SHIELD receives an a lanyard. Coulson sends an extraction team consisting of Melinda May, Skye and Lance Hunter (Nick Blood) hoping to keep Skye from confronting her crazed father now employed by Hydra. This is suspected by Skye who is still wondering about “Dad”.
A fun scene ensues as Mac (Henry Simmons) probes Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki) about her rekindled romance with Hunter. The two of them know a secret that Lance does not. Bobbi wants to keep it that way.
Agent Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) has bared her soul about what has transpired between her with Agent Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker). Jemma has been confused feelings she went undercover at Hydra after were both left for dead by now Hydra operative Agent Ward (Brett Dalton).
During these poignant moments in “Ye Who Enter Here”, The two former best friends finally have a heart to heart discussion. It does not go as planned. Fitz reveals that he can no longer work with Simmons, whose heart is broken in the process.
This reviewer strongly believes these two will reconcile their friendship much like Lance and Bobbi, perhaps even leading to matrimony!.
Bobbi has a San Juan contact who we learn is running behind schedule late for their meeting. Bobbi uses the delay as chance to voice her concern about the mission to Coulson.
Bobbi is concerned that SHIELD, and Coulson is there to do accomplish something other than destroy the alien device weapon, perhaps to dovetail his own obsession as we learned in “The Writing on the Wall”.
Coulson calms Bobbi the only purpose of the mission is to stop Hydra from enslaving the world. The SHIELD team works to gain access to the hidden city, a story of the haunted fort tower where they are digging is revealed. In the process, we meet Diego (Carlos Rivera Marchand), a local friend of Bobbi in San Juan who provides information about the ancient alien temple.
The SHIELD team is in Canada to save Raina. True to series form, with great fight choreography between Bennet and MingNa, Skye is about to get her ass kicked by Agent 33. This reviewer was happy when Lance comes to her rescue! As this reviewer has shared previously, the snarky Lance is a fun addition to the team.
Subsequent to the wonderful fight sequences, Raina shares a secret with them that she can handle the Obelisk without any negative effects.
Once she realizes Hydra has the device, she tries to flee. May crashed the SHIELD van into the bad guys ensuring their escape and calming Raina in the process.
Agent 33 also escapes and informs evil Whitehall of the incident where she was able to implant a tracking device on Raina.
Back story regarding Skye’s father (that we have been waiting for about Raina) is revealed as they escape. Skye is told by Raina that her father is not really a bad person, but has been manipulated by life’s circumstance into what he has now become.
Raina shares that she herself was a lost soul before she met Skye’s father. Finally Raina shares with Skye that “Dad” has been seeking his daughter his entire life. Raina describes that the Obelisk is a Divining device with the power to help “the worthy inherit the Earth”. Naturally, Whitehall is convinced that Hydra is the only organization “worthy” enough to possess the Obelisk.
It is at this point in the action that Skye’s earlier sense of foreboding comes into play. In a desperate attempt to warn her Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. team mates, Skye tries to contact the Coulson.
Evil Hydra has planned ahead when we learn that Skye’s communication has been blocked via the tracking device!
Things quickly go from bad to worse when Four Hydra QuinJets surround the cloaked SHIELD airbus. Dirt bag traitor Ward and a team of Hydra agents come aboard. They demand Raina and Skye!
In a melodramatic scene, an ultimatum is give: surrender Skye and Raina of he will kill everyone aboard the SHIELD airbus. In an emotional moment between Skye and Melinda May, who have developed a warm respect for each other, Skye says that she can handle herself. Raina reminds Skye to bring along her tablet with the map of the ancient alien city.
As the episode winds down, Mac is lowered into the pathway to the secret city. As he reaches the bottom, Mac reveals an alien symbol to the group which glows a reddish hue that somehow causes the exact alien symbol to appear on Mac! It appears an ancient curse is protecting the city!
The team pulls Mac to the surface who is suffering from some alien affliction as his eyes glow red! In what appears to be his last act on Earth, Mac yells at his comrades to run.
Now fully affected by the alien curse, Mac attacks all of them. An “icer” has no effect.
Fitz holds a gun with real bullets on Mac. He is unable to pull the trigger! Bobbi shocks Mac to the point where he falls into the hole. Coulson orders the alien hole to be sealed with Mac inside!
The episode ends with a conversation between Agent 33 and Whitehall. She advises the evil Hydra leader that Ward has captured Raina and Skye.
We learn that Ward was only supposed to capture Raina. Ward is obviously still obsessed with Skye, Whitehall raises and eyebrow in curiosity.
This leaves me to wonder if the Ward character could be a triple agent? This hypothesis is reinforced when Whitehall learn that Ward did not destroy the S.H.I.E.L.D. airbus per his orders. Agent 33 is instructed to destroy the SHIELD airbus as the screen fades to black!!
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This series represents the finest effort in many years to effectively capture the science fiction drama audience on Tuesday evenings in the United States.
The cool weekly special of which we speak is sponsored by Verizon, and is known as Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. DECLASSIFIED! We have included the latest episode below for your enjoyment.
This editor was quite surprised that more viewers were not aware of this fun, well produced special that is available each week!
We respectfully suggest you let ABC and Verizon know you “Want Some More”, just like “0-8-4!”.
Editors Note:
Before continuing a joint, two person Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. analysis, WormholeRiders News Agency management would like to say goodbye to Holly Wilson as an active contributor to Team WHR.
Holly Wilson joined Wormholeriders News Agency (WHR) a little over eighteen months ago on April 06, 2012 subsequent to a standard volunteer employee interview.
After the interview, Holly agreed to abide by, be bound by, and follow all WormholeRiders Standards and Policies without exception as is required of any candidate requesting consideration as a WHR staff reporter prior to being granted approval.
Holly initially reported to Patricia Stewart-Bertrand on the WHR Eureka team, and to myself on the WHR Warehouse 13 analysis team. Holly became a (had been a) good contributor who always turned her reviews in on time, often a day ahead of deadline. WHR always thanked her for each review on our web sites and on social media.
Nevertheless, Holly express a strong desire to write analysis for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. because she admires the work of series creator Joss Whedon.
WHR management was about to stop approving additional assignments in the hope that things would settle down, but relented when she promised to have reviews in on time. Unfortunately, it was impossible for Holly to meet the WHR Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. analysis team requirements that she had originally agreed to.
Sadly, Holly Wilson tendered her resignation earlier today. We will miss her, but hope to remain friends with her, depending of course on her behavior.
In closing this prologue, I sincerely thank Holly for her contributions to WHR and wish her and her family well, in fact, nothing but the best in the future.
Holly’s Thoughts on 0-8-4:
This week’s episode opens BIG with 0-8-4 which translated means Object of Unknown Origin, the prior 0-8-4, Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) explains to Skye (Chloe Bennet), was a Hammer, and we all know how that turned out!
Buckle your seat belts, grab your coaster, and settle into your bunk as we analyze a week in the life of #AgentsofSHIELD !
The scene opens with The Bus in flight and Agent Coulson has just mentioned over his comm, something about there being blue skies from here on out…….
The next scene shows an explosion blowing a hole in the side of The Bus and Agent Coulson being thrown about the cabin! Somebody is yelling ‘Hold On’! What has happened and where is backup?! How on earth or the verse did somebody get a bomb on the Bus, have they been shot in mid-air?! What is happening people?! Moreover, where is Ironman?
Were dropped into a scene with The Bus being loaded, Skye is there, with her van and all her belongings are being carried onto The Bus! We see she has a little touchstone, what is that….is that a geisha doll with a wobbly head…..maybe not but close enough! As Skye gets the last of her stuff from her van, she adds ‘No joy rides, it’s my house’! Before she turns and enters The Bus, and her new world as an Agent of SHIELD, did you notice…..one of the guys stuck something on her van….what is that little pyramid thingy….a GPS tracker, a homing device, a really cool speaker?! I do not know what it is but I bet it comes into play later, so we have noted it and will keep that in mind for a later date perhaps!
Agent Ward (Brett Dalton) comments that Skye is just not qualified to be a SHIELD agent, Coulson agrees that Skye isn’t that’s why he invited her on as a consultant, and he reminds Agent Ward that technically Stark is a consultant also and that’s turned out pretty good for everyone! Seems Skye might be in good company on this one! I want to be a consultant! Ward is concerned about her past, and of Skye’s ties to something called ‘Rising Tide’ and he reminds Coulson that she has successfully hacked into the SHIELD network twice, with not so state of the art equipment! Coulson’s response, imagine what she will do with the resources of SHIELD behind her! Okay, lets see where this goes…I hope were not jumping on the Van wagon too soon with this girl, sorry about the pun, well….not really! Lol
Bus driver Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) reminds Coulson that they already have two untrained kids on the team and now another is being added? She does not seem happy about this development and neither does Ward! Coulson assures them that their frowns will be put on record, but he has made the decision and Skye will be added to the team!
