However, regular Eureka viewers may be more interested in the barbecue scene that follows. The romantic maneuvers from last week’s episode are starting to work: Henry and Grace have been sharing memories, with the help of some of that top-secret equipment, and Allison and Carter are all smiles.

As Eureka #4.08, “The Ex-Files,” goes on, it looks like Carter and Allison are going to have some trouble, though: Tess has turned up at GD, and she’s already noticed that her best friend and her ex are getting close. Nathan Stark, Allison’s ex-husband, has turned up as well. He’s been “stuck in space-time,” and a GD experiment accidentally brought him back.

Allison thinks everyone needs to “clear the air.” Carter’s not sure, and he’s even less sure when Vincent’s comment helps him realize that he and Allison are having hallucinations. She sees Tess, and he sees Nathan. Soon, Jo’s seeing other-timeline Zane and Fargo’s seeing his childhood bully (a girl). It’s because of the memory sharing that Henry and Grace have been doing, but solving the problem isn’t so simple; they’ve got to work out their issues.

There’s also a very real problem with things crumbling, like Carter’s Jeep and a bridge. At first, Carter thinks it’s the GD experiment, but then, with a little help from Nathan, he realizes it’s sabotage. And Trevor’s hallucination–Beverly’s dad–is urging him to shut down the damping field that’s foiling the saboteurs. Of course, the whole thing is a setup: the machine is stolen as soon as General Mansfield tries to move it out of GD. It turns out that Beverly and her group wanted to use it to send Trevor back to the Forties.

Even though it spends a lot of time setting up the upcoming “Season Finale,” this one’s actually a romantic episode, finally dealing with Allison’s and Carter’s feelings for each other and fears about a relationship, even if they’re dealing with them through proxies. The tender feelings show through, even as Nathan and Tess hurl insults (from subconscious projections). The comic relief, with the bully girl taunting a fearful Fargo as Mansfield pressures him, also works.

It’s not official business, but Sheriff Carter uses the excuse to get a word in edgewise in a conversation between Grant and Allison in Eureka #4.07, “Stoned.” Carter uses the word to ask Allison out–after four years, a fact he kicks himself with afterward. It still takes a while for Allison to realize his intentions, though. It doesn’t look like a dinner date will lead to more, at least for now.

“Your house is getting more action than either of us,” Jo tells him, reminding us that S.A.R.A.H. and Andy have been getting closer. Jo’s new house isn’t getting much action: the discovery of a fossil on the site has brought construction to a halt.

The Department of Defense might have figured out that today’s Charles Grant is yesterday’s Trevor Grant. But how to be sure? Fargo and Jo bring in Zane to illegally hack a defense computer. Sounds like a brilliant–well, er, stupid–idea to me. Anyway, it turns out they’re just investigating a glitch in Grant’s paperwork–filled out by Fargo–but now Zane thinks Grant’s a fraud. He’s not the only one: someone sent Grant a 1947 wine. Turns out it’s Beverly Barlow. Remember her?

Zoe’s back in town, and she finds a fossil expert has turned to stone. Allison notices that the man’s heart is still beating. Soon, Carter finds out that it’s not just a fluke. People are “petrifying from the outside in.”

Zoe’s part of the investigation, using her science know-how to try to solve the petrification riddle. She’s been taking a class under the fossil guy, and suspects he’s been tampering with fossils. Carter rewards Zoe with a spa coupon. Naturally, I’m guessing (as most viewers probably did) that the spa treatment sets off the petrification, and they’re going to have to think fast to save her. Fortunately, Carter does, suggesting a molecular steambath. Eureka still can be predictable, even in its new, improved form.

Henry’s trying to get to know his wife Grace, but he’s finding that whatever he does, he’s already done. What’s it take to win back the wife he barely knows? A song-and-dance production number in the GD lobby, for starters. If you missed it, check it out at Syfy.com; it’s near the end.

And Jo finds out Zoe’s her rival for Zane’s affections. As surprises in the new Eureka go, that’s one of the more surprising ones, since Zane was a jerk when the time travelers first got back.

The actual plot this week was predictable all the way, which means this wasn’t one of the best episodes of the season. Still, the character moments were good.

