Warehouse 13 - Season 1 [DVD]

I didn't really expect much from this box but the conclusion must be that it is one of the best "Recommends" from Amazon ever!

The series somehow just hit the spit with equal part of down-to-earth sci-fi and humor with that extra spicy touch of (to me at least) new and unknown actors/actresses - just what I needed!

Combine "The X-Files" with Indiana Jones and add a dash of "Sanctuary," and voila -- you have "Warehouse 13."

Yeah, Sci-fi/SyFy's latest series isn't exactly the most original or unique show out there, but it is strangely endearing. After a round of rather generic standalone episodes, this series bounces off once it introduces a main villain and a plot arc -- and while there's little romantic chemistry, the lead characters are a likable bunch with some nicely handled character development.

After a weird incident involving an assassin and an Aztec bloodstone, Secret Service agents Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) and Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) are summoned to a run-down warehouse in the South Dakota badlands. An eccentric agent called Artie (Saul Rubinek) informs them that this is Warehouse 13, which holds dangerous and bizarre "artifacts" -- and their new assignment is to collect and neutralize new artifacts.

Among the problems they encounter: a young man possessed by a strange Italian power, bank robberies using music, a teleportation experiment gone wrong, a device that channels enough energy to fry people to a crisp, a katana that can slice through light, a mirror that switches Myka with a malevolent creature, and a prison whose occupants are driven to madness by the ghosts of their pasts. But the most dangerous problem is a former agent of the Warehouse, who is now determined to grab the artifacts for his own purposes -- and destroy Artie and the others as well.

Despite being pretty derivative of "The X-Files" at times (skeptical strict female agent paired with quirky wild card), "Warehouse 13" has a pretty brilliant concept -- basically it's about a place that seals away any dangerous historical artifacts. Among the artifacts: Poe's pen, Lewis Carroll's mirror, a Studio 54 disco ball (which plays "I Will Survive" when disturbed) the Tesla gun, a giant steampunky computer and a wishing kettle that produces ferrets.

The stories are a solid blend of action, grimy sci-fi (the warehouse is a pretty bleak-looking place), and a bit of comedy on the side (one of the Important Artifact-Seeking Questions is, "Do you smell fudge?"). While the first few episodes are rather generic one-offs, the plots become tighter and more intense about halfway through -- and the addition of the sociopathic MacPherson and the Regents adds a new level of potential to the arc storyline.

Downsides? The dialogue can be painfully cool-kiddish at times, especially when Claudia is being annoyingly self-referential ("Couldn't any genius whiz-kid?"). And the romantic chemistry between Kelly and McClintock is almost nil.

But Kelly and McClintock make a solid supernatural-detective duo -- he's a quirky pop-culture-loving weirdo (although I just can't see him as a Secret Service agent) with a weakness for cookies, while her almost-fanatical devotion to rules/plans is explained by a tragic personal loss. Allison Scagliotti does a good job as the erratic "whiz-kid," although her character can be annoying. But Saul Rubinek is the ruling force in this series -- a quirky, gruff, antisocial man who is haunted by the many agents lost in pursuit of artifacts. He's absolutely brilliant.

"Warehouse 13 Season 1" is pretty derivative at times, but it's also strangely endearing and quite fun. The best part is, it seems to be getting better with time.

Fun. Daft though, based on a premise impossible to believe. Imagine a vast stock of artefacts, all with special powers. Clearly they must never fall into the wrong hands. America's government forces must secretly store them away with maximum security....

Not so! Instead they have created Dakota's Warehouse 13, its organization ramshackle (to put it mildly). In charge is brilliant but bumbling Artie, his staff in due course to rise to four. Many items seem haphazardly stacked, accidents (and problems) resulting - as with Lewis Carroll's toppled looking glass.

Despite such nonsense (or perhaps because of it), there is much to enjoy with a likeable cast. Those playing Pete and Myka entertainingly squabble their way through various investigations. Claudia makes impact - she a lippy ultra brainy whizz kid with considerable attitude. CCH Pounder adds welcome substance, Roger Rees formidable villainy.

Some may feel the series is at its best when not so lightweight (as with Edgar Allan Poe's pen and that prison suddenly experiencing suicides). The finale certainly piles on the shocks, cliffhangers designed to whet the appetite for Season 2.

Pleasant escapism for those who simply wish to sit back and relax.