Without recapping the plots of each episodes, I have to
say that a lot of what was good about Warehouse 13 season 1 remains the same in
season 2. It has an interesting concept, it draws artefacts from a variety of
different sources and continues to try and give them some solid basis rather
than just saying “look, magic rock” (though I think it relied a little more on
the magic rock trope this time than before).
And I love love love the character interactions. When they
all talk at once, when they argue when they play, when they debate – they have
amazing chemistry as a cast. Frankly, these characters could have been in any
show in any context and I would have watched them because they bounce off each
other really well. They’re excellent characters with excellent human reactions
and I believe every single conversation they’ve had. They work, they’re often
funny, sometimes sad and sometimes very powerful – it’s probably what I love
most about this show.
Unfortunately, I also feel like every complaint I had
about series 1 of Warehouse 13 needs repeating – but repeating over and over
because they have been magnified. Especially the “Artefact of the Week” issue.
The series began with the most monumental anti-climax
after the epic ending and cliffhanger of Series 1. Macpherson was set up as the
ultimate, conniving, incredible bad guy in truly menacing fashion – and then he’s
brushed aside almost instantly, his death an almost after thought to the actual
plot. And into his shoes steps HG Wells… except she doesn’t. We start with a
lot of worry over her – the Regents and Mrs. Frederick even thinks it’s
necessary to risk Lena’s life to find out more of Macpherson’s plans involving
HG – and then they kind of forget her. If she didn’t show up now and then from
episode 5 onwards – and her only role is basically to wave at the cameras so we
don’t forget she exists.
Which continues for the vast majority of the season where
we get random artefact after random artefact, which, y’know they’ve already
kind of done in season 1. Yes there are artefacts that do special things, aren’t
they interesting? We threw in some standard tropes – the body switch episode,
the time travel episode, the computers took over episode, just waiting for the
amnesia episode and we’ll have a complete set. In some ways I think that
because I watch so much Urban Fantasy, it makes me less patient with
unoriginality – I was sat there through the super hero episode and the models
with their stolen youth thinking “this has been done, oh, 3, 4 times?” And I
don’t necessarily mind these standard plot lines resurfacing, if there’s
something more to back them up.
Not that the episodes weren’t interesting in and of themselves
– there were several unique elements I like, Pete being made delusional by the
telegraph, Artie trying to hunt down an old enemy from his time as a Soviet
double agent; there were some great episodes here that were interesting in
their own right, but there was nothing to draw the season together, even the
introduction of HG felt more akin to the introduction of Claudia – a new permanent character insert.
It wasn’t really until episode 11 that we finally put
together all the pieces, sort of linked what had come before and revealed the
master plan. But it felt flat – especially after season 1 where we had
Macpherson’s diabolical master plan that was both more cunning and better
foreshadowed than HG’s. I think it was going more for shock value than build up
of evil – and it was surprising, yes – but it didn’t make up for 8 episodes of
blah.
What did go a long way towards redeeming the season was
both character development and world building. The characters have evolved a
lot, especially Artie and Claudia. Seeing more of Artie’s history, what made
him who he is and his development within that was great and more of Claudia
growing up, looking at field work, starting to adapt and even her awkward
relationship were all excellent fodder for adding weight and depth to this
character.
To a degree I think we got the same with Pete with his
own relationship and, while still being playful, him developing some level of
competence. He still annoys me with his childishness, his foolishness and his
clowning, but it’s less of a constant issue and more things that keep peaking.
Myka’s development fell flat for me – they based it
nearly entirely around her insecurities, which wasn’t Myka from Season 1. That
Myka was competent, capable and frustrated by Pete’s lack of serious behaviour.
Here every analysis of Myka (while Pete and Claudia and Artie were developing
love interests and histories), singled in on a new insecurity – that just didn’t
seem to be there before. She was the studious shy girl at school (who joined
the Secret Service?), she’s insecure about her looks, about her weight, about
her lack of vibes and capability. Claudia has her own insecurities but they fit
her character – her lack of real schooling, her unique upbringing, how she can’t
relate to people since she has no life outside the warehouse; they’re personal
insecurities. With Myka it looks more like someone drew up a list of common
female insecurities and taped it to the character – whether they fit or not.
But the world building was awesome, again, towards the
end of the series. After so much time knowing Artie gave secrets to the
Soviets, it’s nice to see that developed to see his very good reasons behind
it. The introduction of Warehouse 2 and the very nature of Mrs. Frederick was
also incredible. As is Mrs. Frederick – she effortlessly steals every scene she’s
in. Frankly, I would have much rather had a show with Mrs. Frederick as the
lead, backed by Claudia (tech support), Myka (muscle) and HG Wells
(investigator). A Mrs. Frederick’s Angels, you know it would be awesome.
We had a lot more information added here, this season,
all at appropriate moments and there promises to be a lot more to come, I hope
anyway. I’m also very glad to see more of the Regents in a less outright
incompetent/evil fashion – Valda’s self-sacrifice and even the Regents
unwillingness to just bronze HG Wells and be done were both very good
humanising elements.
I have the same complaint as before about the inclusion
of this programme. Leena, after a brief period of being duped by Macpherson and
having to be examined, faded into even more obscurity than she did in season 1.
We saw more of Mrs. Frederick but she was still largely promoted to obscurity.
We didn’t get much inclusion on the mission either – including a Detroit with
one black person; to investigate Leena we also got a textbook stereotype of the
slightly sinister and enigmatic Asian character. There remains no GBLT
characters – though a hint that HG Wells may, possibly, have been bisexual and
I imagine the dramatic, camp, stereotyped fashion designer was supposed to be
read as gay – Pete certainly addressed a tacky gay joke at the situation. And
that’s it. Really, if you’re going to include prejudiced humour at least
include the group you’re mocking!
At the end, we did have a lot of drama and emotion. I’m
not happy with Myka’s departure (even though I know it won’t stick) or her
blaming herself for lack of “vibes” (a problem I had last time) but with the
new knowledge revealed about the warehouse and, I hope, greater inclusion of
Mrs. Franklin, I really do hope we’re going to see a great turn around for
season 3.
