Synopsis: Beverley Barlowe uses the stolen DED device and the Bridge device (someone needs to come up with better names for these things) to send Dr. Grant back to 1947. Of course things don’t go according to plan and both Grant and Jack are sent back to the past while Allison appears to be fatally wounded in the present. Jack and Grant break time traveler protocol by purposely altering the past in an attempt to save Allison from her tragic fate.
Review: This mid-season finale, with its two layers of time travel, obviously owes a huge debt to Marty McFly who paved the way for that kind of thing. “I’ll Be Seeing You” was, without question, the most ambitious episode of Eureka’s most ambitious (and symmetrical) season. Even though it was clear that everything would end well for the gang (I’m pretty sure that a grand total of zero people thought that Salli Richardson-Whitfield had been killed off), it was still exciting.
A good show is engaging, even when the conclusion is inevitable. Notwithstanding the death of Nathan Stark, Eureka isn’t exactly known for its unexpected twists and turns. Somehow, though, that predictability doesn’t affect the show’s tension. On that note, Allison’s “death” was kind of poignant. There Jack was, finally with her after all of these years of pining and then…she’s killed. It was tragic even though we all knew that she wouldn’t be dead for very long. Thanks to the understated way that Colin Ferguson played the scene, the moment rang true.
Toward the end of the episode, Dr. Grant decides to leave Eureka – the gang learns that they are all going to be placed under heavy scrutiny by the DED and think it’s best that Grant flee rather than risk being exposed for the 1947-man that he is. Not that anyone thought that James Callis was going to be a permanent fixture on the show, but it was nice having him around for the first half of this season. When it comes to my favorite shows, I’m usually a bit wary of new cast members and guest stars with story arcs. Callis, however, was a good fit for Eureka (not to mention, an incredibly handsome addition) and it’s sad to think that he won’t be returning (and that I won’t be able to see his face on a regular basis).
The finale concludes with Jack blissfully in love with Allison and totally unaware that Beverley Barlowe has set her sights on him. What she plans to do, I don’t know. And I honestly don’t care. I just hope that by the end of the second half of the season, someone finally shoots her or at least locks her up. Why is she so hard to catch? It makes absolutely no sense. And who is she talking to all the time? It’s going to be hilarious when it turns out that she’s been talking to herself every time she whispered conspiratorially into a phone or headset.
I don’t know about you, but I’m pumped about this December’s Eureka Christmas special and the return of Taggart. It’ll make the wait for the second half of season four bearable.
