Warehouse 13

[Críostóir]

I've been a fan of this series from the beginning, and now I'm really angry at the writers. W13 is being broadcast some weeks behind in the UK, so I'm using ROT13 to hide spoilers, and labeling the latest episode spoiled. Please do the same. There's a ROT13 decoder at rot13.com, or you can use LeetKey.

Before I get into spoiler country, let me just say that I really love the character of Steve Jinks (the gay Buddhist human lie detector played by the adorable Aaron Ashmore) and have always enjoyed the mysterious and slightly creepy Mrs. Frederic played by CCH Pounder.

And yeah, I know this is a silly fantasy series that often makes hash of science. Sometimes I go "no, no, that's not right, AAARGH!" while watching it, but then I remember that all the depicted "artifacts" are just magic items, and no such thing really exists, so if they completely garble the second law of thermodynamics or quantum theory, that should fall into the Suspension of Disbelief bucket.

Spoilers through "The 40th Floor."

Va guvf rcvfbqr, Zef. Serqrevp vf qrfcrengr gb svaq bhg ubj gb fgbc gur npgvba bs na negvsnpg gung jvyy xvyy frireny bs ure sryybj Ertragf vs vg'f abg fgbccrq. Fur unf n cevfbare jub (fur guvaxf) xabjf gur nafjre.

Fur hfrf n gbegher negvsnpg ba gur cevfbare. Va snpg, vg'f sebz bar bs gur thlf jub jngreobneqrq Nzrevpna cevfbaref qhevat JJVV; vg'f n jngreobneqvat negvsnpg! (V qvqa'g pngpu gur anzr, fb V qba'g xabj jurgure vg jnf npghnyyl bar bs gur thlf jr rkrphgrq sbe gbegher onfrq ba gur jngreobneqvat.)

Gb zl zvaq, guvf znxrf ure n onq thl, fhqqrayl. Fur crefbanyyl erpehvgrq nyzbfg nyy gur znva punenpgref (abg Pynhqvn), naq unf orra n svkgher bs guvf frevrf. Vg srryf yvxr n orgenlny gb unir ure ghea vagb n gbeghere fhqqrayl.

Vg trgf jbefr. Wvaxf bowrpgf, pvgvat gur jryy-qbphzragrq snpg gung gbegher qbrf abg cebqhpr hfnoyr vagry (juvpu V xabj sebz sevraqf jub ner cebsrffvbany vagreebtngbef nf jryy). Ur nyfb oevatf hc gur snpg gung vg'f jebat, ohg arvgure unf nal vzcnpg ba Zef. Serqrevp. Svanyyl, gb fgbc ure, ur qenjf uvf tha ba ure. Hasbeghangryl gur cevfbare (na rkgerzryl rivy crefba urefrys) gnxrf gung bccbeghavgl gb rfpncr.

Zef. Serqrevp vf shevbhf ng Wvaxf' vafhobeqvangvba naq sverf uvz ba gur fcbg. Ur'f abg yvfgrq nf nccrnevat va nal shegure rcvfbqrf (ur jnfa'g yvfgrq nf n erthyne, ohg guvf vf bsgra na VZQO gevpx gb pbaprny fcbvyref; ur fher frrzf gb or bss gur fubj sbe abj, ohg lbh arire xabj).

Ohg rira gung vfa'g gur jbefg bs vg. Gur jbefg cneg vf gung pbagenel gb ubj gurfr guvatf jbex, gur cevfbare oyhegf bhg fbzrguvat gung zvtug uryc gurz. JUVYR QEBJAVAT. Guvf vf ohyyfuvg bs gur cynvarfg xvaq. Svefg bs nyy gurer'f ab jnl lbh pna GNYX juvyr qebjavat. Frpbaq fur xarj fur jnf nobhg gb rfpncr! Naq guveq, cevfbaref qba'g tvir hc inyhnoyr vagry haqre gbegher. Gurl'yy pbasrff gb nalguvat lbh gryy gurz gb, ohg gurl jba'g tvir lbh arj vasbezngvba. Gung vf n snpg.

V'z abg dhvgr cvffrq bss rabhtu gb fgbc jngpuvat gur fubj, rfcrpvnyyl fvapr gurl zvtug erirny gung Zef. Serqrevp jnf orvat pbagebyyrq be fbzrguvat, be (rira orggre) oevat Wvaxf onpx, ohg qnza gung ynfg ovg natref zr.

 

[Rubber Rat]

I'm a big fan too. I like the friendship/quips between Claudia and Jinks.

 

[Nyk13]

OK, I will chime in with my two cents worth.

Mrs. Frederic has often shown herself to be rather ruthless when it directly concerns the Warehouse itself.

To refrain from spoilers I will use the same program you have used.

Gur negvsnpg gung Zef. S hfrq jnf ba bs gur freivpr zrqnyf sebz n Wncnarfr Bssvpre jub erthyneyl hfrq gbegher qhevat JJVV. VZB ure npgvbaf bs gbeghevat gur cevfbare zreryl pbasvezrq zl fhfcvpvbaf gung fur jnfa'g dhvgr nf avpr nf fur chgf ba. Naq jvgu tbbq ernfba, nsgre nyy fur znvagnvaf n havdhr naq rkgerzryl crefbany pbaarpgvba gb gur Jnerubhfr vgfrys. N pbaarpgvba gung pbhyq nssrpg ure yvsr nf jnf cebira ynfg frnfba jvgu gur rcvfbqrf cregnvavat gb Jnerubhfr 2. Fb V qba'g xabj nobhg lbh, ohg vs V unq gung fgebat bs n pbaarpgvba gb fbzrguvat, Qnza evtug V jbhyq gbegher gb cebgrpg vg.

