Eureka "Duck, Duck, Goose" 8.05

[RoundBoy]

No thread? Come on , this was the best one yet!

-Taggert (still with accent :mad: ) 'kills' the goose. Carter freaks.
-Henry saying NO while nodding about area-51.
-Carter thinking he got it all wrapped up with the roof guy..
-Sarah having fun driving, all over the road .
-"So.... you couldn't afford a whole car ?"
- "See, I got over 100 without even trying..."

2 thoughts:

How come they didn't mention that Zoe rewiring the imaging machine had a distinct magnetic affect? I thought she just screwed with the power? They did have to specifically find a electromagnet to use...

Zoe: 157 IQ .. hmmm.. so she has been uber:smart the whole time.. I guess they had to figure out some way to make her able to fit into the town of super kids.

[Bulldog7]

I guess there are things that are even more classified than a completely secret town that exists only to serve the scientists and where the real place of importance---GD--is kept camoflaged behind an EM barrier. Strange, I thought Area 51 was only in Dale Brown novels and called Dreamland....silly me!! :p :p :D :D

[cheesesteak]

Wasn't Zoe her class valedictorian in the alternate universe?

[Agatha Mystery]

No thread? Come on , this was the best one yet!

-Taggert (still with accent :mad: ) 'kills' the goose. Carter freaks.
-Henry saying NO while nodding about area-51.
-Carter thinking he got it all wrapped up with the roof guy..
-Sarah having fun driving, all over the road .
-"So.... you couldn't afford a whole car ?"
- "See, I got over 100 without even trying..."

2 thoughts:

How come they didn't mention that Zoe rewiring the imaging machine had a distinct magnetic affect? I thought she just screwed with the power? They did have to specifically find a electromagnet to use...

Zoe: 157 IQ .. hmmm.. so she has been uber:smart the whole time.. I guess they had to figure out some way to make her able to fit into the town of super kids.
There was a magnetic effect, but it might not have had anything to do with Zoe's wiring. It could be, since she upped the power, it made the effect stronger.

I don't buy Zoe having a 157 IQ. I just don't. I also don't buy Carter having 111. He comes up with too many good ideas to fix the situations that he finds himself in (that GD can't seem to do without him). He might not be book smart and know all of the language that the GD people use, but he understands most of the concepts.

I had to laugh at Sarah being in the car. Loved that.

And wasn't it convenient that Zoe got a car?

[dianebrat]

I loved the fake geese, but I have to say when Taggert snapped the neck, I gasped..

I have come to the conclusion that I love this show and it's quirkiness, and I finally figured out the other show that I loved for the same reason many moons ago (not saying it was as good, but it was as much fun) and that was Misfits of Science (http://www.tv.com/misfits-of-science/show/516/summary.html?q=&tag=search_results;title;1) they always had a ton of odd experiments going on in the background of scenes.

Diane

[dswallow]

This had to be one of the worst episodes of the series to date for total and complete stupidity of the premise behind all the gobbledygook tech.

High school science fair students could've come up with more plausible gadgetry to accomplish what they tried during this episode. It's sad how poorly the writers are doing so far this season with that stuff. It doesn't necessarily have to be Nobel prize winning tech, but just make it obvious someone's at least trying to make this stuff plausible.

They also lost me when they decided that all kids of "geniuses" are "geniuses" themselves. Total baloney there, too.

[Church AV Guy]

Even the technobable wasn't good technobable. The description of the roof of the building where the science fair was in being held, was painfully bad. The "Heathers," never mind the homage to the movie, were just hideous. The only good points were mentioned by the OP: Taggert killing the goose, the area 51 comment, and the car. I guess the OP left out, or just didn't think that Carter in the gym was funny, but I did.

Oh, and since when is a deflection of over thirty degrees a "nudge" for an object on reentry (or just entry)? And wasn't it lucky that the car had the exact connector all wired up to interface with the rest of the equipment?

