It’s Supernatural,Stupid

Rating : HHH 1/2

What’s it about? Two federal agents,roped in to track down supernatural objects and store them in a mysterious place,which only very few people have heard of. Their boss is a shadowy figure and government intrigue spices up matters. Sounds familiar? It should — Warehouse 13 has been called,at various times and in altering permutations and combinations,a mix of The X-Files,Moonlighting,Raiders of the Lost Ark and even Bones. It certainly borrows government intrigue from The X-Files,undeniable chemistry in professional partnerships from Moonlighting,treasure-hunting from Raiders and light bantering humour from Bones. But the final result is uniquely Warehouse 13’s — a fun ride through weird happenings along with agents Peter Lattimer and Myka Bering,while they run around trying to find what’s going to ruin the world’s day.

Who’s in it? Eddie McClintock stars as Agent Lattimer — a slightly goofy,but eminently loveable agent,whose sense of humour hides a sharp mind and sixth sense with regard to immediate dangers. Joanne Kelly is Agent Bering—the class swot to Lattimer’s class clown. The two have a very Mulder-Scully relationship; he likes to bend the rules,she likes to follow them to the letter,but luckily they’re not in-your-face aggressive and seem to enjoy each other’s company than otherwise. Their immediate superior is Dr Artie Nielsen,a rather serious agent,who looks on Warehouse 13 as his life’s work. Other characters are the eerie,and apparently ageless,boss Mrs Irene Frederic and Claudia Donovan,the brilliant technowiz.

What’s hot? Unlike most other shows of a similar nature,Warehouse 13 does not take itself too seriously. Even the premise of the show — the snagging,bagging and tagging of supernatural artefacts — is dealt with light-heartedly (there’s a memorable scene where Lattimer has a ping-pong match with his reflection in Lewis Carroll’s Looking Glass). A lot of the humour comes from Artie taking his work too seriously and in the process getting annoyed with his subordinates,who can’t seem to get used to the peculiarities of the warehouse.

But at its heart,this is still an investigative series and there are quite enough thrills and chills to satisfy whodunit fans whether it’s a hunt to find bank robbers who terrify victims with music or tracking down a wishing lamp.

What’s not? The special effects,while on the whole satisfactory,seem a little tacky at times. It’s also a little difficult to imagine the huge network,which must be required to inform the agents of supernatural objects around the world,if the only characters introduced to us are four or five in number. Moreover,while the casual tone of the show is refreshing in general,one catches oneself wondering whether this is a show meant to be taken seriously or is it just spoofing itself?

Should you be watching it? It wasn’t launched with much fanfare in India and it has had mixed reviews abroad,but Warehouse 13 is one of those surprising little gems which lure the viewer in with very little effort. Definitely watch at least one episode; you might come back for more.