Sure, just pick up the strange glasses and try them on. Great idea.
Carter: The only way to fix the problem, is to recognise that you have it.
As Zoe prepares to leave Eureka to live with her mother, Carter's personal problems must take a backseat to a much bigger threat. People in Eureka are disappearing, and only Carter seems to notice. But does the real problem lie closer to home?
Tropes
- Blackmail: Carter uses this mercilessly to get Fargo's cooperation with something questionable.Fargo: Sorry, all class 8 research is classified.
Carter: Oh. Y’know what else should be classified? Uh, a certain assistant’s American Idol audition.
Fargo: What? No-no-no, Zoe promised me she was gonna delete that!
Carter: So what’s it gonna be?
Fargo: Fine. Give me an hour. - Close-Knit Community: The town rallies around Jack and Zoe when Jack is trapped in the VR.Vincent: Well, he's our Sheriff and [Zoe]'s our girl.
- Left the Background Music On: When Jack and Zoe reconcile, a soft music is played...by SARAH.SARAH: That was such a beautiful moment, I thought musical accompaniment seemed appropriate.
- Occam's Razor: Mangled somewhat by Carter.Henry: Do you remember Occam's Razor?
Carter: Yeah. Simple things are true.
Henry: Close enough. - Parents as People: Jack loves Zoe very much, but his way of dealing with the subject of her custody leaves much to be desired.
- Plot Twist: The episode seemingly sets a typical Mystery of the Week: People begin to disappear and Jack seems to be the only one who notices. However, half-way through the episode it is revealed that all of this is merely happening inside Jack's head as he is trapped in a VR therapy device forcing him to confront his issues.
- Shout-Out:
- The episode title is from a Joe South song.
- The plot is similar to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Remember Me", in which a character's fear of losing their loved ones is manifested by a shrinking world where no one else remembers those who've vanished.
- There are also similarities to the Stargate SG-1 episode "Revisions", featuring a domed town in which people disappear as an emergency power conservation measure. The computer arranging the disappearances would then remove the person from the town's memories.
