(S01E02) With the set-up now out of the way, it's time for Warehouse 13 to start delivering the weird weekly sci-fi mysteries. This week, Pete and Myka traded barbs with Tricia Helfer, aka Battlestar Galactica's sexy Number Six. Helfer played an FBI agent investigating a series of bank robberies in Chicago. The twist? The banks were being robbed by baddies who blasted hypnotic ambient music from a portable record player."Resonance" offered a few other weird delights, like a scene with Pete playing ping-pong with his reflection and Artie's strange "Kodak moment." I still can't decide if the best thing about this show is the cast or the goofy old school tech everyone gets to play with. It certainly isn't the formulaic plots. Just like last week, the procedural elements of the story were pretty dull for a sci-fi show. The investigation felt more Law & Order than X-Files, even with all the fantastic elements and comedic scenes.
Helfer owned every scene she was in with her usual confident poise, but she pretty much disappeared two thirds into the ep. I was expecting her role to be bigger or somewhat integral to the plot, especially after that ridiculous entrance with the Ferris Bueller music. I hope her inquiry about Pete's job ("How does someone get invited to your party") means we'll be seeing more of her down the line. Helfer's FBI agent did manage to shed some light on Myka's past. It seems the ghostie who visited her in the pilot was the agent who got killed in Denver. And she was having an affair with him while he was married. She's got a lot of info, that Helfer.
We also learned that Myka is intimidated by her hard ass dad, who we'll get to meet a few episodes later in the form of BSG's Michael Hogan. (Someone get James Callis on this show. Hurry, before he does another Merlin movie). Hopefully Mikah's back story will get a little more interesting once Hogan shows up.
A computer hacker ruffled Artie's feathers this week. I liked seeing him more frantic than usual and having to interact with the agents' old boss. Surprisingly, the old boss character was given a personality after he woke up from his black-and-white nap. It looks like he'll be sticking around. I'd like to see him develop a relationship with Artie, who seems bent on locating the hacker. His search will most likely lead him to Allison Scagliotti, who will join the show as -- you guessed it – a brilliant computer hacker later this season.
I have no clue what Artie's odd "shock" moment was all about. Maybe we'll find out more in an upcoming Artie-centric episode.
It seems like everyone is getting an arc or a back story except Agent Pete. He's content to goof around the warehouse, flirt with everything that moves, and simply toss around the boomerang football. And somehow he still manages to be the most charming character of the bunch. Eddie McClintock's laid-back performance deserves most of the credit.
Next week's ep is about mind control. Does that mean the show will go light on the procedural stuff and heavy on the sci-fi? Probably not. I don't think Warehouse 13 will break the procedural formula any time soon. Best to enjoy it for what it is: A light-hearted, geek-friendly summer series that might eventually grow into something more.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-15-2009 @ 6:05AM
xnifex said...
Myka (according to imdb)
i think this is a cool show. i'll keep watching.
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7-15-2009 @ 6:43AM
Rhomboid said...
I just couldn't buy that two accomplished secret service agents would let a bunch of bank robbers go free.
The steampunk thing is a mixed bag to me. It seems very gimmicky, like they're trying to piggyback on the whole steampunk meme that's been floating around for the last few years, and I hope they can tone it down a little bit.
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7-15-2009 @ 7:10AM
Jason said...
I love the steampunk elements! This show has great potential.
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7-15-2009 @ 8:13AM
Aston said...
So after writing themselves into a corner last week and ignoring the memory loss associated with the Tesla gun, this week we get an item which has NOTHING whatsoever to do with the Warehouse!
This also looked like maybe it was a later episode and they ran them out of order..
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7-15-2009 @ 9:24AM
Leroy said...
Part of the job of the warehouse is to collect new dangerous objects and sequester them. Where did you get the idea that it was only going to be about the objects they already have?
7-15-2009 @ 9:32AM
Anita said...
I actually preferred this ep to the pilot. The pilot reminded me of the Librarian. I think getting away from the warehouse to emphasize the characters is better rather than focusing on the ‘cool,’ ‘fantastical’ CGI elements. Also, in the pilot, both lead characters came across as cardboard cut-outs of the uptight prom queen and the laidback jock. This time around they were more human.
