The SyFy Channel series Eureka (2006-2012) depicted a “U.S. Marshall who [became] the sheriff of a remote cozy little Northwestern town of Eureka where the best minds in the US…secretly [were] tucked away to build futuristic inventions for the government.” The series ran for five seasons of charmingly humorous science that frequently would have things “go disastrously wrong.”
The central humor of this story is the storyline of characters intermixed with the mayhem where science runs comically amok. Colin Ferguson as Sheriff Jack Carter is the everyman at the center of saving the day for whatever dilemma the individual series brought. Part of the early series focused on the sheriff’s relationship with his rebellious daughter Zoe Carter, as played by Jordan Danger.
Jo Lupo, as played by Erica Cerra, plays the combative deputy to Jack Carter, first as a rough and tumble competitor. Lupo becomes romantically attached to Jim Taggart, as played by Matt Frewer, and Zane Donovan as played by Niall Matter, through the course of the series. The antagonistic yet playful relationships among these characters serves the irreverent stories of the five seasons well.
Central to the storyline of Eureka is the character of Allison Blake, as portrayed by Salli Richardson-Whitfield. Allison tangles at first with the complicated relationship between her ex-husband Nathan Stark, who is played by Ed Quinn. It feels like the original plan was for Nathan Stark to last in the series longer than he did, as Stark and Allison parent Kevin Blake as played first by Meshach Peters and later by Trevor Jackson. Nathan fathers a second child with Allison during the series, yet his character leaves the series with Trevor Grant and Jack Carter becoming love interests at different points in the series. James Callis plays Trevor Grant in one of the more satisfying yet short lived storylines in the series.
Beverly Barlowe, as played by Debrah Farentino, is written as one of the more complicated characters through the course of the series. In offering a character whose narrative arc follows a logical yet emotionally complicated path across a fascinating storyline across the series, my only clue in this review is to articulate that her angle is personal, ethically misguided, yet of a compelling human quality to make her story interesting. Barlowe’s tale stands out as interesting, too, in comparison to the story of Henry Deacon as played by Joe Morton. Deacon parallels Jack as an everyman of the scientific community yet with a complicated history that at first intersects with a deceased wife and then with a wife he grows to care for through complicated means named Grace Monroe. Tembi Locke plays Grace Monroe.
Douglas Fargo, also the voice of the automated intelligence for Jack Carter’s house S.A.R.A.H., is played by Neil Grayston. In many ways, Fargo is the comic relief first for Nathan Stark and later for the full storyline Eureka. Douglas comes into a friendly rivalry with Isaac Parrish, played by Wil Wheaton, as both have a scientific rivalry and ultimately a rivalry of the heart when it comes to Holly Marten, as played by Felicia Day. Deputy Andy as played by Kavan Smith along with Carpe Diem proprietor Vincent, as played by Chris Gauthier, add comedic value through the course of the series as well.
As mentioned with a partial review on Rotten Tomatoes, Eureka kept an “assured sense of humor and game [that kept] it afloat, though an increased sense of stakes and willingness to switch up its formula [in later seasons] add[ed] some welcome excitement.” A pair of disjointed holiday episodes aside that did offer entertainment value, the full narrative of the Eureka series entertained me to the point of recommending you view the series. I rate the series Eureka at 4.0-stars on a scale of one-to-five.
Matt – Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Matt Lynn Digital 