Syfy’s latest offering, Warehouse 13, has been keeping me coming back for more for the last seven episodes. Which is impressive considering I’m broke as a joke and have to buy them on iTunes (hey, it’s still cheaper than cable if you don’t watch much television).
The show follows two secret service agents, Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly), who go from being “regular” secret service agents to being hand picked by the (still) mysterious Mrs. Frederick (CCH Pounder) and seemingly banished to the more-secret-than-top-secret Warehouse 13. The mysterious warehouse turns out to be the repository for a myriad of artifacts from throughout history that posses some sort of supernatural or hyper-technological power. The new agents are charged with collecting these artifacts so that they don’t fall into the wrong hands or cause any harm to those left unaware. Which would be almost everyone else. But them. Their new boss and caretaker of the warehouse, Artie Nielsen (Saul Rubinek), has a close, personal relationship with the warehouse and seems to be an endless source of knowledge in regards to it’s contents as well as any artifacts that may still be in the wild.
The show has some interesting production design with much influence from the steampunk realm. The show’s writing, in my opinion, is not as cutsie and neat as another Syfy favorite, Eureka, already providing some insight into dark events in the pasts of several of the characters and death being a very possible outcome to being within proximity to many of the artifacts. I will say, that if it weren’t for the on-screen chemistry between the main trio of Pete, Myka, and Artie, the show would not be as strong as it is. Eddie McClintock’s comedic interjections and repartee with Joanne Kelly in particular, carry the show in places where the writing is lacking . It’s interesting that this is the case, as I feel very much the same way about Eureka’s Colin Ferguson; he simply carries the show through some less than stellar writing, huge assumptions, and convenient coincidences.
Both shows, however, are very entertaining, fun to watch, and if you don’t think about the science too terribly much – like a good beer – they go down nice and smooth.
You can catch Warehouse 13 Tuesdays at 9/8c and Eureka Fridays at 9/8c on Syfy.
I’m still up in the air about Warehouse 13. I keep recording it and watching it, but it almost seems like I look forward to watching it more than I enjoy the actual episode. I’m hoping that it will really grab me soon, but I don’t feel like there is enough variety in personality in the ensemble. With the addition of the new tech savvy youngster there is just one more loud and stubborn member on the team. The look of the show is pretty cool though, and that’s probably what will keep me coming back, at least through the end of the season.
Eureka on the other hand I love. Even when it’s retarded in plot development I can’t get enough. It’s like a sci-fi soap opera.
Save your money, watch it on hulu.com.
My Warehouse 13 experience is exactly opposite of Tara’s. I don’t really look forward to watching it, and I tend to wait around a while before I finally load one up on the ol’ DVR (consequently, I am always at least two weeks behind), but I enjoy the show pretty well while watching it.
Eureka, on the other hand, I love. Tara is right; even though it’s really pretty dumb, its charm totally sells me. I very much look forward to that show. I sometimes even watch it live!