The mission this week is object of unknown origin, what our agents call a 0-8-4! And even Coulson says ‘We don’t know what that means’! However, our destination IS set we are going to Peru, so get your suntan lotion and camera phones on the ready, it could be tropical, there could be a beach, either way there is sure to be unknown stuff happening, you should bring any extra grenades if you have them… Just saying….
Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) find Skye a bunk cause per the intercom its wheels up, lock it or lose it! Ward hand’s Skye a map, this is no normal map, tis the exit map for The Bus in case of emergency evacuation! Coulson shows up to welcome Skye to the party, a few niceties are exchanged, mention of the battle for New York, a sceptre through his heart, Tahiti being magical, him getting the plane having it refurbished, studs up! They have a seat, Coulson likes people to use coasters, another thing to remember, they buckle up and are off!
Sidebar Note: This magical place they call Tahiti – I think we should keep this tidbit in mind for later use also… Just saying
We land safely in Peru and the team arrives at what looks like an archaeological dig! Fitz and Simmons are talking ancient artifacts, local wildlife, monkeys and snakes and just rambling on about techie stuff, I like these two! Melinda May immediately feels they are excessively exposed out in the open, she goes to put their vehicle in a more undisclosed location. Skye seems confused as to why she is even there, Coulson explains to her that she is there in case her attributes are needed, otherwise, just tag along!
Coulson meets the Professor (Carlos Leal), the man in charge of this site on the steps of what looks like an ancient pyramid of sorts. Coulson introduces himself as the Professor begins to explain why SHIELD was called, he has found an artifact and it doesn’t seem to be in the right place, the site has been dated to at least 500 years old, but this artifact, well it glows, with blue lights and it made of high tech metal! It is not 500 years old! This could be a problem, also Coulson asks him whom he has notified besides SHIELD and the Professor says the Ministry of Peru – great, whew – that might be a problem people!
Simmons has pulled out some SHIELD tech in the form of Sleepy, one of the Quadcopter modules, the flying tech! Personally, I love this stuff, the tech, the acronyms, and the very premise that someone is working in the background, to try to keep the world safe from monsters! Anyway, Sleepy is analyzing the artifact – size, internal workings, and specs in general. When Sleepy’s analysis comes back, Simmons is in shock as she tells them the artifact actually predates the wall it is latched onto by at least 1500 years…..whoa! Simmons says…maybe alien…..Fitz says looks more German…
As we join, Melinda May outside, Ward is saying something about her not having a sidearm, and Melinda calmly states that if she needs a sidearm, she will take one! Then which turns out to be a big mistake, Ward pops off that he forgot he was working with the Calvary – Melinda looks at him – with that look, that we already know and love – and she say ‘Don’t ever call me that’! Ward agrees but gives us a little back-story on Melinda May, seems she was a real badass in Bahrain, and went into retirement after that.
While May and Ward were talking old times it seems some Peruvian rebels were surrounding them, from behind and the sides, Ward and May are jumped, Melinda takes down two guys in the blink of an eye and took both their guns from them, so she has two – one in each hand! Ward also did okay, has one person by the neck and it is a standoff – then from around one of the jeeps comes a really pretty woman decked out in cammo ….who could this be?
And to all our amazement, Coulson walks out of the pyramid speaking fluent Spanish, its Whedon awesome, brilliant and shiny indeed! He is the ultimate version of my perfect man, calm, collected and wears that suit so nice! Okay back to the story! Well, turns out he knows this woman! She recognizes him first and calls him ‘Phillip’, he responds and says ’Camilla’ (Leonor Varela) and yep, seems they have history, and not just a working together kinda thing people! O….yes! Agent Coulson has been doing more than a little research with our rebel leader during a chapter of his past….possibly in Tahiti?
With one word, she has her rebel army stand down; Coulson begins introducing the SHIELD team to Camilla! While in the pyramid thingy, Skye, Fitz and Simmons are trying to figure out what this thing on the wall is…then Fitz says…. It’s alive and they all kinda geek out – Skye asks, alive alive? Fitz answers that is has a functioning power source! Omuhgods! IT’S ALIVE! Ward drops in to tell them that they have company, not actually rebels but the State Policia, Skye know all about the uprising in this area of the world and Ward reminds her that she is not talking from the safety of her van, down by the river. Fitz and Simmons are begging for more time, are they in danger…..do they really have to go….Ward says no, as long as everyone does their job!
And I spoke too soon, Camilla and Coulson are reminiscing about old times when there’s gunfire, explosions, people running and yelling everywhere! The rebels have come for the device and Ward yells for the team to load it up! Let’s go! But before we go, I grabbed a screen cap of the case that Sleepy was in…..looky guys…..all the Quadcopters have the names of the seven dwarfs from Snow White! Cute huh?! There is even one named Snow White 00 – I wonder if that is a special one…..just wondering….
They needed containment for the device but there was no time, Ward grabs it off the wall and off they go! Fitz is really upset about Ward just grabbing it off the wall, Ward says science class is over and throws it into one of their bags! Skye, Fitz, Simmons and Ward are all trapped in the pyramid when Ward yells ‘Get back’ pulls this thing from his coat, Coulson tell Camilla to yell hat her men to get down, Ward jumps down the stairs pull this thing out and jams it into the ground and BAM! Sonic Boom blast happens and all the rebels and anything standing goes flying backwards and to the ground!
Camilla’s and Coulson make a run for her truck while the rest of the SHIELD team SHIELD truck with Melinda driving and they head towards the airstrip dodging rebel gunfire, there’s smoke and explosions everywhere! This is not going to be a peaceful trip through the jungle my friends! Melinda gets to The Bus first, Ward begins to close the ramp with Melinda yelling that Coulson is still out there! Ward gives backup as Coulson, Camilla and a few of her armed policia run up the ramp and safety! Skye mentions that she really misses her van! Whew! What a ride!
Fitz has been trying to tell everybody about the ‘Device’, to be careful with it, now as the ramp is raised and the gunfire subsides he explains…..this thing is powered by the same thing that power Captain America – Hydra WWII technology – its full of lethal amouts of gamma radiation! Ward – so its nucular… Coulson….no, its much much worse….
Coulson steps up to make sure May, who is driving The Bus, is doing okay with what just went down in Peru. He apologizes for subjecting her to the fire-fight and asks her if there’s anything else he can do for her before he goes to check out the device, powered by evil, that sits in their cargo bay…..May obviously has nothing to say, she has that steely look of determination and focus on her face! Yep, excellent bus driver!
Simmons is taking the device from the bag, notice she is wearing gloves, which should help a lot and keep the worse than nuclear power out of the nervous system! Coulson is sending Camilla’s guys that made it upstairs, where they will be more comfortable, while he and Camilla discuss where they are taking the device.
Coulson tells Camilla that they are headed for a SHIELD containment facility; she is suggesting an airstrip nearer to their current location. Sweetie, that is not gonna happen – please!
Fitz, Ward, Skye and Simmons are having a bit of a squabble when Coulson comes in and asks if everything is okay in there, Ward admits they are having a bit of a communication problem, within the team when Skye pops up and volunteers to be the team captain!
Coulson reminds them all that they do need to iron out the kinks, and he continues; Ward, you do speak 6 languages; Simmons, you have PhD’s in two fields I can’t pronounce; and Fitz you ARE a Rocket Scientist – so work it out! Skye yells after him, ‘I’m good at stuff too’!
Everybody seems to be settling in quite nicely, Fitz and Simmons are still checking out the device, Camilla’s guys have eaten and are kicking back, Skye and Ward are discussing world issues and not agreeing on much at all.
Coulson and Camilla have adjourned to Coulson’s office, he has quite a collection of what he calls touchstones to the past, he like having them around, also noted, most are glued down!
Coulson thinks Camilla is acting weird, Ward sees a couple of Camilla’s men, and they seem to be waiting for something, then we see another of her men, standing outside the lab, watching Fitz and Simmons……something is not good here kiddos!
Thanks Holly for getting the review just in time before the next episode airs.
Please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or family. Feel free to leave your comments and we look forward to you visiting in the future.
Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and Team WHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!”
Coming up in two week is San Diego Comic-Con 2013. We are excited by the news that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be there with a sneak peek of the first episode!
In the meantime, we include the official promotional trailer released in May 2013 for your enjoyment!
Please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or family. Feel free to leave your comments and we look forward to you visiting in the future.
Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and the WHR team look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!”
