Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly
I love Warehouse 13. Subtle comedy, light action, government agents, and most importantly, science fiction. The show is now in its second season, and it hasn’t lost steam yet.
We all remember the never-ending warehouse from the very end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Warehouse 13 takes this idea and runs with it. The Warehouse is located somewhere in the desert of South Dakota. It holds peculiar, supernatural, and utterly unexplainable items. Warehouse agents track down and contain special artifacts and gadgets. You name it, they’ve got it. The extra exciting bit is that many of these artifacts are connected to famous people and events in history.
Warehouse 13 began with the reassignment of two agents from Secret Service detail in Washington. Myka Bering and Pete Lattimer are polar opposites, dropped in the middle of nowhere to learn the ways of their new assignment. The seasons that follow are filled with innovative plot twists and quirky, light humor.
“Mild Mannered,” the second episode of Warehouse 13‘s second season, is chock-full of geeky references. The main plot line of the episode is a “superhero” who has been seen fighting crime in Detroit. An homage to Jack “The King” Kirby arises in the form of an artifact that Myka and Pete believe is causing the trouble. After re-watching the episode, I noticed that Green Arrow’s bow, Thor’s hammer, and Wonder Woman’s lasso were also all housed in the warehouse. A comic shop employee makes a quick reference to Battlestar Galactica with the use of “frakkin,” while Claudia tosses out an “allon –zy!” which of course, made me think of the Doctor. They even reference my favorite web crawler, as Myka adorably says (without knowing who she’s quoting) “With great power comes great responsibility.” Granted, it’s not the original quote, but it still makes its mark!
Sean Maher and Jewel Staite
Putting all of the great references aside, the crowning achievement of this episode was the guest stars. Imagine my surprise when Kaylee and the Doc show up as employees of a local coffee shop!
Their presence made the story that much more enjoyable for me. The best part of this episode was that in the end, they wind up together. These two have incredible chemistry, and I’m glad that they were able to reunite. Firefly is one of my all-time favorite shows, and I always loved the banter between Kaylee and Simon. We were all left aching for more at the end of Firefly and Serenity. This episode gives fans just a little bit more time with these engaging performers. Sean Maher was excellent as the Iron Shadow, while Jewel Staite was only on-screen for a few scenes. Bad move on the show’s part, as she is a wonderful actress.
Ultimately, the storyline was weak, and the special effects left much to be desired. I mainly enjoyed the episode because of the geeky topic, and the fantastic guest stars.
