Sci-Fi Review of Warehouse 13
Quirky Formula Holding Audience Attention
SyFy introduced Warehouse 13 to its summer lineup to shore up its sci-fi audience devotees who might still be grumbling about the channel's recent rebranding. It may just have inadvertently found the mainstream audience the name change was designed to accomplish in the first place.
All About the Warehouse
The show features odd couple Secret Service agents Peter Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) and Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) in attempts to locate and confiscate any particular objects which the US government wishes to keep secret from the American public.
The pair are supervised by fellow agent Arthur "Artie" Nielson (Saul Rubinek) who has spent several decades watching over the eponymous storage location in South Dakota. The structure itself is massive, housing countless artifacts associated with world history and popular culture - everything from Pandora's box to Harry Houdini's wallet.
After Artie surmises the potential whereabouts of an artifact - based on his surveys of improbable events or unlikely activity - the pair set out to discover and retrieve the object, and neutralize any destructive powers that may be lurking about. Myka's attention to protocal and detail and Peter's preternatural sense whenever something is amiss flawlessly combine to allow the agents to solve the case, and the day.
Mixture of Action and Comedy Usually Delivers
The show is fun and quirky, with enough action and comedy to serve both audiences. Though neither is executed so well as to dominate the show's overall character. Sexual tension is achieved in the most cliched manner, by making the agents as different as possible. The conflicts which ensue from these personalities cause them to argue and bicker like schoolchildren, and overtly remind the audience how much Myka wants to punch Peter in the face. These instances only occasionally rise laughter.
The addition of tech-genius Claudia (Allison Scagliotti) and more frequent appearances from the mysterious Mrs. Frederick (CCH Pounder) and Secret Service director Dickinson (Simon Reynolds) have added depth in more recent episodes. In addition, the series has begun to lay down the introductions of longer story-arcs, which may give the show a greater focus and direction.
Big Achievements Already Reached
Ultimately, the show has thus far garnered a large following, with high ratings for the network and the pilot dubbed by Sci-fi Wire as the most-watched program in television on the night of its first airing. The reports indicate the show has earned the highest ratings of any original series in the network's 17 years of existence and has already been renewed for a second season.
Perhaps proof that the rebranding of SyFy to a more mainstream schedule of television while maintaining its Sci-fi/fantasy overtones, the audience of Warehouse 13 has been comprised of a larger number of women than previous SyFy series, indicating a broader appeal.
If the show is allowed to mature and develop, with murkier story arcs and legitimate tension, it will likely continue its success. Thus far it has been warranted, with a fun introduction to the series. If it eventually falls back on corny humor, slapstick, and forced romance between the antagonists, however, it will likely find itself stored in SyFy's own deep, dark, storage warehouse.
Mysteries await in every warehouse
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