TV Review: Eureka 3.8 – From Fear to Eternity

Posted by Kevin Carr (kevin@filmschoolrejects.com) on September 24, 2008

Eureka

Eureka, SciFi, Airs Tuesday 9/8c

Episode: “From Fear to Eternity” (Season Three, Episode 8)

Synopsis: Sheriff Carter (Colin Ferguson) and Dr. Blake (Salli Richardson) want to investigate the dead bodies found in the abandoned lab. They make plans to discover what Eva Thorne (Francis Fisher) is hiding beneath the town of Eureka. Even though they have stopped her from incinerating the underground lab, they discover Thorne has brought in a specialist to seal it off forever. Meanwhile, Zoe (Jordan Hinson) starts to feel a special case of exhaustion that might be connected to the underground lab and the dead bodies.

Review: While not the greatest episode of Eureka this year, it’s a huge step up from last week’s election episode. It was nice to see the secrets of Eva Thorne revealed for good, wrapping up her character’s storyline rather nicely. If you also noticed the purple goo that Zoe slipped on a few weeks back, you’ll be vindicated in thinking that it was going to be a significant plot point.

I’m not sad to see Thorne’s storyline finished. She was a bit of a drag, and her downsizing prowess threatened to make the show less fun. The mysteries of the underground lab open up a new angle to the Eureka universe, but it does make me wonder why the show has abandoned other high-concept story arcs like the web of nerves at the heart of Global Dynamics and Allison’s son Kevin.

As mid-season finales go, “From Fear to Eternity” falls about in the middle. It didn’t get as schmaltzy as the Psych mid-season finale, but it also didn’t whet our appetite with a cliffhanger like we saw last year with Battlestar Galactica. I’ll still be watching Eureka when it comes back in a few months, but I hope they focus on some of the mysteries of the town… and hopefully drop Lexi from the show, ‘cause she’s just a downer.

Up Next Week: Reruns until the second half of season three continues in a couple months.

For more coverage of your favorite shows, check out the Control Freaks Archive.

Did you watch Eureka this week? If so, feel free to discuss below.