on the Warehouse 13 finale

[xparrot]

Watched Warehouse 13's series finale.

My feelings are mixed, and not just because I had to say goodbye to a show I loved. This last mini-season has been mixed but most of the finale was great, entirely suitable to the show - I liked that it wasn't a crisis, that it was about an epic event but not one not yet come to past, nor one they had much part to play in, so ultimately it was a quiet character story. Most of the flashbacks were hilarious and perfect as "eps that could've happened but didn't" and about making the actors look as ridiculous as possible, which is totally in keeping with the show!

I loved the reveal of Artie's son, because it was something that could've been made into extra last-minute angst and instead was cute and sweet and, Artie being Artie, entirely believable that he'd simply never mentioned it before. Also his argument with the Warehouse and its thank you was maybe a bit cheesy but I liked it - the Warehouse's semi-sentience totally hits my kink for places-as-characters. Nice to have Leena cameo, and ahahahahah so petty and hilarious to have Mrs. Frederic telling Jinx everything off-screen, "Was that Mr. Frederic?" indeed! I do wish they'd gotten Abigail in for a bit (did she even warrant a mention? I missed it if so) as I really liked what we saw of her; but she was never a main character and I can see why they kept it limited. And the flashforward at the end worked well, left so much open while reassuring us of the status quo. Plus, Claudia as the Caretaker, hee and yay - I'm glad that she went through with it despite her doubts, it was the future I wanted for her.)

Actually, given Claudia as Caretaker, and that she didn't look much older, I was wondering if the reason the Warehouse rang a false transition alarm was to say a sort of farewell to Mrs. Frederic?

The one thing I could've done without, and which didn't ruin the finale for me only because they kept it small and open enough for me to fanwank over it, is the Pete/Myka. Why, why, why did the writers have to go there? Why couldn't they have left me that one, just that one, in the whole history of TV? I started watching the show because someone told me it had platonic m-f friendship, and Pete & Myka were one of my favorite things in the show. Moreoever, I loved the way Warehouse 13 showed them - and the other characters as well - that it outright stated that not only is romance not the be-all and end-all of happiness, but that you can actually find peace and happiness and family and love even if you're not romantically involved with anyone. That romantic love can be great but it's not absolutely necessary, not for everyone, not for all lives. Peter and Myka were the most important people in one another's lives, and they weren't romantically or sexually involved, and that worked for them, they were both better people for it, for having one another's back, for having one another in a way that was as strong and meaningful as any romance could be, just different. It felt like a punch to my fangirl soul, to refute that at the end - to say that the only way they could possibly make it work long-term is if they're in love and sexually attracted to one another.

(Not to mention, everyone knows the only real romantic OTP in W13 is Myka/HG - to have HG in the ep but not actually have a scene with Myka was fan-baiting of the cruelest sort! Even if it did make it clear that they're still in touch, and also that HG isn't as happily settled as she seemed to be. So there's always the hope that in a month Pete and Myka will realize that they were misinterpreting their partner-love as something else because they didn't have the framework to understand what they actually had, and go back to how they really work. And also maybe have a platonic no-sex baby together because I can't tell you how much I really wanted that to happen! And when HG breaks up with her current dalliance she and Myka can make a real go at it...)

So, yes, in the end the Warehouse 13 finale was mostly a good send-off, and I will fanwank the Pete/Myka away so I can still enjoy the rest of the show. I'm sad to see it go, but enjoyed it greatly while it was here!

Though now I need a new lightweight team-show to get my recommended dose of adorable! For most of the season I thought Agents of SHIELD was stepping up into that role nicely, should've known better than to cozy up to a Whedon show (I actually really enjoyed the end of the season and am looking forward to next year, but yeah, not quite what I'm looking for.) And Arrow is fantastic and team-y - its season finale wasn't quite as strong as most of the the rest of the season, but still left me wanting more - but while's it's often shamelessly comicbook-ridiculous it's not as joyfully goofy as Warehouse 13 could be...

(Meanwhile, if anyone is wondering, YES I AM STILL FREAKING OUT OVER NIGHT VALE OMG OMG OM(smiling)G!!!! It hurts so good and I'm loving it!)

