User Reviews

House Rules is a largely tense and every-morphing episode that is about relationships and resolution of conflict while the majority of our major players are being held hostage by SARAH. The crisis is taken on by everyone and the tensions change as the crisis escalates, but while the core of every episode has always been the people of Eureka, this episode isn't afraid to let that core be the driving element of the plot as well. Yes, we still have plenty of humor to enjoy along the way, but this is a people in crisis (emotionally and physically) episode, and a terrific one at that.

After Stark interferes with his work once again Sheriff Carter starts to question whether he should stay in Eureka. He takes a couple of days off work and asks SARAH, his smart house AI, to show him places he might like to move to. As he sits around drinking beer and eating pizza he is rather surprised, and a little annoyed, when Stark turns up at his home claiming to have been paged... then Alison, Henry, Fargo and Beverly turn up; all claiming to have been paged. As they argue about things the door closes and SARAH tells them that their behaviour is threatening Eureka and they must resolve their differences. Their attempts to force their way out just make matters worse... potentially much worse. While this is going on, Jo and Taggart, who arrived late and realised something is wrong, are trying to find a way into the house through the sewer system.

This was a solid episode that nicely built on the tensions that have been building in recent instalments. Having most of the main cast confined in a single location was affective; the sealed house was suitably claustrophobic... the sort of space that is pleasant when you can leave but becomes stressful when you realise you can't. Under the circumstances it is perfectly understandable that the characters start to bicker. Various things that happen during the episode cause tensions, and potential dangers to increase nicely. The events outside the house, involving Jo and Taggart provide some light relief without the humour feeling forced. The cast does a good job; making the characters believable as their irritability increases. Overall another impressive episode that shows you don't need numerous locations to be entertaining.

I think the writers flip a coin when they start an episode. Was this episode's plot driven by a one-off scientist, or Fargo? In this case, it's how lazily he built SARAH that causes the chaos.

Carter is depressed and thinking about moving out of Eureka. SARAH stages a surprise intervention, which turns out to be a surprise for everyone involved. A surprise that might be deadly.

There's more episodes after this, so it's not really a spoiler to say that at least most of the characters make it out alive. What is surprising is that Carter continues to live there with his daughter after this episode.

The episode has some fun moments, some genuine moments, and some forced moments. Overall, a decent episode.