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Set Visit
'Eureka' Goes to School
Colin Ferguson and Jordan Hinson of 'Eureka'
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It's also home to the supersecret research facility called Global Dynamics.
Like any small town, Eureka has a high school. And like any high school, Tesla School has science fairs.
As you might imagine, a science fair in Eureka is not about displays on the anatomy of the honeybee or dioramas of the Grand Canyon.
On a bright but chilly Friday in Canada, the cast and crew of "Eureka" have traveled to a school in Surrey, southeast of Vancouver. The cafeteria has been transformed into a high-tech science fair, with students on hand to observe and work as background extras. One of the exhibits causes major trouble for everyone later on, but fans will have to wait until a few episodes into the season to see what happens.
Eureka's Sheriff Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) is one of the few in town who is not of genius intelligence, but he makes up for it with common sense. Carter is helping his 15-year-old daughter, Zoe (Jordan Hinson), deal with some classmates. In the real world, Ferguson is happy to be working more with Hinson.
"In the last year, Jordan has turned the corner," says Ferguson, clad, as always, in his tan polyester uniform. "Her range as an actress has exploded this year, and it's great to have been a part of that with her. She's just knocking stuff out."
Also offering advice to Zoe is Carter's right-hand woman, Deputy Jo Lupo (Erica Cerra).
During a break in filming, Hinson and Cerra hop onto their director's chairs in a school hallway and talk about this bit of female bonding.
"Children bonding, on my part," Cerra says.
"What's that mean?" Hinson asks.
"Because I'm childish," Cerra replies.
Big things are up for Zoe this season, as her mother, played by Olivia D'Abo, returns to visit her daughter and ex-husband.
"She really could be your mom," Cerra says.
"On screen," Hinson says, "apparently our eyes look identical. Zoe's been apart from her mom for so long, so there are definite changes. But she gets along with her mom. She was with her mom for her whole life. She's just been with her dad for the past year. A teenager changes a lot in a year, so we're trying to cope with the changes, and it's difficult. But it was fun."
The conversation turns to possible love interests, beginning something of a theme for the day.
"I think there's a potential love interest for Jo," Cerra says.
Cerra's wish list for a love interest includes Brad Pitt, but since that seems unlikely, Hinson pipes up, "I see you and Fargo, gotta tell you."
"Well, you know ... ," Cerra says.
"You play the 'I don't like you' thing, but I don't know."
"It's the uniform," Cerra says. "It attracts a certain kind of man, the person who wants to get beat up, or the person who just wants to fight."
The Fargo in question is Douglas Fargo (Neil Grayston), a brainy Global Dynamics employee who has worked on many development projects. His name also is raised as a possible love interest for Zoe, but since she's still in high school (and her father is armed), that is probably not a good idea.
"I could pretty much say that it's not going to be Zoe," Grayston says while hanging out on a stone wall outside the school, "given that there's a 10-year age difference, and there's the underage-ness."
But as for Jo, Grayston says, "Perhaps. Opposites attract, kind of thing. And Fargo likes his 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' a lot. Jo's the Eureka equivalent of Buffy, almost."
"Her and Fargo?" Ferguson says. "That's really funny, those two together."
But Zoe? Without hesitation, Ferguson says, "That just won't happen."
On the Sheriff Carter front, Ferguson says, "What we're going for this year is that he's always taken by surprise by the science. But he's expecting the science, then is taken by surprise, as opposed to not expecting anything, then getting taken by surprise."
Carter is still stuck in the middle between now-former Global Dynamics head Nathan Stark (Ed Quinn) -- whose ex-wife, Allison Blake (Salli Richardson-Whitfield), has just taken his old job -- and former GD genius and freelance problem solver Henry Deacon (Joe Morton).
The death of Henry's love, scientist Kim (Tamlyn Tomita), in a disastrous episode last season involving the mysterious "Artifact" stored in the bowels of GD may have cost Stark his job, but it eventually brings Henry back into the GD fold.
"He definitely has an agenda," Morton says. "At GD, he's working in Kim's old lab. He requested it. I think he's clinging a lot."
Stark may be cut loose from his corporate moorings, but that doesn't mean he's let himself go. That's evident as Quinn stalks about the science fair in his usual dapper designer suit and shiny shoes.
"They've sent Stark on quite a journey," Quinn says, "but unfortunately, they didn't have the money to dress him for this journey, or there was so much money spent on the wardrobe for last season, that every chance they get, they put him in a suit."
There's even some talk of reconciliation for Stark and Blake.
Asked about that, Ferguson says, "Yeah, she'll pay for that. She can try."
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