Comments

[sheron]

The one thing I could've done without, and which didn't ruin the finale for me only because they kept it small and open enough for me to fanwank over it, is the Pete/Myka. Why, why, why did the writers have to go there? Why couldn't they have left me that one, just that one, in the whole history of TV? I started watching the show because someone told me it had platonic m-f friendship, and Pete & Myka were one of my favorite things in the show. Moreoever, I loved the way Warehouse 13 showed them - and the other characters as well - that it outright stated that not only is romance not the be-all and end-all of happiness, but that you can actually find peace and happiness and family and love even if you're not romantically involved with anyone. That romantic love can be great but it's not absolutely necessary, not for everyone, not for all lives. Peter and Myka were the most important people in one another's lives, and they weren't romantically or sexually involved, and that worked for them, they were both better people for it, for having one another's back, for having one another in a way that was as strong and meaningful as any romance could be, just different. It felt like a punch to my fangirl soul, to refute that at the end - to say that the only way they could possibly make it work long-term is if they're in love and sexually attracted to one another.

Okay, I don't watch this particular show but WORD. So much word. I love every sentence of this paragraph because it's how I feel about other shows, other relationships. Why does everything have to come down to romantic love, eh?

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I know, I knooooow! It's just so annoying. I'm a fangirl, I ship, I slash, I understand the impulse...but at the same time, I want to see more. And this case was especially frustrating because the previous 4 seasons of the show made a major point that the characters in question were partners and best friends but had zero romantic interest in one another (they just weren't each other's type) - it really was one of my favorite aspects of the show, and I'm so disappointed they didn't follow through in the end...

[sheron]

For me it's the argument that it's "not okay" if the people are friends, not enough somehow. Like the relationship is somehow incomplete unless there's a romantic, sexual aspect to it. And for me the romantic/sexual aspect does change the relationship, to be sure, and is an added facet to the love you might feel for a person but it doesn't make the relationship necessarily "better". It doesn't make the relationship more complete, if that makes sense.

I love it when a story manages to portray a good friendship, but man, it's so rare.

(hmm lj keeps asking me for capchas even though i'm logged in...weird!)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Yeah...I think some of it is that friendship can be harder to write as a conclusion...romance offers easy representations of a "happy ending" - kiss, sex, marriage, child, all are clear symbols of "look, this relationship made it!" While as friendship is more transitory? plot-wise, there's not such obvious cues to indicate "look, this friendship will mean they're happy together for the rest of their lives!"

I'm getting this at least partly from my own experiences writing - there have been times writing friendship fic that I've almost wished I was writing a 'ship fic, because then there is an obvious, easy ending, one kiss and you're done! While as friendship the cliche isn't so established (except in certain genres of fanfic - in smarm a lot of stories would end with some kind of statement/evidence of found-family, such as a shared holiday...) I think it means that especially in genre fiction, pat romance often wins out over friendship, because the plots are concerned with other things besides char/relationship development, and so when it comes to character conclusions it's easiest to default to the cliches...

[sheron]

Yes, exactly what you said. My favourite kind of fanfic for pairings I ship is usually "first time"...but if I analyze it, that's because I love the progression of -friendship- and I love the final culmination into the first kiss (or sex) as a symbol of finally satisfying the conditions for a happy couple.

It's much harder to find a symbol of this success for a platonic couple -- you need a plot and everything. My absolute favourite stories, the ones that stay with me longest, are usually the ones that manage to do that. Show that the relationship culminated into something wonderful without the sexual expression being the highest peak of emotion, so to speak.

That said, I like both, I just wish that the friendship story got more attention, both on TV and off.

We need moar smarm fics!

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

though now I need a new lightweight team-show to get my recommended dose of adorable!

apologies for the random drive-by delurk, but leverage? leverage is the golden shiny feel-good team-feels show of last several years, with awesome blend of humor, adventure, found-family feelings and badass team dynamics. it seems suited to your tastes :D

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Ahh, I actually watched the first one or two seasons of Leverage when it aired. It happened to come at the same time I was into the BBC show Hustle with a somewhat similar concept, and Leverage didn't fare well in comparison. Though I've been meaning to ask someone in the know for a list of later episodes with good Parker-Hardison-Eliot dynamics (any combination!) as I was fond of all of them and would've liked more - would you happen to know of any relevant links? :D

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

oh, it's a pity it's crossed the wires for you!

in any case, i think all the episodes are good parker-hardison-eliot episodes because that's how they roll that's what i'd pick:

"The Reunion Job" - unless i'm mistaken, that the episode with 'pretzels' conversation, aka parker/hardison.

"The Inside Job" - parker's backstory (really amazing).

"The Studio Job" - eliot the accidental country star, parker impersonating bjork-alike (priceless).

