Eureka is back at SyFy Channel - even if my review is late

So I didn’t have a chance to discuss the new season of Eureka when it came out. But it is a show that I really enjoy, so I watched it again. And I find the new season off to an interesting start.

When last we left Sheriff Carter, he had just lost his job. A situation that meant he would have to leave this secret town of big brains. Plus it meant that he would have to leave Dr. Blake, whom he should be with.

We pick up the show with Carter interviewing, a task made harder by the fact that he cannot make any reference to his duties at Eureka. Basically he has to interview under the basis that he was just working in a simple small town. Which makes me wonder why there was no device (kind of like the one used in the 2nd season opening episode) used to remove his memory and ensure that this super-top secret is not leaked to anyone.

But as the job hunting at the Department of Homeland Security is on-going, we see that Dr. Blake has progressed quite a bit with her pregnancy. Something that is odd considering the lack of time from the prior season ending.

Things even get more odd when Deputy Lupo, next in line to be sheriff is passed over for the position. The person hired is such a surprise that everyone is amazed. He is Sheriff Andy (as in Griffith) and is a robot. A step that is not too far out for this town of science fiction made reality. But way too much for Deputy Lupo to handle.

Of course while all this is happening, everyone is saying their goodbyes. It’s definitely a sad tone to it all. Thankfully Zane is no where to be seen. Though Carter’s girlfriend (runs the cleaners) is gone. Whatever happened to her is something I never recall hearing mentioned. One day he is supposed to go on a weekend fishing trip with her, then she is just forgotten.

But its these little mistakes that fill this episode. We see things like a robot with a supercomputer brain, that can’t arrive at an accident scene faster than Carter who was told after Sarah (his house) mentions it to him, though Andy is hooked up to the internal web of the town. Andy seems incapable of making obvious inquiries, which Carter and Lupo do even though they have no authority to do so. And Andy is the obvious target of situations that seem so blatant that halfway through the episode you are guessing at who might have done it.

My guess by the way was the obvious choice, and wrong. Though the real culprit is just as obvious and has done similar actions before.

Basically this is the same series that we left. The characters are just as familiar and interesting. The relationships feel genuine. But this first episode is sloppy. Far more so than usual, and with far less explanations to cover the plot holes.

Plus a new arc is created by the end of the episode. One that seems to involve aliens, or at least something from space heading to Eureka. My guess is that it will be similar to Vjer from Star Trek: The Motion Picture (the first of the big screen adaptations – and after 30 years still better than the latest film). Which might be interesting if the writing improves.

This is not to say that I did not enjoy the episode. I’m glad Eureka is back, Carter, Blake, and all. The episode was entertaining, if a tad bit bland. I’m interested to see the birth of the babies, Zoey is growing up to be a cute intelligent young woman, and the suggested love triangle with Fargo/Lupo/Zane has me betting on Fargo. Plus we may actually see Carter and Blake finally get together as the fates allowed once upon a different dimension.

All of it has great potential still. But I get the feeling that the writing is slipping. That too much is being taken for granted. That the move to Friday nights signals the end is very near. That SyFy [or SciFi – the name change fits since they never had any respect for their supposed core audience] is still the same lying bunch of television executives that can’t understand anything more complicated than the same sitcoms we have seen since 1950. And the show may be winding down. Which would be a shame.

Yet, there is time. And everything seems as entertaining as it was before. Maybe even a bit of innovation in the writing too. Which means that if you are stuck home on a Friday night, this is an option to take.

Movie Preview: Land of the Lost

I was thinking about the upcoming movie Land of the Lost earlier today. I had been flipping channels and saw that Sci-Fi had a marathon of the episodes on. I watched a few, reminding me of my youth some time ago.

Now the thing is that the children’s television show used to appear in the 70’s on Saturday mornings. It’s campy, unrealistic, and done in stop animation – which looks bad compared to the effects of say Jurassic Park. That doesn’t even cover the bad make-up jobs on the Sleestac creatures that abound the show. But it was entertaining, and even moreso today.

Then I saw trailers for the Will Ferrell movie remake. The first thought I had was instantly ‘revisioning’. Those that follow my movie reviews know that this almost always means a crappy movie. When you add in the fact that this is a television show to movie conversion, well the odds of it being a crappy movie go up exponentially. Perhaps the only way you could be more sure this will be horrendous was if 2 or more rappers were in the film.



The trailers really don’t have any of the campy charm of the original show. From what I’ve seen it looks like it will be a running gag of how wrong, and stupid, Will Ferrell’s character can be. Add in a couple of bits of CGI, and there you go. To say I’m underwhelmed at this point is an understatement.

But this film will draw an audience. Not a big one by my bet, but it might just break-even. Which is a shame as that means Will Ferrell will likely continue on the path of mediocre films he has been doing for years now. He was funny in Elf. But by the time I saw Ricky Bobby, the joke was old. Now it’s as ancient as the dinosaurs are supposed to be.

Let me share a known secret about movies, specifically movie trailers. The editors of any film have one huge job when it comes to the movie trailers, which is to make the film look good. Any halfway decent editor can make the worst film look like a $100 million dollar blockbuster. They tend to grab the best 2 minutes of a film and cobble it together, so viewers will rush in expecting a far better film than they get 9 out of 10 times.

Look at some of the worst films you have ever seen, and check out the trailers of that film. In almost every case you will see a great (relative to the final product) movie trailer.

When I watch the trailer for Land of the Lost, I am immediately drawn to the fact that the writers almost definitely never saw the show. Not as kids or adults. I can also see that a huge chunk of the below the line costs of the film were spent on CGI animation. But what I don’t get are really funny jokes. Or any hint of a plotline beyond the one joke that is obvious (as stated above).

The film makes me think of the revisioning of Dukes of Hazzard and Lost in Space. Or perhaps Starsky & Hutch. Films that no sober person ever saw before, or even maybe after, they hit cable. And they hit cable fast, as the DVD sales sucked as well. They were bad films, remakes of far better television shows, and completely revisioned.

Of course Land of the Lost, and other shows of this ilk, are not targeting my dollars. They know that I remember the show. They know that I would see the trailer and think it was crap. Nope, they are targeting an audience of 25 and under. Because it’s all new to you. And since it’s new, the younger audience is not expecting better.

Hollywood has become a land of low expectations, and lower performances. Movie studios won’t spend the money on an original script – especially when they can revamp someone else’s idea. They slop together a half-thought out idea, and bang there is a movie. They will keep doing this too, until audiences stop paying to see this warmed up refuse.

I’m sure Will Ferrell got paid well for this film. Good for him, honestly. He didn’t have to work hard and got his money up front. I don’t blame him. But I will say that based on the trailer, the running joke, and the plot if you see this movie you will be wasting money.