It is just another day in Eureka…
Any time there is an episode with the word ‘mirror’ in the title, most people, (well, okay, maybe half of the audience), will immediately start thinking of the metaphorical symbolism.
Even though we may not fully understand it all, we are inexplicably drawn to the fascination of duality, the battle of good versus evil, the sensual id and the logical ego…in short, all of the metaphysical, psychological, mental states a person can be in.
In fact, that is my focus in most of my reviews if you have read them. But in this week’s episode of Syfy’s Eureka, things got a bit more literal.
Before continuing with my analysis, courtesy of Syfy we include the promotional trailer for the next wonderfully exciting episode of Eureka for your enjoyment!
Mirror, Mirror:
As the episode opens, we are drawn in to the aura of fear hovering over Eureka as people respond to last weeks’ revelation of the spy. Even though the aura does not entirely carry through the episode, it is obvious that people are still scared to even leave their homes, which will raise the paranoia and lower the trust level as things reach a head in the series finale.
As the series continues to draw to a close, it is evident that the writers have taken the remainder of the season and stretched it over a story arc of seasons, conveniently ending each episode on a cliffhanger starting with last week’s stunning revelation of Grace, (Tembi Locke) as a spy and Henry, (Joe Morton), as her accessory, (or was she an accessory to him?).
This particular episode gave a startling nod right back to the pilot episode of the series in which Zoe Carter, (Jordan Hinson), saw her and her father driving by in an identical car, which caused the accident that led them to Eureka. In this week, Jo Lupo, (Erica Cerra), and Jack Carter, (Colin Ferguson), nearly hit themselves on the same road as the ‘smart dust’ starts creating literal mirrors of everyone.
Will there be some kind of nod in the series closer? Perhaps! Regardless, we are drawn in each week to the intense drama that is growing now to explosive proportions, and cannot help but feel the inevitable end is going to be catastrophic for at least some characters.
Back to the episode and inside Global Dynamics, however, the heartbeat of life continues as Holly Marten, (Felicia Day), literally signs herself back into existence.
Once she has completed the necessary paperwork, she suddenly finds herself facing the age-old question that everyone who has been dead and now is not must face: What now?
Perhaps she should talk to Carson Beckett, (Paul McGillion)!
She is in some ways a clone after all and Eureka DOES do the whole interdimensional thing and time travel…too far of a stretch for a real connection? Eh, it was worth a try.
Anyway, she finds herself overwhelmed by choices, and Douglas Fargo, (Neil Grayston) and Zane Donovan, (Niall Matter), do their best to calm her.
Eventually she acquiesces to at least hanging out in Zane’s lab to search for ideas. Once in there, however, the idea finds her…or at least she starts pulling a “Raymond Prentiss Shaw,” (for those of you who do not know what I am referencing, find yourself a copy of the original “The Manchurian Candidate” right now).
Shortly afterwards, Holly begins moving quietly through Global Dynamics and Eureka, utilizing Deputy Andy, (Kavan Smith), to overpower and duplicate the town’s top officials for a purpose still unknown. Though it cannot be assumed it is not anything good, we are surprised and wonder who is behind Holly’s actions!
We mourned Holly’s death terribly at the start of the season, and silently begged the gods, (i.e. the writers and producers of the show, not to mention Day herself), to not have this be the end for her beloved character and force Douglas Fargo to be heartbroken for the remainder of the series.
We were richly rewarded with her return to human form, but now the cost of seeing her again is proving devastating for the town of Eureka. Grace’s sudden return and her eagerness to build Holly a body was suspicious to start with, and by now we see the full reasons why. Beverly Barlowe, (Debrah Farentino), and Senator Wen, (Ming-Na), may no longer be associated with Eureka, but the consortium they were working for clearly still intends to control the greatest scientific discoveries ever made – which puts the whole world at risk.
Further breaking down the use of Holly Marten as a pawn, this gives Felicia Day a chance to pull off a sweet, unassuming character with a hint of maliciousness – which she does very well. Doctor Marten has always been known to be eccentric, and her slightly off-kilter eyes and manic smile keep most people off of the scent until she is forced to pop her claws at Alison Blake, (Salli Richardson-Whitfield).
Felicia Day lets a little madness shine through in her eyes that will send chills down anyone’s spine, (comparable with the chilling performances given by Jodelle Ferland, an actress I consider to be born for horror movies). We are relieved and joyous to see Holly Marten, but wow, has she gotten creepy!
Deputy Andy is the second person to be indoctrinated, and the choice to have him be shown is one I am extremely curious about.
It is fascinating from a scientific standpoint that the same kind of neural impulses created by the ‘brainwashing email’ (yes, I am finally starting to talk like Carter when it comes to science), would effect both organic neural pathways and Andy’s positronic circuits.
