Perhaps I was in the dark, having missed the bulk of the first season, but I had no idea that Pete was married at one point. It’s hardly a major gap in my understanding of the character, but it did surprise me a bit. Still, it was a nice hook into the story, and gave the audience a look at how much Pete has grown over the years. (After all, it’s not always so apparent!)
It definitely shook up the usual “Pete and Myka on a case” thing, along with Artie giving support from the bottom of a DayQuil bottle. The artifact was perfectly designed for some tongue-in-cheek commentary on wedding parties. Jeri Ryan was a nice guest star, especially given her long-standing genre cred.
One thing I really liked about that plot thread was the inclusion of Pete’s amends as a character beat. The writers consistently portray Pete as dealing with his alcoholism. It was played for laughs in the previous episode, so it’s nice to see it treated seriously here. It was wrapped up in what was a mature look at how relationships fail and evolve as well, which was a nice touch.
The other major subplot, involving Claudia and Steve on a mission at a Civil War re-enactment, was just plain fun. Need I say that Claudia was uber-cute in the Confederate uniform and Southern belle outfit? And it was great to see her taking charge in the field more. She and Steve have a great rapport, and while I’m sure they’ll change things up over the course of the season, I like this two-team approach. It really opens up the storytelling.
Hopefully the writers intend to keep Steve around for a while. I’d like to believe that the details about his sister are just the beginning of a process of bringing him further into the good graces of the audience. Frankly, the character was a winner from the start, so I’d hate to see him go. (Frankly, if it came down to budget, I’d rather Lena go, since she’s all but extraneous at this point, anyway.)
So far, this season of “Warehouse 13” has been a lot more consistent in quality. Maybe it’s just my familiarity with the series now, but whatever the reason, I’m happy with the series in just about every respect.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10