I thought I would take the time to go over some of my favorites of the second part of the season. The following Eureka ep list is my guide to all things good in the back half of Eureka’s third season.

Welcome Back, Carter

As a mid-season opener pretending to be a season premiere, Welcome Back, Carter (WBC) was a fantastic showcase of all the things I like about Eureka, and Sheriff Andy, I can only pray that he returns for a visit.

It’s Good to Be Green

This one was a fun episode all the way around, but still, nothing beats the laugh-out-loud humor of WBC.

Have an Ice Day!

Taggart is back! Who knows if he’ll show up again, but it was great to see him. Zane was crazy, but that’s okay. I am, however, getting a little sick of seeing him sick all the time! He’s become attached to that hospital bed.

Finally, I have to say, I’ll be looking into the whole Zoe thing…

For a full season three ep list, visit the season three page or see the episode download list.

After watching Welcome Back, Carter (the mid-season premiere of Eureka), I have to say I’m hoping to see Andy again, even if it’s just for one more episode some time down the road.

Welcome Back, Carter takes off where the series left off at mid-season: Carter out of a job and Allison pregnant.

But that’s okay, because he’s just been replaced—by a robot. Sheriff Andy, to be precise, who has a southern accent and an aw-shucks manner that I was sure would turn out to be an act.

I turned out to be wrong, and that’s one of the lovely things about this episode. I expected the usual bad-guy-takes-over-and-Carter-has-to-prove-it-and-save-the-day. But that’s not what happened at all.

Andy was a funny, great guy and I really, really hated to see him go at the end. This is one character I would love to see more of—then again, he might just give Carter a run for his money when it comes to charming the viewers. Andy stole the show!

Welcome Back, Carter—a new EurekaFan favorite!

Tell me what you thought of this episode…

With Carter out of a job, and Allison pregnant with Stark’s baby, the show has opened itself up for some interesting stories.

Also, there’s been Eureka news and spoilers that excite me that are unrelated to the mid-season ending episodes. I want to see how Carter handles another relationship for a while, because after thinking about it, I really want to see a break between him and Allison.

After Stark’s death (or not), I don’t think I’ll like it if Allison is ready to jump into another relationship too soon. I’m also hoping to see Stark again, and if I were to get my way, that would put a damper on anything happening between Allison and Carter.

So, I’m not too disappointed to see the show moving away from a strictly Carter / Allison pairing.

What about you? Missing the spark already, or will you be happy to see something different?

My Top Ten List of Favorite Season One and Season Two Eureka Episodes

1. Eureka Pilot – I was hopeful when I sat down to watch this Scifi Channel premiere that I was watching something that was going to be interesting and fun. I couldn’t have been more thrilled with what I ended up seeing that night. Eureka was fresh, funny, exciting, and addicting. I could hardly wait to see more of these wonderful characters and to date, they’ve never let me down.
2. Many Happy Returns – On the heels of the pilot came Many Happy Returns. I knew Eureka was strange and different, but as soon as I saw Susan, apparently alive and well, I realized just how great this series was going to be.
3. Right As Raynes – This episode seemed to me to be a turning point for Nathan, giving him a softer side and making me like him even as he antagonized Carter more than ever.
4. Before I Forget - I enjoyed meeting Henry’s former love, Kim, and getting an episode that focused so heavily on Henry.
5. H.O.U.S.E. Rules – Oh, how could I forget B.R.A.D.? This episode was pure fun.
6. Once In A Lifetime – This was a heartbreaker of an episode in so many ways. Until season three, this stood out as the best of the series. It remains my favorite episode of both seasons one and two.
7. Try, Try Again – The focus on Fargo was refreshing.
8. Unpredictable – Carter’s ex-wife put in an appearance, finally, and the results were predictably unpredictable–in an interesting and entertaining way.
9. Noche de Suenos – Those naughty dreams… :) I still listen to “The Mask of Fargo” just for fun. (From the Eureka Soundtrack.)
10. Maneater – I know I’m not supposed to adore these kinds of episodes, but I do. I love it when the characters are forced out of character by outside influences. (Alienated almost made it on the list… but I ran out of numbers between 1 – 10.)

If you want to rewatch any of these episodes, check out my Eureka episode downloads page for links to buy them.

I had to leave so many great episodes off the list. Just know that I wish there were more than 10 slots in top ten list!

Which episodes from seasons one and two would make it into your top ten? I’d love to know.

In the meantime, I want to talk about From Fear to Eternity…

I had my moment in the sun when I realized they were following up on the Jo Lupo and Zane Donovan moment I talked about in my comments about Here Come the Suns.

