Eureka

Plot synopsis:
Eureka is a drama set mainly in rural Kyushu, Japan, and is almost entirely shot in sepia tone. It tells the story of the lasting effects of a violent experience on three people, a teenage brother and sister, Naoki and Kozue Tamura and a bus driver, Makoto Sawai. These three are the sole survivors after the bus is hijacked by a gunman. The actual violent events which traumatise them are not shown in detail. The extent to which the three have been affected slowly becomes apparent. Naoki and Kozue do not return to school, do not speak and become dissociated from their parents. Some time after the hijack, their mother abandons the family. Later their father is killed in a car crash. It is not clear whether his death is suicide. The two children continue to live alone in the family home. Meanwhile, Makoto is finding it impossible to carry on normal life and takes to the road, leaving his estranged wife living in the family home with his elderly father, elder brother, his wife and their daughter. After some time, Makoto returns home to find that his wife has left him. He cannot return to driving a bus and takes a job as a day-labourer with an old school-friend.
Relationships between Makoto and his brother begin to deteriorate and Makoto moves in with Naoki and Kozue. He takes over the housekeeping and makes sure they eat properly. Kozue now begins to communicate a little but Naoki remains mute. The detective who dealt with the hijacking begins to harass Makoto about the murder of a woman in the neighbourhood, apparently without any evidence. While Makoto is out at work one day, the children's older student cousin Akihiko arrives and states he intends to stay to look after the children. He and Makoto are uneasy with each other but the four people settle down into a kind of family arrangement.
A further murder takes place and this time the victim is a friend of Makoto's. He is arrested and questioned by the detective but is finally released. He talks to his friend and co-worker about his wish to return to driving and forms a plan to get all of them, Naoki, Kozue, Akihiko and himself away from their troubles. He buys an old bus which they convert for living accommodation and they all set off on an extended tour of the island. Kozue becomes more relaxed as they travel around but Naoki appears more disturbed. It eventually becomes clear that it is Naoki who is the murderer. Makoto confronts him and persuades him to give himself up. The remaining three carry on with the journey until Makoto finally loses his temper with Akihiko's cynical and shallow outlook and throws him off the bus. Makoto and Kozue continue on their journey until,finally, when they reach the peak of the highest mountain in Kyushu, both realise they are able to face ordinary life again. As they reach this understanding the film briefly turns to colour.

Tags: alternate reality

Review:
As a science-fiction fan, long time lover of B-grade fun and a playwright who loves the idea of a small town with big secrets -- this is right up my alley.
I stand in awe of the writers, and as always one of the best TV casts in history.Fourth Season opener: While most shows hit a slump in their 4th outing, Eureka raises the bar.
If the show can steer clear of overexposing these characters, or give them a twist or two, then Eureka is an excellent addition to SciFi's increasingly vivid and original programming..
It is a bit slippery to classify, but my best description of "Eureka" is kind of "Northern Exposure" for SF fans."Eureka" has thus far been family-friendly light adventure with its humor coming from the quirky nature of the brilliant scientist locals and the "fish out of water" experiences of new sheriff Jack Carter and his teenage daughter, Zoe.Those tuning in to see traditional SF--where speculative fiction and profound "what if" moments rule the course of the show--will be disappointed.
I really like Colin Ferguson in the role of the sheriff and there are enough other interesting characters that they could go many different ways with plots and story lines.
The makers of the show took issues and aspects of long standing science fiction, added a new twist and location, and a ton of humour, creating in the process a fun new show that both amuses and mystifies.Personally, I enjoyed seeing science fiction elements that have been proved interesting, stimulating, and well liked in the past.
There are a number of veteran actors in this, including Colin Furguson, whose really good as the reluctant sheriff of the town of Eureka.
However, it's great entertainment for various ages and IQs. I thought the characters were also introduced and developed quite nicely along with the story, something you don't see very often in many movies of this genre today, and so many of which, I can't get through the first half hour without feeling bored and changing the channel.
