Okay, all my excitement from a few weeks ago at seeing Teryl with a new job?  Not repeatable with Michael Shanks.  I spent most of his time on-screen suppressing the urge to smack him.  If that was the point of the character, great, but I kind of hope we don't see him again.

That said, this was a really meaty episode.  The threads from the rest of the season are finally starting to tie together.  Beverly's back … from Gitmo?   Nice makeup job on Debrah Farentino, btw, and her acting was way above par.  I may not like Beverly, but I missed her.  Henry is onto what Stark and Allison are doing, and he's … working with Beverly?  To get Kevin?  To access the Artifact's secrets and/or save the world from them?

And I thought this would just be about the whole Midas plot.  Hah!

Speaking of the Midas plot?  Lame.  Please to stop getting magic in my scifi, thankyouverymuch.  Still, the point wasn't the gold but the effect on the town.  In the initial stages, Vincent stole the scene with "Hands off my bundt!" and "Greedy little genius vultures."  Fargo's "It's just so shiny" was perfect.

  Once the real fun got started, and things began to crumble, sure we had our "OMG, the town is about to be destroyed" factor (Our infrastructure could be collapsing.  We'd be rich but dangerously unstable."   "Like Paris Hilton.") but it was all worth it for Jack having to get the "Death Star trench" briefing.  The miracle cure back to fine?  Lame.  Really, really lame.

Beautiful shoutout to last week with Jack telling Fargo to find his "happy thoughts."  Good continual work on the Jack and Zoe relationship, and Callie wasn't annoying.  I loved how Jo volunteered to chaperone, and I don't think anyone (except Jack) was surprised to find her in the closet with Zane.  They made the sisters subtext with Jo and Zoe into the text and I'm good with that.  I like to see female characters hanging out together.  It gives me hope that the writers see them as important.

So, where are we?  In lockdown, with a potentially deadly virus on the loose (or not).  Henry and Beverly have Allison and Kevin, and look to be making some pretty serious threats against him.  Jack and Stark are locked right outside, and in the last moment, both actors did "confused, horrified but determined" very well.  Oh, and Kevin can read minds now, and can communicate and might be dying from the mutations the Artifact is creating inside him.

Things are going to be really interesting next week.  I can't wait.