Now Zane on the other hand, I adore. However, I think there’s trouble to come between him and Jo Lupo. That relationship would certainly be on the skids if Jo were able to see the look on Zane’s face when she made certain serious overtures toward him. No secretive smile from him–he wants to run away. That’s the only way I can describe that look. So look out Jo! Maybe you’ll decide Tag’s the better man after all!

Did you notice how nothing really changed from the beginning of the episode to the end, even if they seemed to have resolved their temporary breakup? So look out Zane, because I hear that we’ll be seeing Taggart again sometime in the upcoming season three episodes.

From Fear to Eternity has Zoe facing repercussions after her slip in the goo in the underground government facility beneath Eureka (Phased and Confused). Although Henry gets to work right away trying to find a cure for Zoe’s deteriorating condition, only Eva Thorne knows what’s going on—and Carter is running out of time to get the answers Zoe needs.

Throughout this season’s episodes, Eva Thorne has been walking a fine line of villainy and goodness. Her actions in the early episodes made it hard to decide if she was out to get Eureka, or if she was just misunderstood.  I’m so glad this plot was wrapped up before the break!

Of course, they left us with another big question to have answered and that’s whether or not Carter will still be Sheriff come the second half of the season. Personally, I want Carter as Sheriff Carter, but I’m sure the writers can convince me otherwise if they try! :-) Uncle Carter though? I’m really not sure about that one! What about you?

I’d really love to know if you think you’ll like where they’re going with the new baby thing. With Lexi and Allison, that’s going to be a load of kids running around underfoot! What were they thinking?!

• Season three episode downloads
• Buy the From Fear to Eternity download

In Here Come the Suns, it’s election time in Eureka. There’s been no mayor for months, and they’re ready to vote someone into office. Since it’s Eureka, it’s not a stretch to note that there aren’t any age limits on candidates, so the hopeful politicians include Zoe’s boyfriend Lucas. Vincent and Paul Herrera round out the list. Zoe gets so caught up trying to insure Lucas’s success that she ignores her science parter, who is forced to work alone on their science project.

When a second sun pops up into the sky, the heat is on.

Here Come the Suns is a great episode and I loved it, but that’s not to say I don’t have something to say about it. :-)

Lexi Carter has taken her place as a regular in this episode. She’s been as prominent, if not more so, than Henry Deacon in the last few episodes and in this one, she’s pivotal–and it has something to do with Henry. I just wished I liked her more. She seems kind of like a silly addition to the show. I love the show and I love the people of Eureka. So far there hasn’t been anyone I would like to see gone, with the notable exception of Eva Thorne, and I’m hoping that won’t be too far into the future.

With Lexi, my problem is that she’s not that fun to watch. She kind of depresses me. I don’t know if that was the intention–that Lexi become a grounding force that takes the extraordinary and makes it boring, but I sort of doubt that was the goal. However, they’ve done just that. Lexi is pregnant. She’s alone. Her laughter seems forced and her situation seems grim. Not to mention that her missing boyfriend, who hasn’t been told about his future child/children, is being done a terrible disservice. Maybe that’s the entire problem with Lexi. She’s not someone I can relate to. Her choices seem…childish. She needs to grow up and she’s competing with Zoe as the teen in need of guidance.

I’ll just have to keep watching and have faith that Eureka’s creators understand this and plan to grow Lexi.

Now Zane on the other hand, I adore. However, I think there’s trouble to come between him and Jo Lupo. That relationship would certainly be on the skids if Jo were able to see the look on Zane’s face when she made certain serious overtures toward him. No secretive smile from him–he wants to run away. That’s the only way I can describe that look. So look out Jo! Maybe you’ll decide Tag’s the better man after all!

I think this episode marks the tipping point for Degree. Cute and funny is quickly turning sour. Though we might finally be over the biggest part of the commercial hump with this episode. I found the following comments about the product placement and it’s especially relevant because it looks as though this was “the big one.”

It all began way back in October 2007 when the Sci Fi Channel announced to the Eureka staff that…we would have an official commercial sponsor this season, one that was kicking in a lot of dough and would therefore…require tons of product placement throughout Season Three.  We were also told that…ONE EPISODE in Season Three would have to incorporate a storyline in which the actual product HAD to save Eureka somehow, or at the very least, be INDISPENSABLE to Carter’s Act 5 solve….“Here Comes the Suns”…would become that episode.

