Warehouse 13 - 5.02 - Secret Services - Preview

Warehouse 13 airs Mondays on SyFy at 9/8 C.  

When we last left off, Paracelsus was defeated, Claudia was ticked at Artie for not telling her about her sister, and Valda returned to the original time continuum with them. Only the Claudia-Artie conflict is continued in this episode and becomes part of the typical Warehouse 13 story structure of having an "A" and "B" storyline. The "A" story has Myka and Pete partnering up with a pair of Secret Service agents they knew from the pilot as they attempt to find who is killing people via spontaneous drowning. Although Myka and Pete recognize these two agents, I don't so someone remind me if they were in another episode. Mostly they are there to be a foil to Myka and Pete, since they are not needed on the case at all. Just call them Plot Device 1 and 2. The mystery itself and the artifact are intriguing but for the most part it is overshadowed by writing anvils being hurled from on high as subtlety hides in the restricted room.

The "B" story was more interesting to me, in that we find out more about Claudia's past and Artie's history with her. Knowing that Claudia would never leave her sister's non-death unexplored, Artie agrees to take Claudia into his memories in an attempt to repair their relationship. Although it only marginally fixes things with Claudia, she does finally get answers and the whole thing ends with not so much of a cliffhanger as an unsettling feeling that things are going to backfire big time in the next couple of episodes. I can see how this season is going to be Claudia-centric, which is generally a good thing for me. Still overall I was disappointed with this episode. While heading back to the normal format, this episode is more designed for shippers than for the overall audience. Others without shipping tendencies like me may find at least part of the episode less than satisfying. Things happen with little build up and the show's dialogue itself proves that out. It feels a bit like rushing to a conclusion they don't need and don't have time to create, taking away from the characters as well as the plot.


Episode Awards:

Grade: C+

Best Scene - Artie and Claudia go back in his memories

Best Quote - Claudia: "Keeping me safe is not your job." Artie: "Yes, it is. It is precisely my job."

MVP - Steve, who if this whole Warehouse thing doesn't work out, could have a great career as mediator

Best Reason to Fast Forward - any talk about changing priorities, vibes, or romance

The "Oh Yeah, Right" Award - Claudia: "I'll leave it alone after this, I promise, but I need to know what happened." Anyone believing that probably fell for Nigerian prince e-mails as well.

Most Heartbreaking - Claudia....

The "Miss Nosy" Award - Mrs. Frederic

Most Used Word - fracking and no, not Battlestar Gallactica frakking.

Best Transitions - stained glass

Artifacts:

Frances Farmer's music box
memory walking bronze baby shoes
silver from the mines of....
Alfred D's.....




Other Quotes:

"And just stick by him." "Couldn't get rid of me if you tried."
"Hopefully we'll find an artifact that will kill us before I have to do it myself."
"I liked it better when you just stared at my boobs."
"I think she's going to be pretty disappointed with her senator's follow-through."
"It was the most humane thing we could do."
"Okay, your life is worse. Congrats."
"Poof, she's gone. How convenient. I wish I could do the same."
"Should I ignore the fact that that just sounds insane?"


Screencaps by SciFi and TV Talk, The Trades, IMDb, Warehouse 13 Wikia, and Seat 42F.

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts the Warehouse 13 "Endless Wonder", Sleepy Hollow "Headless," and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."