Recap / Eureka Glimpse

There goes the neighbourhood

Jo: Like a weather forecast for trouble.
Carter: Partly cloudy, with a chance local catastrophe.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing as Carter and Jo test out a new threat-assessment system that promptly predicts armageddon.

Forgo and Holly interview scientists for the upcoming Astreus mission, sparking competition among Eureka's residents.

Tropes

• Awesomeness by Analysis: Zane's PALS (threat assessment contact lenses) show Jo, and later Carter, predictions of disasters before they happen; Jo catches a cannister of gas before it can fall and explode. Later, they both see a huge explosion wipe out the town, so they have to find out how and prevent the explosion.
  Carter: Okay everyone, calmly leave the cafe and away from main street.
  Vincent: Why?
  Carter: No idea, just do it.
• Call-Back:
  • When Jo looks at Zane using the PALS, one of the aliases it list for him is I.P. Freely.
  • Dr Parrish accuses Fargo of being a legacy brat with his grandfather Pierre paving the way, implying that Pierre wasn't frozen in this timeline.
• The Cameo: Stan Lee
  Stan Lee: Don't make me angry, son. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.
• Covered in Gunge: Carter is doused with cold gel from a hatch after Jo saw through the threat device that it would happen and didn't warn him.
  Carter: You knew that was going to happen, didn't you? [Jo laughs] You're a bad person.
• I Ate WHAT?!: Dr. Parrish's Astreus proposal is some kind of highly-nutritious and transportable foodstuff that Tastes Like Chicken. Fargo has already tried one when he's told it's a dried banana slug.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Fargo uses the PALS to screen Astreus candidates and impress Holly, which causes an overload in the system and nearly blows up the town.
• Red Herring: Dr Parrish yells something about nitro glycerin right before Carter and Jo see the predicted explosion. Turns out the amounts he uses are tiny and not a threat.
  Parrish: You're accusing me of something I might do?
  Carter: Well, when you put it like that.
• Shout-Out:
  • Fargo's Astreus recruitment video in the opening homages Starship Troopers.
  • Zane comments on the PALS.
  Zane: It's like having your own Professor Xavier!
  • Zane's aliases include David Lightman and Stephen Falken.
  • When Stan Lee's Astreus proposal is shot down, he's warned that "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." The music in the background is similar to the main theme of The Incredible Hulk (1977), and the visual aids for Generalissimo's presentation are similar to the x-ray images of Dr. Banner's gamma infusion from that series.
  • The use of predictive technology to prevent disasters using a holographic display to analyse the information echoes Minority Report.
• Wham Shot: Henry calls Carter to show him the PALS' assessment of Allison: 99.08% threat.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Fargo confesses using the PALS to impress Holly. She's not impressed, and yells at him that the Astreus project is a huge responsibility that she takes seriously. Later, they redo the interviews without the lenses.