Ellipses are skipped parts, so if you want to see what I cut out, read the blog post by Eric Wallace, the episode’s writer.

What some others thought of Here Come the Suns

• BlogCritics Magazine TV Review: Eureka – “Here Come the Suns”
• FilmSchoolRejects TV Review: Eureka 3.7 – Here Come the Suns

Oh, and I found this complete recap of Here Come the Suns if you want all the hot details about the episode.

I liked the way several stories played together in this episode to move the larger story of Eva Thorne closer to a climax. Hopefully, I’ll discover her secret agenda before it’s too late! I certainly don’t want to have to wait until after the mid-season break, but I have a sneaking suspicion my wishes on that might be ignored.

Phased and Confused played up two main stories. One, about Captain Eureka and his apparent crush on Lexi Carter. The other, the story that actually seemed to take the central position in the episode, was about Zoe, her friends, and Zane, and this story is the one that’s interconnected with Eva Thorne. I loved the bits the writers/producers left for me to ponder, including Zoe’s slip, which seemed much more sinister than it played out in Phased and Confused. I really think this one’s coming back for me, especially if the trailers for the next episode, From Fear to Eternity, are an accurate indication of things to come!

The one moment I can’t pass up mentioning from the show, when Jack Carter makes an oh-so-understated remark about Captain Eureka follows.

Looks like Captain Eureka gave us the finger…

–Jack Carter, Phased and Confused

Taken in context, this very literal statement was able to pull a startled laugh from me while I watched. What did you think about it? Too juvenile? Not unexpected? Some of Jack’s comments, I can see them coming, but they always seem to catch me off-guard anyway. :-)

Bummer.

I had it all worked out how Nathan Stark wasn’t moving forward in time like the rest of Eureka—so the backwards part I get. I also understand that since Stark wasn’t bathed in the Indigo Light, he wouldn’t be returning to the normal flow of time when he pushed the button to reset the out-of-sync photon that started the whole time loop. There were consequences and he suffered them.

I figured he might be in an alternate time-line somewhere doing just fine. I was sure the day would come when he would show up at some inopportune time to wreak havoc on whatever Carter was up to with Allison. I guess I was wrong. He dissipated. He is gone, dead, destroyed, ended, nonexistent. He is one with the universe. And there’s just a little bit of him left in that logic diamond of Ally’s for the rest of them—us—to mourn over.

Although…this is Eureka. It’s certainly not beyond the realm of possibility someone will invent something that’ll pull all of Nathan’s scattered photons back into a cohesive unit and bring Nathan Stark back to life.

Until then. :-)

But there were a few things about the otherwise great episode that I couldn’t get out of my mind later.

Eureka must be getting lax with its security

Lexi is an interesting character, but considering what Jack Carter had to go through in the first episode to get “in the know” about the town, I’m a little amazed at how easy it is to get people in these days.

Does she not know what’s going on? Did she have to sign a confidentiality agreement? Was there any red tape to getting her settled in the town? I would love it if the show addressed this as some point. Maybe they can allude to how she got clearance to live in Eureka when her beau comes ’round—because you know at some point in the future, he’s going to come ’round. :-)

Whether or not they eventually address the security issue isn’t going to make or break the show for me, but it would be a nice touch.

The law of attraction is not absolute

Show Me the Mummy was a good episode. I don’t know about the validity of the science involved, but I do know about common sense.

My common sense tells me that no music, no matter how attractive it is to the bugs, is going to draw every single bug right to it, right away. That one short moment, when Carter is rushing to get those bugs into the fusion-powered mega-freezer, was the moment I knew I couldn’t call Show Me the Mummy a EurekaFAN Favorite. :(

What did you think about the episode? Am I being too hard on Eureka?

Noche de Suenos (Night of Dreams) begins with a semi-truck accident. Jack saves Fargo from being run down and in the process he’s exposed to the toxic waste chemicals the semi was carrying. Soon after Jack experiences a shared dream with Jo and Zoe—and who knows who else. The shared dreams spread and Jack, along with Henry and several other members of the town start trying to track down the cause of the shared dreams before a neurochemical byproduct of the dreaming causes everyone to go into a coma and die.

The thing I most liked about this episode was getting to see each character’s innermost thoughts. While furthering the plot that involves Kevin and the artifact, this story brought home the insecurities and fantasies of several characters, including Jack, Allison, and Jo. I’m particularly fond of the “Zorro” moment and never fail to giggle when Fargo saves the day.

This was just a fun episode, despite the dire side effects of the shared dreaming. What’d you think about it?