James Callis on Eureka: "Stoned"

Episode 7, "Stoned". I'm two weeks late on this, but there was no episode last week, and this week is - sniff! - James' last one, so I'm savouring it a bit.

Grant's first scene is with Allison. Awesome! It's short but lovely. I'm going to gloss over the A plot of this episode, which involves people turning into stone. It's not related to Grant, and it's a one-episode thing, so I don't care. Non-James note: I'm loving the Henry and Grace stuff. Grace knows now that Henry is a time traveler, and they have to deal with that. They're trying to live with the knowledge and fall in love again, and it's totally sweet. This is great stuff from Joe Morton and Tembi Locke. I've loved their whole arc this season.

It's raining, and Grant helps Allison into her coat. Allison is clearly loving this. Maybe Carter should take heed and treat her like a lady. Also, gentlemanly behavior raises hotness points, and knowing James is also like this in person makes it even better. I totally have the hots for Dr Grant. I... *stares* Oh, plot? Dialogue? Sorry. Allison asks him if all men were as chivalrous in his time, and he says yes if they wanted to court a girl like her. Sadly he's never going to be with him because Carter will always cut in. Sigh. I think they're totally cute together.

Baby Jenna is adorable, and she's only been in about two episodes so far. I'm a bit disappointed they didn't have Grant interact with her more. It would have been totally cute and, really, sexy. Because men who are great with kids are sexier. (This must be some cave-woman instinct telling me he'd make a good father, but seeing James with kids is a turn on. And also totally sweet.)

He's still all chubby. (L)! I've thought about this a lot, since some of it is stomach distension from the appendicitis. But I'm still going to gush because a) it looks really sexy and b) like Robyn said, James is not someone who needs "kid gloves". Also c) SOME of it must be fat, and if Grant didn't have appendicitis, then Grant gained weight, it's canon, Y/N?

Allison says he'd like to have more men like Grant in the present. I would too. Grant: "You know what they didn't have in my time? Coffee like this." He takes a big sip and really enjoys this. Mmmm. OK, they're just frakking with me here. This whole scene is constructed to turn me on.

So let's get down to business: "I enjoyed the highballs the other night." Blank look. "The drinks." "OH! I did too." It's nice that he sometimes says things she doesn't get. They should do this more.

"How about we go crazy next time and make it dinner?" TV talk, but he sells it so well. Allison is a little unsure, and look who's showing up to her rescue - Sheriff Carter. Boo! I know most Eureka fans are really into Allison/Carter, and he's the main character and all. It's a bummer for James though, because if you join the show as a new character, you don't really have a chance for romance. They all already have someone from the main cast.

Carter asks, mock-casually, why Grant isn't catching up on 60 years of something-or-other. "Because I find the present far more alluring," Grant says. And look at his face:

Swooon!
Allison is happy if bashful at this flirtation. I'm not sure if Grant is flirting just to flirt with her, or to out-charm Carter. (I'm not a fan of this kind of situation, because gentlemanly flirting = awesome and male pissing contests, unless done with humor like in last episode = boring.) Either way, his charm is obviously working. No wonder Carter looks concerned:

And Grant just looks... awesome. I love his faces!!! :D And this was a hard one to capture, by the way. It took me a few rewatches to catch it. So appreciate it!

Carter says he has "police business" for Allison, and Grant excuses himself: "Ladies - to be continued." *sigh* So handsome and so gentlemanly...

This is the episode where Allison and Carter kiss, and that marks the end of Allison/Grant. Which is really a shame. I didn't expect for them to be a couple, but one date would have been nice.

The subplot du jour deals with Grant's personnel file - the one that Fargo made up. Someone's been poking at it from the Pentagon. They may be in big trouble. Jo says they should just hack into the system, and Fargo points out it's a little more complicated than that: "It's like trying to hack the Matrix." I wish Grant asked what the Matrix is, but whatever. Maybe they showed him that movie at the GD orientation.