[dswallow]

And wasn't it lucky that the car had the exact connector all wired up to interface with the rest of the equipment?
Well that one's easy to accept. It's like SCART for video in Europe. A standardized connector for everywhere. :)

[PJO1966]

Even the technobable wasn't good technobable. The description of the roof of the building where the science fair was in being held, was painfully bad. The "Heathers," never mind the homage to the movie, were just hideous. The only good points were mentioned by the OP: Taggert killing the goose, the area 51 comment, and the car. I guess the OP left out, or just didn't think that Carter in the gym was funny, but I did.

Oh, and since when is a deflection of over thirty degrees a "nudge" for an object on reentry (or just entry)? And wasn't it lucky that the car had the exact connector all wired up to interface with the rest of the equipment?

I loved Carter's gym clothes. They were probably new the last time he saw the inside of a gym. RELAX!

[Church AV Guy]

Well that one's easy to accept. It's like SCART for video in Europe. A standardized connector for everywhere. :)
Sure, the connector, BUT it was wired up for a process the car was never designed for.

[dianebrat]

And wasn't it lucky that the car had the exact connector all wired up to interface with the rest of the equipment?

It's the e-connector, everything in Eureka has to be equipped with them!
Or everything in Eureka has eureka-fi....

ok, I'm totally making it up, but why not figure everything in Eureka is built to their own standards for interoperability?

[Rob Helmerichs]

ok, I'm totally making it up, but why not figure everything in Eureka is built to their own standards for interoperability?
You'd think in a town filled with genius inventors who spend their time cobbling together new, unheard-of technology from whatever's at hand, it would be a necessity...

[TokyoShoe]

Actually I completely buy Zoe having a 157 IQ. Let's not forget, back in the "real world" at the start of the series.. her father was chasing her down for identity theft and credit card fraud. She always struck me as a smart cookie to be able to pull off stunts like that as often as she apparently had.

Anything else in the show (the connector to the car computer, the building roof devices, etc.) I'll all let slide. After all , it's a Science FICTION show... not Science NON-Fiction. :P

[Church AV Guy]

Anything else in the show (the connector to the car computer, the building roof devices, etc.) I'll all let slide. After all , it's a Science FICTION show... not Science NON-Fiction. :P
Many people have used that argument before, but I distinctly remember in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, no one complained about the unbelievability of the priest reaching into the man's chest and taking out his still beating heart without the guy dying, and having said heart, still in the priest's hand, burst into flames when the guy was tossed into the lava. BUT, when the ore car flew off the tracks and back fell back onto them again, people all over the theater groaned and I heard comments like, "give me a break," and "unbelievable," from around me. Some things are accepted by certain audience members, while others just aren't.

[TokyoShoe]

Many people have used that argument before, but I distinctly remember in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, no one complained about the unbelievability of the priest reaching into the man's chest and taking out his still beating heart without the guy dying, and having said heart, still in the priest's hand, burst into flames when the guy was tossed into the lava. BUT, when the ore car flew off the tracks and back fell back onto them again, people all over the theater groaned and I heard comments like, "give me a break," and "unbelievable," from around me. Some things are accepted by certain audience members, while others just aren't.

Pfft, as long as it remotely entertains me, I refuse to nitpick details. I think it's just silly.
Now that being said, my favorite genre of movies ARE actually Godzilla movies. So take any opinions I give with a dumptruck of salt. :D

[Church AV Guy]

Hey, you like what you like and that's fine with me. I'm not trying to convince you that you're wrong I'm glad that connectors don't bother you, but I work in electronics and electrical connectors are constantly the bane of my occupation. And I *DO* mean stuff that has to work together and should have mating connectors, all need adaptors. Maybe it's just a personal issue.

[TokyoShoe]

Hey, you like what you like and that's fine with me. I'm not trying to convince you that you're wrong I'm glad that connectors don't bother you, but I work in electronics and electrical connectors are constantly the bane of my occupation. And I *DO* mean stuff that has to work together and should have mating connectors, all need adaptors. Maybe it's just a personal issue.

Just for the record, I work for technical support at a major oil company here in the U.S. . I've got to deal with connectors, cables, software and protocol differences... whole nine yards.

I still don't get why folks get upset about stuff like this. It's like expecting the movie "Hackers" to be technically accurate... it's just not going to happen, heh. :D

[dswallow]

Just for the record, I work for technical support at a major oil company here in the U.S. . I've got to deal with connectors, cables, software and protocol differences... whole nine yards.

