When Warehouse 13 (Syfy, Mondays, 9/8C) returns tonight, it marks the beginning of the end for what has been Syfy’s highest-rated show for much of the last four seasons. When the show concluded last season, Artie, Myka, Pete and Steve had been expelled from the Warehouse and Claudia was left to try to stop Paracelsus. In the final season premiere, Endless Terror, things get even more bizarre than usual.
Even as things get dire, Endless Terror maintains the sense of playfulness that is a hallmark of the show. Claudia (Claudia Scagliotti), it turns out, can’t stop Paracelsus (Anthony Stewart Head) precisely because she belongs to the Warehouse. Artie (Saul Rubinek) and Steve (Aaron Ashmore) find a way back into Warehouse, but discover it to be very different – an ultramodern house of horrors, with Paracelsus using human subjects to try out combinations of artifacts in the pursuit of scientific advancement. Meanwhile, Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) have to return to Warehouse 9 with the immortal Charlotte Dupres (Polly Walker) in an attempt to prevent Paracelsus from killing the Regents and taking permanent control of the Warehouse.
Hindering Artie and Steve are season two’s Benedict Valda (Mark A. Sheppard) and coerced scientists Hugo Miller (Rene Auberjunois) and Dr. Vanessa Calder (Lindsay Wagner); making things complicated for Pete and Myka is Warehouse 9 Agent Lisa Da Vinci (Rebecca Mader), who assumes they’re responsible for the deaths of several of her colleagues. And I’m not even going to try to tease twists that lie ahead for Charlotte and her forever teenaged son, Nick (Josh Blaylock) – except to say that we do, indeed, see Bennett Sutton (James Marsters), again.
And did I mention that Mrs. Frederic (CCH Pounder) is kinda sorta fading away? And that Leena’s successor at the bed and breakfast, Abigail Cho (Kelly Hu) has another side to her?
Written and directed by showrunner Jack Kenny, Endless Terror is a fast-paced hour that exhibits all the drama, humor and whimsical sense of fun that has made Warehouse 13 a unique entity from the get go. Kenny piles revelation on revelation with what seems like an almost reckless disregard for continuity and yet comes together in surprising, fun ways.
At the same, he is setting the stage for the show’s final bow – introducing elements that will play out in unexpected ways. Just two of the things we can look forward to: Claudia’s sister (!!!) – a very dangerous woman, and a really unexpected side of Steve Jinx (think Superman Red and Superman Blue).
Maybe it’s just that there are so many revelations and Endless Terror is so relentlessly paced, but it does suffer a bit in comparison to the best eps of the series. This particular story might have been better resolved over two eps. Even so, it’s pretty entertaining – and leads into a very cool final run.
Final Grade: B
Photo by Steve Wilkie