The long-awaited fifth season of “Eureka” opened with a bang, but ended with a well-worn whimper. Was it worth the wait? Well, Jack was back and Jack was whack, but other than that I could have told you on Friday what was going to happen on Monday night.
It followed in the same tried-and-true traditions that “Eureka” is famous for — a blockbuster beginning, lots of special effects, and a few plot twists and turns, but when the bad old meanie, Beverly Barlow (played with evil Snidely Whiplash glee by Debrah Farentino), shows her face, it was just the same old same old.
So let me catch you up if you haven’t kept track. At the end of season four-and-a-half, Allison (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) says “yes” to moving in with Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) along with her two children. But before the lucky lovebirds get the chance to smooch and tell, a malfunction occurs and Allison gets stuck inside the Astreaus ship with the rest of the crew. The doors lock and, quicker than a supernova, they are thrust into the unknown (hopefully on their way to Titan) leaving , Jack, Jo (Erica Cerra), and Henry (Joe Morton) out in Deep Space Nine.
The season opener begins with the crew waking up, surviving a near death collision with what they think is Titan, but soon discover they have landed on good old Terra Firma, only four years later but a whole lotta different.
Sarah, Jack’s smart house, now runs Global Dynamics with her beau Robot Andy and a gazillion Andy replicas that police the grounds, which is very reminiscent to the futuristic world of “Blade Runner,” with weird-looking space ship thingies floating around, zapping here and there to keep the vox populi under control. We soon learn that in the four-year span that the crew was away, Henry has lost his position as town mayor and all-around genius, Jo and Jack have moved in together in happy co-habitation and have raised Allison’s two children, and Beverly Barlow is back and badder than ever.
Even though it’s the beginning of the end and it might have been a bit hackneyed, “Eureka” will always be that special someplace that I wish was real and I could retire to. After all, who wouldn’t want to live in a place with a hot sheriff and have a smart house where all your meals are prepared. Heck, you don’t even have to shop, experience fantastic inventions, and are able to drop by Cafe Diem for a spot of whatever, whenever you want to?
Not for Nuthin, but I’m down, evil Beverly Barlow and all.
Joanna DelBuono writes about national issues and television shows every Wednesday on BrooklynDaily.com.
