We’ve hit the mid-season break for the artifact hunting serial, and the season is clealry on a roll.
When the new season of Warehouse 13 season premiered, it seemed like a slow, cheapened start to the new plot arc, and while it may have taken 8 episodes to do it, the season ultimately redeemed itself.
It’s tough to have a TV show with a long-game payoff in store because if it takes weeks and weeks to get to the point that makes the story really work, then often, some of the audience will see the show as going nowhere for some time. This is what happened with Warehouse 13‘s 4th season so far.
The first episode of the new season seemed to do a ‘just kidding’ reversal of the dramatic conclusion of the previous season. The warehouse had been completely destroyed, and the characters were going to have to find a new way to fight artifacts, and a new place to keep them in check. Then the new season seemed to literally just undo all of that, and change up the conflict completely, introducing the well-played – by Brent Spiner, but somewhat incomprehensible Brother Adrian.
Where was the pay-off for the previous conflict, where was the resolution? Seemingly lost until 8 episodes later. In episode 9 of the new season, the entire plot turns around. The conflict from the conclusion of season 3 returns with a spitting vengeance, and once again the entire warehouse is under the threat of destruction. The pay-off then in the following episode, the mid-season finale, was so strong, so stirring, so clever, I wondered if I was still watching the same show.
Not only was Artie was being too subversive at the beginning of the season, Claudia was acting nearly obsessed with resurrecting Sweets, in an over-wrought sub-plot. The foreshadowing that she would be made evil by the act was all a red-herring, and makes the audience feel deceived, until they find later that even that red-herring was part of a greater foreshadowing.
The real foreshadowing of the first 8 episodes of the season were excellent, but almost too well hidden. It wasn’t until the conclusion of episode 7, that I started to figure out where they might be going, and it was almost wishful thinking.
Of course this drawn out sub-plot requires so much plot-blindness on the part of the characters, that it’s almost frustrating, but the final pay off is absolutely worth it.
I don’t even want to talk about it here with a warning because spoiling the payoff would likely spoil every episode of the season so far. Even saying that might give some of you too much if you haven’t seen it yet, but I just have to let you know. If you gave up on Warehouse 13 this season because of the blatant Deus Ex Machina, like I nearly did, you were wrong. Go back.
The second half of season 4 of Warehouse 13 doesn’t start until April 2013 on Syfy, so you’ve got time to catch up.
