Eureka, Season 5, Episode 8, “In Too Deep”
Written by Terri Hughes Burton and Ron Milbauer
Directed by Colin Ferguson
Airs Mondays at 9pm ET on SyFy
“In Too Deep” breaks the trend of weaker episodes over the last couple of weeks by providing a well-written episode full of comedy, drama, excitement and major events for multiple characters. Interestingly, the last quality episode (“Jack of All Trades”) was directed by series star Colin Ferguson (Sheriff Carter) who also directs “In Too Deep.”
Carter surprises Allison with a well-planned lunch in an underwater lab. Carter tries to provide a relaxing time, but tension rises as Allison becomes increasingly frustrated with him. The writers do an incredible job of not only building what looks to be engagement-ending tension but they also create a series of potentially catastrophic events within the lab that matches the course of the couple’s relationship issues. Ferguson and Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Allison) show off their several years of working together with their seemingly effortless chemistry.
This season has found Allison struggling to move on from what happened in the matrix earlier in the season. Her frustration towards the possibility of Carter and Jo together come out multiple times throughout the season, but never so angrily towards Carter until this episode. The stress of having two other couples basically living in her house (Andy/S.A.R.A.H. and Fargo/holo-Holly) has not made it easy for her to relax either. It wouldn’t have surprised anyone if the series finale ended with the wedding, but the writers instead shock everyone and the wedding occurs in episode eight. There could however still be a series-ending wedding, just not the one expected. Zane is maturing and Jo is trying to find harmony again. The two were engaged before a timeline altering left Jo returning to a Zane that was never engaged to her.
Since this is a very relationship-based review, the Fargo/holo-Holly ordeal shouldn’t go unmentioned. The newly-bearded Fargo is spending all of his time with Holly because he is afraid she will not be around for long. Though there are still several outcomes, it feels like the writers are moving towards a robo-Holly not unlike Deputy Andy. This can be a difficult idea to support however as Holly would be a living soul inside an artificial body. Will they make a major technology advancement in which they create a biological body based on Holly’s DNA? There hasn’t been an indications of this but it is Eureka after all.
Christopher Laplante