It’s my favorite Frankie Ward joke! Directed by Michael Robinson, this is Robinson’s only episode of the season and second of the show after “Before I forget.” His one episode next season is one that’s much easier to remember, though, directing Nick Wauters’ only outing, “Phased and Confused.” This time out, he’s directing Bruce Miller’s “Maneater,” with this being the second of Miller’s 12-episode run as a writer, with a good number of those happening next season – including some of the decent ones.

With the good Sheriff acting out sexual harassment for the people at GD, and Nathan shrugging that off, I’m sure there will be no further sexual harassment whatsoever in the town. Meanwhile, Taggart is cosplaying D’Angelo so some dog-wolves can get their 1983 Isley Brothers album on. Good luck parsing those references! As the dog-wolves get hot under the microchips, the town has been visited by Betty Swallocks and everyone wants to strip there and then, especially in front of Carter. All while he’s on the case of the missing AC repairman and requesting the files on Kim’s death.

Yes, while we could advance the plot more than the whole season thus far, he is having his leg humped by every woman with a pulse. I mean, I understand why, America is terrible to gay people, but there was a missed opportunity for Vince to also do something here. However, having the balls to do that isn’t on the card. Hence, Miller has Jo, Allison, the HR woman who preaches against sexual assault, especially in the workplace, and every woman in town beating down doors like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. What mystery of the week could cause that, I wonder?

Turns out it wasn’t Taggard that made Carter the second track of Prince’s 1992 Love Symbol album, as you might have guessed by this point. As an episode “Maneater” is a bit formulaic, but I don’t hate it for that. I don’t actually hate it at all. I still think the season-long mystery is going about as slow as your granny in a wheelchair going up hill, but what else is new? The season arc just feels like an obligation at this point, and one that’s particularly dull if you’re expected to talk about the show in any way.

Though, last time out I did sort of skim over one of the points because I knew this was an episode that I would be talking about anyway. Effectively the C-plot of “God is in the Details,” Jo went on a date with Zane – after their spark in “E = MC… ?” – however, she felt inadequate. In a town of stupidly smart people, she’s not interested in particle physics or quantum mechanics, for her life is about being able to do things. For Zane, it is about working out problems in science and being the stupid smart one.

Now that you’re caught up, it is kind of implied that the two are actually having a relationship, which might just be tested when she kisses Jack. The first red flag of the day. I mean, there is the odd comment or glance one way or the other in that typical American TV “comedy” bit to hint at awkwardness, but nothing this sexual up to this point. Mostly because the good sheriff has eyes for the Black woman who runs GD, not the Hispanic woman he is the boss of. No, it’s not much better, but still.

Rather, for now, he’s attracted to the dry cleaner/scientist who wants to take him to a cabin on the lake. Not because of magic space dust, an Egyptian aphrodisiac, or Bo Bo the Clown giving the couple a heart-based balloon. Turns out she’s the only woman in town that doesn’t find him insanely attractive for Eureka reasons, apparently. This is where I’m debating making this review weird, and I’m just going to ask the question that needs to be asked: What happens if Zoe or Zoe and her friends were about?

I’ve been avoiding talking about the resolution or the discovery of the problems with Eureka for a couple of weeks because they haven’t been pushing the plot along, just resolving the week’s episode. This week it is a kind of spore-like dust under Eureka where Mr Air Conditioning works, and this dust is practically an aphrodisiac. An aphrodisiac on drugs that attaches to the human skin and turns the opposite sex very horny (aside from Callie). Again, under that explanation, I’m asking about Zoe, mostly because it implies dark things from a premise.

“Oh, the episode doesn’t cover that, you shouldn’t think of that.” Sure, I can get that from just sitting down to watch the episode, but being a bit more analytical, it is something to acknowledge. I guess my point is that we’re told it is this ancient magic dust hidden underground, and that it makes certain people horny “AF” as the youth say, but it’s not explained beyond that. As an episode, “Maneater” is supposed to be a fun “nerd-fantasy problem of the week,” but as a premise from a pseudoscience bit of fun, it doesn’t do anything with the idea. It doesn’t even let the gay guy be gay.

Why does it affect the adult women of Eureka? I’ve no idea. Why did someone think Beverly Barlowe was an interesting mystery? I’ll be [aphrodisiac’d] if I know. As a frivolous little mid-season bit of fun, “Maneater” isn’t too bad, albeit lacking a line or two to clear up the mystery dust and an under-served premise. However, it isn’t a mid-season episode; it is the lead-in to the two-episode finale for a mystery that might as well be a frozen microwaved dinner for how cold and unappetizing it is.

Just sitting down to watch it, “Maneater” is a great bit of fun in the world of Eureka. We also get Fargo once again being a horny little virgin that would be red pilled if the show were to start airing right now, but here it is “humor.” The best bit of the episode is probably Jack being accosted by Allison and the HR woman, then suddenly Fargo goes on his power trip of protecting the good sheriff.

Ultimately, “Maneater” would have been a brilliant little episode 6 of the season, giving us a break from a mystery that is progressing, and doing lots of fun things. However, as I’ve said time and time again, it’s not a mid-season episode, and the season-long arc isn’t progressing at a decent pace. It is a good episode in a weird place, in a weird season that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere at all thus far, and now it is about to go a million miles an hour into a brick wall.

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Eureka “Maneater”

7.5

Score

7.5/10

Pros

• Fargo being a creepy little weirdo.
• A sort of fun episode that would do well mid-season.

Cons

• Why is this the lead-in to the finale?
• A better explainer of the dust thing would be nice.