Yesterday ’s Eureka was all about human relationship . The townsfolk ’s many couple think vary levels of dedication , from renewed marriage to administration - sanctioned Romance language to casual gender . Also , deadly gas from Titan follow their own kinship : combining together to destroy the town .
“ Clash of the Titans ” brings in special client star Wallace Shawn , whom most of you young people probably call up as Wallace Shawn in My Dinner with Andre . ( He ’s also Vizzini in The Princess Bride , Rex in the Toy Story flick , and DS9 ’s Grand Nagus . ) He ’s a tidy sum of fun here – albeit in an on purpose annoying variety of mode – as a Department of Defense administrative official direct to measure whether Jack and Allison ’s kinship is satisfactory , or if it present an untenable conflict of interest .
As it happens , seemingly everyone else in Eureka is assess their own kinship . Henry and Grace are preparing to regenerate their vows — in Henry ’s event , for the first fourth dimension in this timeline — but Henry is n’t totally sure Grace has let the sure-enough version of him go . Zane now has his pardon and , with it , the freedom to go anywhere he wants , and neither he nor Jo is uncoerced to accommodate that they might want to remain with each other … so they delay his going with a whole lot of sexual urge . speak of which , Holly adjudicate the good mode to deal with the sexual tension she has with Fargo is to have sex with him , but Fargo is n’t at all sure he desire to give up on the probability at an actual relationship with her .
In the midst of all this , the robotic rover Tiny has returned from Titan , but it forthwith explode . Various gases – methane , ethane , ammonia , and nitrogen – are seeping through the town , and it ca n’t be a happenstance that those are all launch in eminent concentration on Titan . Any of the gases by themselves could represent a peril , and all four blend threaten to destroy the townspeople .
“ Clash of the Titans ” is not a bad episode , by any means , but it ’s lacking that extra bit of focus or thematic coherence that could have really set it aside . The four human relationship under the microscope are all — with one potential exception — dead interesting little stories , and they offer some insight into the various character . But it seems like there ’s a real chance to cockle these various tale together , to have each pair comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the others , and we do n’t really get that here .
To be sure , Jo ’s own vacillation about Zane advertize her into the position of impromptu ( and unwanted ) wedding deviser for Henry and Grace , and there ’s perhaps the sense that Zane expend the advice he give to Fargo as a path to recognize what he really desire from his kinship with Jo . ( This is undercut more or less when he explicitly pronounce he gave spoilt advice for Fargo , but what the hey . ) But these are n’t super impregnable connections , and it seems a bit unearthly to put all these relationship next to each other and then leave them largely independent . For instance , Holly ’s desire to skitter straight to sex with Fargo might have some interesting parallel with Henry make to jump right into the center of a marriage with a woman he scarce knew .
What ’s interesting is that the episode actually includes the frame-up for a scene where Henry and Fargo discuss their post and perhaps reach some vulgar understanding — it ’s when Fargo , Henry , and Carter are together trying to solve the Titan gasolene mystery , and Fargo is more concerned in moping than saving the day . Of course , Carter makes it clear that there are more crucial thing to vex about , and so we stay with the ostensible primary plot , in which he has to discover a way to compute out what ’s causing the monumental leaks of mortal gun .
The thing is , that whole mystery might objectively be more authoritative , what with the whole living - threatening risk and all , but I ’d argue it ’s not nearly as interesting as all the fibre stuff . ( Honestly , I ’m already having bother commemorate the precise nature of the threat , and I just see the episode twenty minutes ago . ) I ’m not saying Eureka should have taken a page from the ( absolutely incredible ) TNG episode “ Family ” and just made the entire hr a peril - free geographic expedition of the characters ’ human relationship , but I would say this episode could have benefited from a somewhat concentrate focus on the threat - of - the - week .
The one matter that does fascinate me about all this is how this reflects back on Carter . Back in my “ Omega Girls ” recap , I suggested that the show ’s tendency to hit a flake of a reset button when it comes to the more serialized element is , on some stratum , a rumination of the fact that Carter just is n’t the sort of cat to hold a score . Over time , most appearance are kick the bucket to take on view of their cardinal character , and it ’s deserving remembering that for all Carter ’s valiance ( not to mention how unspoilt Colin Ferguson is in the role ) , he still has some fairly clear limitations .
The big one here , it seems , is an unwillingness to define what his relationship with Allison actually is . He ’s happy to just let it be whatever it will be , which seems like a decently ripe approach path until it becomes clear that Wallace Shawn ’s bureaucrat is n’t going to take that for an answer , and he has it in his power to terminate their kinship . The episode raises the enquiry a span of times as to just what Allison and Carter are , and what future they could have together — and I ’m not at all convinced there was any serious attempt made to answer those seemingly logical interrogation .
Carter is too good - natured — mellow , even — a guy to get into silly fights with Allison over just what they are . But it also seems like he ’s not really uncoerced to fight properly for his right to be with her , at least not until it ’s seemingly too former . In that sense , some of the episode ’s lack of abrupt focus realize more sentiency . If Carter clearly does n’t want to sing about it , perhaps it make sentience that the instalment seemingly does n’t want to either .
Now , make no mistake , what we actually got in this instalment was generally pretty unspoilt . I thought the other family relationship storylines were all well - handled , and even the Fargo / Holly fib — which very easy could have descended into one overlong and rather adolescent sexual practice joke — manage to conduct some emotional resonance , thanks in part to another nice turning by Neil Grayston . But still , I ca n’t help but think this episode could have had quite a bit more to say .
Television
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