Warehouse 13: Season Four

When the fourth season of this comic, historically conscious sci-fi series, Warehouse 13, opens, Pete (Eddie McClintock), Myka (Joanne Kelly) and Artie (Saul Rubinek) are reeling in the aftermath of the obliteration of the warehouse. Steve (Aaron Ashmore) was left dead after the events of the third season, which leads the typically surly Claudia (Allison Scagliotti) on a mission to bring him back from the other side. Her quest, along with the moral dilemma plaguing Myka, Pete and Artie — do they use a deadly artefact for personal gain knowing it could have dire consequences? — guides the thematic trajectory of the season. Having exploited the dark forces, Claudia and Artie each develop conditions that gradually escalate as the episodes progress. But before everything culminates into shifted allegiances and even murder, the usual playful episodic template delivers the same idiosyncratic whimsy as early seasons, with the gang embarking upon missions around the world to gather artefacts that have fallen into the wrong hands. Bobby Fischer's bag of marbles, Richard E. Byrd's smoking pipe, Da Vinci's gargoyle and Sigmund Freud's desk clock are just a few of the devices that pop up, creating anarchy in a world that's mostly ignorant to the powers surrounding them. While most of these episodic procedural hunts are resolved illogically and occasionally with unexplained contradictions, the chemistry and banter amidst the leads add enough levity and comedy to the formula to make it an entertaining, if silly, series. The playful disposition between Myka and Pete, with him being a bit of a bimbo goofball and her being uptight and neurotic, has been honed to perfection throughout the seasons, just as the mythology has deepened, making the darker aspects of the show work surprisingly well, despite the overall playful tone. This season is the bleakest yet, having similarities to the sixth season of Buffy, exploring the repercussions of fighting the laws of nature. Underneath the artefact research and awkward interactions with various police officials and small town denizens there's a despondent sense of worldly injustice, examining just what it means to be powerless to the irrational hurt and chaos surrounding us, which becomes a very literal reality towards the end of the season for Myka. It's an interesting tactic for a show that features a crazed boxer with magic shrapnel in his arm. The box set includes the podcasts associated with each episode, which give tidbits about the production and filming of each episode.