Welcome back to the second part of Eureka, A Celebration of Excellence. Once again I would like to thank everyone of the cast and creators of Eureka who made this special report possible. Thanks also to Kenn and Patricia of WormholeRiders News Agency for the privilege in posting my report here for your enjoyment.
We left off part one with the departure of Ed Quinn during season three, and the arrival of new cast members and a change in the show for season four. With episodes of Eureka’s fourth season still airing, and production of the fifth year wrapping up in Vancouver, Paglia and Miller were anxiously awaiting word from the network on a sixth season order. Ratings, while not at the heights they had been, were still strong, and creatively the series was firing on all cylinders.
But there were issues to be addressed. The acquisition of NBC (and by proxy, all of its smaller cable networks, including Bravo, USA and Syfy) by media giant Comcast meant that fresh sets of eyes were mulling over business decisions for all the networks along the spectrum, and Eureka would not be immune.
Additionally, a new season would mean new contracts for a majority of the cast and crew along with requisite pay raises and other budgetary concerns.
Historically, those decisions had come in previous years in August, and 2011 would be no different. On August 4th, fan sites on the internet – in addition to Twitter feeds from the writers – announced that the series would receive a smaller (and final) sixth season run of just six episodes to close out remaining story arcs and give the series a proper conclusion. The following week, Syfy made a second announcement, which was directly at odds with the previous one. According to the network, there would be no Season Six, and the finale of Season Five would be the series’ swan song.
While fans of the series were agitated at the series’ cancellation (which had nothing to do with low ratings, but more about television economics) and the back-and-forth press releases, the announcement from Syfy left them with a brand-new conundrum. Anticipating at least one more season, they had crafted a Season Five finale that would end in true cliffhanger fashion – and threatened to make Eureka the latest in a string of Syfy series cancellations that lacked closure for its fans.
“We got the call that Season Six wasn’t going to happen, and then I flew up to Vancouver to tell everyone. The cast and crew are an extended family. I wasn’t going to have that conversation with them on the telephone,” Paglia said. “I wanted to talk to them in person. There were rumors flying, and stuff spreading on Twitter and the whole debacle was coming out.”
“The upshot was that we couldn’t end things as they were. We would have liked that six episodes to close it out, but at the very least we needed one more episode to try and say goodbye. We were two days away from shooting a huge cliffhanger that we couldn’t rewrite. And it definitely wouldn’t be a series finale. It was a culmination of the whole Season Five arc that would be a launching point for Season Six – a season we were told we had when it was being written.”
“So I wrote a very impassioned letter to the network asking for a final episode to tie up the loose ends, and they graciously gave it to us. But that provided its own challenge. Yes, we had one more episode, but we couldn’t afford a production shutdown to write and prep it properly. We couldn’t incur any extra costs,”
Paglia continued. “So we broke the story in two days, I wrote it in three, our crew prepped it in three, and we were shooting it. It was one final challenge for an amazing team of writers, producers, cast and crew: to deliver, under the gun, a satisfying series finale that the audience will enjoy. Certainly, I’m sure it will feel a little rushed at times as we tie up not just plotlines but character arcs. But I would much rather have that then a final episode with no resolution to anything.”
The final season has thus far been another roller coaster of a story, with huge emotional arcs for all the characters. The Astraeus crew, whose minds had been hijacked inside a virtual version of the town set four years into the future, are forced for months to watch as they think their loved ones have moved on without them.
Once freed from the virtual Eureka, they struggle to readjust to their normal life after making peace with their supposed futures – leading to more relationship issues for Jo and Zane, a death Fargo isn’t ready to accept, and another layer of drama to the romance between Carter and Allison. It will all culminate on July 16th, when Syfy airs the final episode of the series.
“Shooting the finale was an emotional time. When you film a series, you’re pulling twelve, fourteen, fifteen-hour days. You spend more time with your cast mates and crew then your own families. The cast and crew become a family themselves. So there were a lot of hugs, laughs and tears during the filming. I would definitely characterize it as bittersweet. But in the end it was also a celebration. Seven years is a long time for a series to be on the air, especially a genre series. We set out to make the best show we could. And we got to end it on our terms.”
So what secrets will the finale hold for viewers? When pressed for answers, Paglia was more forthcoming then expected, yet also quite cryptic.
“There are some familiar faces that will come up, for sure,” Paglia teases. “There will be one or two surprises, as well. We’ve always kind of looked at Carter as the parent, or more of a patriarch to this dysfunctional family of the town of Eureka. And I think that conceit, and how that resonates with him, lands in this episode.
Eureka is, was, and always will be a truly one-of-a-kind series. It’s one thing to see that after the fact, once you’ve had some time away. It’s another thing entirely to know it while you’re still working on it. And for many of the series’ cast and crew, they knew it. As fans of the series, we know it, too. While doing interviews and research for this article, I eventually came to personal questions that took a bit more introspection before they were answered. Rather then break up their responses, and as tribute to their years of entertaining us as viewers, the following is a small Q&A with members of the series’ cast and crew — the hearts and souls of Eureka in their own words, unabridged and uninterrupted:
Seven years of your life, over 70 episodes, critical and popular acclaim. What will you personally take away from your time on the series?
Jaime Paglia (co-creator/executive producer/co-showrunner): Getting a show on the air is an incredible privilege. Having it be embraced by fans and critics has been amazing. I was new to television from writing features when Eureka began. I learned so much from all the people who have worked on our show over the years. It has been the most fun ever and I will miss working with this team of writers, cast and crew every day. But I’m more excited than ever to create a new world to play in.
Bruce Miller (executive producer/co-showrunner): I think, personally, I take away a great feeling of pride in Eureka. I’m proud of the shows we made, the stories we told, and I’m so proud of our cast, crew, and writing staff. Every day, they brought such a sense of joy and excitement to their work, it was inspiring.
Matt Hastings (co-executive producer/director): I am so grateful to have been a part of this remarkable show. Personally, I have been given so many different challenges and opportunities to be creative in a myriad of different environments and tones: 1947 time travel, musically emboldened episodes, two different Christmas episodes (one with four different kinds of animation!), crashing space ships, launching rockets, massive stunt sequences, scary thriller stuff, dance numbers, etc… Eureka has been an incredibly satisfying experience and I’ve learned a lot along the way.
I have had a unique opportunity to further develop my craft as a writer, director, producer and musician on a limitless canvas. We’ve taken creative risks and have been encouraged all along the way to really push the envelope and be bold. I think we’ve done just that. I take away a feeling of absolute satisfaction and unparalleled collaboration. This is the true template of what a great experience making TV with a cinematic eye can be.
Eric Wallace (story editor/writer): I’m so proud to have been associated with this show. Working with all the great family of writers, producers, cast, and crew has been both a great privilege and a life-changing experience. But I think the big thing I’ll personally take away most from all of this—besides, of course, from the wonderful friendships—is the importance of not playing it safe creatively. Eureka was always a show that tried to do things a bit differently. And when we took our biggest chances dramatically speaking, they paid off with what I think was some incredible work that we’re all very proud of. And that’s something really special.
Colin Ferguson (“Jack Carter”/producer): I am nostalgic and grateful. I gave everything I knew how – sometimes too much, sometimes not enough, but it was never for lack of care or lack of trying. This show changed my life and I will never, ever forget it. I will take away a feeling of success. I spent a long time as an actor struggling to get by, doing pilot season, watching TV at night and trying to make peace with the fact that I might not “make it”. I mean… no one makes it. They just don’t and I hoped that someday I would get a chance to see if I could do it. I got a chance and, in our own little way, we made it work. I’m very, very proud of us. And I will always have the friendship of the people I worked with. I will always have their faces to look into and remember what we did “that one time we had that show”….I’m so grateful and proud that it’s really hard to express.
Joe Morton (“Henry Deacon”): Eureka has given me many opportunities to express myself as an artist, outside of just the actor. I directed three episodes. My photographs made up the majority of the artwork in the Smart House, and I wrote music, “Gotta Say Goodbye,” for the episode in which Kim (the biological computer) is dissolved away. The song and the voice in that scene are mine. These are things the show had no obligation to grant. I will always be extremely grateful for those opportunities.
Erica Cerra (“Jo Lupo”): I will personally take away far more experience, amazing friendships and some of the best memories…
Niall Matter (“Zane Donovan”): The friendships. Personally, I still maintain friendships with a vast majority of the cast. It was also my first long-running show. I’ve walked away from shows, or been the series lead on something that lasted one season. But with Eureka, I stuck it out. Because I love the people, and we have a great family there.
Ed Quinn (“Nathan Stark”): I learned a lot: How shows are made. What makes them work. What the audience responds to. In this business, you can never stop learning. This show was an incredible learning experience.