Hopefully, they will continue with this group of characters and not dilute it with a constant onslaught of new characters like "Farscape" - if you missed a few episodes, it was as though the entire cast changed.
Having seen the first three episodes, I can say that the Sci-Fi Channel has a great series on its hand.
I'm not sure why IMDb has not posted the names of the stars as the series is no longer in production and is currently airing and even the Colin Ferguson page on IMDb does not list this show in his credits.(?) So if you like your sci-fi with a little humor and some genuine caring about the characters, its hard to find a more worthy show than EUReKA!.
Each week the actor(s) using the script brings more out in the character making the episode something to look forward to.
The plots combine sci fi with humanity and the continuity from week to week is present but does not make the viewer feel that they are watching a soap opera and have to watch the next episode in order to find out what is going to happen.
And why only 13 episodes.I checked on IMDb and all the actors were available to work on Eureka earlier - none are tied up with other televisions shows except for single guest appearances.
She could have worked on both for the 4 episodes or so of BG she was on.I know it takes some time to develop and write new scripts, but most network shows only go on hiatus for 2 months before resuming filming for the next season.
They use this time to work on new scripts for the first shows of the new seasons and to assign the rest to the staff writers.I can't think of any reason for only ordering 13 episodes, except perhaps that the network wasn't confident that the ratings would continue, or that they didn't want to pay for more episodes.
LOST saw a decline of 40% of its viewers and they've continued to lose viewers.It would be nice for the Network to address these questions, but they won't.There is no logical reason that they couldn't have brought back the show in Jan./Feb with a full season order of 24-26 episodes.They are missing an opportunity here.EUREKA is the best new show that I have seen in over 10 years.
Opportunities like this don't come along often, especially for niche channels such as the Sci Fi channel.I hope that the next order is for a full season of 26 episodes..
It kind of reminds me of the "twilight zone" but Eureka is better I think because they have more of a storyline that develops & characters that you fall in love with & relationships that are constantly changing.
With a perfect wraparound beginning and end and stories that entertained even when taking a turn at many a tried and true idea, this show was a perfect combination of hardcore scifi and goofy, sit-com humor.Okay, maybe there were times the schtick was a little thick, and maybe a few of the later episodes were a little too afternoon soap opera, but there was always the offbeat scifi disaster in the offing to take us away from the mundane pretty quickly.
Uh, no.) So, comfortable to watch with young children and parents.The actors were fantastic, holding it together even when the lines were pure science fiction balderdash, almost a parody of themselves, but if you like sci-fi, you're able to accept some unbelievable concepts, especially in a town full of geniuses.
I've watched this show on several occasions to attempt to give it a chance, but each time, the episode has been based on repeatedly recycled material, but they add a little romance and some teen angst to give it a little flavour.It seems that once a week, the town is nearly destroyed.
It follows the story of a normal guy and his daughter who accidentally drive into Eureka, a town that is populated by the world's best scientists who are essentially given free reign to do what they want.
This of course leads to all sorts of problems every episode which are usually sorted by the Sheriff, an ex-rocket scientist who also happens to be his best friend, an agent from the department of defence or the head of the local megacompany.There is a deeper story to the whole thing I won't mention here, but essentially it is a sideline.
You can tell the actors are having fun making the series and they all play their roles excellently.The only thing that is missing for me is that I would like to know more about the main plot that drives the story.
The viewer is left somewhat in the dark for a long time and it seems they had to drag it on until the end of the second series for people to be interested in the third.And it worked, I'm definitely going to be watching it!.
If you enjoy speculative science fiction tech-o-rama drama, this show is for you.The requirement of writing at least ten lines text to post a comment on IMDb is now forcing me to blather on (despite the wisdom of the adage, brevity is the soul of wit), so feel free to ignore anything that comes after this.I have been a sci-fi fan since birth (seriously).This show is one of the best ones I've watched.I recommend you watch it..
The characters , situations and special effects are great.....one of the best roles for Joe Morton since "Brother from another planet" The rest of the cast are new to me ,with the exception of Matt Frewer who is always a joy to watch The people behind this one needs to stay the course and renew it for more seasons!!!.