The staging on the opening plot shocker sequences seems to be a little spookier this season. Kudos to the production team. It’s a small touch that adds a little more heft to the dramedy series.

Syfy recently announced a fifth season and a holiday special in December at Blastr.com. If you’re celebrating the news, I’d suggest a latte or cappucino, Cafe Diem style, but no spa treatments.

The answer, of course, begins “12 hours earlier,” as an “emo” turns up in the shower, watching Jo. It’s Kevin’s science project, and it’s a lot smaller than the thingy in the opening sequence. Carter wants to talk to Kevin about the emo’s unwanted visit, so Carter suggests that Kevin join him and Fargo on a camping trip. They end up with two last-minute additions to the party: Grant, and the emo. Fargo has a “mutent,” or instant pop-up tent, complete with “BUFFY,” an A.I. Naturally, the “mutent” traps Fargo. He’s got a way with A.I. in this universe, too; his A.I. car turned on him in an earlier season.

Back at Global Dynamics, Allison is dealing with a computer that’s trying to do an unwanted dissection on a patient. Weirder still, Andy the android deputy starts composing poetry about Jo. These are machine glitches, but they aren’t quite as massive as the one in the opening.

These things turn out to be consequences of S.A.R.A.H.’s romantically minded upgrade to Andy, giving him new emotions. It seems she’s given a lot of computers unwanted emotions in the process, including Tiny, the big mechanical bug with what Carter calls “the unnecessarily creepy design.” Now we’ve gotten to the part we’re seeing in the opener. Carter figures out that Tiny’s trying to protect the emo thanks to the emotional upgrade (a realization most viewers beat him to), and saves the day, but not before Fargo gets to show off some nifty new driving skills and more grace than usual under pressure.

Meanwhile, Henry turns out to be the one who breaks the big rule, telling wife Grace that he just came back from an alternate universe, and he was single there. Judging by her reaction (“There is no us! You’re a stranger!”), it’s a big mistake. I was surprised that Henry turned out to be the one who broke down on the alternate universe secret, seeing that he and Carter have managed to keep another alternate reality secret for years. The argument between Henry (Joe Morton) and Grace (Tembi Locke) is handled well. A final scene, in which Henry apologizes for his clumsiness as Grace is preparing a care package for him, hints that, like Jo and Zane, they might be on track for building a real relationship in this universe.

On the camping trip, Carter finally admits his love for Allison, immediately getting into an argument with Grant in front of Kevin. Grant’s not usually up-to-date, but he’s picked up enough modern lingo to make a play on words like “friends, without the benefits” in the verbal sparring with Carter.

As with quite a few Eureka episodes, the story about Tiny on the loose isn’t as exciting as the opening teaser promised, but the character developments make up for it.

Last time we saw Fargo and Claudia, Lorgnon Epais et Cheveu Avec Bande were dodging mechanical bugs in The Warehouse That Hugo Built on Warehouse 13.

Now, in Eureka, Episode #4.05, “Crossing Over,” Fargo’s trying to impress Claudia, who’s visiting Eureka (a sort-of souped-up high-tech Cabot Cove) to pick up some goo for transporting artifacts. Strangely, Fargo actually seems to be impressing Claudia, even if he planned to charm her with snack trays from Cafe Diem instead of sequoias popping up in the middle of Global Dynamics and suddenly appearing minefields.

“Now that’s more like it,” Claudia says when the sequoias pop up in the middle of Fargo’s guided tour of GD.

The minefield actually turns out to be a romantic hot spot. Fargo’s bright enough to defuse a mine his “savory and sweet” sweetheart stepped on so she doesn’t end up a “Claudia smoothie.” Claudia and “The Farginator” (her nickname for him) smooch, and end up on another mine–which keeps them together for a while.

It turns out that Grant is literally a magnet for trouble, or at least items from 1947 that are being pulled through a wormhole. It takes a while for the Eureka gang to figure it out, but the vintage of the bullet that suddenly appears in Jo was a big clue for viewers. There’s a Eureka solution, of course, in the form of a nanobot nicotine patch that can be reprogrammed.

