Yesterday saw the official transition of the Sci-Fi Channel to its newly dubbed moniker SyFy, which to some seemed like a strange move. This late in the game, a whole network name change seems to open questionable motives. People have already talked about it extensively months ago so I won’t get into the typography and what not, only that it does seemingly fit the already shifting emphasis away from “sci-fi” to a more holistic set of programming. Could be a bad or good thing really, the bad being those horrendous Sci-Fi original slasher flicks, and the good being new shows that really stretch the confines of science fiction but have no place on a more regular primetime network.
Warehouse 13 which premiered on the same day as the SyFy rebirth, seems to be a great example of a series that isn’t necessarily sci-fi but has no qualms with settling down on a network that takes it name from the very genre. Thematically speaking, the series pilot is not science fiction in the slightest. It has out-of-this-world elements that are common in sci-fi, but here they are closer more to the fantastical or supernatural. Even the present gadgetry is less science-y then it is simply fantasy-like with its almost steampunk sensibilities. On a side note, for those that watched the pilot you may have actually noticed the inclusion of Datamancer’s Steampunk keyboard in Artie’s lab.
Getting back to base though, regardless of mere stylistic discrepancies Warehouse 13 fits right into the newly monikered SyFy network. Rockne S. O’Bannon of Farscape and Alien Nation fame is serving as a main series writer as is Jane Espenson who recently made a name for herself through Battlestar Galactica and has frequently collaborated with Joss Whedon.
The series also features the cliche opposite pairing of male/female secret service agents who are seemingly at odds with each other. Eddie McClintock plays Peter Lattimer who goes off an almost otherworldly intuition, while Joanne Kelly as Myka Bering plays the more calculating and logical problem-solver. Its an age old formula and for the most part, is pulled off satisfactorily here.
Both agents find themselves transferred to a deserted location in South Dakota that stores a warehouse highly reminiscent of the one seen at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. On that note, the network itself is describing the series as X-Files, Moonlighting, and Raiders of the Lost Ark all rolled into one cohesive whole. While this definitely describes a large portion of the series’ aesthetic, I find that out of all the previous works out there that deal with this type of subject material, the closest that resembles Warehouse 13, is actually Ghostbusters.
The main genre that could be adhered to the series is that of supernatural, and the way in which they bag and tag artifacts is almost exactly like in Ghostbusters. The containment units act literally like ghost traps and the containing purple ooze seemingly acts like ectoplasm when thrown, at least according to Artie, the agent in charge of Warehouse 13.
All in all, its an impressive start to the new network as well as a new series. The strong writing talent is already exhibiting itself and many of the same elements that I found enjoyable in last year’s Sanctuary are present here as well. The sheer fantastical scope of Warehouse 13 itself as a large secret locale is spectacle enough in addition to a clever balance of supernatural elements and dramedy. The acting is overall substantial but neither lead is really shining as of yet, so only time will tell. On the other hand, Saul Rubinek as Artie is already proving to be quite the charming and memorable character.
Overall, its not a unique nor original premise. It bears possibly too much resemblance to previous works and could arguably be compared to the long line of X-Files clones like last year’s Fringe. At least so far though, its been able to create its own niche and differentiate itself from its sci-fi counterparts by focusing more on a fantastical setting rather then the spectacle of psuedo-scientific finds.
Tags: datamancer, eddie mcclintock, jane espenson, joanne kelly, rockne s obannon, saul rubinek, sci-fi, steampunk, syfy, warehouse 13