"The Gone-Fishin' Job" - handcuffed eliot and hardison on the run in the woods, 'nuff sad.

"The Boost Job" - adventures in car-thievery and parker going undercover(ish).

"The Rashomon Job" - that's just a really brilliantly done episode.

"The Big Bang Job" - eliot's dark(ish) backstory with damien moreau (same in the sequel).

"The Long Way Down Job" - this episode is AMAZING for parker and eliot and the way they relate to each other and the rest of the team.

"The Carnival Job" - grumpy bodyguard eliot dealing with a kidnapping attempt, mostly adding here for h/c value.

"The Grave Danger Job" - a parker/hardison ep you can't miss (let's just say that it includes 'buried alive' as a trope).

"The Queen's Gambit Job" - one of the best parker/hardison moments in the show.

"The Experimental Job" - this ep is nice with eliot h/c, but the psych experiment setup was so stupid i can't honestly recommend it.

"The Office Job" - an episode spoofing all the office shows, with some excellent in-team dynamic bits. the saga of the sandwich: best.

"The Gold Job" - hardison's first job as a leader of the team.

"The Last Dam Job" - grand finale, really lovely for everybody involved, and with awesome cameos from past characters.

"The First Contact Job" - alien conspiracy job, just hilarious all around ("this is a very distinctive static sound").

"The French Connection Job" - eliot teaching parker to enjoy food, and also eliot being a scary and amazing chief.

"The Broken Wing Job" - injured parker defending their lair while everybody else is away on the job.

"The Rundown Job" - eliot, parker and hardison dealing with a terror threat on their own, h/c out of the wazoo (well, relatively for leverage) and some really amazing moments.

"The Long Goodbye Job" - best. grand. finale. ever. if you don't watch anything else, watch this one.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Heee, thanks for the recs! I'll definitely keep them in mind for next time I'm looking for some team-TV :D

[spacealien-vamp.livejournal.com]

For most of the season I thought Agents of SHIELD was stepping up into that role nicely, should've known better than to cozy up to a Whedon show (I actually really enjoyed the end of the season and am looking forward to next year, but yeah, not quite what I'm looking for.)

I was really disappointed by this series, mainly because I absolutely HATE betrayal as a plot device. It totally drives me up the wall. I haven't even bothered to watch the finale yet (though I probably will eventually because I've heard that the game Dominion has subtle product placement in the last scene).

The only new show I actually liked this season was Almost Human, and that was canceled, so...meh.

I'm hoping that something good will start up in the fall.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I'd have hated how AOS went if I'd been more invested in the show, but I was just at the right level of interest to be more intrigued than annoyed. And the finale was a lot of fun, one of the best eps of the season, I think (I missed the Dominion product placement, heh!)

Otherwise I don't really like to start watching shows in their first year, because they can get canceled out from under me...I prefer to tune in once they're a bit established. But I hope there will be something cute and team-y in the fall roster! (haven't heard anything of the line-up beyond which of my current shows are continuing, so...)

[topaz-kat.livejournal.com]

I too was displeased by the whole Pete/Myka thing this season. I have always enjoyed their extremely tight and marvelous "hetero-life partner" thing. To me, that was what made their relationship special.

I loved that Claudia was clearly inspired by Mrs. Frederick and seemed to enjoy tormenting the "new" team that we saw in the future. I could be that the semi-sentient Warehouse was ringing the alarm to warn that it was getting close to a move and was getting ready to say goodbye to Mrs. Frederick and letting Claudia know that it was time for her to sow whatever wild oats she had left.

For me, the turning point of the season finale was Jinx's "moment". He doesn't have one with the Warehouse because it has become his attainment of Nirvana (or something like that) that he has found peace. That to me, is a very, very powerful statement.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Did anyone actually like or want Pete/Myka to happen? Besides, apparently, the writers? *sigh*

But yes, Claudia taking on Mrs. Frederic's mantle in more ways than one was marvelous, and Jinx's moment really was beautiful. I liked that everyone has a different relationship with the Warehouse, that it means as much to all of them, but in different ways...

[topaz-kat.livejournal.com]

I don't know. I can't really guess what the heck was in the minds of the writers. Another bit that struck home for me was when Artie was yelling at the Warehouse and it gave him an apple.

I will miss this show terribly, but at least I have the cats. I figured if there was a show where my name showed up three times, my cats could also be named after it. :)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

And such an awesome namesake character, too! :D What are the kitty names?