It looks like the things that blew Fargo’s careful plans for romance were the things that brought it about, which makes “Crossing Over” a nice takeoff on all the closer-to-normal romantic-adventurous couplings in TV and movies. It’s also fun to see Fargo and Claudia comparing notes on their respective series’ explanations for weird goings-on (“Everything in Eureka can be explained by science,” Fargo assures Claudia.).

Elsewhere in the romance department, did you notice that Zane was at Jo’s bedside when she woke up after surgery? She’s proving that you don’t need wormholes to make two alternate universes intersect. Jo’s also counseling roomie Carter, urging him to make his stand for Allison, who seems enthralled by Grant, the mysterious visitor from 1947. Also, a little bit of give-and-take at the end of the episode showed that Henry might settle down and make his marriage to Grace work.

With all the dramatic touches on Eureka lately, a silly episode was a fun change of pace.

“Catastrophic is a bad word.”

Catastrophic is a word that should be familiar to Douglas Fargo, but he’s never heard it inside Warehouse 13 before. In Warehouse 13, Episode #2.05, “13.1,” the new head of Global Dynamics is in the remote warehouse to update its computers, and bring back a few extra viewers for Eureka in a “crossover event.”

Naturally, “eyes are popping up all over the warehouse,” and Fargo is locked out of the computer. Artie recognizes the computer’s voice as that of Hugo Miller, the warehouse’s original designer. Agents Pete and Myka pay Hugo (Rene Auberjonois from Deep Space Nine) a visit–in the sanatorium. They suggest a trip back to the warehouse, but he’d rather taser them and flee. Sounds perfectly normal to me.

Back at the warehouse, “Hugo One,” an artificial intelligence, takes over the computers. He looks up the records of Fargo and the Warehouse 13 agents, deems them incompetent, and starts the deep freeze. Even in this universe, Fargo has pushed a few dozen of the wrong buttons.

There’s a good scene early on in which Fargo and Claudia compare notes on the gadgets in their respective secret facilities. The two get on well, and kiss by episode’s end. Apparently, running from evil mechanical bugs and shooting them with lasers makes for a good first date. As unlikely as the circumstances seem, Neil Grayston and Allison Scagliotti have enough chemistry to pull it off. It could be fun to see them conduct a long-distance romance over a season or two using the futuristic communication devices at their disposal, but I doubt SyFy will keep it going that long.

Artie’s solution–talking to Hugo One so he can figure things out and then reasoning with the A.I. (not actually, it turns out)–also is a nice touch.

Checking out Warehouse 13 to keep a Eureka log complete wasn’t a big sacrifice. It was a fun story, and the cast of Warehouse 13 is likable, even if they haven’t grown on me as much as Eureka’s cast has (I’ve been watching White Collar).

It’s enough of a standalone story that if you’re a Eureka fan and you missed it, you won’t be losing sleep over it, but you might want to catch up online nonetheless. The second part of the “crossover event” comes Friday at 9 P.M. EST on Eureka.

Even though this Zane isn’t the one who proposed to her, Jo Lupo isn’t happy about the possibility that his work release might be up in Eureka #4.04, “The Story of O2.” Zane’s being blamed for the disastrous crash of a prototype aircraft he was flying. He appears drunk, but his tests are clear, and he says there was a bird attack.

The explanation’s evident from the start–hyperoxia from the oxygen-creating stuff that special guest star Jamie Kennedy’s been working on in his lab–but how did it get there? The answer might have something to do with Kevin Blake’s rocket project for Space Week.

Colin Ferguson’s directing, so Sheriff Carter’s surprising Zoey at Harvard. Thanks to a spill in the very special Eureka care package, there’s an invisible cat running around the dorm. Not for too long, since Carter’s as good at figuring out scientific mysteries at Harvard as he is in Eureka. Better (or worse) yet, Zoey asks if he’s dying or something when Carter makes the effort to reconnect.

So far, the time travel/alternate universe plot has given each of the main characters a showcase episode this season, and this week, it’s Jo’s. Lupo’s getting to know the Zane in the new Eureka, and maybe he’s not as bad as she–or her alternate self–thought. Zane’s starting to like her a little, too. I’d guess that the alternate Eureka is going to look a little more like the old Eureka by the end of the season.

Not totally, since Fargo’s showing some backbone when facing the General–his character’s actually evolving in the new situation–and a rocket mishap gives Carter a roomie: Jo.

