Contributor: John Keegan
Written by Benjamin Raab and Deric A. Hughes
Directed by Chris Fisher
With Artie falling apart at the seams, it was a foregone conclusion that Dr. Calder would return to the fold sooner or later. Who else would have the opportunity to get his head back on track? But as with so much with “Warehouse 13”, nothing ever goes as planned, especially when the ongoing conspiracy against Artie is further revealed.
Artie is turning out to be a tragic figure, because he is falling from his morally centered path to something closer to what he has previously despised. How long will it take before he isolates himself completely, and comes to the conclusion that using artifacts for his own ends is the only possible solution? The writers are doing a convincing job of showing the slow, methodical process unfold.
Vanessa is the right person to get him to see a bit of perspective, and that might actually be the way they manage to bring him back from edge later in the season. Her patience must be infinite, because Artie is not the most socially adjusted individual on the planet. But who better to be the ace in the hole for Artie than the woman who loves him?
At least this episode resolved one nagging mystery for the season: how is the Brotherhood getting such easy access to information on Artie’s history with the artifacts and the Warehouse itself? Apparently Lena is betraying the team. Of course, that’s not entirely certain, given that it’s been said before that the Brotherhood’s motivations aren’t hard to comprehend. It’s not so obvious that Lena is acting towards some nefarious end; she may simply believe that Artie was wrong to use the astrolabe.
Also, the connection between Steve and Claudia is out in the open (also thanks to Lena), which means that everyone on the team is going to be aware of the stakes should Steve start to turn to the dark side. There were little hints in this episode that the process could be starting, but with the team dynamic under serious strain with the return of Mad Alice, it’s still not a given.
In terms of the main plot of the episode, Mad Alice makes for a great encore villain, and I almost wish that she could still be out there to factor into the equation again. It does raise an odd thought: was this the fulfillment of Artie’s vision, via metaphor, or is this simply meant to trigger his fears? Only time will tell.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Score: 8/10
