By Rebecca Fisher

Introduction:

Remember the end of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Arc when the Arc of the Covenant was hidden in a massive warehouse, just one identical crate amongst thousands of others? Have you ever wondered what else was stored in there? Well, the creators of Warehouse 13 obviously did, for even though their show has no affiliation whatsoever with the Indiana Jones franchise, the concept at the heart of their story certainly gleaned its inspiration from that infamous final scene.

Premise:

Somewhere in the dead-lands of South Dakota is a huge warehouse facility, protected by isolation and several major security systems, including underground tunnels lined with bombs. Inside are thousands upon thousands of shelves filled with dangerous artefacts that have been acquired from around the globe over hundreds of years, stored there so as to protect the rest of the world from their potentially destructive power.

The series begins when Secret Service agents Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) and Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) save the President from a life-threatening situation involving an Aztec stone head and a possessed museum worker. What they get for their troubles is reassignment to what appears to be a run-down warehouse in the middle of nowhere, having been hand-picked by the mysterious Mrs Frederickson for their unique talents in the field. There they are put under the authority of Artie Nielsen, the overseer of the Warehouse’s vast collection of artefacts.

Our two leads: Pete Lattimer and Myka Bering

As Warehouse agents their new job is to investigate strange phenomena across the Earth, confiscate any artefact that might be behind the trouble, and bring it back to the archive for safekeeping. Or, to put it in Artie’s words: “snag it, bag it, tag it.”

Storyline:

Well, I’m sure you can guess how things unfold. Each episode sends Peter and Myka on another mission to retrieve dangerous artefacts from various civilians, criminals or victims, learning to trust each other and adjust to their strange new career in the process. The initial formula is rather heavy on contrivance: what are the odds that every weird occurrence brought to the agents’ attention has an artefact behind it? Or that most of the artefacts once belonged to a famous person? (Among other things, the agents have to deal with Harry Houdini’s wallet, Lewis Carroll’s mirror, Edgar Allan Poe’s quill and Harriet Tubman’s thimble, all of which are imbued with mystical powers).

After a few generic standalone episodes which serve to establish the cast and the premise, the show begins to delve more deeply into the story’s mythology and the characters’ backstories. About five episodes in, it introduces two plot arcs that run across several episodes: the first involving a mysterious hacker with a grudge against Artie, and the second concerning the reappearance of an ex-Warehouse agent hunting down artefacts for himself.

Characters:

Myka and Pete encompass two familiar stereotypes: she is high-strung and by-the-books, he is intuitive and laidback. Neither one acts – or even looks – remotely like a Secret Service agent, especially with all the bickering and squabbling that goes on, but they grow more appealing as the episodes progress and the actors settle into their roles. Refreshingly, there is not a shred of UST (that is, unresolved sexual tension) between them; instead they become close but strictly platonic friends with some great repartee. My favourite exchange would have to be:

Myka: He’s treating us like…like…

Pete: Like Redshirts!

Myka: Yeah, like Redshirts.

Pete: Okay, two things. First, we’re not Redshirts. Second, it’s so cool that you know what I meant by Redshirts.

The full cast from left: Claudia, Artie, Myka, Pete and Leena

Backing them up is a strong supporting cast, particularly Saul Rubinek as Artie Nielsen, the gruff and secretive ex-field agent with a murky past that is gradually uncovered over the course of the first season. Later Allison Scagliotti joins the team as teenage genius Claudia Donovan, carefully toeing the line between quirky and insufferable, whilst Genelle Williams retains a background presence as Leena, the empathic (and enigmatic) owner of the Bed and Breakfast where Myka and Pete stay.

They form a tight-knit group that bounces well off each other, particularly the grouchy father/smartass teenager bond that forms between Artie and Claudia.

Why You Should Watch:

It’s clear that the writers have a lot of fun pouring their creativity into the many artefacts, which include an aggressive dodgeball that multiples every time it hits someone, a kettle that grants wishes and conjures ferrets, a camera that turns people into life-sized cardboard cut-outs, and a firework that hypnotises all who see it. Each one is utilized in an imaginative way, whether they’re central to the episode or just a throwaway gag, and every episode promises a new discovery.

Another neat little detail is the way that the show stages its conversations. Unlike dialogue on your standard television show, where everyone patiently waits for someone else to stop speaking, the characters in Warehouse 13 carry on as though they’re having real conversations: talking over each other, cracking jokes, muttering to themselves, interrupting to ask questions – there’s a naturalistic quality to it that is quite appealing once you get used to it.

 The interior of Warehouse 13. Doesn’t it make you want to have a look around?

Conclusion:

I’ve only just finished the first season of Warehouse 13, but since it’s currently on its fifth series, it’s clearly accumulated a strong following. Though it’s very reminiscent of a ton of other shows, including The X-Files, Fringe, Eureka, Friday the Thirteenth, and those cheesy Librarian movies, it soon finds its own footing and forges ahead into new and interesting storylines.

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Next time:

We travel back to the 90s in order to revisit three sisters who gain the power of three witches and become the Charmed Ones. It was cheesy and sentimental, but Charmed also ran for a whopping eight seasons, and its first season in particular was (excuse the pun) quite charming. Putting as much emphasis on the relationship between the sisters as it did on the hokey monsters, we’ll have a look at what made the show tick next time…

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About The Reviewer:

Rebecca Fisher is a graduate of the University of Canterbury with a Masters degree in English Literature, mainly, she claims, because she was able to get away with writing her thesis on C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman. She is a reviewer for FantasyLiterature.com, a large website that specializes in fantasy and science-fiction novels, as well as posting reviews to Amazon.com and her own LiveJournal blog.

To read Rebecca’s detailed introduction of both herself and the series, click on Big Worlds On Small Screens.

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Previous Big Worlds On Small Screens Reviews: [click on the title to view]

• Avatar: The Last Airbender—Season One
• Maddigan’s Quest