TV episode review
US airdate 7 July 2009 (Syfy)
UK airdate 8 September 2009 (Syfy UK)

When Secret Service agents Pete Lattimer (McClintock) and Myka Bering (Kelly) save the President from a man possessed by an Incan artefact, they find themselves transferred to Warehouse 13, filled with the most dangerous and oddest objects from history. As they struggle to come to terms with their new job, the pair are dispatched to investigate a domestic abuse case. One where the perpetrator speaks in ancient Italian…

Warehouse 13’s central premise is something of an old favourite so it’s a surprise just how flawed this opening episode is. It’s very difficult to get past the absurdity of Artie (supporting actor stalwart Saul Rubinek) being left to tend the warehouse alone or the various ways he gets around it. Whether the show makes a virtue, or a useful plot point, of this remains to be seen.

That being said, there’s a lot to enjoy here. Pete and Myka are interesting, well rounded characters, and Kelly and McClintock make for a great double act, mixing amiable charm with hard logic. Rubinek is as genial as always, and CCH Pounder impresses as the mysterious Mrs Frederick, the woman in charge of the warehouse.

Fun but flawed, Warehouse 13 has the potential to be great fun. Whether it lives up to that potential remains to be seen… Alasdair Stuart

VERDICT: 6/10