EUREKA – “O’ LITTLE TOWN” Airs Tuesday, December 7 at 9:00 PM on Syfy
Written by Eric Tuchman, Directed by Matthew Hastings
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In the little town of Eureka, Secret Santa gifts are being passed out as Carter sinks his teeth into an out-of-this-world fruitcake. His thrilling palate experience is interrupted by a code 12 and immediately orders everyone to get down. He will have to put his holiday cheer on hold in order to once again put the town first.
[NOTE: This is a stand-alone episode and does not continue the events from the season three mid-season finale.]
First, let’s get this out of the way, my favorite part of this episode is that we get to see Matt Frewer back as Jim Taggart. Wanna know what makes that beyond awesome? Taggart has decided to pioneer a new science he’s coined as “Santology” and yes, that is as awesome as it sounds. I wish we could get Frewer back on this show full time, but I will take his random appearances when we get them. But that is only icing on the cake as the rest of this episode is full of awesome.
Things start off simple enough with Sheriff Carter and his daughter Zoe being unable to leave town due to a glitch in Eureka’s EM shield so they are forced to spend Christmas in the little town of science instead of with their family. Obviously, it wouldn’t be Eureka if things didn’t quickly go from troublesome to absurdly worse. The fun part is everyone figuring what exactly the issue is and then how to fix it. This resolution is helped along by a little bit of Christmas spirit. Along the way we get a Secret Santa who seems to know exactly what everyone wants and a scientist that may be just a bit more than he seems. Oh, and there is a trio of carolers that is one of the funniest things this show has ever done. This lovely little Christmas story is wrapped in the wonderful package of Sheriff Carter relating it to a group of kids by the fireplace at Vincent’s. The script and the actors keep everything just this side of hokey and give us a special episode that is as fun as it is heartwarming.
One last thing, in my opinion Colin Ferguson may just be horribly underrated in his role of Sheriff Jack Carter. The range he displays in any given episode is nothing short of astounding. The man is an acting dynamo. Here’s a secret, most of the advanced screeners that come my way are missing the special effects so I get the joy of seeing Ferguson reacting in his own inimitable way with absolutely nothing there a lot of the times. That has only increased my admiration for him as a physical comedian and then, of course, there are the dramatic moments or the times when he is emotionally vulnerable. In many ways, Ferguson reminds me of the recently departed Leslie Nielson. Great stuff.
WAREHOUSE 13 – “SECRET SANTA” Airs Tuesday, December 7 at 10:00 PM on Syfy
Written by Bob Goodman, Directed by Jack Kenny
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Claudia goes to persuade Artie’s father to come back with her to see Artie. She has to think a little outside the box and tells him his son is dying. Fearing the worst and with Claudia saying she’s omitting more information forces Artie’s dad to join her. Meanwhile, Artie is off to tell Pete and Myka to cancel their trips because they have a new case in search of a familiar face around the holidays. Will it stop them from their own get-aways?
[NOTE: This is a stand-alone episode and does not continue the events from the season two finale.]
Pete and Myka get to spend Christmas protecting a man who may be plagued by Santa Claus himself! Turns out it really isn’t cool to make the jolly old elf’s naughty list. Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly have that kind of screen chemistry that doesn’t come around all that often. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear they were brother and sister in real life, that’s how well they play off each other. And speaking of brothers, we get to see none other than Tyler Hynes back as Claudia’s brother, which is both a surprise and treat. Hynes’ Joshua Donovan runs afoul of the original mistletoe when an unexpected person joins him underneath it. One person sorely missed in this family themed holiday episode is CCH Pounder as Mrs. Frederic. Although, with her ability to get in and out buildings undetected, I assume Mrs. Frederic is busy helping Santa deliver gifts.
Of course, the show is nearly stolen by Judd Hirsch as Artie’s dad. Although Hirsch is only a few years older than Saul Rubinek, the two easily pass as father and son in their wonderful scenes together. I hope this isn’t the last we see of Artie’s father as I could easily watch an entire episode of the two just sitting there kvetching the entire time. Kudos to showrunner Jack Kenny stepping behind the camera and bringing out the best in everyone