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Warehouse 13?

Any thoughts?

By on July 23, 2009 5:25:43 PM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

Warehouse 13 is a rather odd show that comes on Tuesdays at 9:00 EST on the SciFi channel (or whatever it's calling itself these days). I think there might be reruns on Thursday, but I'm not sure of the time. It details a pair of Secret Service agents assigned to this wierd facility in South Dakota where various pseudoscientifc and/or mystical objects and devices are stored: hypnotic sound recordings, Tesla stunguns, haunted paintings, and the like. They are sent all over the country looking for anything wierd that might be causing problems, and tasked with insuring that ordinary people 1) don't find out about it, and 2) don't get hurt, killed, driven insane, hypnotized, or forced into hybernation by it.

I thought the first episode was mediocre, but the two I've seen since then have progressivley improved: the writers don't appear to be taking the show too seriously, have a good sense of humor, and aren't nearly as..... heavy-handed as the X-Files was. The characters are pretty well-developed, but I thought that they could do more with the male agent: aside from being rather irritating(to the other characters. To the viewer, he's funny) there isn't much we know about him. As long as they don't try too hard to do an X-files repeat, I feel that the show could have a lot of potential.

+182 Karma | 33 Replies
July 23, 2009 10:56:38 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

I'm sure this show will be studied by top men.

Yeah I watched the first episode, liked it.  Haven't really gotten back into it though.  Think I'll check it out on Hulu sometime.

July 23, 2009 11:39:10 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Episode 1 is available for download on Amazon unbox.  I'm still not sure about the show.  I've watched episodes 1 and 2 and thinks its ok, but not sure if I'll keep watching... recording it weeky for now though. 

July 24, 2009 3:53:40 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

It seems to be lacking something.. the two agents have chemistry..the warehouse dude that hands them stuff to do...doesn't...

 

 

July 24, 2009 9:17:11 AM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

the two agents have chemistry..the warehouse dude that hands them stuff to do...doesn't...
I rather like "Arty". I assume that we'll see more of his past as this "hacker" thing unfolds..... him, the inn girl, and "Mrs. Frederick".

July 24, 2009 4:10:41 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

It seems to be lacking something

That's roughly how I feel as well.  I'm going to keep watching a few more episodes and hope it draws me in.  Plenty of potential for great stories here...

July 24, 2009 7:42:16 PM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

It seems to be lacking something..

Well, my dad the TV buff claims that it really needs a recurring villain (like X-Files' Cancerman), which I think might be the destination of the "hacker" arc. I, on the other hand, would like to see more episodes that aren't necessarily artifact-related, sort of like the one with the music and the bank robbers.

July 24, 2009 8:43:08 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

It seems odd that arbitrarily anything can be an 'artifact' if it's old.  The guilloteen that killed Maria Antionette?  Why?  Also, how is it that there are all these things that pop up all over the place, and yet no one seems to know about them?  I don't know that a bad guy is necessary in a show, but some kind of rival group that is also hunting the artifacts might make things more interesting.

If you like Warehouse 13 even a little, I highly recommend searching the internets for a Sci Fi miniseries called The Lost Room.  It's about 6 episodes long, I think, aired in 2006.  The gist is there's several artifacts that have power.  They are common every day looking items like a comb, scissors, a pen, but have completely random powers (the Watch instantly hard boils eggs, for example).  The main character is a police officer who gets The Key, which can work on any door with a key hole and always o pens into the motel room all the items came from.  However, his daughter gets trapped in the room, so the police officer has to try to solve the mystery behind these items to try to get her back.

Great show, I wish it became a regular series.

July 25, 2009 2:21:22 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Quoting Primal Zed,
If you like Warehouse 13 even a little, I highly recommend searching the internets for a Sci Fi miniseries called The Lost Room.  

Thanks for the recommendation.  I'll check it out.  Random plug - if you've never seen firefly - stop what you are doing immediately and go watch it or buy it.  Well, maybe don't go immediately, but don't miss out.  My fav sci-fi series of all time. 

