Contributor: John Keegan
Written by Nell Scovell
Directed by Howie Deutch
This episode of “Warehouse 13” would have scored serious points just for tossing aside the formulaic elements of the past few installments and getting into the meat of the season arc. Having most of the team members confront threats to their loved ones provided more than enough tension. But much like the penultimate hour of the third season, this lead-in to the mid-season finale ended with a punch to the collective gut.
It’s worth covering that first, because it does require a bit of a mea culpa. It now appears that at least the majority of the apparent plot holes this season have been addressed; they were the result of the astrolabe’s effects on Artie. It doesn’t resolve all of the issues along the way, but it does explain the inconsistencies with Brother Adrian and how so much happened within the Warehouse itself. It also pays off the constant reminders that using an artifact, even for the best of intentions, can have a consequence.
For me, Artie’s psychotic break is the more affecting revelation; Lena’s death has practically no impact comparatively. I know the character has her fans, but she hasn’t been used prominently enough in the past few seasons to make her death meaningful, other than the depth of betrayal it communicates. Compare this moment to Steve’s death last season, and it just doesn’t equate. (Which really says that the writers did more to ingratiate us to Jinks in one season than they did for Lena over the course of the series, sad to say.)
Artie’s fall also fits into the hopes that many of us had after the season premiere, as it gives us a completely different perspective on the H.G. Wells scenario. In her case, we only saw what the end result of the process of grief and artifact use. With Artie, we knew who he was, that he was aware of the dangers, and yet he still fell prey in the end. As noted earlier in the season, it is a logical, if dark, progression of what has come before.
All of that, however, comes on the tail end of four plot threads that all have their high notes. Everything about this episode breaks the formula that had developed, and that’s a very good thing. Mrs. Frederic and Jinks made a great pair, especially given how useful his ability was in cutting to the truth. (And reminding us of that ability indirectly communicates how far gone Artie was; he truly believed that Brother Adrian was menacing him.)
The various personal threats were all a great way to either revisit past supporting characters, like Claudia’s brother or Pete’s ex-wife, or introduce new ones, like Myka’s sister. It doesn’t hurt to have beauties like Amy Acker or Jeri Ryan along for the ride, either! Acker, in particular, was a welcome addition to the “Warehouse 13” family, since she has a lot of experience playing folks with supernatural afflictions.
This episode not only corrected the course of the season; it also repaired some of the damage that previous episodes had seemingly created. By the end, I was tempted to go back and rewatch the season up to this point, just to see how well the writers had really crafted Artie’s descent into madness. Even without a rewatch, it’s still apparent that this was the plan all along, and I can always appreciate that sort of vision.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4
Final Score: 9/10