Christopher Gauthier (“Vincent”): I’d just like to start by saying what an honor and a pleasure it was working on Eureka. I wasn’t in there as much as the others but felt right at home coming back to set. The cast and crew were fabulous, giving everything they had. And as the years went by, the standards got higher and higher. Don’t get me wrong. People got tired and frustrated at times … but we all pushed through. We worked long hours at times and, for the most part, remained professional. After being a part of such a strong group of lovely people who cared for one another, it gave me hope that more sets could be this way (which isn’t always the case).
When people look back on the series years from now, what kind of legacy do you think it will have left within the genre?
Jaime Paglia: I think we managed to create a hybrid genre that blended character-driven dramedy and sci-fi in a unique way. We reached an audience that ranged in age from seven to seventy. It was inadvertent, but we made a family show that brought new viewers to the genre who wouldn’t necessarily consider themselves fans of science fiction. Maybe it’s because we never relied on that aspect of the show to make our stories compelling. Characters came first, with sci-fi elements providing the catalyst for their dramas. Hopefully, the work we did, and the shows that have followed in the same tone, will be remembered and shared for a very long time.
Bruce Miller: I think Eureka proved that science fiction can be scientifically intriguing, grounded in character, and also funny. Not many shows in this genre have been able to balance that kind of entertaining tone.
Matt Hastings: It’s a unique show. A deft combination of tones: humor, suspense, jeopardy, pathos and heart that are all interwoven in a tight 44-minute space. Those graceful moves we made together through each episode made the show seamless and heartfelt. In the end, it’s about the characters and their journey. We managed to develop true gravitas (especially in seasons 4 & 5) amidst the shiny sci-fi icing. It’s a family show with epic scope and small emotional stories. A show that is deceptively simple that strikes right at the heart of the matter and entertains with great love and respect for its audience. Eureka is timeless. At its core, beyond the amazing visual effects, it’s a show about family. That makes it memorable, truly unique and relatable for audiences around the globe.
Eric Wallace: As far as Eureka’s legacy within the genre, I think we were the show that made science “cool” again. And by that I mean real, grounded science. Over the course of the series’ run, we received numerous letters and emails from science teachers, actual scientists, or just folks with a jones for molecular physics. Their comments always reflected how grateful they were for a TV series that didn’t dumb down the science, and that also portrayed it in a fun and realistic way. So who knows? We were always a family show. Maybe there is a kid out there who fell in love with science because of Eureka? If so, then that’s a real legacy we can be proud of!
Colin Ferguson: Within the genre? Nothing really… it’s a drop of water in an ocean. Within the network? We were the first non-space/alien show that succeeded. Stargate MADE the network. There is no network without Stargate. None. And Galactica gave the network critical acclaim – they won a Peabody and were very correctly applauded for their work. So they had two giant space shows and wanted more variety for their viewers. They couldn’t do another space show so they were trying to develop something completely new. We were the new trajectory. And it wasn’t without problems… but it worked.
And it was off of that template that they developed Warehouse 13 and off of Warehouse 13 that they developed Alphas. But we were the first one down that road that worked. So at the network, I think, hopefully, we have our little place in history. Unfortunately, SGU and Caprica ended and now there is NO space/alien show on the network, but for a moment there was a pretty balanced thing they had going on. And that’s what we leave behind.
Joe Morton: I think our fans will always fondly remember, first and foremost, our characters. Beyond that, I would hope they remember our unique mix of drama, comedy and science.
Erica Cerra: I think Eureka is and always will be a “feel-good show.” You can’t watch it without enjoying yourself or the characters.
Niall Matter: We were different, and we weren’t afraid to be different. We were a show that always kind of stood on its own. The formula that Jaime created worked out really well…a fun, quirky little town that everybody loved.
Ed Quinn: [Honestly], I have no idea. [But it would] be fun to see what people think of this show ten or twenty years from now.
Christopher Gauthier: I think, looking back on this show, years from now, people will see that sci-fi can be intimate. I don’t mean that in a “romantic, relationship[-ish]” way. I mean that in a “community/family” way. The show achieved, and quite well I might add, a wonderful community without sacrificing great stories! I am and always will proud to have been part of our little town, Eureka.
Is there a single defining moment that you’re most proud of?
Jaime Paglia: It’s impossible to pick just one after seven years and 77 episodes, so I’ll choose the most recent moment. When we found out there wouldn’t be a sixth season, we fought for one last episode to do a proper series finale. I’m grateful that our network said yes. It all came together and we got to give our town and our fans the good-bye they deserve. It was a final test to see what our team could accomplish when faced with impossible circumstances. I just hope when it’s done that everyone enjoys it as much as we do. It’s been a fitting end to an amazing ride.
Bruce Miller: The moment I’m most proud of? There are so many, but to narrow it down to one… In the premiere of season 4, when our Eureka gang was transported back to 1947, Matt Hastings gave us so many AMAZING story moments. But the one that I’m proud of, the one that will stay with me, is the moment where Jack and Allison kiss “just for luck” at the dance. The light is beautiful, the scene and costumes are beautiful, and Jaime Ray Newman is singing “I’ll Be Seeing You…” And as they kiss, Jack and Allison vanish back through time. Only on Eureka…
Matt Hastings: It’s tough to really identify a “single” defining moment, but I guess that would be when we decided to go back to 1947 and do almost our entire season 4 premiere episode as a period piece. It was epic. It was one of the true joys of my life to direct that episode. A true dream come true. But, beyond the insane eye candy, period costumes, an entire military camp we built from the ground up, action sequences, a big band sequence, etc., I think it was our decision to stay in the parallel time line. There was no “back to normal.” Our folks made it home safely, but to a home that was slightly altered. A heady risk that ended up paying story benefits for over thirty more episodes. Shaking it up was a little scary, but it elevated our show and helped it grow into the mature, critically acclaimed series it has become. I’m a little sad it’s over now, but so pleased that we did our best work and we’re going out on top.
Eric Wallace: Honestly, there are just too many to list. But I’ll limit it for now to just two. The first is the Season Four opener, “Founders’ Day.” That was a game-changer for the series in every way imaginable and the episode that really showed what Eureka was capable of. The second is our series finale, “Just Another Day.” Seeing how everyone involved—the cast, crew, writers, network, studio, etc.—pushed themselves so hard to accomplish such a satisfying conclusion to our series, and all of it done under enormous pressure, was truly impressive. Pulling that off, I think, might be our proudest moment.
Colin Ferguson: There isn’t one moment, no. There are shifts that happened on set and behind the scenes that stand out for me. “Up in the Air” was the first episode Alexandra [la Roche] directed and she was a big part of how we stayed on the air through a tough couple of seasons. So seeing her rewarded and do so well was a huge moment for us all. “Your Face or Mine” was the first episode of TV I directed and a watershed moment for me personally. It shifted me into another career. I am now and always will be a director because of the faith that Jaime, Bruce and the network had in me. And the same can be said of becoming a producer. It changed who I am and how I look at things. To be given a life that has growth like this in it is a magical sort of thing. I sometimes don’t quite know what to do with all the benefits that have been thrown my way. I end up feeling very humbled and saying thank you a lot. Going to my first convention and sitting down with fans… What I do is so private to me. The choices I make are broad and weird, I know, but it’s very private. It’s how my head works. So to sit down with people who understand what I was trying to do and don’t want to take anything from me but just laugh with me for a bit and maybe get a photo or something… it was warming in a way that I can’t explain.
Joe Morton: The premiere of Season Four will always stand out in my mind as the moment we truly became the show we always wanted to be.
Erica Cerra: I think the show, the writing and the cast became better and better each season and by the end it was some of the best of Eureka. It went out on a very high note! I’m very proud of that.
Niall Matter: The proudest moment I have on Eureka is honestly my very first episode. Because I came in, not expecting to stick around. So I was taking big risks with the character. And I think because those big risks were taken – the aloofness that I put into a character surrounded by a town full of geniuses – it was the secret ingredient that led them to keep me around. And I’m forever grateful for the four years I had with them.
Ed Quinn: Professionally, I loved Season One. I was given a great opportunity to do some good work, and will always be really proud of that. Personally, I made some great lifelong friends, fell in love with Vancouver, and had some incredible adventures surfing and traveling around British Columbia. Life doesn’t get much better.
Christopher Gauthier: I auditioned for the pilot and had no idea what the show would become. None of us did. But I distinctly remember saying to Colin, “This pilot could get picked up!” It had the makings for an unbelievable show: interesting characters, action and intelligence. Five seasons later, I’ll take wonderful memories of an amazing show.
On July 16, the book will close on the episodic version of Eureka. But will the stories truly end there? Is that going to be the final good-bye for the characters and actors that fans have grown to know and love? Or could the story continue in some form, in some way? Paglia isn’t against a return to the universe he helped create, but don’t count on it happening right away.
