I’m no great fan of monster-of-the-week stories, and this week’s episode is no exception. I gave it a fair shake: bowling is dear to my heart, plus the episode title makes me think of Kermit the Frog, and who doesn’t love a Muppet?

So: The story’s amusing — Eureka’s bowling rival would of course be a team from Area 51, and these hardcore bowlers would of course cheat in their attempts to win a bi-annual bowling competition. The ringer on Eureka’s team, a biochemist/champion bowler named Big Ed, has created a “pet” microorganism that will destroy the town if not stopped. And this is where Sheriff Carter comes in, teamwork and an exploding bowling ball save the day, blah blah blah.

But it’s essentially uninteresting. Also, the episode includes visual/dialogue homage to a number of movies, but I’m not quite sure why — it doesn’t relate to the story or the characters and instead feels like a cutesy (and pointless) trick. In addition to some acknowledged borrowing from The Blob, I spotted moments from Jaws, Alien, and The Big Lebowski; and I’m sure there were more that I just wasn’t clever enough to catch. I suspect this is meant to convey the lighthearted and self-aware nature of the show, but in this context — or more specifically, without context — it doesn’t quite work for me.

On the upside: The overarching alien story progresses, with some discussion of the mysterious “signal” and attempts by Allison and Tess to get a clear picture of the signal’s source. At the end of the episode, Allison is ordered by General Mansfield to prepare a defense system (against threats unknown and extraterrestrial). Also, Lexi and Duncan resolve their issues and it now looks like Lexi’s leaving Eureka (happily, and with Duncan; which is OK because she’s not really contributing to the big picture). So, things move along; I just could have done without some of the detour.

Reviewer rating: 3 out of 5 S.A.R.A.H.s