Step Inside Warehouse 13

They say there are two kinds of writers in this world; Plotters and Pantsers. These same labels can be applied to Secret Service agents as is the case with Myka and Pete.

Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) is a plotter. She uses color-coded charts, insists on dozens of dry runs and takes precautions against even the most remote possibility of danger. This is the President’s life she’s protecting so nothing is left to chance.

Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) is a pantser, as in “seat-of-pants” kind of guy. He depends on his instincts to get him through and he’s happy to abandon any plan if a better opportunity presents itself. He’s the poster child for ‘leap before you look.’

Their assignment? Head up the security detail for a Presidential reception at an art museum. Simple, right? Until a worker cuts himself and bleeds on an ancient Aztec stone head which comes to life and puts the worker under a murderous, hypnotic spell.

Yeah, I hate when that happens.

Warehouse 13 is SCI FI Channel’s newest dramedy adventure series. It’s sort of Friday the 13th: The Series meets Eureka with a little Chuck thrown in for good measure. It’s heavy on humor but it’s not lacking in angst and action and that’s a winning combo. McClintock and Kelly aren’t exactly Mulder and Scully, but by mid-pilot the banter finds a nice rhythm that should get even better as the series progresses.

In the pilot episode, Myka and Pete are sent to South Dakota as either a reward or punishment for their actions at the museum the night before. They arrive in the middle of nowhere and are greeted by Artie Nielsen, played by the fabulous Saul Rubinek. There’s also a cow, a huge pile of cow manure, a boomerang football and cookies — and that’s all before they step inside the building. He leads them through a door carved into a mountain, down hallways laden with explosive charges and out on to a balcony with a sweeping view of the inside of Warehouse 13.

The screener copy I watched didn’t have the completed special effects, but from what little I saw, that first look at the full scope of the warehouse is going to be killer (think National Treasure).  Warehouse 13 is an enormous underground repository for objects that have powers, be they magical, supernatural or alien.

Artie takes Myka and Pete on a fun and fascinating tour of the warehouse on a cart designed by Thomas Edison that runs on human power and it’s shades of Willy Wonka. So little to do, so much time! Stop. Reverse that. Moving on! The objects currently stored in the warehouse are both ingenious and wacky. For example, there’s an Aladdin’s lamp that produces ferrets if you wish for something you can’t have. And then there’s Houdini’s wallet, which “escapes” from the warehouse by hiding itself in Myka’s briefcase.

Since the warehouse was built many moons ago, many of the “high tech” systems are very Jules Verne in nature, including Farnsworth — the old-fashioned 2-way video tablets they all use to communicate. (SciFi Channel sent me my own Farnsworth as you can see in these photos.)  Artie also uses a turn-of-the-century typewriter keyboard to run his modern computer and then there’s the Tesla gun, which uses energy to disable as well as wipe out short-term memory.  It’s touches like these that make this series so intriguing.

After the tour, Artie settles the two agents into the local B&B where things are also not as they seem. Ever the rolling stone, Pete takes easily to the new assignment, while stodgy Myka keeps calling her boss demanding a transfer back to DC. But there are forces at work here that are higher than the head of the Secret Service and we come to find out that Pete and Myka have special abilities that even they are not aware of. Throughout the pilot we’re given hints about the backgrounds of not only the two agents but Artie himself. Pete may have drown his sorrows in alcohol after a death in the family while Myka is fighting a deeper, darker secret involving the death of a partner and, I suspect, a lover.

Once the set-up is complete, Myka and Pete are given their first assignment for Warehouse 13. They’re sent to interview Cody (Dillon Casey, MVP) a college student who went from straight A’s to pounding on his girlfriend for no apparent reason. They find the boy in the local lock-up but when they start questioning him he begins muttering in ancient Italian just before he rips free of his chains and attacks!

Seems the boy’s behavior is the result of coming in contact with a cursed object. Now all Pete and Myka have to do is find and neutralize the item before it incites a whole community of college kids to kill.

The second half of the pilot goes from humor to horrific as one of the characters takes a gasoline shower then sets himself on fire. (Supernatural, anyone?) And there’s no joking at all as Pete and Myka close in on the poor possessed creature who is compelled to show the world just how much love hurts. The dramatic, action-packed ending is just what the series needs to balance out the comedic opening.

Overall, Warehouse 13 is clever, fun and intriguing. If they continue in the style of the pilot, then we’ll be presented with a new, powerful object each week. It will be our job to puzzle out what the item is, where it came from, and what exactly is the nature of the curse. Then Myka, Pete, and Artie will swoop in, neutralize the beast and all will be well with the world.

Add to that a list of stellar guest stars such as Tricia Helfer, Joe Flanigan and James Naughton (see the full list here) and I’d say SCI FI Channel has found a sparkly, new gem, hidden among the ancient artifacts that are stored in Warehouse 13.

Warehouse 13 premieres on July 7 at 9:00 on SCI FI

SCI FI Channel Photo: Philippe Bosse