“We’ve had talks with the network about a spin-off, but I decided I didn’t want to launch immediately into one,” Paglia said. “There’s a concept we have, and we all see the potential for it, but I think it’s best to give it a little time. If it feels right down the road, we’ll do it. But I don’t have any immediate plans to pursue it yet.
From a budding concept a full decade ago to a critical and commercial success now, Eureka changed the landscape of genre television. The trails it blazed have carried forward to this day, nurturing and pushing the envelope in terms of what science-fiction programming is capable of, and proving that with the right concept and execution, even the quirkiest of ideas will find its audience. It’s a testament to the world that Paglia and Cosby initially envisioned – and to the gifted cast and crew that brought the series to stunning life. As we say goodbye to Eureka this month, there will be laughter and tears.
Not every series – genre or otherwise – can say they affected their fans in the same way. Eureka, from its onset, was one of those rare series that perfected that emotional balancing act with its audience right out of the gate. No matter the twists and turns the series took, whether embedded in the script or in the process of getting the episodes produced and on our screens, it never lost its singular, unique voice. Not once. For that reason alone, it should be celebrated. For all the other reasons, it will never be forgotten.
Author’s note: All contributions from cast and crew were conducted exclusively by the author alone between April 2011 and June 2012. No content was lifted from other sources. A full list of material (written and audio interviews) can be provided by contacting the author at djdata19@yahoo.com. or follow me on Twitter at @chadcolvin.
Please feel free to leave a comment here, click an icon below to share this interview or you can visit and follow me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right.
First, I would like to thank every one of the cast, crew and creators of Eureka who made this special report possible. Many thanks also to Kenn and Patricia of WormholeRiders News Agency for the privilege in posting my special report here at WHR for your enjoyment.
It is the back-end of August 2011 in British Columbia, and at both Vancouver Film Studios and in the mountain ranges surrounding the city affectionately referred to as “Hollywood North,” film crews are hurriedly filming scenes that will appear in the series finale of the television series Eureka.
Less than a month earlier, the same cast and crew thought a different script – one that ended on a cliffhanger to lead into an expected sixth season – would be the last one produced. But the financial realities of the television industry, coupled with the costs involved to produce the long-running – albeit popular – property, instead closed the door on the series.
While it leaves the airwaves on a creative high, the unexpected cancellation left the series in a lurch as the finale for the year had already been written and prepped to start filming. However, after massive fan outcry and co-creator Jaime Paglia’s impassioned plea to end the series on its own terms, a final additional episode was commissioned to wrap up not just the cliffhanger, but the series’ other loose ends and dense mythology. It was the final challenge for a series that has always defied the odds and been a risk-taker by nature.
The origins and fantastical stories of the fictional Oregon town have already been created and shared with its audiences. But to better appreciate its legacy, it is necessary to look to the past with members of the series’ cast, crew, producers and co-creator. What follows is the true story of a little town called Eureka.
Had the initial line of thought for the series’ concept held firm, the Eureka audiences would have seen a drastically different one than what ended up on television screens down the road. After Paglia’s writing partner and Eureka co-creator, Andrew Cosby, sold his first television project, the duo began brainstorming ideas for potential series ideas in the summer of 2002.
“Andy and I had just written a feature film for Akiva Goldsman and Mark Canton. We had been completely focused on features. Then Andy got a foothold in TV and asked, if I was going to create a series, what would I want to do? I’d grown up in this tiny town, Warrenton, Oregon, and I really loved the dynamics of those people. Small towns provide such a unique backdrop for storytelling and allow you to get to know the characters.
So I referenced shows like Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure,” Paglia said. “Andy was a big fan of those shows, along with series like The X-Files and The Twilight Zone. We went through our laundry lists of old ideas to see if we could find a spark of something that would be interesting.”
What emerged was a logline for a half-hour animated series featuring a Homer Simpson-type father raising a Lisa Simpson-type daughter whose IQ tested so high that they were invited to move to a town where geniuses lived. They reassessed the concept and decided it may be better suited to a one-hour live-action format, with drama and sci-fi elements thrown into the comedy mix. By the end of lunch, they had the basic premise of a U.S. Marshal who stumbles onto a secret government think-tank town in the Pacific Northwest, and by helping save the day when an experiment goes awry, he’s reassigned to be the town sheriff.
“I went off and started developing characters and a history for the town,” Paglia notes. “Andy was shooting the first episodes of his series (for the now-defunct UPN Network) called Haunted. I’d go sit on set and we’d kick around ideas and that’s how the show and the concept that stuck were born.”
The series’ bible was written over that summer, and the duo prepared to shop the series around. With the concept being a natural fit for its target audience – and with the cable network beginning to produce its own original scripted programming – Syfy (then still “Sci-Fi”) bought the series pre-emptively in March of 2003. Paglia and Cosby’s joy at the sale was short-lived though, as their first roadblock reared its head.
“NBC merged with Universal, and that sort of derailed getting the pilot pick-up for awhile. It put the pilot on hold while everyone was trying to decide what projects were going to get tossed and which ones [had a shot]. So we thought we were done at that point.”
Thankfully, fate chose to intervene as a few months later, one of NBC-Universal’s new executives would read the pilot script and become enamored with it, giving the series’ journey to TV screens the kick-start it needed. Paglia and Cosby were back on-track, and began assembling a team to help produce the pilot of a series idea conceived over a lunch more than a year earlier. Their next step: building a talented cast.
The main characters in Eureka each had their own specialized roles to play in the structure of the series and making the concept work properly. To give audiences a jumping-in point – someone they could identify with within a town of super-high intellects and scientists – the character of “Jack Carter” was born.
As a U.S. Marshal, Carter would stumble upon the town of Eureka by accident. By pilot’s end, his ability to think “outside the box” yet retain an “everyman” sensibility (in sharp contrast to Eureka’s residents) landed him the job of new town sheriff. Paglia and Cosby found their “Carter” in actor Colin Ferguson, who had just recently come off of NBC’s failed attempt to remake the British comedy Coupling for American audiences.
“It was pilot season, I was going through it and this was a one-hour comedy drama, which I really wanted to do. I didn’t necessarily think it was going to happen, but this came along and I said, ‘Oh, that’s great! That’s really the tone of what I’m thinking,’” Ferguson recollected. “It came along early in the season and it was on Syfy and I thought cable would be good because I’d done two shorter-lived network shows and I really wanted to do something that had a chance to be on the air for a little bit
“It seemed like a good thing, but it wasn’t until I walked in and Jaime [Paglia] was in the room that I knew. Because I usually do what I do and people go, ‘Oh no, we don’t want that. We want no comedy, really be strong and manly,’ and Jaime was like, ‘No, no! That’s exactly what we want. We want a humor undertone to it.’ So it was a perfect storm.”
The majority of initial issues that Carter would need to fix came as the result of failed or faulty experiments conducted at Global Dynamics, Eureka’s main employer and a government-contracted company whose charter was to harness the brainpower of the town’s residents for scientific breakthroughs with both consumer and (more importantly) military applications. Cast in the role of Allison Blake, a liaison for the Department of Defense and a potential love interest for Carter was actress and Chicago-native Salli Richardson-Whitfield. The role was one she was hesitant to initially pursue.
“At first, I didn’t read for it because it was in Vancouver. I love Vancouver, it’s very nice, but I didn’t want to be away from home. But it just kept coming back around and I’d test for other shows and didn’t get them and they kept asking,” Richardson-Whitfield notes. “Then when I saw the script … there are just not that many roles that are this challenging and well-rounded.”
“What I really loved was that, initially – maybe I saw one other woman of color at the audition. But they were so open to cast me, even though I don’t think the character was initially supposed to be a black woman. They just went with me because, when I came in, they thought I fit perfectly with Carter. They were blind to everything else and I really appreciated them looking at it that way.”
Cast in the role of Henry Deacon, a Global Dynamics scientist and the town’s “jack of all trades” was actor Joe Morton. Morton likely had the most visibility with audiences at the time after his work in high-profile Hollywood hits like Speed and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. His involvement in Eureka’s pilot ended up being the result of fortuitous timing, even if the character was a bit more undefined than the rest initially.
“I was actually doing an episode of House!” Morton explains. “And the director (Peter O’Fallon) of that episode of House ended up being the same director for the pilot of Eureka, and he recommended me. At the beginning though, with the pilot, I don’t think they knew where he was going to go. [We were] playing with the idea that he was a guy with a really dark past. He’d lived in and out of the bottle after whatever happened in his past. And he had been brought to GD (Global) as a way to pull himself back together again. He was not a team player and never really was.”