Nf sbe Zef. S. svevat Wvaxf. yrnir vg gb urng bs gur zbzrag. Wvaxf jnfa'g dhvgr ernql gb or n Jnerubhfr ntrag lrg. Gubhtu V jbhyq ybir gb frr uvz pbzr onpx. Nsgre nyy Ur naq Pynhqvn unq fbzr terng purzvfgel orgjrra gurz naq unir gur cbgragvny gb or n terng grnz.

Gur guvat jvgu gur jngre-obneqvat, vg jnf n negvsnpg gung znqr gur "ivpgvz" eryvir gur rkcrevrapr, ab jngre npghnyyl vaibyirq fb gurl jbhyq npghnyyl fgvyy or noyr gb fcrnx, xvaqn. Ohg Zef. S. jnf qrnyvat jvgu abg bayl ure yvsr orvat guerngrarq (qba'g xabj gur rkgerzrf bs gur guerng gb gur jner ubhfr vgfrys), Wvaxf'f zbeny eroryyvba, naq ure bja entr bs crbcyr fur pbafvqrerq sevraqf orvat xvyyrq be guerngrarq, znxvat vg zber guna cbffvoyr gung fur pbhyq zvff na vzcbegnag cvrpr bs vasb.

To me it seems like the threats to the Warehouse are escalating, therefore I do plan to keep watching just to find out what the hells is going on. I mean they keep throwing us fans curve balls making it that much more interesting.

 

[Críostóir]

Thanks, Stacy. I didn't know or had forgotten about the spoiler tag.

Nyk13, the problem is that

Spoiler

torture doesn't work. If your argument is that Mrs. F was behaving irrationally, I'll buy that, but she certainly wasn't RIGHT to torture that evil shithead, either morally or practically.

If she realizes she was being irrational and behaving wrongly, that should lead to her reinstating Jinks, so I hope for that. I don't agree that he wasn't ready to be a Warehouse agent; in fact I think he's exactly what the team needs, and the show is better with him too.

 

[Irish Queer]

I just want to praise the scene where Pete finds out about Jinx. So funny touching and a kind of who give a fuck. That's the way it should be.

 

[Críostóir]

I fear that you're taking the show way more seriously than it was intended to be taken. If you really think about the premise, you would be hard pressed to find reality in any of the show's theories and story lines. I think it is meant to meld the geek set with the history set, BUT, those that can take it with a grain of salt.

This show is not meant to be watched with any logic. It is meant to entertain. And I think it's just a way for the writers to find new and fun ways to say "what if this artifact did this thing?"

I realize that this is a silly fantasy series. My objection is different: a) beloved character doing evil; b) other beloved (albeit new and temporary) character being cut for being a good guy; and c) politically significant unscientific nonsense.

They're promoting an evil false belief. This is different from the usual run of crap science on a silly fantasy show (and to tell the truth W13 is better than Eureka on that score).

 

[bobobo]

Anyone think that wasn't actually Mrs. Frederic.

 

[cocksucker4use]

I like this show and used to watch it all the time. For some reason Syfy changed channels in my market, and it is not one of the series on ON DEMAND. Will have to google to find out when it plays. Think PETE is hella HOT, even with the extra 15 lbs. Makes him real.

 

[Críostóir]

Anyone think that wasn't actually Mrs. Frederic.

I suspected that, but have no evidence. I hope it's the case, but...there's no good evidence yet.

 

[Críostóir]

I truly believe those little electronic beetle things that were flying around the Warehouse will come into play soon.

I just don't see them having that scene where they fly all over the top of the Warehouse unless they were meant to be something later on. Plus they showed the dog with one in its mouth in the next episode.

To keep bringing them up / showing them means they have a part to play in the plot.

Part of me hopes they eat Mrs. Frederic. Not a big part though. I'm hoping she's being controlled or has been replaced with a duplicate or something, rather than that she is or has become an evil torturer.

Hey, didn't they have a telepathy artifact a while back? Or something like that? Hmm, I don't remember clearly.

 

[Críostóir]

I have a new theory. I'm going to hide this behind spoiler tags. (You just put the word 'spoiler' between []s at the beginning and '/spoiler' between []s at the end.) Please do the same with any discussion of it.

Spoiler

Steve's treatment of Claudia doesn't make any sense. Nor does them burning his credit and making sure he was unemployable. No matter how evoll you think the Regents are, they aren't STUPID.

My theory is that was all to make the bad guys believe that Jinks was a good recruiting prospect, and that he's actually working an undercover infiltration for Mrs. Frederic. Perhaps their whole falling out was staged, in fact.

I'm certainly HOPING this is what's going on.

 

[Críostóir]

Well, looks like I was right about my theory. I'm still pissed as hell about the ending, except that

Spoiler

at least they killed Mrs. Frederic too...just kidding!

They kind of killed the whole cliffhanger aspect by showing Artie looking at an old-fashioned watch and saying "not yet." Obviously they're going to turn back time or something. And the ads for the Christmas special are already up (I can't remember if they show Mrs. Frederic).

I hope Steve becomes The Man Who Cannot Die Unless Someone Stops The Metronome. That would be very cool (besides keeping Ashmore on the show).

My private theory about Mrs. Frederic is supported by this episode, too.

 

[hurriwelli]

I was more disappointed about

Spoiler

Steve revealing the Regents recruited him. I was really hoping he chose to work undercover of his own accord. It would speak volumes about him as a character.