Eureka: Season 1 [DVD]

Item arrived on time and as described!

I got this primarily so I could bone up for the crossover episode in season 2 of Warehouse 13, but this turned out to be a really good show with plenty of likeable characters, quirky humor and interesting storylines. My aunt even likes watching it with me. Here’s an episode guide, with synopsizes from the DVD box.1. Pilot: After U.S. Marshall Jack Carter and his fugitive daughter find themselves lost on a lonely back road, their chance arrival in an odd small town will change their travel plans forever. This is better than the pilots for Warehouse 13 and Alphas. A+2. Many Happy Returns: Home sweet home gets a new twist when Jack moves into a “smart house” with a mind of its own, and a former resident of Eureka returns to find out why she’s been reported dead. A3. Before I forget: Memory lapses prove deadly when Jack suspects a visiting scientist of tampering with residents’ minds for his own benefit. A4. Alienated: Messages from outer space have some Eureka residents convinced that a visiting legislator is much more dangerous than he seems. B+5. Invincible: When an accidental lab explosion destroys years of research on cellular regeneration, a sensitive scientist finds himself biochemically altered beyond his wildest dreams.A+6. Dr. Nobel:When Fargo accidentally activates long-forgotten Cold War missiles, it’s up to Jack to find the computer’s source before Eureka becomes a giant crater. This isn’t the best episode, but it’s not bad. B7. Blink: Jack’s in the ultimate race for survival when some Section 5 employees access a top-secret drug that makes them too speedy to catch. A8. Right as Raynes: Rebellious behavior has Jack scratching his head when Zoe acts out while he traces an annoying citywide computer glitch to a charismatic programmer. An excellent episode, with a touching ending. A+9. Primal: The fate of Eureka depends on a kiss when Jack discovers that robot nanoids have begun replicating themselves, and the only way to stop them is to make Stark jealous by kissing Allison. This would have been a good episode, if it weren’t for the fact that Taggert’s incompetence probably lead to the problem of the week (A couple people getting killed is on his head, and he doesn’t seem to feel anything.). If he had properly put the lid on the nanoids and they still managed to escape it would have been a pretty good episode. C-10. Purple Haze: Change is in the air when Eureka residents wake up after a typically calm night with absolutely none of their former inhibitions. A+11. H.O.U.S.E. Rules: House-hunting takes on a new meaning when Jack, Allison, Stark, Beverly, Fargo and Henry are trapped in the “smart house” with its devilish alter ego, B.R.A.D. Like with Primal this episode is one scene away from being good. There are plenty of great scenes, but one ruins it for me (I don’t want to spoil it; you’ll probably know it when you see it). C12. Once in a Lifetime: The space-time continuum is severely tested when the 2,010 residents of Eureka discover they’ve been living in an alternate timeline and the “real” future is encroaching on their idyllic world. An excellent season finale. A+I ordered season 2 after watching the first 8 episodes, and am really looking forward to it and the future seasons, especially the episodes Crossing Over (where Claudia from Warehouse 13 goes to Eureka) and Do You See What I See (which sounds awesome).