I still don't get why folks get upset about stuff like this. It's like expecting the movie "Hackers" to be technically accurate... it's just not going to happen, heh. :D
It's not a matter of it being technically accurate in the real world. It's a matter of them presenting their universe consistently. If wambuckles always fly in clockwise spirals in their universe, then if they ever show wambuckles flying any other way there should be at minimum some sort of nod about why they're now flying differently.

That's all. Create the world they want and then be consistent within it and if you ever have to diverge from some universal truth you've established, be prepared to have that explained at some point, in some way, even if it's not blatantly presented to the audience but just in some manner a background event.

It's really not that hard to do. Unless you're a really lazy writer or part of a writing team that simply doesn't care.

Granted, there may be times they'll find they wrote themselves into a corner in a prior episode and need to contradict themselves later... Star Trek did that a lot, for instance, though at least it was for good reason and thereafter the consistency generally remained, albeit now changed. But even that is better than just randomly deciding how things behave in the universe episode to episode.

[TokyoShoe]

On a slight diversion back to the original subject of the thread, I too found it hysterical when the question concerning Area 51 was answered verbally with a "No" but visually with a nod. I got a big laugh out of that! :D

[purple6816]

This episode rocked. We just love this show. I want to know when he will remember what was erased from his memory.

[Rob Helmerichs]

On a slight diversion back to the original subject of the thread, I too found it hysterical when the question concerning Area 51 was answered verbally with a "No" but visually with a nod. I got a big laugh out of that! :D
Funnier still was the context. I'm sure I'm getting the exact wording wrong, but:

"They're working on it at Area 51."

"So Area 51 exists?"

"No."

[TokyoShoe]

Funnier still was the context. I'm sure I'm getting the exact wording wrong, but:

"They're working on it at Area 51."

"So Area 51 exists?"

"No."

I have to say, I am perpetually impressed with the writers for this show.

[Fl_Gulfer]

Even tho I love the show, I didn't like the way they made Carter look so stupid and yet he solves all the problems every week.

[Bierboy]

Pfft, as long as it remotely entertains me, I refuse to nitpick details. I think it's just silly....This episode rocked. We just love this show. I want to know when he will remember what was erased from his memory.I have to say, I am perpetually impressed with the writers for this show.Agreed....I found this a totally entertaining episode. It's quickly becoming my summer favorite.

[catcard]

For me a very entertaining show - I don't care if the techno stuff makes sense. I enjoy it for the characters/story not the technical info.

[pkscout]

I enjoyed it. I could have done without them making Carter look stupider than usual this episode, but overall it had the right mix of fun and sap.

[RoundBoy]

Carter works well because nobody thinks like he does.

The example with the metal fragment in the road... Henry suggested moving the truck, then digging up the street... probably involving some sort of one man wrecking crew that Eureka invented..

Carter simply used the electromagnet from the gym ... its the little things..

[TokyoShoe]

Carter works well because nobody thinks like he does.

The example with the metal fragment in the road... Henry suggested moving the truck, then digging up the street... probably involving some sort of one man wrecking crew that Eureka invented..

Carter simply used the electromagnet from the gym ... its the little things..
Actually that's one of the reasons I love the way Carter is portrayed. Everyone THINKS he's a dork, but he always saves the day because of simple but unconventional thinking. It's a simple writing mechanic that really works for me.

[dianebrat]

Actually that's one of the reasons I love the way Carter is portrayed. Everyone THINKS he's a dork, but he always saves the day because of simple but unconventional thinking. It's a simple writing mechanic that really works for me.

I totally agree, I love that Carter isn't some high IQ genius, he's just a street smart guy that thinks things through, and sometimes those creative folks are smart in a way you can't measure. (and makes social faux paus that we all could see ourselves in)

Diane

[laststarfighter]

"We can use the car to do our calculations!"
"Oh wait, we don't have the right connector. Anyone have an adaptor?"
"Damn, forgot to download the latest meteorite tracking software. Please wait 12 mins while we install version 3.2."
"Crap, now we need to update our Flash player."
"Need a couple more minutes while we reboot the system."
"All right! Now we are ready to deflect some--"
BOOM


Dunno, I think I'd prefer the less detailed, less realistic Eureka. :p

[busyba]

My two nits:

Wouldn't nudging the debris so that it enters the atmosphere at a more oblique angle make the debris less likely to burn up in the atmosphere?