That kinda puts another dent in the debate about how human are robots and how robots are human. Our brains are computers, some people say, and even that has been utilized multiple times on Eureka, (Holly was in fact ‘rebooted’ last week because of the degradation of her memory pathways).
From a story standpoint, taking Andy was brilliant. Like Holly, Andy is one of the more eccentric members of Eureka. His blatant honesty, happy-go-lucky attitude, and refreshing bluntness make him a standout amongst the citizens because people in general are not used to hard, simple fact being laid out before them.
They prefer grey areas and emotional involvement. Andy has started to enter the grey area, but not too much. It takes quite a while for Jack Carter to realize, “something is rotten in the state of Denmark” – but by the time he makes the connection, he figures out everything at once.
Returning now to the episode, we find Jo Lupo in a stalemate as she struggles to hide or erase the evidence linking Henry Deacon to Grace’s treason and espionage counts. Through increasingly illegal means and ideas, (even going so far as to bend her own rules and ask Zane to breach security), Jo pursues all avenues to save her friend. She has been one of my favorite characters throughout the entire series – in fact I think it is safe to say she is my favorite – and watching her grow and change has been a joy every week.
Her last name, Lupo, is of course a nod to ‘wolf’ symbolizing her determination, loyalty, and powerful force of spirit, and she can be trusted to never waver against those she has claimed as her own. While emotion has forced her to falter and she obviously has a breaking point, she can be counted upon to find the best possible solution with the resources presented her. She has been a solid fictional embodiment of an admirable police officer, and my praise goes out to Erica Cerra for her amazing work on the character.
Further along the line of ‘devastating’ characters, the show has been equally unkind to the solid, dependable, sometimes-emotional Henry Deacon. Like Fargo, Deacon is another man who cannot catch a break in the love life department. On top of everything else he has gone through, (including forcing Eureka to live in an alternate timeline so he could save the woman he loved), he has finally learned that his wife is a spy for the very people that put him in the situation he is now in.
To make matters worse, his doppelganger, (or rather, the Henry that was in that universe before him), was their point of contact and in fact was the man who involved Grace in the whole mess. It seems like Henry has finally reached a breaking point as he turns himself in to Carter and Lupo.
With reality pressing on their doors, Henry also rejects science as a way out. He has logical reasons for doing so – who would believe the whole twisted tale of Seasons 4 and 5 if it was presented to them at the eleventh hour to keep a man from going to jail?
Henry Deacon is a good man who perhaps has learned from Jack Carter’s loyalty, (not that he was not loyal before…) – or perhaps Henry Deacon is a good scientist who sees the way things could play out and is drawing the most logical conclusion. Either way, it does not look good for one of Eureka’s top creative and scientific brains.
Finally, the third storyline of the episode follows the ‘smart dust’ that is hopefully going to resolve climate change. Jo describes it brilliantly as similar to the sun visors put on cars, (which Jack appreciates heavily).
Their enthusiasm fades, however, as they learn that Fargo is going to be the one to distribute the dust into the air – and is returned equally fast when the plan seems to go off without a hitch. Such is not the case – someone is controlling the smart dust, and reflections start to show up all over in the woods outside Eureka.
It almost seems as though the town is being transformed and protected by the mirrors, so the overarching question is ‘what is going to happen when the smart dust finally cloaks the town completely’? This will likely be answered in the next couple of episodes now that even Jack Carter has succumbed to the attacks taking place.
We see glimpses of him returning in the next episode, but how far is he going to get – and how far has everyone gotten without him there? One thing is for sure: the writers of the show are gonna make sure the last episode is truly Eureka!
This has been my final review for this remarkably quirky, fun, and intelligent series. I am saddened that I came to find it so late, and relieved that I was able to contribute in many formats to its final season, both as a viewer and reviewer.
I want to personally thank the cast and crew for all the work they have done in forming these complex storylines while keeping everything understandable and even having us rolling on the ground laughing at some of the most ironic things – even when we did not always know what we were laughing at.
The acting has been breathtaking to say the least, and the roller coaster of quantum physics kept us guessing at every turn. The at-home feel of the show gave us all a family to watch on Mondays, and now, (with a tear in my eye at least), I wave goodbye to that mysterious little bridge and the wonders that lie behind it.
#GoodbyeEureka
“Mythical is just another word for ‘not yet discovered’.” -Douglas Fargo
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I and the WHR team look forward to and will be Seeing You on The Other Side“!
Regards,
Nayari09 (Pam)
Happy Saturday Pam,
As always your analysis goes above review revealing special meanings in the series episodes you write for WHR. Thank you for an outstanding look into the soul of Eureka!
Best Regards,
Kenn
PS: Passes tissues since their are only two episodes left!