Goodbye "Eureka"

SyFy's "Eureka" kind of flew under my radar in the beginning. I knew it existed and appreciated the premise - basically a fish-out-of-water story about an everyman sheriff in a town of super-geniuses whose research often causes havoc which only the everyman can objectively evaluate and resolve the weekly conflict. I watched it sporadically, usually liking what I saw, even if I didn't fully understand the character dynamics. But that changed for me the same time the show changed it's dynamics by sending the main characters to 1947, when the town of Eureka was a top-secret military base in season 3, entirely changing the timeline for season 4 and reestablishing characters in entirely new circumstances. Season 4 was exceptional, ending with the disappearance of the Astraeus, which was bound for Jupiter's moon, Titan.

The final season opened with the crew of the Astraeus thinking four years have passed since they left earth, while they are actually being held in a computer simulation in which the evil Senator Wen (Ming Na, no!) is using them to create technology and then stealing it for her personal gain. The series' last episodes were filled with ethical questions and dilemmas; obscure concepts (3D bio-printing, electro-biological interfaces, artificial intelligence); robotics; the military; death and resurrection; family and love, all with the same sense of humor and wonder it had from the beginning (which I discovered when I went back and watched the first two seasons in full. Of course, it didn't hurt that it had hotties like Niall Matter; Ed Quinn and star Colin Ferguson, as well as genre icons Joe Morton (The Brother from Another Planet; T2: Judgement Day) and Wil Wheaton (ST:TNG) and host of guests like Wallace Shawn, Ever Carridine; Olivia D'abo; Chris Parnell; Matt Frewer and Frances Fisher. I'm sorry to see this fun, outrageous and smart Sci-Fi comedy leave the air. But I'm also pretty happy that "Warehouse 13" returns next week in the same time-slot.

More, anon.
Prospero

Farewell, Wisteria Lane

Yes, I admit it - I was hooked on ABC's kitschy, catty, crazy soap "Desperate Housewives" from the beginning. Outrageous, salacious and even downright ridiculous, the one thing DH never was, was boring. And while my suburban neighborhood was not quite as involved in one another's lives as the women who lived on the fictional Wisteria Lane, watching the machinations that went on there was a guilty pleasure that helped round out the weekend on an almost always amusing note. Whether it was Susan's wacky attempts to woo plumber Mike Delfino; Lynette's exasperation with her brood of trouble-making kids; Bree's attempts to remain dignified in the most humiliating of situations or Gabby's torrid affair with her hot young gardener, the ladies (and gents) of Wisteria Lane were always entertaining. If you've never seen "Desperate Housewives,"then nothing I've just written will make a lick of sense to you. But the show's many fans understand.

This past Sunday saw the show's 2-hour Series Finale in which all loose ends were tied up. Bree's murder trial ended with a surprise confession from the dying Karen; Lynette finally reunited with Tom; Renee married Ben and Julie gave birth to a healthy baby girl. It was a fit and fair end to an 8 year run to a show that knew when to bow out before it had out-stayed it's welcome. 

In those 8 years, the show had a huge list of guest performers, including Alfre Woodard; Dana Delaney; Neal McDonough; Roger Bart; Brian Austin Greene; Gale Harold; John Slattery; Nathan Fillion; Bob Gunton; Valerie Mahaffrey; Polly Bergen; Dixie Carter; Lily Tomlin; Mindy Sterling; Gary Cole; Jeff Bridges; Laurie Metcalf; Lainie Kazan; Julie Benz; Justine Bateman; Miguel Ferrer; John Barrowman; Alec Mapa; Joely Fisher; Shirley Knight; John Schnieder; Ernie Hudson, Sharon Lawrence; Kathryn Harrold; Adrian Pasdar; Eddie McClintock; Paul Dooley; Bob Newhart; Frances Conroy; Larry Hagman; Joyce Van Patten and Chloe Moretz, to name a few. That list sounds like the cast of an Irwin Allen 70's disaster movie...

And don't get me started on Nicolette Sheridan's ridiculous lawsuit. "Housewives" creator Mark Cherry very generously donated a "Desperate Housewives" package to the JTMF 5th Anniversary silent auction. It included an autographed cast photo and a signed copy of the pilot's script, among other goodies. Cherry (who had a cameo as a mover in the final ep) doesn't strike me as someone who would strike anyone, let a woman. 

So, thanks "Desperate Housewives," for all the campy, soapy and ridiculous outrageousness you've provided over the last eight years. I won't exactly miss you (unlike how I'll miss "Fringe" when it ends next year), but I enjoyed you while you ran.

In case you missed it, here's a compilation of some of the show's best mayhem:

More, anon.
Prospero