Brought in to portray “Josephine ‘Jo’ Lupo,” Carter’s strong-willed deputy – one who immediately holds an initial grudge against him since his arrival costs her the sheriff position – was actress Erica Cerra. A native Vancouver actress, Cerra had already spent the last several years in guest roles on various genre series. It’s the type of material she has always held dearly.
“My dad was a Trekkie so I grew up watching Star Trek and you name it, I watched it,” Cerra said. “I’m really a huge fan of anything sci-fi and fantasy oriented. And I love doing character stuff. It’s really what I have the most fun with, when you get to embody a character, rather than just being yourself onscreen.”
To round out the cast, young actress Jordan Hinson was brought in to portray Carter’s wayward daughter, Zoe, and another Vancouver actor, Neil Grayston, filled the now-unforgettable role of Douglas Fargo, then an assistant to the head of Global Dynamics. While the role of Fargo became much more important over the years to the series, in the beginning it was envisioned as strictly a small and recurring role. Grayston recalled his enthusiasm for the pilot.
“I really liked the pilot script. It just sort of jumped off the page. It was one of those that I think I sat down and read it all in one go,” Grayston recalls. “I was done in like forty minutes or something. And then I re-read it and you could really see who the characters were and everything. It was nice to have something so well-written and fun.”
“He just wasn’t a huge character in the pilot. And once we got [the pick-up to series], I was really only contracted to be in seven episodes, but they just kept throwing me in there and giving me stuff to do, so it was nice.”
With the script, cast and crew in place, production on the pilot commenced on Vancouver Island in 2004 with cast and crew traveling to locations by float plane and staying in hotels. The strength of the pilot finally earned the series an initial eleven-episode order to join the two-hour pilot creating a first season of twelve episodes. The pickup came almost a full-year after production of the pilot, with the first season episodes being produced in 2005. Almost a full four years after their initial brainstorming lunch, Paglia and Cosby’s vision for the series was fulfilled as the pilot episode aired on Syfy on Tuesday, July 18, 2006.
It was an untested format and a gamble for the network, a genre-series without the normal trappings of planets, stars, aliens and spacecraft. In addition, the cast and crew were unaware of whether or not the series would connect with audiences as the entire first season was completed prior to the airdate of Eureka’s premiere. Their answers would arrive much sooner than anyone imagined.
When the ratings for Eureka’s premiere came in, no one was prepared for the success it had become. It was the number-one series for the evening on cable, topping all other programming on any other network. In the end, more than four million people would tune into the premiere, making it the highest-rated series premiere in Syfy’s history, a record that still stands today.
“I had been managing my expectations about how well we’d do,” says Paglia. “But it wasn’t until Mark Stern called and told us the numbers and put it into context that we really realized that we may be on to something and that people were connecting with it. We were making it in a vacuum. Such an insular environment. We just didn’t know. And it took awhile to sink in. The first [San Diego] Comic-Con that we went to, we had a panel and there were about 2500 people in the room, standing-room only. And one of the first questions that came to us was ‘When did you know you were a hit?’ and I responded ‘Right now!’ It was a surreal experience.”
The rest of the first season of the show was mostly intact from the pilot, with the exception of one major casting change. After the season pick-up was approved, actor Ed Quinn was brought into the series to play “Nathan Stark,” the new head of Global Dynamics and ex-husband of Allison Blake, immediately creating an antagonistic dynamic with Carter and the basis for a “love triangle” subplot that would carry on for the first few seasons. It was a role he almost didn’t play.
“The casting process was pretty crazy. Eureka had been picked up to series, but they were casting the role of ‘Nathan Stark’ during pilot season. I had just tested for an ABC show, so I almost didn’t go on the audition for Eureka,” Quinn recalls. “When I did not get that show, I ran over to Eureka last minute. By the time Eureka wanted to test me, I was already testing for another ABC show (Men In Trees) in first position (meaning that one took preference contractually). I went from my network test at ABC to the Sci-Fi Channel building and waited for my attorney to call and tell me whether or not I got the ABC show. When I didn’t, I went up to the Eureka test. The rest is history.”
While Stark would be initially annoyed with Carter, the duo would eventually build a mutual respect for each other. The dynamic and snappy dialogue between the two would become a mainstay that fans loved. Quinn is quick to point out why it worked so well.
“Colin and I had ‘chemistry.’ He and I are really good friends, and when we get on set together, something clicks. Chemistry is something every show wants, every show tries to manufacture, but to get it… well, you gotta get lucky. And in Season One, that relationship was given a lot room to grow. It was really fun, and I think that came through on screen. It was so cool when the audience responded the way it did,” Quinn said. “That being said, I give a lot of credit to Colin. He’s a comedic genius. He knows innately how to turn a joke. He sets jokes up perfectly. Sure, I’d hit the punch line, but at lot of the time it was his reactions that were comedy gold.”
The rest of the first season would continue to find a very strong audience, and Paglia is quick to point out some of the episodes that he felt were done the most justice – by balancing both the emotional and scientific aspects with equal weight.
“I was really a fan of ‘Many Happy Returns’ and doing something different with the idea of cloning,” Paglia said. “A woman finds out that her ex-husband cloned her, and had a child with that clone. And now her ex-husband and her clone have died, but they had a son who is [now orphaned]. It’s biologically hers, but she’s never met him before. It brought up interesting issues, like emotional attachments and obligations and whether she should have any. It was an interesting character story.”
“The finale, ‘Once In A Lifetime’ also remains one of my favorites. We wrote it under such deadlines, prepping the episode three days before the first draft of the script was done. But I think it’s ultimately the episode where we found the right balance between real, emotional, character-driven drama and keeping the humor that’s sort of the signature of our show. Colin and Joe just really brought it, especially in the episode’s final minutes. It’s the episode we used as a benchmark for what we could do when we went into Season Two.”
The series would return to screens almost precisely a year later for another thirteen episodes, with the season premiere again being the most-watched program on all cable networks for the day. But it did so without the partnership with Cosby, who had opted to move onto other projects, leaving Paglia with the creative reins for the foreseeable future. But the series wouldn’t miss a beat, with both critical approval and fan momentum continuing to rise. But while Paglia cites several episodes as ones he loves, he’s not above criticizing an episode or two if he feels it didn’t live up to its potential
“If we had more time, we could have done a better job with ‘Primal,’ which was the “multiple Stark” episode. It was actually a story that we had thrown out, but when we needed to fill a slot last minute, we brought it back to life and re-broke it in record time,” Paglia recalls. “We’ve always had this rule within the series bible where we wouldn’t cross the line between science fiction and magic. And I think that episode crossed the line. The suspension of disbelief was just too much, at least for me. It’s one I wish we could have done differently. But ironically, it’s a fan favorite.”
Also a fan favorite was a recurring character who would eventually become a series regular – slacker genius Zane Donovan, portrayed by Niall Matter. The character, who would become a love interest for Cerra’s “Lupo,” was meant to bring an “X-factor” to the series, someone who would shake up the mix of personalities – a conceit that Matter was happy to oblige.
“When I got the breakdown for Eureka, I read the character description of Zane and I just thought, ‘This is me! I’m that guy!’” Matter remembers. “It’s not like Zane didn’t want to give back in the beginning. He stole money and then he donated it. He was always someone who wanted to give back. He just didn’t necessarily agree with authority. I’ve been there!”
The series would continue to flourish and end Season Two on a high note. Syfy took notice and rewarded the series with an extended episode order for Season Three, granting Paglia and company eighteen episodes instead of the typical thirteen. But any sense of complacency the series might have felt was about to disappear, as the theme of Season Three – not just behind the scenes but within the series itself – would focus primarily on one thing: change.
Season Three of the series was very much a transitional season on many fronts, both behind-the-scenes and in front of the camera. With eighteen episodes to play with, the decision was made to make the year more story-arc driven than in previous years, with two major subplots occurring in either half of the season. And the “mystery of the Artifact” plot-thread, one that had been in play since the series premiere, was essentially abandoned.
Also retired from the series was the character of Nathan Stark – actor Ed Quinn would take his leave from the show after only a handful of episodes at the beginning of the third year. But contrary to some speculation, the decision to remove the character from the series was always story-based and not precipitated by any other issues.
“We felt like we were treading water a bit with the love triangle with Carter, Allison and Stark. And we didn’t want to,” Paglia said. “There are only so many ways that you can have a main character saying ‘Carter, you’re stupid’ before you go, ‘OK, this dynamic is starting to wear thin.’ So we brainstormed what to do to shake things up and have emotional ramifications that would carry forward and change things. “And killing a main character is one of the best ways to do that. We also wanted the audience to know this was a show where anything can happen and that we weren’t afraid to take those risks.”
