TV Review: Warehouse 13 1.04 – Claudia

Review: Warehouse 13 1.04 – “Claudia”
Original Airdate: July 28, 2009
Rating: TV-14 (Recommended for people 14 or older)

Screencaps from Forgotten Secrets.

Remember last week when I said Warehouse 13 seemed like it could be a bit formulaic? Well, they proved me wrong. For the most part. As always, if you aren’t caught up to date, and don’t want spoilers, stop here.

Let’s start with the totally implausible, just to get it out of the way. Claudia was the hacker? I mean, I understand that she’s got a couple screws lose, and she really wanted Artie’s attention, by why go to all that trouble? One young rebellious teenager was able to penetrate the most secret government lair in the nation? Yes. I found this farfetched, even for Warehouse 13. I just don’t see how she could have personally had the technology to do this. Also, given the emotional context of her attachment to Artie, it just seems bizarre to “knock” in this harsh of a manner. She could call? I’m sure Artie is too top secret to have a Facebook page, but this was too much. Okay, I’ll leave it at that. Moving On.

The aptly named episode introduced us to the lovely Claudia. She is all sassy assy, piss and vinegar, with a tiny dash of innocent kid genius mixed in. I’ve read online that she’s to become a recurring character, joining Myka and Pete from here on out. That wasn’t what I was really interpreting in the ominous end of the episode (seemed like Mrs. Frederic wanted Artie to kill her lest information about the Warehouse escape), but I’ll take it. I like Claudia. She’s hot tough chick in a totally different way than Myka, and she’s mouthy enough to maintain the edgy tone already set. I thought the funniest line of the show was when she nonchalantly told Artie, “Serendipity is my stripper name.” Just to add, I think Allison Scagliotti flexed some serious skill as an actress, and I’m glad I’ll be seeing more.

Since Claudia is staying, I wonder what will happen to her older brother? I’m sure he has a lot of catching up to do on the past twelve years of life he’s missed out on, and I’m not sure if he’s fit for duty as an agent just yet. But you never know; the show is too new for me to be able to predict much. I did think the whole “hidden compartment” thing was a bit too simple, especially for people as genius as the siblings were portrayed to be. It just seemed too obvious that Pete could solve in fifteen seconds what they all couldn’t in over a decade.

I do like that Mrs. Frederic showed up more than usual, and she hinted a bit more about the Warehouse and how it works. She told Pete and Myka that “every artifact is an extension of a person.” I was assuming this connection based on the episodes so far, that every item ties to one human origin. I know in an earlier episode there was a reference to her being incredibly old (correct me if I’m wrong, but I remember Myka’s original boss looking her up and seeing she was over a hundred years old). She piques my interest, and I want to know more about her. Where does her authority come from? Is she the founder of Warehouse 13? Did she hire Artie? I have more questions, but you get the idea.

As always, Pete and Myka were bickering and bantering. For the most part this week, they did well as agents and just fine at serving up funny one-liners. I found myself getting annoyed with Myka for the first time this episode. When Artie called from the payphone, and Myka just wouldn’t let Pete talk to him, I found myself yelling at the TV, telling her to be quiet, so Pete could hear Artie! Ridiculous, I know. To this point, I’ve enjoyed their quarrelling, but if it goes in a more schtick-y direction, I may find myself getting exponentially annoyed. I’m hoping they reel it in, and keep things witty. I also would like to see them up the sexual tension, although I’m not sure how they could play that out. Maybe with Claudia in the mix things will get messy? Part of me hopes so: I like drama.

Overall, I did like this episode, far-fetched plot elements and all. Not as much as last week’s but I’m still into the show. I liked seeing Artie in action, and not sitting at the Warehouse, frustrated and acting like a parent. Myka’s sensitivity at the end of the episode was both awkward and sweet, and Artie’s response touching as well. I like that they’re forming relationships and we understand the dynamic here. I think the show has laid down an awesome baseline for a really great series, and I’m into it enough to be eager for next week’s episode as well as the rest of the season. I’m not addicted yet, but watching the show is a pleasant point on my week, and I’m still interested in following it regularly.