Warehouse 13: Not a cure for 'Syfy'lous, but has lots of potential.

Not original, but could still be fun.

I just sat and watched the "two hour" premiere of Warehouse 13 on the 'suffering-some-kind-of-midlife-crisis-so-it-thinks-changing-the-spelling-of-it's-name-to-remind-people-of-a-venereal-disease-is-a-good-idea' network, SyFy (formerly known as SciFi). After thanking the gods for a DVR so we could skip the tons of commercial breaks, I think I remember enough of the pilot to form an opinion.

Warehouse 13 has a lot of potential to be a funny, entertaining show. It has a core of good actors as an anchor, from the oft peculiar Saul Rubinek as the resident Secret Service Agent, Artie Nelson, in charge of the artifacts, to the slightly creepy and mysterious head of the black ops-funded agency of the government, Mrs. Frederic, played by CCH Pounder (The Shield). Then we have our main characters, Pete Lattimer and Myka Bering, played by Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly, both relative unknowns, at least to me. I recognized Joanne Kelly from Solar Attack, but since I fell asleep during that movie, that's not a ringing endorsement.

Pete and Myka are naturally polar opposites, with him being 'scattered' yet 'in tune', and her having a 'scrupulous attention to detail'. They show Pete as a ladies man with a sense of humor, and Myka as a serious, no-nonsense agent, and basically portray her as something of a bitch. The writers also give stereotypical emotional baggage for our characters, from a firefighter father who died when Pete was young to a lover Myka lost on the job that she blames herself for. These revelations are sprung on us without ceremony, an obvious ploy by the writers for sympathy for their main characters. This kind of cheap trick is unnecessary, and waters down what should have been a solid pilot based on a ton of other shows that came before it. These stereotypes make the characters seem cardboard, and the splatter of melodrama that should have been slowly revealed over the next few episodes is just plain distracting. I'm hoping future episodes won't rely on these crutches, and will focus on better stories, and letting Myka be more likable.

As for the story behind Warehouse 13, my first thought was of The Librarian series of movies, but without as much polish or humor. I heard it was also going for an X Files and Moonlighting feel, and I can see both in the strained attempts at banter between our agents, but I really hope the writers give it up and just let the characters grow on their own. Trying to recreate the magic of former successes will just kill the creativity that a show like this will desperately need to last more than one season. The first case our agents are on is at least interesting and well thought out, giving me hope that the series will find it's pace with more interesting tales, and get comfortable in its own skin.

I try not to summarily judge a show by it's pilot, since this is where everyone involved is throwing stuff at a wall to see what sticks. I will also try not to judge Warehouse 13 by the poor marketing choices of its host network, since that just wouldn't be fair. I do think this is a show that can turn into something great and long lasting, but it's going to take some magic in the form of getting network suits to back the hell off and let the writers actually write something original, let the actors get to know their characters and give them real life, and stop trying to make the show be everything to everyone. I'm tentatively giving the show a thumbs up, but that will change if lessons from this pilot aren't learned, and learned quick.

If you missed the show, you can catch it on Hulu (and maybe get better commercials than 'Syfy'lous' desperate pleas for attention).