There’s another surprise here, because Allison turns out to be responsible for the potential disaster that threatens to turn Eureka into a fireball. She’s usually the one putting out other people’s fireballs. Even though she wouldn’t let Kevin do his science project by himself, Kevin comes up with the solution himself. “If we all burst into flames, you can ground me later,” Kevin tells her.

It’s a good episode, using the alternate universe and its changes as a metaphor in a story about parents not letting go, even as it sticks to a theme of “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Millions of Eureka viewers might have had the same sarcastic thought at some point or another, but that’s from the mouth of Fargo, the new head of Global Dynamics, in episode #4.03, “All the Rage.” Fargo, it seems, has a lot of rage, even if he doesn’t have all of it.

In his defense, he’s been hit by an “angry ray” just as he was discovering that the “Other Fargo” in the parallel universe that the main characters have stumbled into is a tyrant. Actually more of a dictator, even putting up posters with his Stalinesque likeness.

Still, Carter, who hasn’t even been hit by the angry ray, sends an angry mob after Fargo. Is Carter just pissed, as he says, or does he have a plan? Yeah, you know the answer to that one. Maybe Fargo’s outburst isn’t so off-base.

Even before the angry ray hit, Fargo was getting mad very fast after clashing with angry Dr. Parrish (Wil Wheaton, someone a few science-fiction fans might recognize, even with a beard).

Meanwhile, Jo found herself struggling with the effects of the angry ray, keeping in a lot of hostility. True, she pulled a gun on Carter, but even in an enraged state, she respected him enough to let him take it from her.

The angry, paranoid mood of the episode was excellent, with the flickering lights from a power outage serving as the crowning touch. Carter didn’t have to tell us it was like a Romero movie to get us in the mood this time.

Also, Carter finally broke up with Tess. This finally sets the stage for his romantic relationship with Alison, the one he experienced in another alternate reality that he and Henry have been keeping mum about. His disastrous job of the breakup left me wondering if this was the same Tess, the one who wanted to take a job in Australia.

So far, strong writing and attention to detail have given the early episodes of Season Four dramatic and exciting touches to go with the show’s usual oddball humor.

“… the more they stay the same.”

That’s what Henry and Carter have to say about a giant mechanical bug stomping down the street in Eureka. It’s Tess’ bug, actually a planet probe, and she says it’s sabotage. An electrical shock makes Carter suspicious as well in Eureka #4.02, “A New World.” The machine that sent them back in time is busted, keeping our heroes from creating a new wormhole to return to their own timeline.

Meanwhile, the time travelers from the season premiere are returning home to find things are different. No Nathan Stark, as I was expecting last week. However, Alison has discovered that son Kevin no longer is autistic. Fargo’s happy because the tasteless decor in the GD boss’s office tells him he’s the head of Global Dynamics. Otherwise, Carter’s nervous about the possibility that he seems to have proposed to Tess. Jo’s upset about Zane, but glad to be head of security at GD. Andy, the robot cop, is now Carter’s deputy, and he’s figured out that Carter’s been traveling through time, thanks to some old pollen and Carter’s questions about history and the like.

Henry’s discovered that Dr. Trevor Grant’s arrival in the twenty-first century was no accident: he grabbed Carter’s communication device and reset it, intending that Carter would be left in 1947.

Kevin may think his mom’s on drugs, but watching Alison (Salli Richardson-Whitfield, above) meet her son anew was the highlight of this week’s episode. It looks like the changes will let viewers get to know Alison anew as well.

It’s also intersting that Carter and Jo want to tell everyone about the time shift, but the rest of the time travelers advise against it. It shows that the two law enforcement officers still think about things a little differently than their scientific-minded colleagues, even after years in Eureka.

So far, the alternate reality storyline looks like it’ll have lots of payoffs for regular viewers, if the writers can keep up the surprises for a whole season.

Sharon Gless got a supporting actress nomination for playing Madeline Westen on Burn Notice. I think the voters figured out that a couple of the weaker plots were actually stone soup for mother-son relationship stories. Awwww!

I’d have thought Burn Notice was automatically disqualified under the “nothing that even remotely looks like it should have an ITC logo and be filmed on the backlot at Shepperton Studios should ever have hope in the Emmys” rule. I guess I was wrong about that one.

