Warehouse 13

I always look forward to watching Warehouse 13. It's a mix of adventure, mystery, and comedy, with elements of X-Files, Fringe, Moonlighting, The Librarian, 24, and Unsolved Mysteries.

It's refreshing that they don't take themselves too seriously, and yet it's filled with fast-paced action and dialogue, and a great variety of characters. The discussions about the artifacts are always interesting and comical. The actors are awesome, eg., chemistry between Pete and Myka is excellent (even if Jack's dialogue is occasionally a bit juvenile - they need to fix that), and Claudia and Artie are wonderful. Mrs. Frederic and HG Wells also add some depth, although it would be nice if they did more with Leena.

Really, I don't know why this wasn't picked up by a mainstream network, because we need more shows like this.

Now a lot of, I suspect, younger reviewers are slamming this show as a X-Files wanna-be. And other are unfairly comparing this one to "Fringe", which I LOVE BTW.

But Warehouse 13 occupies a lighter plane. Pete & Myka are NOT Mulder & Scully, and I do NOT want a repeat of that dark, tortuous, and frankly 'too-full-of-themselves' conspiracy skulduggery.

There's NO Dark conspiracy here-- just a mysterious organization that's trying to keep all the strange and powerful 'Objects' in a safe place where they can do no harm. The Fun is watching the two agents bounce off each other as they try and figure out the puzzle of WHAT the 'Object' is and how to Counter-act it. Sometimes, the hunt is serious-- but never Dark and bloody. Other times, the hunt is light and comical. And the episodes waver back and forth, giving the viewer a range of emotional impact-- but never too deep or too hilarious. It keeps a side of Serious without going too heavy for too long-- and yes-- they always pull through at the end-- and hello folks, that what most of Network TV shows are about. Because that's what most People really want when they turn on their TV after a Long hard day at work. Don't knock it.

And unlike a lot of current Sci-Fi shows (And here I also include Fringe) Warehouse is all about the fact that 'Mysteries' and 'Mythical Objects of Power' exist; but there is NO attempt to studiously explain the WHY or HOW. They just exist, and they can cause wonder, havoc, terror and joy-- but they all tend to have a Price.

And the Warehouse Organization is itself a seeming Mystery in and of itself. It seems to be OLDER than the US Gov't for one. And its Principals-- like Mrs. Fredrick seem to be 'Unexplainables' themselves.

For me-- Mrs. Fredricks is a gem of a character. She exudes gravitas. She's Utterly Unflappable and fundamentally dowdy like a Cast-Iron Grandma. Just don't be so foolish as to expect her to kiss you goodnight before you go to bed. Like Pete says: "She could just Glare you to death."

And she NEVER seems to WALK anywhere. She and her Bodyguard just APPEAR. But the DOOR never moves. That's a Nice touch.

Besides, Warehouse could be classified as an entertaining Family Show. Fringe is NOT for Kids. And X-Files is in a class by itself.

Take this show at it's own worth.

Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) and Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) are a couple of agents from the US Secret Service. They get assigned by the mysterious Mrs Frederic (CCH Pounder) to a secret location in South Dakota. There is a warehouse run by Artie Nielsen (Saul Rubinek) filled with powerful supernatural objects. These artifacts are everywhere. Warehouse agents have gone out to retrieve and safely store them since ancient times. This is the 13th incarnation of the warehouse in a long line of warehouses. Claudia (Allison Scagliotti) is a girl whose life has always intersected with the warehouse.

This is a fun little sci-fi TV series. The idea of objects with power is pretty fun although it's nothing new. Quite frankly, the warehouse reminded me so much of the Indiana Jones warehouse originally. There are a lot of fun little gadgets like the Tesla gun. More than the fun objects, it's the fun chemistry of the group. They have a good family vibe to them. Eddie and Joanne have a great back and forth. The show is great whenever they riff on each other.

I've watched the entire run so far and after a good beginning, what has happened to it? By S4 mid-point, its turned into the most dreadful, ham-acted, soap opera where the artifact mysteries are largely overwhelmed by the childish acting - especially Pete who appears to have gone from being slightly immature macho man to an emotional 7yrs old. He reminds me a lot of Seeley Booth in Bones on a bad acting day.

Even Myky is suffering from the same affliction - she was the sensible one and now is hyper/silly girl which doesn't sit well. These two are meant to be top notch Secret Service agents in their late 20s for heaven's sake, not Buffy extras.

I can only assume the writing team has changed, or the producers are aiming at a younger/less demanding demographic. Whatever is going on - I certainly won't be tuning in to see the rest of S4 if it carries on like this.

What a pity.

This comment may have been made already but, does anyone else see how much this show is a lot like Friday the 13th: The TV series? I loved that show when it was on so i'm really enjoying Warehouse 13 but i was curious if it was just me. Of course, the set up is different but the whole cursed objects and having to retrieve them is dead on. I do like the government connection since i was a big fan of X-files! Hopefully this show will win viewers and we will be able to keep another good one on the air for a change, i'm just sick of the reality shows for now. Anyway, I plan to continue watching since they really aren't any other good shows on at the moment.