Eureka has everything going for it: fun story lines that are either inventive or clever re-tellings of familiar ones, smart dialogue that never takes itself too seriously for too long and does not fall into the trap of being too self-aware ; and actors who find just the right spot for their characters, pretty much from the get-go.As a sci-fi show about a City of über-nerds decades in advance on the rest of the planet, it is interesting enough, cleverly avoiding an uneasy comparison with very real science towns of the past, typically in the old Soviet Union. The characters of Eureka are so individualistic, quirky and likable that one is not too concerned about the questionable nature of this elitist environment which seems to have (limited) accountability only to the DoD. It even gets real-life dilemmas very real, as when Henry and Nathan argue over the goals of basic research and the Big Money or Big Guns compromises that make them possible. You don't see this articulated too often on television, and never as simply or as smartly as on Eureka.The success of the show, though, is in its greatest part the success of its actors. Observe for instance the work done by Colin Ferguson, who probably channels the comedic timing of his early years with Second City into a Sheriff Carter who is the perfect Straight Man, serious throughout but regularly triggering good old fun along the way.Observe also the work done by Ed Quinn (Nathan Stark) who grows gradually from an annoying suit (what new Sheriff Carter sees initially) to a more layered, interesting character as the season progresses. In Season Two, because of a modification of his situation, Stark will become even more complex, but Season One already shows the transformation in motion, explaining why Allison Blake, though separated/divorced from her husband, is still very close to him, much to Carter's chagrin. Of course, we see Stark evolving because Carter himself is forced to gradually see him in a more complex way. This is typically what you can expect from Eureka and what gives an otherwise expectable sci-fi fare its unusual zest.The show knows how to be touching, as in the connection Carter has with his daughter. It is hilarious when Carter, even though he solves a lot of their problems, is gently treated as a lovable half-wit by the other residents of Eureka, or when Carter harasses Fargo, typically about his secret Buffy the Vampire Slayer infatuation. It is poignant when Henry has to face impossible choices and their consequences which will carry over into season two.For a show that started as a project for an animated series, Eureka is remarkably human, without even giving the impression of trying too hard. With its good (and probably unexpected)good ratings, it will hopefully continue to evolve for many seasons. And with its underlying arcs (the Artifact, Beverly's role, Allison's son...) it has a built-in path to do just that.

In the UK it used the title ' A Town Called Eureka ' and Season three is now in Production.Take it from me there is several large websites with Podcasts etc etc + of course the Season 1 DVD comes with ' ten Hours ' of Bonus material.If you are into the ' X Files ' or ' Taken ' then you will love ' EUReKA 'once you buy into the concept { see below } you will be hooked . A (CONFIDENTIAL) TOWN HISTORYAs World War II came to a close with mushroom clouds over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the impact that science and technology would have on the continued security of our world became catastrophically apparent. America nearly lost the race to build the atomic bomb; it could not risk such a close call again.With the help of Albert Einstein and other trusted advisors, President Harry S. Truman commissioned a top-secret residential development in a remote area of the Pacific Northwest, one that would serve to protect and nurture America's most valuable intellectual resources. There our nation's greatest thinkers, the über-geniuses working on the next era of scientific achievement, would be able to live and work in a supportive environment.The best architects and planners were commissioned to design a welcoming place for these superlative geniuses to reside, an area that would offer the best education for their children, the best healthcare, the best amenities and quality of life. A community was created to rival the most idyllic of America's small towns -- with one major difference: this town would never appear on any maps. At least, none that haven't been classified "eyes only" by the Pentagon.Thus, the town of Eureka was born. But for all its familiar, small-town trappings, things in this secret hamlet are anything but ordinary. The stereotype of the absent-minded professor exists for a reason, and most of the quantum leaps in science and technology during the past 50 years were produced by Eureka's elite researchers. Unfortunately, scientific exploration is rarely what one expects, and years of experiments gone awry have yielded some peculiar by-products.From unrequited love to professional jealousy, from addiction to depression, the problems of Eureka's townsfolk stem from life's myriad of everyday challenges. But with the population's unique talents, troubled psyches and limitless resources, these small-town concerns have a way of becoming big-time problems. It is at that intersection, where human frailty and super-science collide, that Eureka begins

Only just started watching this series for the first time and have found it a lot of fun. It's a great mixture of comedy and science and ....so far....is an enjoyable way of passing an hour or so. The concept seems original, containing all these boffins in one place, Eureka, away from the public eye. Although the idea behind Warehouse 13 did come to mind, where the artefacts are all stored together, and If you liked that series, then this should appeal.

Eureka is a great little show that doesn't take itself too seriously. Each episode is well written, interesting, absorbing and there is a good dose of light comic relief just to bring it back down to earth. The characters are engaging and they are people you get to know and love as season 1 progresses to it's finale. I would highly recommend that you give this show a chance.

Good series worth watching

Great Sci-Fi series suitable for older kids and adults with no serious violence or bad language. Interesting episodes - lots of humour and suspense.