The test results said Zoe's IQ is 157, and also said that she was in the 92nd percentile. Shouldn't 157 be more like the 99th percentile?

[Bulldog7]

Actually that's one of the reasons I love the way Carter is portrayed. Everyone THINKS he's a dork, but he always saves the day because of simple but unconventional thinking. It's a simple writing mechanic that really works for me.
Actually, I feel that Carter is blessed with more common sense than the entire GD staff. Plus, he is allowed to think outside of the box of science, or as you said, be unconventional. So many times the scientists say "This is not possible" and yet Carter comes up with solutions because he does not know what is not possible, he is not bound by the 'box' of science. Just my 2 cents....thanks

[laststarfighter]

Carter, the everyman, keeping order among the chaotic geniuses is basically the premise of the show.

The test results said Zoe's IQ is 157, and also said that she was in the 92nd percentile. Shouldn't 157 be more like the 99th percentile?
It was an Eureka IQ test. Top 8% in Eureka is pretty impressive.

[Rob Helmerichs]

Plus, he is allowed to think outside of the box of science, or as you said, be unconventional.
People keep saying this, which strikes me as ironic because he's thinking INSIDE the box of reality, and is the only person on the show who seems capable of CONVENTIONAL thought. That's what sets him apart! Everybody else thinks is incredible baroque patterns, while he just thinks in a straight line.

[DouglasPHill]

It seems to me that they are making Carter slightly more stupid and dorky this year.

[PJO1966]

It seems to me that they are making Carter slightly more stupid and dorky this year.


Well, his brain was messed with...

[Sirius Black]

Carter works well because nobody thinks like he does.



It's like when the Azgard couldn't think 'dumb enough' so they got Major Carter to help them come up with a new idea. The Azgard weren't intellectually capable of going "down" to her level. It's a coincidence that the character names just happen to be the same.

[Vendikarr]

Carter seems to have the gift of improvisation. He can take what's available around him, and put together a solution. The people of Eureka are too smart for their own good. They only see one solution to a problem, and it usually involves creating a specific device, or using a specific device to fix that problem. Carter on the other hand, knows of a big magnet, he will use that big magnet, even if it's not the use it was designed for.

[danterner]

I liked all the various 111 comments the characters made throughout the episode. While I don't think it was among the stronger episodes in terms of plotting, in terms of dialog it was right up there for me. There were many moments throughout the show that had me grinning in appreciation.

Also loved Carter's physical reaction to the GD incapacitation device when stepping off the elevator, as well as his realization that Joe, by intercepting his mailed security code, had knowingly set him up for the incapacitation ("She's so MEAN!")

I'm not entirely convinced that Carter's IQ is 111. While I agree he's not on the same level as the townspeople, I think there's a possibility he may have been pulling a Columbo - he does himself no favors if the townspeople think he's as intelligent as he actually is. On the other hand, if he lets them underestimate him, its easier for him to get the upper hand when needed. He may not know how to tech the tech to make the tech go tech, but I think his character would at least be smart enough to know that an IQ score is not actually based on a 100 point scale.

[Rob Helmerichs]

I loved his reaction when his daughter told him hers was 112. Which I think illustrates the difference in their respective intelligences, since she was smart enough to know what to say, and he wasn't smart enough to figure out what she was doing (I mean really, what are the odds?).

[Bierboy]

...Also loved Carter's physical reaction to the GD incapacitation device when stepping off the elevator....I nearly fell off the couch laughing at that. It was great.

[pkscout]

Also loved Carter's physical reaction to the GD incapacitation device when stepping off the elevator

A great piece of physical comedy, no doubt.

[PJO1966]

I had to replay that one. :up:

[mrmike]

111 isn't all that low, practically speaking. In a place like Eureka, sure, but I'd venture some of the folks that graduated college with me were somewhere in that range. Why is everyone assuming that he's "smarter than that"?

[Rob Helmerichs]

Theoretically, 90% of the population is below 120, and 110-120 denotes "superior intelligence"...

