Foray into Science Fiction (4)


I've been building up one doozy of a case of cabin fever for the last week and a half. I can't breathe. My little sister decided this was a great time to pick a fight. She insisted that she couldn't wait for me to watch the last hour of Daniel Deronda; she absolutely had to watch another episode of Eureka RIGHT THEN. Our house simply does not have the bandwidth to support two simultaneous streamings, so we tiffed - rather loudly.

In honor of the frustration of trying to get a bipolar teen to be patient or empathetic, this blog is about Eureka.

Eureka is set at the present time, and I believe somewhere in Northern California. The story is basically about a marginally street-smart U.S. Marshall who stumbles upon a secret little town populated by the leading technological geniuses. The town is funded by the Department of Defense, and the local company, Global Dynamics, has an entire top-secret section (Section 5) devoted to weapons and defense development.

The humor of the show comes as the new Sheriff Jack Carter, IQ 111, and his clever and criminal teen daughter Zoe encounter all of the technological oddities of their genius little town. His car and house both have a personality (her name is Sarah). Most of the animals are either genetically engineered beyond recognition, or mechanical. High School Science Fairs require teflon gear. Geniuses can be remarkably stupid.

Other characters include: Jo, the ballerina Barbie meets Rambo Deputy; Nathan Stark, head snark (and jealous ex-husband), Allison Blake, head of GD, Stark's ex-wife, and Carter's crush; Fargo, the dunce (adequate IQ, but hides a Sarah Michelle Gellar doll in his desk); and Lo-jack, bane of dog-catchers. Other major characters whose names I can't remember are the dog-catcher, whose Australian accent makes me cringe, and the brilliant chef who runs the local cafe. Other interesting characters come and go, sometimes permanently, sometimes regularly, for better or worse.

It's always good for a giggle.

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