Spoilers ahead in my Review/Recap.
Exploding Mucus, Exploding fake dogs and a steamy night in Eureka. That is what we find in the season 3’s 3rd episode. It is time for the annual Best in Show dog show in Eureka and all the mutts are out and about. However this is not an ordinary dog show. The dogs in the show are actually robots, very lifelike robots and the top dog (most lifelike) can win the prestige of Best in Show. That honor has gone to Fifi for two years running. However Fifi explodes early on in the show. Her owner suspects foul play. Carter just blows this off. He thinks that playing with robot dogs is frivolous.
Carter has a real case to look into, a possible burglary at a scientist’s home. This scientist is creating synthetic mucus to help fight disease. But this just basically sets up a humorous situation where Carter ends up covered in bright green foamy mucus. He gets covered in the stuff because of a localized earthquake that shook the lab and only Carter felt it. That is the part I don’t believe because if something is shaking the lab and Jo and the Dr. went upstairs then they should have felt it too. But this just sets things up for the group not to believe Carter. I wish they would learn.
Some sub plots of the show. The wedding plans are moving along with Allison and Stark. Jo likes weddings and wants to help Allison pick out a dress. Looks like tailors and seamstresses are out of jobs in Eureka. Zoe is taking an advanced Physics course. Each of these pieces of information come into play throughout the episode.
The episode should have been titled pressure because I think the word pressure and the word stress was used more times than should have been allowed in one episode. Of course when you are talking about diamonds, and magma you are going to talk pressure but then it mirrors the pressures that everyone in town is feeling. Zoe’s feeling the pressure of doing well in her new class and impressing her dad. Allison is feeling the pressure of the wedding and maybe feeling a little trapped (she as trapped in that wedding dress). Fargo felt the pressure to win and he cheated by using a real dog in the fake dog contest.
The one person that should be under the most stress should be Carter. He lived the entire parallel life with Allison but had that knowledge wiped away by Henry however I’m pretty sure he will slowly remember that whole other life. Carter loves Allison and it has to be killing him that she is with Stark and is getting married to him again.
Carter is pretty much the one guy in the town who acts without pretense. He can handle the pressure and that is probably why he is the sheriff.
I’ve noticed something with Eureka that you probably have too but whatever problem is going on that needs to be fixed usually gets fixed by Carter who sees everything that is going on around him and pulls together the big picture idea. In this episode we have a crazy geologist who is looking for a magma pocket but that is impossible because there are no fault lines in Eureka. However there is someone who is creating “logic” diamonds using sound waves. Henry helps Zoe with her homework by using a sound wave device that melts a penny. Apparently the build up of the pressure from the sound waves, intensified by the diamonds ends up melting rock and creating magma under Eureka.
Yes it is convenient that all these things are happening that just so happen to be the perfect combination to save the entire town. I know that but it is what makes Eureka so fun as a show. You know that Carter is going to solve the problem with the help of everyone else who only sees a small part of that big picture.
I really liked the guest star role that Alan Ruck played. It is great to see him on TV again. I loved him on Spin City and of course as Cameron in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
I’m still not convinced that there is something more sinister we will be seeing from Henry this season. I think that Horn is going to sink her teeth into him and he will end up doing something wrong again. The scenes between he and Carter always feel full of tension from Henry. Henry still knows that whole parallel life and still blamed Carter for the death of his wife. That is something he just won’t be letting go of anytime soon.
All in all a decent episode.
