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Warehouse 13 4.07 REVIEW
THE ONE WHERE An artifact is causing fatal growth spurts and the Warehouse finds a new recruit.
VERDICT Warehouse 13 finds a little bit of the form it demonstrated in season three this week with an episode that works as half case-of-the-week and half origin story for the show’s latest recruit – Deb Staley. Actress Danielle Nicolet is quick to make her mark on the show with a character as resourceful as Myka and carefree as Pete, though quite how they’re going to find something for yet another cast member to do (particularly with Leena still a sixth or seventh wheel and HG back on the scene) we’ve no idea.
The mystery of the stretchy limbs is pretty standard fare, however, and by invoking the memory of the wrestling episode (“For The Team” 2.07) it only serves to remind us that Warehouse 13 has done just this type of thing before (and better). Despite the case not hitting the highs you might hope the cast and the script are on top form with the charm that’s been missing from simple character interactions in recent weeks present and correct here. (“Penis. It sounds like penis.”)
It’s well-directed too, by McMurray who’s previously served as Director of Photography for the show, with a smattering of nice visual flourishes and solid staging throughout the episode, though the final confrontation between Artie and Brother Adrian (two men standing in a room barking at each other) disappoints. There’s also a logic chasm to bridge over how easily Deb seems to become part of the Warehouse. Given that even Pete and Myka, Secret Service agents, were tested/observed, why wasn’t Deb? Who’s to say she isn’t one of Adrian’s moles?
FAB EFFECTS Warehouse 13 is still clearly operating at cheapo TV level, but the moment where Brother Adrian shapeshifts into Artie is actually pretty good. Nice work!
IN-JOKE Pete calls Barry (the first Marble Bowl victim) Commander Data – the role this season’s big bad, Brent Spiner, is best known for.
IN-JOKE 2 : Anthony Seklir and Lisa Bernardo are named after Warehouse 13 editors Andrew Seklir and John Peter Bernardo.
KEY ARTIFACTS Rhodes Marble Bowl (causes painful, and eventually fatal growth), Transcontinental Railroad Spike (helps pull things together), Harriet Tubman’s Thimble (allows users to shapeshift), Threshold of Limentinus (creates a portal into the Warehouse).
BEST LINE
Myka to Pete: “Why are you such a slut?”
Jordan Farley (@ JordanFarley )
Warehouse 13 currently airs on Syfy in the UK
Read our previous Warehouse 13 reviews
