WAREHOUSE 13: Claudia

Hmmm…..….I wish we were sitting around talking about this episode together, because I’m more anxious to hear YOUR thoughts than to share mine. I will share them, but I hope you will too, in the comments.

This week’s episode felt a little more intense than the others, and it starts out by Artie being kidnapped for a mistake he may have made with an experiment years ago. His kidnapper is our title character, Claudia. It’s up to Pete and Myka to help save him. If he WANTS to be saved, that is!

She’s an orphan, feisty and funny and smart, and through flashback, we learn that her older brother, Joshua was some sort of student of Artie’s.

Speaking of Joshua, was anyone else surprised when he also came back alive? That felt kind of ANTI-climactic for me, actually. Not that I wanted him to die, but that kind of seemed to be where the plot was moving, right? Sacrifice the brother for the sister, and then she becomes part of their ragtag operation. But since Joshua is still alive, will he also be part of the group? Will he turn evil and turn against the warehouse team? Is he going to age all of a sudden? You see, these are questions I need answers to.

This wasn’t my favorite episode of the series so far, and yet it felt very necessary toward the development of the plot. Kind of like the one chapter in a favorite book that just doesn’t quite seem to fit. But that just might be me. I’m not a huge fan of flashback as a device, and I felt Pete and Myka were kind of relegated to the B plot tonight. On the other hand, I know I complained a bit, just last week, that Artie’s character wasn’t that relevant so far, so I can also see where an episode centered around him and a bit of his past is beneficial to the series.

Side note: No Leena tonight. I’m glad. I actually like the character, but it feels like a waste when she’s in a scene just to roll her eyes at someone, you know? I’d rather have a meaningful minor character used sparingly than have her just pop in each episode for face time.

But let’s get to the title character, CLAUDIA. What are your first impressions? Will she be a good fit for the Warehouse? I thought Allison Scagliotti did a great job portraying her. I think she’ll be fun around the warehouse, if she sticks around. And I’m guessing it’s either that, or they kill her, based on Mrs. Frederic’s choices, right? I did NOT like the whole “Laces out, Artie!” thing that Claudia had going on in her bedroom. That seemed out of character from the rest of the episode.

Pete and Myka’s reactions to Mrs. Frederic were fun, and that Spectrometer was pretty darn cool. I like how we’re still getting little insights into Myka’s life. I am liking her a lot more these days. And we learned more about Pete as well, which is fun. But like I said before, this episode wasn’t really about them.

In a recent Comic Con interview, Joanne Kelly (Myka) was asked what she wanted to see for the show, and she commented that she wanted to see more character interaction, some deeper character development between the characters, and I have to agree. The formula is there, the team is solid and locked in, and now it’s time to really begin delving into the characters’ lives and letting those experiences shape actions and reactions to both one another and the artifacts they find.

We’re almost to the halfway point of the series! Are you still tuning in? Tell us why below!