[topaz-kat.livejournal.com]

Well, as I said, my name is in there three times. :)

Helena-Helena (HG to her "friends")
Mica-Myka (still enjoy her)
Lena--Leena (that one really amazed me, that my nickname was in there too :))

My cats are Clawdia and Artymis (but I call her Arty) :) I didn't have a boy kitty or it probably would have been Pete (when I got the cats, Jinx wasn't around yet, but I think that that would be an awesome name for a cat).

I mean, really, it's as if the show was targeted at me.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Heeee - the Leena especially, that's awesome!

Love the kitty names, so adorable...and Jinx might be worth saving for a boy cat!

[nenya85.livejournal.com]

Sorry for the late reply but I was out of town.

Warehouse 13 was one of my favorite shows. I’ve rarely seen a show that said more nuanced things about how adults connect and form families while managing to be sooooooo adorably goofy at the same time.

Overall I really liked this last mini-season. I liked that they wrapped up the whole Paracelsus threat so quickly and got back, for the most part, to the kind of absurd story-lines that were the reason I started watching in the first place. It felt like the perfect way to say good-bye. And I thought the last episode was too sweet for words – I don’t know if the Warehouse gang need to record their memories to say goodbye, but it sure helped me.

I could have done without the Pete/Myka resolution, I don’t see why they couldn’t have left if open-ended. I think I’ve always seen more chemistry between them than a lot of fans, for example in the model episode, but one thing I liked about the show was that it showed a kind of attraction rare on television. After the model episode, I fully expected the entire show to turn into a will they-won’t they kind of thing… and then it didn’t. Instead they were two people who were at times more or less attracted to each other, but didn’t need to act on it. That’s something that’s much more common in real life than on television (lol), so I was sorry to lose that at the very end. I could actually see Pete and Myka together – but I didn’t want to see it explicitly endorsed by the show itself, if that makes sense. Especially since I liked that H.G. Wells’ relationship had fallen apart – it had felt at the time that she was forcing herself into what she thought she should want, or the peace and security the relationship symbolized or anything but her actually being in love with the guy – so I was glad she’d had the sense to realize it. And besides it left her free for Myka. I agree though, I would have no problem believing that Pete and Myka decide after a while that maybe they would rather be friends as opposed to friends and lovers – or maybe they decide they’d like to be parents together (my own secret wish) but they don’t need to be lovers to do that and eventually H.G. comes back to the warehouse…

I loved that Pete’s whole memory was everything. He was actually my favorite character, or the one I identified with the most. I loved it that if you took the whole backstory – traumatic childhood, ex-alcoholic marine – you’d expect someone stoic and emotionally inexpressive – maybe Gibbs from NCIS. Instead he’s someone who really appreciates how goofy and just plain amazing it all is – and obviously with him the warehouse is a metaphor for life.

Anyway, yeah I’m sorry it’s over, especially since I haven’t found anything on the horizon to replace it, especially since an amazing amount of science fiction leans towards the grim rather than the goofy.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Thanks for making the late reply, I'm glad you came back to this post for it :)

I didn't expect to fall in love with W13 as much as I did, but it was so cute! So shamelessly goofy and yet so sincere in its characters. --also so sincere in its h/c; one of the main characters was in peril in pretty much every single episode, at least for a bit! I loved the whole cast - I didn't have a favorite (though Artie was my spirit animal - one of the few fictional characters I've seen more pessimistic than me! XD) but yes, Pete was a really interesting variation on that character type. (And I will always love his reaction to finding out Jinx is gay - "Oh, finally, someone to appreciate this! *strips off shirt*")

This season was a mixed bag for me, but I really loved the finale, other than the Pete/Myka - it was a great send-off, perfectly in spirit. And while I'm a bit sulky about making it go romantic, in the end, yeah, it was light enough I can edit around it in my head - the advantage of being a fanfic'er! Also, YES, I wanted them to have and raise a platonic love-child together SO BADLY - I didn't realize how much until Pete suggested it, but really, yes, that would've been the ultimate 'happy ending' for me - to take their partnership that far and not have it be romantic, awwww. In my head, this is what happens. --And HG comes back because, come on, Myka/HG is written in the stars! XD

I wish there was more goofy sf, yes! There are some shows in other genres that have a similar feel (if you haven't seen it, Brooklyn 99 is hilarious but also outrageously adorable in its team dynamics) but scifi is always where my heart is...of course right now there's practically no actual sf on TV at all; lots of fantasy, but while I enjoy that, it's not the same...