While some fans were put off by the character’s departure, it still allowed for a changing of relationship dynamics with other characters, which Ferguson found refreshing.
“We missed Ed [when he left]. But one of the strange strengths of this show is its additional characters and ability to bounce back,” Ferguson said. “It opened other avenues. And a show that goes down because they lost a person was going to go down anyway. You have to be stronger than one person. And we have a great ensemble.”
While the season was always envisioned as having two separate halves, the production of it was also split, as the Writers Guild of America strike in 2007-2008 forced production on additional storylines to cease after the finished scripts had been completed. Faced with an incomplete series order, Syfy made the decision to air only the first 8 episodes of the season in the summer of 2008. With the strike completed, production on the rest of the season’s episode order was finished and the remaining episodes aired in the summer of 2009. By that point, Syfy had already rewarded the series with a fourth season order of twenty more episodes that were already well into production.
Plot lines in the back half of Year Three also mirrored the concept of change. Allison Blake would discover she was pregnant with Stark’s daughter and give birth before the season would end, a plot device meant to work around actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield’s real-life pregnancy. Fans hoping to see a budding romantic relationship build between Carter and Allison were forced to wait longer as “Dr. Tess Fontana,” played by Jaime Ray Newman, entered the picture as a potential – and ultimately failed – love interest for Carter. And series regular Jordan Hinson would leave the series as a permanent member at season’s end when Zoe leaves for college.
After what was a somewhat tumultuous season marked by some large shifts in both plotlines and production, you might believe the series was ready to take a breather, relax and rest on its laurels for a while. But as the series entered Season Four, it would do the unthinkable. It’s one thing to “press the reset button” on a series, and another thing to hold that button down indefinitely. Accustomed to challenges, Eureka chose the latter.
The Season Four premiere would find Jack Carter nursing a broken heart and getting ready to enjoy Founders’ Day, a festival celebrating the town’s origins. By the end of the show’s first episode, any notion viewers had for where the season’s journey would take them were completely obliterated as a time-traveling accident to 1947 – combined with some meddling with the timeline – returns them to a Eureka far different from the one they left.
“Camp Eureka was an idea I’d wanted to do since Season One, but we put it on the backburner because we wanted the show to earn it. You want to get to know characters before you reveal secrets about them or turn things on their head,” Paglia said. “Season One was too soon. Season Two was still too soon. And Season Three, with the strike and other production issues, it would have been cost-prohibitive since we wouldn’t be using standing sets, props and costumes. Period episodes are a huge challenge.”
“Originally, the Season Four order was going to be for 22 episodes. We were going to do a two-hour movie, and then twenty episodes. Bruce Miller, who was co-showrunning with me by this point (after joining the staff as a consulting producer mid-way through Season Two) suggested maybe now would be the right time to do this idea,” Paglia said. “And even though the order dropped to twenty, we got attached to this idea, and we had a slightly bigger budget for the season premiere that we thought could maybe pull it off.
We had always planned that when they returned from [the 1940’s] there would be some small change. And in discussing what that would be, like the Archimedes statue, or the décor in Café Diem, it hit us: “We don’t have to limit ourselves to changing one thing. We can change anything. We can change everything!”
That idea set in motion a flood of story possibilities, many of which had already been bandied about in the writer’s room. Co-showrunners Paglia and Miller had put together a largely new writing/producing staff between seasons, bringing on former NBC/Universal Studio production executive Todd Sharp as a co-executive producer, along with co-EP/writers Eric Tuchman, Amy Berg, Ron Milbauer & Terri Hughes Burton, and Jill Blotevogel, co-producer Paula Yoo, story editor Eric Wallace, staff writers Kira Snyder and Ed Fowler (and later, John Herrera & Nina Fiore). The team quickly mapped out the arc for the season.
“We always felt like we wanted Fargo to eventually grow and become the head of Global Dynamics. We had wanted to find a new love interest for Henry. We were at a point where we felt like it would be interesting to finally put Carter and Allison together,” Paglia said. “And we really wanted to get Jo into GD so that she could have her own domain and be her own boss. And we said ‘Wouldn’t it be great to just have it all happen in one fell swoop?’ And have the characters struggling to figure things out, without being able to tell anyone.”
They brought the proposed storyline to Syfy, and the network loved the idea. But the inevitable question of when things would revert to normal came up. When Paglia and Miller said, “They don’t,” it raised eyebrows.
“It was a serious discussion,” Paglia recollects. “The network felt like it may be something that would hurt the franchise. But we reasoned through it with them…that our audience has been so completely loyal and has followed us through three different time-slots on three different nights after nine-month hiatuses. They believed they could handle this, too. And we were extremely lucky that our execs supported us.”
Actor James Callis, whose brilliant work on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica had won him many fans, was brought in to play “Dr. Trevor Grant,” one of Eureka’s founders and co-inventor (along with Albert Einstein) of the Bridge device that brings the Eureka gang to the past — and Grant into the future. In addition, the Season Four premiere introduced Tembi Locke to the series as “Dr. Grace Monroe.” Initially someone that Henry meets briefly in passing, he returns to the altered Eureka to find that he is married to her. Locke finds the character extremely gratifying.
“Grace really leads from her heart. Her intellect certainly has its place. It’s what has gotten her where she is professionally and it’s what Henry really [learns to] love and enjoy about her,” Locke said. “But she is also really heartfelt, which is why the arc of them having the difficulty in their relationship and then having to find their way back, I could really put my hooks into that. I love that as an actor.”
Season Four also introduced two other new recurring characters to the series: “Dr. Isaac Parrish,” portrayed by Wil Wheaton of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame, and “Dr. Holly Marten,” played by geek goddess Felicia Day. Both served to enhance storylines for Douglas Fargo with Marten envisioned as a potential love interest and Parrish being an adversarial nemesis in both matters at Global and in Fargo’s budding relationship with Holly. Actress Ming-Na, fresh off a two-year stint on Stargate Universe was also brought in to portray “Senator Michaela Wen,” a character whose arc would last well into the next season.
What was a matter of necessity in Season Three became a matter of choice for Season Four as Syfy took the series’ fourth year and stretched it out over two separate summers, airing the first half in 2010 and the latter half in 2011. In the back half of the season, Fargo and Zane would unwittingly launch themselves into outer space, and their solution to get home would later launch a new intiative for Global Dynamics — conducting the first manned mission to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.
The construction of the ship that would carry them (the Astraeus), preparations for the trip, and the disasters Carter would need to avert as a result, would guide the storylines through the end of the season. Though same-day ratings for the series had begun to decrease by this point (as DVR numbers grew), the series was still a juggernaut for the network and a Season Five renewal was handed down early on, well before the summer 2011 episodes of Season Four had aired. While viewers were just getting back into the groove that summer, production was already very much underway on Eureka’s fifth – and what would be final – season.
We will be back with part two of my Eureka special report soon!
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We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! During the past several months we have reorganized. Below we have prepared a fun music video documenting and outlining where the Team WHR Crew is going in 2012 and beyond for your enjoyment.
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Loved, loved, loved, this episode of Eureka. Anyone who has been bullied as a child, or treated badly will identify with the visual representation of the potential Astreaus crew’s memories, especially those of Fargo (Neil Grayston).
The episode opens with Senator Wen (Ming Na) giving directions to potential candidates about their search for the ‘best of the best’ in Eureka. They are using a Biotext recorder, that takes a visual representation of memories.
Up first, Zane Donovan (Niall Matter). While that is happening, Jack Carter(Colin Ferguson) and Allison Blake (Salli Richardson Whitfield) discuss that they have filed an appeal with the D.O.D regarding the denial of their permission to have a relationship. They are off to see the system tests on the Astreaus ship itself.
They catch up to Henry Deacon (Joe Morton) who shows them the awesomeness that is the Astreaus ship. As he does so, and Carter is suitably impressed, up pops Dr. Warren Hughes (Wallace Shawn). Seems he has been promoted to be his own supervisor and has arrived to rule on the ruling he just made against them. It sounds like typical government thinking to me. Carter is still having some problem with the situation asking, “Doesn’t anyone see a conflict of interest here?” Of course not, says Wallace, he’s trained to be unbiased. Yeah, sure.
Back in Allison’s office, Warren introduces Allison and Carter to a unit similar to the one that is being used by Senator Wen on Zane. He captures the data and is about to leave when a spilled drink interferes with the machine’s function and gives him an electrical shock. But he’s okay, he says. Warren completes the very short interview by stating that he will be in touch, but they shouldn’t expect too much since the original case manager is an excellent judge of character. Well, there goes the unbiased belief.
