jlthornb51
A superb science fiction series that is highly imaginative and delightfully entertaining. A fascinating premise is made even more engrossing by the presence of terribly engaging characters played by an outstanding cast. This is as much about their relationships as about science fiction plots. At times it is very funny and at others surprisingly deeply moving. It was stunning to find Aaron Ashmore playing a significant role in The Following while starring in this series simultaneously. However, while researching some cast members I noticed that Aaron has twin brother, Shaun, who is the actor on the other program. There should be some sort of disclaimer on both shows explaining this fact to confused viewers. It would also be fair to both talented actors that their performances be separated and recognized in the public mind.
Rens H. V.
What a disappointment. And it could have been great. I purchased the first season on DVD after it was recommended to me, but I barely managed to watch the entire first season. At the very beginning I did like the series: a warehouse filled with artifacts of ominous powers does have something compelling, reminiscent of the X Files or Dr. Who. Unfortunately, while progressing through the episodes, I was more and more annoyed by all the things that are... well... annoying.1. The thing that puts me off most, perhaps, is the fact that it appears to be a show for children, with its exaggerated emotional display, its lack of logic, its repetitiveness and its exaggerated moralities. Sorry kids (who are reading my comments), no offense intended to you, but at the ripe age of 51, my taste for fiction has evolved a bit since the days I was 10 or 15 (or even 25). It would have been so nice if the fact that the show targets a younger audience had been marked on the DVD-box.2. The characters are all "off". Let's start with agents Bering and Lattimer. I could forgive Myka, who looks lovely enough, that she is bossy and pouty, but those stupid glances she casts around ! Supposedly she tries to look flabbergasted or something, but it just looks stupid. I expect a better and more professional attitude from a Secret Service agent who used to protect the president of the US. Her partner Pete seems nice enough, but he displays an annoyingly childish propensity to just play around and/or giggle. Which is another thing I don't think a trained Secret Agent would do while on the job. And their interaction is childish too: when Myka isn't herself for a while (taken over by something else), Pete says afterwards that he knew Myka wasn't the real Myka, because the real Myka would never, ever have kissed him (what the taken-over Myka had done), even if her life depended on it. That kind of stupidity belongs in shows destined for children who are still at the age where kissing persons of the other sex is completely icky.Let's start a new paragraph, even if I'm still going on about the characters :) About Artie. Saul Rubinek is a great actor, and his character is interesting. But really? Would someone as disorganized as Artie be in charge of the entire day to day operations of Warehouse 13? Or someone who is so unnecessarily secretive that he refrains from giving vitally important intell to his agents? Or about Claudia, who, while being a true genius, behaves like a 10 year old when she's doing something Artie has forbidden her to do. Or, talking about these two, what to think about Artie punishing Claudia by making her write lines on a blackboard? Something that belongs in an elementary school story, not a secret service story.To conclude my bit about the series' characters, what to think about Mrs. Frederic and the Regents? After enduring the entire first season, it would have been very nice to have a better understanding regarding the directors of Warehouse 13.3. Another childish thing that really annoys me is the lack of logic. The most evident perhaps is the way all these artifacts are stored in the Warehouse. They are stored in such a manner that when someone stumbles and knocks an artifact from the shelves (where they are lying with the sole purpose of being pushed off, it would seem), the characters have a catastrophe on their hands. And Heavens help us when two artifacts that are stored away "safely" are able to interact with one another! And let's not forget all the antiquated sci-fi gadgets. A communication device that reminds me of Star Trek's Captain Kirk, and failing technology that makes me think of Dr. Who. But Kirk's technology has the very good excuse of having been created decades ago, back in the 20th century, and wasn't there something that prevented Dr. Who from returning to Gallifrey to have his Tardis properly repaired, forcing him to jury-rig his systems? No such excuses for the Warehouse, I'm afraid.4. Another example of lack of logic is what I called (under (1)) an exaggerated morality. What I mean by that is this: when the good guys have the opportunity of simply killing a bad, evil criminal, they simply don't, "because WE don't work that way". That's plain stupid. If there's anything I've learned from reading children's books and boys' books, it's that you always have to kill the bad guys when you've got the chance; if you don't they'll simply come back and make life even more difficult for you. Pete and Myka, at their age, and being Secret Agents and all, don't seem to understand this principle, and will always be duped by the bad guys. And thus, the really bad guys keep escaping. Because of this I just didn't care anymore what happened to those two clowns: if they're really that stupid, let them suffer. Stupidity must be punished ! Well, I think I'll leave it at that. You get the idea, I'm sure :) So why did I rate the show a 4/10 and not a 1/10? Perhaps I should say something about that too. Despite all of what I've said before, the show does have something (slightly) appealing (to me). Despite all their flaws, the characters are not entirely uninteresting, and the main characters are likable. And there is some humor, which is nice. So I'm not going to throw away the DVD's :) But I won't be buying or watching the other seasons, either.
loipoi99
I have to start by saying that I have been enjoying this show so far. I am not excited to see what will happen next but it has some good sci-fi elements. And so I get to season 3 finale and there's an artifact that is going to go nuclear in the warehouse with our heroes in it. In the last minute though H.G. comes up with a way to save the other 3 heroes by conjuring some kind of shield around them. Sadly she can't be protected by the shield as the mojo she worked on had to be started from outside the shield. So H.G. dies, warehouse gets fried but our heroes are saved. What?!?!?!?!? Why didn't she used that mojo to shield the artifact (and in that way the nuclear explosion, herself, the warehouse & the heroes?!??!??!? I was actually ready to fall asleep when watching this, but even then (with half a sleeping brain) it seemed to me so STUPID. And imagine that H.G. is supposed to be f@cking brilliant.. hmmm.. This is the worst season finale plot ever. Other than that the show is above mediocre in my opinion and especially if they got rid of both the character of Pit and the actor playing him McClintock who is terrible, really really terrible! Especially in the dramatic scenes where he is laughable. This is quite typical of American series where the supporting characters are very interesting (H.G., Mrs Frederik, Jinxie, the dog)and the lead characters are obnoxious, irritating, and NOT at all well written. As for the people comparing Warehouse 13 to Eureka, I have to say that Eureka was plain boring, I never got past season 2, mainly because the characters (esp the main ones) are deadly boring.