Regarding Helfer ‘shedding’ “some light on Mikah's past” about “the ghostie who visited her in the pilot was the agent who got killed in Denver.” They made it obvious in the pilot that Mikah’s ghost was her former lover killed in Denver, so it wasn’t new. The only new fact was the agent she dated was separated.
Regarding the end, it didn’t make much sense. Why did the gang steal from banks when they could’ve just stolen from the record company? Also, if the secretary had access to the store room during the day, why didn’t she sneak them out? I’m assuming she did it with the first record and the equipment. Also, how can a buyer be ‘anonymous,’ wouldn’t they have to write out a check in the end? Also, if their music only worked in high acoustic places, why did it work in the FBI building? Plus, wouldn’t they have to get the money back? In this day and age, it isn’t as if the insurance companies or the federal government would have the coin to restock the banks. If Mikah had her ear plugs in, why was she more affected by the music in the second go-round? Why would the father miss his daughter if she was right there? Not to seem mean, he didn’t seem to notice his work had returned. I like the backstory they’re providing the characters, although they haven’t delved into Pete’s outside mentioning his alcoholism. I’m beginning to think he’s a precog, but I hope they’ll bring back Pete in the shorty shorts. I like Mikah’s backstory, but each ep give it a Disney ending, which isn’t exactly like real life.
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7-15-2009 @ 12:47PM
lostwocable said...
Anita,
The answers to your questions was all in the details within the episode. You have to pay attention to the little things:
They didn't steal from the record company, b/c the storage room was secured by a one of kind key that was only held by one person. And I would assume that it would be really suspicious when things would be dissapearing, so the whole anonymous thing was a way to stay under the radar.
Anonymous buyers can work through an escrow account via a third party that will maintain their privacy, its common in big business.
They weren't concerned about the money because it wasn't their mission. Their job was to recover the wacky artifact, the fbi agents (Helfer and CO) jobs was to stop the thieves and recover the money. Very specific duties for these two protagonists.
Mikah only managed to get one ear plug in intime, hence she was holding her other ear with her finger to avoid being too affected by the sound. Also, the sound worked in the fbi building due to the marble walls, if you looked at the background during those scenes you'd notice what looks like marble.
7-15-2009 @ 1:21PM
Anita said...
I know the head mentioned he only had one key, but then 5 seconds later the secretary showed up in the room, implying he wasn't the only one with access. And, how did they get the original record and record player? Yes, it could've belonged to the songwriter, but if the record company bought up everything, evidently she took something from them. So, couldn't they either just steal small bits or just pull a heist on the record company and steal various items from the vault, including the songwriter's?
I know it wasn't about the money. But, they stole money from the bank and gave it to the producer. How will the banks recapture their lost funds?
7-15-2009 @ 12:31PM
Rosanne said...
Still not sure about this show, it's OK and kinda cute, but nothing spectacular. I'll hang out for the next few eps, mainly because I want to see Joe Flanigan again (I think he's in the 5th one). I'll decide then whether I want to go any further with this show.
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7-15-2009 @ 2:47PM
Rick said...
Through the wonder of Tivo, a few of the images in Artie's shock flash show him in a room with a young woman that certainly looks like Allison Scagliotti, playing that young hacker in upcoming episodes.
This is a fun enough diversion during the summer reality tv wastelands, and I definitely enjoy the little steampunk and cultural artifact references. I hope they let things blossom into more back story about the warehouse, rather than continuing to rely on rehashed procedure plotting every week.
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7-15-2009 @ 5:24PM
The1337 said...
The episode was an improvement on the pilot, but still could have been better.
http://th3tvobsessed.blogspot.com/2009/07/review-warehouse-13-s01e02-resonance.html
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7-15-2009 @ 7:55PM
Aston said...
Leroy, they clearly stated they chase after strange artifacts, mysterious relics, fantastical objects and supernatural souvenirs.
I don't think a vinyl record (despite it's powers) should qualify. They didn't need the fluid from the first episode, or even one of the bags like Artie put the wallet in.
Maybe I just expect too much.
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