Meanwhile, Zane shares with Dr. Wen that there were not a lot of people he looked up to so he had to create his own role models…literally. He hacked into NASA’s mainframe and photoshopped his dad’s image onto the astronauts. As he explains this to Senator Wen, she is not impressed. Zane’s comment to her is, “then, cut me. If I haven’t proven myself to you by now, I never will.” Wen’s expression, as the scene moves to Carter and Allison makes it pretty obvious that he won’t be cut.
As Carter and Allison chat, an emergency horn sounds. They rush to the ship to find out from Henry that an engine test has gone wrong. The engines are firing and Henry can’t shut them down. The mooring clamps are failing. If they can’t shut the engines down, the ship will rip a hole into G.D. Henry has the answer. He floods the compartment with Xenon gas, which neutralizes the system they are using and shuts everything down.
Fargo and Holly (Felicia Day) are continuing to train hard by jogging down a country road somewhere near Eureka. Along comes Dr. Parrish (Wil Wheaton) riding a high tech bicycle. He stops long enough to tell Fargo that its best not to dwell on the many, many ways he could screw up, then cycles away. Now Fargo is worried. Holly recommends some methods to relax including…playing a board game that looks like Dungeons and Dragons. When Fargos phone rings and he’s up for his interview with Senator Wen, Holly offers him a dice for good luck.
Carter, Allison, Henry and Jo Lupo (Erica Cerra) are checking the Astraeus for damage. Jo discovers that some sort of rod, or pole has been jammed into a critical system area, causing the problem. Carter decides the best course of action is to return it to its owner and gauge his reaction.
But, Dr. Curtis Ward (Jonathan Potts) is not reacting the way that Carter expects. He is downright excited to have his rod back. But, with a nick in it, it’s useless and Carter now has a souvenir. Jo, however, has a theory of her own, that someone fired it with some kind of weapon.
She heads off to determine what it was. Carter, the ever curious Sheriff discovers a trail of maize kernels on the floor that lead to a compartment not much bigger than an average home’s bathroom. It has been set up to chemically decontaminate whatever is inside, including Carter. Once Carter is out of the compartment and being treated by Allison, he begins to wonder about the connection between the sabotaged ship and the maize kernels.
Senator Wen interviews Fargo. She accuses him of having a history of making questionable choices, “including worm holing Dr. Martin.” Fargo protests his innocence, “no, no, no, no, I swear, we’ve only just kissed.” Immediately, Wen clarifies that she meant the FTL drive. Fargo’s face is priceless. He really isn’t starting off very well.
Fargo’s visual representation introduces Dr. Darlton (Aaron Douglas) as he encourages Fargos group of children and another group known as the Awesome Possums as they attempt to build rockets with engines meant to provide a powerful burn. The leader of the possums, an irritating kid who likes to verbally bully little Fargo inspires him to alter the engine of his groups rocket. When they fire it up, it not only works, but sets tables of trophies on fire.
Their group, of course, doesn’t win. As young Fargo sits on a bench alone and dejected, Dr. Darlton pats him on the back and tells him his design was awesome. “I see big things for you”, Darlton tells him. Fargo goes on to tell Wen, as the image returns to adult Fargo, that he’s learned over the years that, “being bold and innovative go hand in hand, so would I make the same questionable choices during the Astreaus Mission? I’d have to say yes, Senator.”
This time, the look on Senator Wen’s face says it all. She is impressed. So, who was that irritating kid who made young Fargo’s life miserable?
Segue to Dr. Parrish crowing about how amazing he was leading the Possums to their fifth victory. As his interview ends and he steps out into the hallway to chat and irritate Fargo further, a guard (Kevin Mundy) stands innocuously behind them. Holly gets called. It’s her turn. Fargo wishes her luck and heads off to his duties, so does Parrish. The camera focuses on the guard. As we watch, someone off screen attacks the guard with some sort of electrical device that renders him unconscious.
Jo has found the weapon that fired the rod. It’s a bow. Carter jokes that she has a rod and arrow. They head to the elevator where they discover the guard in his skivvies. Meanwhile, Holly is just finishing her interview with Senator Wen. She is her usual bubbly self stating, “Oh, and there was this one time in space camp…” Senator Wen emphatically tells her, “we really don’t need to hear any more”.
Yes, Holly, sometimes you do talk too much. As Allison finally has a chance to get back to work, she believes that her assistant is hovering over her. It turns out to be Warren, wearing the missing military guard uniform. It’s a little big for him. Correction, a lot big for him. He begins dancing with Allison telling her it’s almost time. Segue back to Carter as he discusses the happenings with Henry. He’s beginning to understand what is happening, the maize kernels and the invisible cat at his daughter’s dorm, shooting an arrow into a positronic lightning array, the uniform he stole in 1947. Henry is joking when he says, “Maybe someone is reading your mind”. Carter has his ‘Aha/eureka’ moment. He tells Henry, “We’ve got to get to Warren”.
Warren is confused as flashes of images continue to plague him. He first sees Allison as the nurse she was in 1947, then as Beverly Barlowe. He uses his electrical device that knocked out the guard on Allison, believing her to be a villain. As soon as he does so, his mind goes into another image of Allison’s death when Carter went back in time again. It’s obvious now, by means of the images we see as viewers, that Warren is re-experiencing Carters experiences. Warren hurries off vowing revenge on who ever harmed Allison.
We find Warren continuing to live through Carter’s experiences as he pulls the wires out of the back of the juke box at Cafe Diem. Warren has changed into Carter duds and looks like a short balding Carter clone. As Carter attempts to convince Warren to go to the Sheriffs Office with him, Warren believes he is experiencing the methane snow from a recent episode and begins to cough and gag. Vincent (Chris Gauthier) rushes forward claiming that Warren is freaking out the customers.
Carter gets Warren over to the Sheriff’s office and locks him up. Henry shows up. He has come up with a solution for Carter. Meanwhile, Warren has discovered Carter’s key behind the fake brick trick, and escapes. Henry and Carter go after him and we have an old fashioned police chase.
Warren races down the road in the jeep with Carter driving Deputy Andy’s car, following as quickly as he can. Two things came to mind at this point, where is Deputy Andy, and are the writers going to wreck the car instead of the jeep this time. No such luck; there is no car or jeep wreck. Instead, as Carter continues to talk to Warren over the radio, he pulls in front of the jeep and stops Warren just in time before the pint sized Carter copy drives over the cliff at the end of the road.
Meanwhile, we experience Jo Lupo’s childhood as she explains why she wants to go into space. She’s a very competitive person. With three brothers, it’s not surprising. Her father (Nico Cortez) tells her he is proud of her. It’s a great look into what made Jo who she is. She admits to Senator Wen that she has never backed down from a challenge.
Grace Monroe (Tembi Locke) makes her first appearance in this episode as she treats Warren. Carter asks how long it will take for the treatment to be completed. Grace tells him 2 hours. He asks Allison if she wants to go out to eat. Allison replies, “The man holds the key to our future, you just fried a bunch of neurons in his brain and you want to go for pizza?” Carter always has the best answer, “No, I want to go for Chinese.”
The candidates sweat it out at Cafe Diem waiting to find out who made it onto the Astreaus misson. Vincent is there to ensure they have all the milkshakes and other various drinks they can handle. Zane makes it into the Astraeus program, but Jo has dropped out of competition.
Jo explains that it’s because space isn’t her dream. Not like it is for everyone else. To her, it was just another challenge. Fargo and Holly make it, but Parrish doesn’t. Parrish congratulates Holly, but is his old nasty self with Fargo, “I weep for Titan”, he says, as he sneers at Fargo’s ‘mediocrity’.
Finally, the best news of all, as a result of Warren’s experience with Carter’s images, he has grown much closer to Carter and Allison and has completely reversed his previous decision.
As a result Allison and Carter can continue to see each other. The show ends with a passionate kiss between Allison and Carter.
What I loved:
The Ghost Busters reference
Fargo and Holly playing Dungeons and Dragons instead of the expected sex scene
The 20 sided dice for luck
Aaron Douglas as the guy in charge of the space camp. Who knows engines better than Chief Tyrol of Battlestar Galactica?
Clip show, but clip show done differently
Dr. Parrish has history with Fargo that goes back years. It’s nice to see that Karma came back and bit him in the back side.
Eureka returns next Monday September 12, 2011 with another great episode, “One Small Step”. We include the extended trailer below courtesy of Syfy. Enjoy.
Thanks to Kenn for staging the images in this review post for me. And thanks to you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency
Please feel free to leave a comment here, click an icon below to share this interview or you can visit and follow me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right.
Thanks to Kenn for video and image embedding for my feature article and many thanks to you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. We will be back soon with more analysis about new television series, movies and conventions on our screens this year and beyond!