I hope that Sci-Fi Channel renews the show for another season.The interaction of the characters and, of course, the budding relationship (will they/won't they) do not come across as forced - with the one exception of the Aussie character played by Matt Frewer.
I liked the first season, ignoring the fact that the series solely focuses on everything that goes wrong in Eureka and only drags science through the mud.
you will be surprised at how the plot turns.all the actors portray their designated characters flawlessly; truly a talented cast.i can step out my front, back, and side doors and see drama....what fun it would be to walk into THIS town!
Keep showing the great shows and keep coming out with hits like Eureka!.
I've just finished watching Season 4 and hoping season 5 will be shown on Netflix it is sad that it is coming to a close, having Claudia for Warehourse 13 was a great idea (which is also another favorite) Fargo and Claudia worked well together.
I hope Warehouse 13 will use some characters from Eureka it would be fun to see what happens to them.
There's a lot of humor, mostly provided my our main character, Sheriff Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson), which slips effortlessly into suspense and drama.If it were on FOX, it would have been canceled by now.
Keeps you interested with a good mix of drama and humor.The characters all have a good roll, and I like how they fit into the story.
They do a good job with winning the viewers over, making you care about the characters.Just serious enough without taking itself too seriously.Sci Fi is on a roll with the 2 star gate series, Battle Star and now Eureka.Now if they would only decide to take over the Fire Fly series!
When I first watched the pilot episode of "Eureka" I instantly fell in love.
Eureka doesn't have the dramatic heft of BSG or the action of Farscape, but it still keeps you captured from start till the end.My favorite quote is from the pilot episode, when Jack and Zoe arrives in town and ask for directions from one of the super smart kid.
Witty, intriguing plots, excellent casting, and just a wonderful premise.Sure there are some plot holes, and some characters and story lines have disappeared abruptly, but there is great potential!
Jack and his daughter Zoey didn't arrive there like the typical Eurekan - and they seem to be in way over their heads.All in all, a fabulous show and I sincerely hope it's picked up for additional seasons and getting more of the witty TV ads shown on prime-time broadcast television..
Prior to my current vacation, decided to watch it, again, up to the end.And, despite the years, i still enjoy it, not only because of the whole story is about science.What is somehow comic is that some information that wasn't real at the time are now discovered, as the Higgs's boson, and gave some flavor to the story.The characters, all of them are just perfect.
Watching episodes by episodes.Very addictive, for all the reasons previously exposed, really good stories, and fantastic characters.Think that, in some years, will again seen it.
The cast of this entertaining and intelligent science fiction show gave such humanity to their characters that it seemed they soon became like family.
It's fun science fiction and specifically made to be fun...So mission accomplished.And if that wasn't enough it also takes the time to lampoon sci-fi tropes from old B movies to famous tv series.It's never too silly to be unbelievable or to lack intrigue, but it also never takes itself so seriously that it fails to amuse.It's made for sci-fi fans and even if you don't for that mold it's still fun enough to enjoy.
"Eureka" is a fantastic mix of comedy,drama.mystery and science fiction that seems to be evolving each episode!
he is a fish out of water in Eureka but somehow finds a place among the super smart residents of the town.The character are hilarious and I find myself coming back more to watch them develop then for the main plots that run through each episode.
I could care less if they figure out what is really going on in town--I want to see them just live their daily (all be it extremely odd) lives.I hope SciFi does the smart thing and keeps this show around for years to come.
In contrast, there is something special with Allison and her estranged husband, Nathan Stark - which I guess is why they have to state that Allison and Carter are destined to be together.If we get a second season of Eureka, hopefully, the writers will put Jack Carter on the back burner and give the rest of the characters the room they need to tell their stories.
It's quite predictable: a secret town is filled with geniuses to make wacky inventions.It's really quite an easy one to come up with.Inventive would likely be a galaxy hopping ship that fires mines, homing missiles from thousands of kms away and a crew of sentient snails with a few sentient kangaroos for diversity, or an alien who masquerades as an idiotic pop singer with a physical defect, in the case of Sci-fi.NOT Geniuses with corny inventions.And the characters are dull, with the exception of the daughter, and the guy at the cafe.The show isn't that bad, but it's hardly special, or even fairly interesting..
