Review: 'Eureka' - Show Me The Mummy
The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the episode "Show Me the Mummy" from the SciFi Channel series, "Eureka."
This episode was a bit of a departure than the normal episode of "Eureka." Instead of focusing on some new technology gone awry, this one tackled the ancient lore of Egyptian mummies and curses in an entertaining, yet uneven fashion. Despite the difference in focus, it was pretty much business as usual in "Eureka." That isn?t necessarily bad, but it is getting to be a bit too routine.
In the first "Post-Stark" episode, Stark somehow managed to return, albeit in the form of a hologram he programmed onto Allison's necklace. What's this have to do with mummies? Absolutely nothing. But for some odd reason, Stark kept appearing to Allison and only at the end did she discover the nature of the transmission.
Perhaps this was supposed to connect with the storyline of the mummies living through eternity, and that Stark will love Allison forever, but if so, it wasn't terribly clear. The projections were scattered throughout the episode and they made little to no sense at the time. I know Ed Quinn probably still had episodes left on his contract, but really, in terms of the overall story arc, all we needed to see was his message at the end.
Again, what does that have to do with mummies? Not much, and that was the problem I had with this episode. The elements just didn?t seem to fit together. I understand that they had to mourn Stark, but Fargo deifying him, even to point of thinking he was in heaven when he saw Stark?s hologram, was a bit too much.
When the episode focused on the mummy storyline, it was interesting. I don?t think anyone ever thought the mummy had actually come to life, and nobody probably fell for the ruse that Fargo might actually die. After killing off a major character last week, this episode was played very safe.
I've accepted the fact that this show has hit its decline prematurely. While I enjoyed it for what it was: mildly entertaining yet sappy, it simply is not up to the standards of the first two seasons. Less than 24 hours after watching it, I had to re-watch some parts to jog my memory enough to write this review. It has become a show with likeable characters but very little substance.
What Worked.
I'm glad that this episode went into some ancient lore to develop a storyline. The combination of ancient lore and futuristic technology is an odd, yet interesting mix.
What Didn't Work
Carter figured out way too many things in this episode. I understand that he has to put on over on the scientists every once in a while, but this week it was a bit overboard. He figured out nearly every mystery. It seems like they gave Carter that part of Stark?s role, and it just doesn?t fit his character.
I knew that awful music that Jack?s sister Lexi was listening to would end up being useful. This seemed to be an enormous reach on the part of the writers. Somehow, out of all the musical patterns and frequencies in the world, this is the one that would stop the bugs. It is so blatantly convenient it fails to sustain any level of believability at all.
Giving Credit Where Credit is Due "Eureka" airs new episodes every Tuesday on the SciFi Channel. The show stars Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson, and Ed Quinn.
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