Warehouse 13: a non-spoilerish review
In the last few days Mr P and I have watched almost the entire first season of Warehouse 13. This is a Skiffy Channel series that is a bit X-Files-y and a bit steampunky, which is a combination I like. We've watched all but the season finale, and we'll probably hit that tonight.
I do not feel fannish in the least about it, but it's entertaining enough. The cast is charming. The writing is relentlessly mediocre, however, and this prevents me from ever feeling on fire about it or telling you guys to watch it. There's no thematic depth at all. Artifacts owned by Edgar Allen Poe will show up and have interesting effects (a typical plot driver for this show) but those effects aren't tied to anything about the character arcs. A giant pendulum is suddenly menacing our heroes! For no reason other than that a giant pendulum is Poe-ish and sort of cool; watch it woosh past! Or if they are thematically tied in, it's in the most straightforward, foregrounded way you can imagine. It's either on the nose or utterly meaningless. The sort of stuff Whedon does in his sleep with his scripts, for instance, is entirely missing here.
Steampunky things are fun, though. If you like absurd but cool retro gadget styling and the idea of things designed by Tesla in daily use, you'll like the set dressing here. It also has nice sound design. If you like bickering leads, this might hit the spot for you. The central character is Myka, the woman, so if you're looking for a series with women foregrounded this might do it.
Lord John Marbury has a recurring role. Well, not him, but I can never remember the actor's name and it's not like I can stop thinking about Marbury when he's on-screen.
I do not feel fannish in the least about it, but it's entertaining enough. The cast is charming. The writing is relentlessly mediocre, however, and this prevents me from ever feeling on fire about it or telling you guys to watch it. There's no thematic depth at all. Artifacts owned by Edgar Allen Poe will show up and have interesting effects (a typical plot driver for this show) but those effects aren't tied to anything about the character arcs. A giant pendulum is suddenly menacing our heroes! For no reason other than that a giant pendulum is Poe-ish and sort of cool; watch it woosh past! Or if they are thematically tied in, it's in the most straightforward, foregrounded way you can imagine. It's either on the nose or utterly meaningless. The sort of stuff Whedon does in his sleep with his scripts, for instance, is entirely missing here.
Steampunky things are fun, though. If you like absurd but cool retro gadget styling and the idea of things designed by Tesla in daily use, you'll like the set dressing here. It also has nice sound design. If you like bickering leads, this might hit the spot for you. The central character is Myka, the woman, so if you're looking for a series with women foregrounded this might do it.
Lord John Marbury has a recurring role. Well, not him, but I can never remember the actor's name and it's not like I can stop thinking about Marbury when he's on-screen.