Back to topic, though.  I just watched the guillotine episode.  I thought it was ok as well, but still no real hook.  The hacker storyline just isn't all that facsinating to me, but perhaps it could be good based on the preview I saw for the next episode.  I think I'll watch maybe 2 more episodes and if I'm not into it, goodbye Warehouse 13 for me. 

I like the idea of adding a villan, but I'm not really sure that the hacker would qualify (seems more like the owl than magneto for those who've read some comics), but just don't find the character development all that exciting.  I wish I could figure out exactly what it is missing though. I do wish they'd flesh out the characters a bit more sooner than later though.

July 25, 2009 11:26:40 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Let me know what you think, Pacov!

Back on topic, the 'hacker' arc seems like nothing more than an excuse to give whatsisname back at the Warehouse some screen time.  Since the hacker really hasn't done anything at all, there is no emotion or curiosity built into the audience regarding it.  The only thing that I really like about the show is the concept and the humor associated with the male lead.  With the completely disjoint nature of the episodes thus far, the super-small, super-secret organization that doesn't seem to have any impact at all on the larger world (again, how can no one else seem to know about these artifacts?), and the near complete lack of character depth makes it a very 'meh' show for me.

July 26, 2009 6:24:17 PM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

The Lost Room is avaialble via Netflix. I liked it a great deal, and I'm mostly glad no one tried to make it an extended series because then it would almost certainly have ended up suffering some or all of the weaknesses of Warehouse 13.

I've more or less seen the 13 pilot (in pieces on several different days) and caught at least large chunks of the episodes so far. I think I half-agree with Scoutdog's dad, except that I don't specifically need a villain like C.B.G. Spender to fill that empty feeling the show has for me. Basically, it feels like mostly schtick with little to no substance, and I like some interesting bones underneath my sci-fantasy flash and dazzle.

I suspect that the real flaw here is that what probably started as a really neat idea got run through the pablum-producing foodmill of mainstream TV production and ended up being the Siffy Channel's attempt to follow up on Eureka's success with a sort of road-trip version of more or less the same kind of pseudoscientific shennanigans (by which I really mean special effects and 'unrealistic' plotting options).

July 26, 2009 6:26:33 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

The Lost Room is avaialble via Netflix.

ty for that.  I was searching teh internets for that.  Now I'll just queue it up. 

July 26, 2009 6:40:19 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Scoutdog,

the two agents have chemistry..the warehouse dude that hands them stuff to do...doesn't...I rather like "Arty". I assume that we'll see more of his past as this "hacker" thing unfolds..... him, the inn girl, and "Mrs. Frederick".

and ghost partner

hypnotic sound recordings, Tesla stunguns, haunted paintings

don't forget tea kettles that grant wishes! (or ferrets, if the wish is impossible, for some reason)

 

July 26, 2009 6:58:36 PM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

and ghost partner

You mean "Bunnyboy"? I think the show would be better off without him...... or maybe they're planning something..... if so, it had better be good........

July 26, 2009 7:03:55 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

I rather like Eureka (since it was brought up).  The characters are amusing (and there are enough of them...but what happened to the australian hunter guy?), and the inventions vary from silly to fantastical (or both at the same time).  Stark was win, though, I'm sad they got rid of him (last I checked he was still gone, but given the semi-comic-book feel of the thing, he can always come back through a half-assed explanation).

July 26, 2009 10:14:58 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

for anyone who hasn't seen the show yet (warehouse 13), here's a link to amazon... you can watch the 1st 3 minutes of each episiode or puchase if you like for $1.99 an episode. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002IJA3U8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=digital-video&qid=1248660785&sr=8-1

 

July 28, 2009 10:07:19 PM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

Just finished with the latest episode, and it satisfied a LOT of my concerns. It was nice to see an episode that wasn't wholly just "find the artifact",we actually got some background on Arty, and the more emotional touch was very much appreciated. Plus, I think I saw "Claudia" in the preview for the next episode (wearing Neutralizer-colored goggles, no less), which means we may get a semi-recurring character. Lastly, I am beginning to suspect that Mrs. Frederick might be being set up as the villain, which might be interesting to see. Near the end, I thought she said "And I could have saved [unintelligible]"..... I would like to see this ran with.....

