Saying goodbye is never easy, but you don’t have to destroy the world over it
Jack (Colin Ferguson) is having a hell of a day. His daughter gets accepted into Harvard, his girlfriend gets her dream job and the North Pole moves to Eureka. Under other circumstances, these might be good things or even great things. But on this particular day, it’s all bad news. As Jack succinctly put it, “So the laws of physics are in peril, my daughter’s moving out, and the world’s coming to an end.”
Zoe (Jordan Hinson) is only a junior in high school, but after succumbing to the pressure to apply for early admission to medical school, she miraculously gets in — to Harvard. It’s only 3,000 miles away from Eureka and her overly-protective father who thought he had another year to get used to the idea that she was going to college.
Then Tess (Jamie Rae Newman) had applied for her dream job operating a space telescope program in Australia, the week before she started dating Jack. So when she gets the news that she got the job, she is tempted to take it as she will soon be out of a job once Allison returns and it is the job she’s always wanted. Tess simply had no idea that there was a relationship right around the corner that it would make her decision to leave Eureka so difficult.
And as for the sudden emergence of a new North Pole — well, that’s just Lucas (Vanya Asher) trying to show off so that he too can get into Harvard and join Zoe there. But for every well-intentioned plan, there’s some fiasco lying in wait as a sneaky bad silver-lining.
So not only does Jack have to deal with the sudden news of the imminent departure of both his daughter and girlfriend, he has to save the day — again. But being the hero of Eureka, he pulls it off and resignedly says his good-byes to both Tess and Zoe, not wanting to stand in the way to their dreams.
What Worked
The re-introduction of Martha, the former killer drone, was awesome. It was a relief that she was working for the side of good this time around and not out to kill everyone on sight. However, I still felt a shiver of anxiety each time she appeared, so it was fun to see how she participated in saving the day this time.
It was also funny to hear about this horrific future cataclysmic event called Nemesis that everyone was freaked out about, only then to find out that it was not supposed to occur for another 2,000 years. Jack’s exasperation over Fargo’s crying wolf was fun to behold.
Then, after being MIA for a number of episodes, it was nice to see Julia (Leela Savasta) again. The list of things to do that Fargo (Neil Grayston) came up with was pretty hysterical and added some of the better comedy of the episode. It was also hilarious each time Fargo got stuck to a ceiling or wall due to his anemic health condition. Talk about a painful and awkward medical side-effect.
There was also some great comedic moments watching Jack walk-like-a-zombie through Lucas’ garage to get to the amplifier that Lucas had built to replicate the effects of Nemesis. But it begs the question, now that Jack and Zoe have the injected muscle-control devices, will that be a future problem it someone gets a hold of the control box? And Jack’s line of, “who could have created a mini death-star?” was priceless!
And at the end, the dual-goodbyes between Tess and Jack, and then Jack and Zoe were poignant with the lines: “If I hate it I can come back” and “you can come back even if you don’t hate it.” It leaves the door open to the return of one or both of them.
But the crowning moment and the perfect way to end the episode was with Jack answering the phone and saying, “Allison, I was just going to call you!” Allison may be gone for the moment on maternity leave, but she is not forgotten.
What Didn’t Work
As cool as it looked watching the swimming pool burst into flames, it seems a bit overly melodramatic to have Zoe actually jump into the pool and then have to have Jack come to her rescue.
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
“What Goes Around, Comes Around” written by Jaime Paglia, and directed by Matt Hastings. “Eureka” stars Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Joe Morton, Jordan Hinson, Erica Cerra, Neil Grayston, Chris Gauthier and Niall Matter. “Eureka” airs Fridays on Syfy.
The TV Watchtower 