TVSquad

(S03E01) With the return of Eureka, I think my summer viewing schedule is now complete. It's not exactly fall premiere season, but it's hard to complain about summer schedules anymore, given the amount of great programming available. When last we left our favorite eggheads, and Carter, there were two big questions in play. How would Allison respond to Stark's proposal? And would Henry go to jail? We got one of those answers, and a very short peek at where will be headed in season three.

As far as cliffhangers go, those are both pretty light weight stuff. Stargate left half of their cast buried in rubble as they ended their last season, so a proposal and a possible arrest lack a certain grandness. It actually makes sense for the way Eureka is playing out though. Season two wrapped up the big artifact story, leaving season three to start with a, mostly, fresh slate. That's a good decision. In Eureka, a little serial goes a long way.

Getting to the answers, didn't you think that Allison was going to say 'yes'? It's far too early in the going for her to be settling down with Carter, even though we all know that's where she'll end up. She may have said yes to the proposal, but I don't think Stark should be counting on that wedding actually happening. As for Henry, he did go to jail, but it's still up in the air just how long he's staying for. I'm betting he'll be back before too awfully long.

Ah, but the rest of the GD team didn't get off scott-free. They're stuck dealing with, The Fixer. I like the addition. With everything that's happened in Eureka, it makes sense that someone up the chain is going to want a little oversight. I couldn't help but think of Stargate: Atlantis' Woolsey when looking at Eva Thorne (Frances Fisher). She's quickly learning the same lesson that he did. The normal rules just don't apply in their new environs.

That's something we saw in great detail with the Martha saga. Only in Eureka do they create an A.I. capable of learning, and give it weaponry capable of destroying buildings. I wouldn't call the Martha story the best of the series, but it did its job as a backdrop to get us involved with all of the characters again. The fact that the wife was ultimately behind the bungled demonstration was a surprise, but the story of the scientist that was under appreciated did feel a little familiar.

Watching the episode, again, the thing that most stands out to me is the relationship between Carter and Stark. It seemed like they were making some progress in the season two finale. Like the two of them had finally found some common ground. Yeah, that really didn't last long. There's still a reluctant respect, but they just don't like each other. I especially like the little digs, like Stark answering the question about why Martha shot at Eva instead of Carter, "Poor judgment."

Overall, it was a nice welcome back episode. The gangs all here, mostly, and it feels right. My only complaint would be that I could have gone for a little less Larry, preferably replaced with an appearance by Tag. In fact, I would have been ok with the episode ending without that last telling scene with Eva. Having the show back was good enough for this week, we'll start to tackle the vast conspiracy in the coming weeks. For more on what's in store for season three, be sure to check out Rich's report from the Eureka Comic-Con panel.

Best crazy science quote of the week: "Maybe that photon blast she absorbed somehow supercharged her microprocessor."