“Sometimes the system does work.”
Truer words were never spoken. A lot of elements lined up for the making of “Here Come the Suns,” any of which could have sent this episode spiraling towards disaster. First of all, this was the episode chosen for maximum product placement, including the actual integration of a product into the storyline. It was also our spoof on politics during a real election year. And, as it turns out, there were real-life revelations that paralleled the fictional story.
But somehow it all came together easily.
It all began way back in October 2007 when the Sci Fi Channel announced to the Eureka staff that 1) we would have an official commercial sponsor this season, one that was kicking in a lot of dough and would therefore 2) require tons of product placement throughout Season Three. We were also told that 3) ONE EPISODE in Season Three would have to incorporate a storyline in which the actual product HAD to save Eureka somehow, or at the very least, be INDISPENSABLE to Carter’s Act 5 solve.
Oooooookay…
That product turned out to be Degree Absolute Protection For Men (deodorant) and “Here Comes the Suns” (originally entitled “Little Miss Sunshine”) would become that episode.
And how did the staff feel about writing an episode of Eureka under so many pre-existing conditions? Well, on the one hand… Degree money meant a higher budget, which would hopefully translate into a better-looking show. On the other hand, there was the danger that this much product integration could throw our story off balance. Needless to say, great care was taken along the way during this one. Never before has any episode of our show been so scrutinized on all levels.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say it wasn’t just a bit nerve racking. But, man… it was also fun as heck, too.
When Showrunner Charlie Craig asked for volunteers to write this episode, there wasn’t exactly a huge show of hands. In fact, there was dead silence. Except for me. Call me smart or an idiot (more likely the latter), but I felt from the beginning that no matter how the episode turned out, writing it would be an unforgettable experience. I was right. It was.
But in a way I never expected.
One thing that made this one so much fun was getting to write with Jaime. FYI: he and I are the only writers left from Season One. We’ve seen this show go through a lot, grow a whole bunch, and even—dare I say it—pick up a few, extremely wonderful fans along the way. But we’ve never officially written together.
“Here Come the Suns” gave us that opportunity and it was great. The process was simple: we both took three acts each and got down to work. Once we were done, we would each revise each other’s work, often throwing out the other person’s jokes… only to put them back again. I got to see Jaime’s writing style up close, which was an awesome learning experience. He got to appreciate my love of action, explosions, and all-things fire related on a whole new level.
Along the way we got tons of Network notes about the “Degree”-ness of things. The funniest one involved the ending. Originally Carter and Zane used a spray-on Degree deodorant to protect themselves from the heat in Act 5. However, it was then pointed out that Degree is a roll on. So the spray quickly got changed to a roll-on-esque fireproof goo.
Once we had come to terms with the “Degree-ness” of things, there was another challenge to tackle: what was the biggest, best story we could tell? If we had extra money, then let’s spend it. Concepts involving blowing up the sun quickly appeared, but even we thought that was too big, so we ultimately settled on a little girl’s class project that creates a second sun. Now that second sun was eventually supposed to unleash a solar hurricane, then culminate in a solar tornado that destroys main street with fiery hail (I told you I liked explosions). That was, you guessed it, STILL too expensive. But hey, we did get a melted silo, cool solar flares, and a smaller-scale solar explosion. Not bad, eh?
Now we had the Degree-stuff taken care of, and we had a suitable story to go along with it. But what about the small-town aspect of the story? Enter the mayoral race. I wanted Henry to be the winner all along. I saw it as the culmination of a journey his character has been on since “Purple Haze” and “H.O.U.S.E. Rules.” Back then Henry was questioning his reason and purpose for being in Eureka. Remember, he announced he was going to leave Eureka waaaaaaaay back in Season One. Then in Season Two, he became a villain of sorts (until it was revealed that he was kidnapping Kevin to save him). Season Three saw him in jail, and while he was exonerated and welcomed back into the community, I still felt more was needed to bring him full circle. Being elected mayor was a way to show Henry how much Eureka loves him, and that any wounds from Seasons One & Two had finally healed. I’m very excited at where this new development is going to take Henry in Season 3.5 and beyond…
Of course, the mayoral race allowed us to make a comment on American politics, and not a very subtle one, I’m afraid. Oh, well. Not everything comes out the way it sounded at 3am when you were reading pages aloud. I will say this, however. The lines that Lexi says (“Jack thinks the system is broken, but it’s not. It’s up to us to make it work.”) – those come from my heart. I always try and write what I believe, and folks, I believe in those words. I won’t burden you with my political affiliation; that’s unimportant. I will say, however, that it’s an election year. If you, like Sheriff Carter, believe that the system is broken… then fix it. Go out and vote. Help make it work. Each and every one of us can make a difference. Sorry to get preachy, but this was the kind of stuff that was going through my mind while writing this script. Which brings us to the final revelation that occurred during the writing of this story.
This was the episode where Lexi found out she was having twins. It’s also the episode that, while writing it, I found out I’m going to be a daddy for the first time. Whoa. Talk about real-life parallels…
So, yes, “Here Come the Suns” turned out to be an unforgettable experience for me. During the process I learned about the true nature of art vs. commerce. I also got to comment on real world events in a fun way. But most importantly, this will always be the episode where my life changed in the biggest, and best, way possible.
Thanks Eureka, thanks Degree, and thanks Jaime.
Oh, and it’s a girl.
Eric Wallace
Burbank, California - September, 2008