[busyba]

It was an Eureka IQ test. Top 8% in Eureka is pretty impressive.

Right... I was grading it on the wrong curve. :)

[busyba]

Everybody else thinks is incredible baroque patterns
Hey, if it ain't baroque, don't fix it! :D

[busyba]

I had to replay that one. :up:
Me too, but it was his reaction to the goose neck-snapping that I replayed about 10 times. That was really great, and probably the exact same reaction I would have had.

I would love to see all the different takes they did for that shot. :)

[Fleegle]

Right... I was grading it on the wrong curve. :)


I would also think that a town like Eureka would have much more than its share of autistic children. The Autism rates for the Silicon Valley area are 3-4X higher than the national average. They think this is because a lot of the programmers that hae relocated there are themselves borderline Autistic and it's those traits that allow them to excel at their jobs.

[Sirius Black]

Me too, but it was his reaction to the goose neck-snapping that I replayed about 10 times. That was really great, and probably the exact same reaction I would have had.

I would love to see all the different takes they did for that shot. :)


It's possible that he didn't know it wasn't a real bird. To get a genuine reaction. I didn't know.

[Sherminator]

Theoretically, 90% of the population is below 120, and 110-120 denotes "superior intelligence"...Really?

Then I hope that the results from http://www.intelligencetest.com/ are close to accurate. :cool:

[WinBear]

He did say he got the 111 without even trying. That's still above average. Imagine if he had applied himself a little more.

[Zrealm]

He did say he got the 111 without even trying. That's still above average. Imagine if he had applied himself a little more.

The theory behind an IQ test is that no amount of application (other than outright cheating of course) should change your score.

Of course this isn't 100% true.

[Hunter Green]

Wouldn't nudging the debris so that it enters the atmosphere at a more oblique angle make the debris less likely to burn up in the atmosphere?
It's a little more complicated than that. A shallower angle will make it fall slower, but spend a lot more time going through the atmosphere, so it could well cause it to burn up. A steeper angle could make it go faster and thus burn up.

However, it really didn't matter. If they had just nudged them enough to fall into the Pacific Ocean, that would have done the trick too.

[busyba]

However, it really didn't matter. If they had just nudged them enough to fall into the Pacific Ocean, that would have done the trick too.
TSUNAMI!!!! :D

[Rob Helmerichs]

TSUNAMI!!!! :D
Not if they calculated the trajectory, velocity, and mass of the different fragments so that their wave patterns would cancel each other out...

(Hey! This IS Eureka! :D)

[Bai Shen]

Anybody else annoyed by Carters high school antics around Allison?

[Bierboy]

Anybody else annoyed by Carters high school antics around Allison?No...to quote Rob..."This is Eureka!"

[Bai Shen]

No...to quote Rob..."This is Eureka!"

-shrug- I jus' thought that they were way over the top this episode. I had to stop at the gym scene. I jus' couldn't keep watching.

[Hunter Green]

Not if they calculated the trajectory, velocity, and mass of the different fragments so that their wave patterns would cancel each other out...(Hey! This IS Eureka! :D)
Awww, c'mon, it's not like all the space junk in orbit would actually make a wave big enough for surfers to notice, anyway, let alone a tsunami.

Unless the plot required it to!

[Rob Helmerichs]

Awww, c'mon, it's not like all the space junk in orbit would actually make a wave big enough for surfers to notice, anyway, let alone a tsunami.

Unless the plot required it to!
Well, if it were traveling at...

99.9999% OF THE SPEED OF LIGHT!

[keni88]

Actually I completely buy Zoe having a 157 IQ. Let's not forget, back in the "real world" at the start of the series.. her father was chasing her down for identity theft and credit card fraud. She always struck me as a smart cookie to be able to pull off stunts like that as often as she apparently had.

Anything else in the show (the connector to the car computer, the building roof devices, etc.) I'll all let slide. After all , it's a Science FICTION show... not Science NON-Fiction. :P

[IndyJones1023]

We cracked up so hard when Carter was forced to the floor by the security field. We replayed it a few times, and in slow mo. I can't believe it was real, but it very well could have been. It looks like they yanked a cord attached to his belt.