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‘Warehouse 13’ rewind – The Greatest Gift

By Wayne Hall Dec 14, 2011, 6:24 GMT

Joanne Kelly and Eddie McClintock - San Diego Comic Con International Entertainment Weekly and SyFy Party - Hotel Solamar - San Diego, CA, USA © Alan Hess / PR Photos

Welcome back, everyone, to the annual ‘Warehouse 13’ holiday special! I’m glad this is turning into a seasonal event!

Here’s the episode summary from tv.com: “Pete inadvertently activates an artifact that creates an alternate reality where he never existed. To restore reality as he knows it, Pete must track down his friends, who have new lives and no memory of him.”

This episode was called “a love letter to the fans” by showrunner Jack Kenny. It’s good, but not quite up to last year’s first-ever holiday event.

Pete Lattimer is the focus of this episode. We see the world as it might have been should Pete not have teamed up with Myka back about three years ago.

Myka would be working on Christmas Eve while Artie would be in jail (arrested by Myka), Claudia would be in seclusion and Mrs. Frederic would be bronzed.

It’s turning into a ‘Warehouse 13’ staple to have Pete suffer. He does it quite well this time, although I think they “dumbed down” his character a little bit too much for my tastes. They way the episode ran, it seems like Pete NEVER figures anything out, that Myka is the ONLY one who does that. That’s an exaggeration, seems to me.

Still, as Pete re-assembles the family he knows so well, they team up as if they were meant to be -- which they were, actually!

The hour has its good moments, and Pete throws his wonderful comedic bits around, as usual. It’s fun to see Artie and Claudia again meet for the first time.

Returning to plague the Warehouse is James MacPherson, played by Roger Rees. He’s up to no good, as usual, and he has two agents to help him. Fortunately, they’re no match for the Pete/Myka/Artie/Claudia team.

No sign of Steve Jinks this time. I sure hope he comes back! But we do get to see more of Leena, who I still contend is the most under-utilized person on the show. She trusts Pete first, which is good because she has that ability. She’s the one who sets things in the right direction.

What bothered me most about this episode was that it lacked the sense of fun that W13 usually exhibits. It was much darker and more brooding than usual. I would have preferred a lighter touch since this is a Christmas special, after all!

Still, it was fun to see a “holiday” aisle in the Warehouse. One has to wonder just what other artifacts are there waiting us in future holiday specials on Syfy!

If you liked this hour, you might also check out ‘Eureka’s’ holiday event, called “Do You See What I See” or ‘Haven’s’ “Silent Night.” Otherwise, we’ll have to wait until next summer to enjoy more ‘Warehouse 13.’