That said, the current season looks good for giving Gless another shot at it next year. Mama Westen got to come up with a tactical plan for the mission-of-the-week last time out, and she’s questioning her son Michael’s ethics in dealing with his newest associate.

The stories on Burn Notice often turn out to be more about relationships than you’d think for a show with so many explosions, fights, and chases, so it’s only a surprise that the Emmy voters noticed.

The entire Emmy list can be found here.

The start of the day is promising enough, with Zane proposing to Jo. That isn’t so promising, since she’s unsure of her feelings.

Things start to go wrong when Jack gets a cell call while jogging and finds himself on a rougher road. The going gets rougher still when he flags down a lift and hears a Brooklyn Dodgers game on the car radio. It could be worse, though–and it is when the military authorities at Camp Eureka decide Carter’s a spy.

Camp Eureka? Yeah, it was in 1947. That’s where Carter, Alison, Jo, Fargo, and Henry have ended up. Seems Alison’s son Kevin’s been tinkering with a gadget. The same gadget was being developed in 1947, and solar flares link the two eras. Eureka!

The mishaps in 1947 are obvious, but the look of the episode, like a sepia-toned postcard come to life, is excellent. The music, including a jazzy reworking of the show’s theme and a singer doing “We’ll Meet Again,” is fantastic. I wouldn’t be surprised if the sound on this one gets an Emmy nomination next year at this time.

“Founders’ Day” also gives Alison and Carter a slow dance and a kiss, but there’s a complication when they get back. It appears that Nathan, Alison’s husband, is alive (still? again?) in this Eureka, and Tess is waiting for Carter when he gets back home. Henry finds himself married to Grace, the lady Carter met in the opening scenes. Jo, on the other hand, finds that Zane doesn’t remember their relationship. I think the word everyone’s thinking about now is “reboot.”

As a bonus, Dr. Trevor Grant, who would have gone on to be one of the greatest scientists of his generation, came back to the twenty-first century with them.

Whew! That’s a lot of changes. It’ll take a while to see how all this shakes out. About all we know so far is that Jack Carter’s going to get awfully tired of being called “sport” by Trevor Grant. However, it is good to see that the writers are trying to shake things up.

Burn Notice stars Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen, a blacklisted spy who finds himself stranded in sun-soaked Miami. The action-packed season four commences with a new counterintelligence expert, Jesse Garcia, played by Coby Bell (“Third Watch”), who loves to fight bad guys just as much as Michael does. Heating up the night with our hot undercover agent are Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), the beautiful ex-IRA operative and ex-girlfriend of Michael; Sam (Bruce Campbell), our favorite washed-up military intelligence muscle; and Michael’s mother (Emmy Award-winner Sharon Gless), who is one tough cookie herself.

“This whole business needs a little Michael Westen.”

Where was Michael Westen when we saw him last?

Now that he’s had a look around, Michael sees that the antiques look a little too nice for a regular government agency. He meets Vaughn, who’s recruiting for a shadowy spy agency that’s going after someone with “fat bank accounts” who’s a little too much for the CIA to handle. The job interview involves an explosive visit with a gunrunner. Maybe Michael should consider one of those non-lethal jobs with one of those agencies with bland, boring wall decor.

Of course, the job interview was the easy part. Michael now has to face Madeline, Fi, and Sam after his disappearance. More or less fortunately, Fi and Sam are a little distracted, what with helping a client who’s been marked for death by a hell of a lot of bikers who aren’t exactly angels.

The first ten minutes or so of Burn Notice #4.01, “Friends and Enemies,” is fantastic. The episode eventually goes back to the same old same old, but it moves at a breakneck clip and has some nice touches: Michael’s reunion with Madeline; the bickering between Fi and Sam, which has gotten worse without Michael to referee; Michael’s goofy solution to the client’s problem, and one last twist which probably will catch you by surprise as much as it does Michael. It’s not the full reboot you might expect after last season’s finale, but the writers and actors are keeping the same old fresh.

Season Four opened stronger than the first three, leaving a few questions that hint at good stuff to come. I left wanting to know what happens next.

Burn Notice returns for Season 4 on June 3rd at 9/8c on USA Network