If they know the file is fake... "Then they know that I'm not Charles Grant, GD historian, but Trevor Grant, GD history." I'm still really lukewarm on this type of dialogue. James sells it well enough but it's just so... TV talk. (GD = Global Dynamics, the science-experiment company at Eureka.)

Fargo says that if they're caught violating "time travel protocols" - hee, I can't believe they have such a thing - they'll be locked up. "I don't like the sound of that," says Grant. TV taalk! *bristles* Fargo: "Forever." Grant: "Or that." Somehow that addition makes it a little more bearable.

I love the expression here! I wonder how many expressions he can make. I should count them sometime. He does a lot with his eyes and eyebrows, and I wonder if it's conscious or not. Does he practice faces in front of the mirror, or does he just automatically do them?

To get some answers, they bring in Zane, bad-boy and computer hacker extraordinaire. He sees this as a great way to get some new equipment.

"Are you trying to blackmail us, sport?!" I wouldn't go around calling people "sport", it seems a little.. well, dated. And suspicious.

Non-James note: Niall Matter (Zane) is really hot. Like, really... hot... *stares* OMG, worst lesbian ever. Also, I've said it before and will probably say it again: I LOVE NEIL GRAYSTON, his acting is so much fun. Also he has funny tweets, so he even seems kinda charming in person.

Zane has hacked into the system, and it's the IRS - "Who claims 11 dependants?" Apparently someone screwed up; it was supposed to be 1, not 11.

So Grant is not in trouble after all. I don't know about this whole subplot; it seems a little pointless, considering that nothing came of it. I'd rather have seen Grant deal with Allison/Carter/kiss. Or discuss his past a little more, as this episode was advertised with "the past comes back to haunt Grant". That really only happens for five minutes in the end. False advertising.

..but I still love how the relief shows in James' posture in these screenshots.

Onto a much more interesting scene:

And.. it's James playing the piano again! This is just beautiful. He's playing some 40's tune, probably composed by Bear McCreary. I'm not sure if he's in character here or just himself, but the way he looks is... the music goes through him, he IS the music. I could watch him play forever.

This is Larry, played by Christopher Jacot. Larry is super-awkward and lame, and apparently he's supposed to be gay and have a little crush on Grant. This is, at least, what some people on a forum were saying. I think he may just be desperately lonely, but who knows?

He brings Grant a gift basket, and Grant has the look of someone who's just been having a very private moment - not in a naughty way - and is being disturbed. Larry stays in obliviously to babble about how he only got a paperweight when he started here.

Rudely, Larry picks at the basket. There's a bottle from... 1947! Larry doesn't notice Grant's horrified looks, because he's an idiot.

And James is chubby and I am horny. This really makes it hard for me to focus on the scenes, so maybe it's a good thing he lost a few pounds. Maybe.

Larry suggests they drink together - like guys do, heh heh heh - and Grant gives a pretty neat "GTFO" look. Even Larry gets the hint and leaves, whining that everyone's always too busy for him. I'd be scared and just RUN out if someone looked at me like that, but some people have no social shame to speak of. There are some Larries at my job too.

Again, James' face is working overtime. I love his expressions so much.

He is to meet a mysterious Someone at the Depot at 8 AM. The Depot is apparently a coffee shop or diner. Do they really need another one when there's Café Diem? You can order whatever you like in there!

This is Grant trying to be tough and yet polite, considering that the person he meets is a mysteriously sexy lady. I think he's having trouble keeping his cool.

I love this shot of his face. The light, the wall showing with the picture... it all looks beautiful together. I could hang this on my wall.

The person Grant meets is Beverly Barlowe. She was a baddie in earlier seasons, apparently, and it's hard to tell if she's a baddie here also. Even after seeing episode 8, it's hard to tell. Speaking of which, "Stoned" kind of abruptly stops at this cliffhanger, so let's move on to episode 8. Post coming.