Now, Sheriff Carter is our best line of defense in making sure dangerous experiments don't threaten the town, and for that matter, the world.What's not to love about this one.
With so many likable characters, Eureka is hardly ever boring, and the town starts to feel like Mayberry, a weird Mayberry, but the feeling is there.To sum up, this is a great show.
Network: Sci-Fi Channel; Genre: Sci-Fi, Comedy; Content Rating: TV-PG (some violence); Perspective: Contemporary (star range: 1 - 4); Seasons Reviewed: 2 seasons In The Sci-Fi Channel's charming and refreshing "Eureka" an everyman, Carter (Colin Ferguson), and his daughter, Zoe (Jordan Hinson), stumble into a secret town, hidden away from the dangerous eyes of the riff-raff outside in which the world's most brilliant minds are allowed to work on inventions and experiments in peace.
For the non Scifi viewer, Eureka is an excellent blend of diverse styles of humor, great drama/action, and suspenseful mystery, all brought life by a wonderful cast and exceptional writers and producers.
The cast and characters in Eureka have great chemistry, making the show that much more desirable to watch.
I have been watching SIFI all of my 50 years and I think Eureka is a Great show.
What it reminded me of was the 1991 kids mystery series, "Eerie Indiana," only with science fiction in place of the mystery elements.However, the next couple of episodes assured me that Eureka, though light-hearted and funny like the aforementioned kids show, is not a kids show at all, in the sense that it offers interesting plots, from a sci-fi fan's point of view.
You can (generally) expect to be offered something novel and worthwhile by Eureka in this respect, and the great special fx (cgi or otherwise) only add funnes to the experience.However, by far the greatest aspect of this show is how the characters, the relationships between them, and the humor of it all are being handled.
If you enjoy mystery, the future, and even a bit of science, you'll like Eureka.
Kudos for a great new science fiction series..
For seasoned fans of the genre it's great to see a lot of veteran actors such as Matt Frewer, Joe Morton, Erica Cerra and the lead role of Jack Carter played by Colin Ferguson.
Eureka is one of the best science fiction TV shows currently out there.
It is one of the very few shows left on TV, science fiction or otherwise, that we actually sit down and watch every week.Each actor is well-cast, and everyone does a good job with well-written scripts.
In just the first few episodes, they have pulled in some of the best actors available today, including, just as an example, Matt Frewer (Max Headroom, for those who remember that great show).Definitely worth giving a chance to, even if you are not a big science fiction fan.
Yes, the writers developed great characters who the viewer can "latch" on to and then have proceeded to put lots of delicious "meat-on-the-bone" story lines to hand the whole premise on.
Also Carter's character just kept getting more and more goofy with each episode, painful to watch.
I must say that due to the story is possible and the characters are the way they should be the series is really good.
Eureka is refreshing change of pace in the world of science fiction shows.
Varied characters, interesting plot lines and the excellent and frequently humorous writing make the show a real joy to watch.
But after watching a few episodes, I started to feel a genuine interest in the characters, and after a while, also in the underlying main story.
So I started to view the show as a normal drama/comedy series, with Sci-Fi elements in it, and then I was hooked.Keep in mind that most of the gadgets and "inventions" they have featuring in eureka, are often over the top, completely non-believable(due to the fact that it's not set in the future) nonsense, but if you can find a way to overlook that, and just buy into it, you will have a great time.
After loosing for the money Invasion and Threshold, what a delight to watch Eureka.Fun characters, good humor, a very relaxing experience.I was so tired of TV-shows like CNY and NYPD and many like those....Hope they'l keep up the good work and Iwill watch the second season when it will come.To be as honest as i can be in an foreign language, I am impressed by the way that main actors put a very nice and clean performance and , sometimes they look quite relax and so natural.
It has been a very strange summer waiting so much in new and special TV-shows and except for Eureka nothing good so far.