Overall, I'd say the series has finally hit its groove!

July 28, 2009 11:18:52 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

I'm not very impressed with the show. It just seems bland to me. Eureka is miles, miles better by comparison. I see Warehouse 13 dying after the first season, just like Sanctuary did.

July 28, 2009 11:28:23 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Annatar11,
I'm not very impressed with the show. It just seems bland to me. Eureka is miles, miles better by comparison. I see Warehouse 13 dying after the first season, just like Sanctuary did.

Overall, I'm going to have to agree with that. It's not a bad show, but it just seems to be lacking that certain something that Eureka has. Maybe as the show progresses, it will gain that something, but for now its just sort of a "meh" show.

July 28, 2009 11:28:52 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Quoting Annatar11,
I'm not very impressed with the show. It just seems bland to me. Eureka is miles, miles better by comparison. I see Warehouse 13 dying after the first season, just like Sanctuary did.

ya i feel the same, the moment i got a wiff of this show i put it in too the same box as Sanctuary, and like sanctuary even though i did indeed like it at first after the novelty of the show wore off. i quickly got tired of it and stop watching and i think that was also true for a lot of others.

so still waiting for the next great Sci Fi show. i miss stargate...

July 28, 2009 11:55:18 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Stargate died for me when Richard Dean Anderson left.  He was what really made the show fun to watch.

(alien guy): "You can't be serious!?"

(RDA): "..well, I can be.  I just choose not to."

July 29, 2009 12:07:14 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Quoting Primal Zed,
Stargate died for me when Richard Dean Anderson left.  He was what really made the show fun to watch.

(alien guy): "You can't be serious!?"

(RDA): "..well, I can be.  I just choose not to."

ya, i know what you mean. Ben Browder ( Cameron Mitchell ) was ok, but was no Richard Dean Anderson.

July 29, 2009 10:42:20 AM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

The Siffy Channel has a real history of involvement with one-season wonders, including both 'wonder why that got made' and 'wonder why that got cancelled' stuff. I would really have liked to see more of the new Night Stalker and the Dresden Files, for example.

Unless some business decisions got changed, Sanctuary is on track for a second 13-episode season.

If Warehouse 13 takes off enough to earn them some decent revenue, I'll be pleased enough as long as a good chunk of that revenue goes into new titles. There's also the chance that like some other shows, it could get substantially stronger after a 'shakedown' first season.

July 29, 2009 6:21:17 PM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Quoting Scoutdog,
Just finished with the latest episode, and it satisfied a LOT of my concerns. It was nice to see an episode that wasn't wholly just "find the artifact",we actually got some background on Arty, and the more emotional touch was very much appreciated. Plus, I think I saw "Claudia" in the preview for the next episode (wearing Neutralizer-colored goggles, no less), which means we may get a semi-recurring character. Lastly, I am beginning to suspect that Mrs. Frederick might be being set up as the villain, which might be interesting to see. Near the end, I thought she said "And I could have saved [unintelligible]"..... I would like to see this ran with.....

Overall, I'd say the series has finally hit its groove!

Going to watch this tonight or tomorrow.  Hope I feel the same way after it as you, Scout... otherwise, I think I'm about done. 

July 29, 2009 6:31:08 PM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

Seen Two episodes.  I'm pretty sure the "13" in the title refers to the number of episodes that will be produced before it is canceled.  Its not bad, it 's just painfully bland and derivative.  It's a little bit Xfiles ("he thinks intuitively, she thinks scientifically/deductively"...how original), a little bit Sanctuary, a little bit Eureka...and a *lot* like another quickly cancelled show, Special Unit 2.

I wouldn't look for this to be around long.

July 30, 2009 1:05:40 AM from Demigod Forums Demigod Forums

Seen Two episodes. I'm pretty sure the "13" in the title refers to the number of episodes that will be produced before it is canceled.

Bwahahah...

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