Lack of Story Development in Warehouse 13?

[Dave2]

The basic story premise is very good, but here are some early impressions as questions.
1) What did Pete and Myka do with their homes in Washington when they were scooped up to South Dakota?
2) What does Mrs. Frederic do all day when she's not checking in with Artie or the team?
3) Who is Mrs. Frederic's boss?
4) How realistic is it (at least so far in my watcihng the first several episodes) for these two not to have a wider range of human contact of friends and relatives and a home life?
5) How realistic is it for Artie to be working as a one-man operation with his young female assistant over such a huge operation? Shouldn't such a large operation have warehouse staff, computer whizzes, guards, etc. not unlike the SGC in Stargate SG1?
6) Why does the Warehouse use what seems to be minimal and primitive security? Where are the protective fences, gates, doors, locks, pass keys, passwords, access codes, etc.?
7) Why do Myka and Pete not have any communications devices between them in case they are separated?
8) When Claudia's brother was in the fourth dimension for 12 years, what was he doing in there during that time? Just standing around doing nothing?
9) Why was the Mayan head not dunked or drenched with the blue goo liquid?
10) Why are there not more than one team searching out artifacts who work under Artie?

Well, that's for starters, folks!

[escyos]

The basic story premise is very good, but here are some early impressions as questions.
1) What did Pete and Myka do with their homes in Washington when they were scooped up to South Dakota?

They either kept them (maybe the government paid to keep them or they gave them up. No point in keeping them if you living across the country.

2) What does Mrs. Frederic do all day when she's not checking in with Artie or the team?

Warehouse stuff. Maybe meeting with government officials etc. What exactly does the president do all day anyway?

3) Who is Mrs. Frederic's boss?

The Regents.

4) How realistic is it (at least so far in my watcihng the first several episodes) for these two not to have a wider range of human contact of friends and relatives and a home life?

Many people throw themselves into their jobs and many people only get a few weeks off work every year.

5) How realistic is it for Artie to be working as a one-man operation with his young female assistant over such a huge operation? Shouldn't such a large operation have warehouse staff, computer whizzes, guards, etc. not unlike the SGC in Stargate SG1?

They probably lose agents all the time and have to keep being replaced. The warehouse has some pretty fancy security systems of its own and it may even use a variety of artifacts to keep it secure.

6) Why does the Warehouse use what seems to be minimal and primitive security? Where are the protective fences, gates, doors, locks, pass keys, passwords, access codes, etc.?

You mentioned on being several episodes in and you don't get to the cool security systems until later on.

7) Why do Myka and Pete not have any communications devices between them in case they are separated?

If your refering to why they only have one Farnsworth between them, well they do have phones.

8) When Claudia's brother was in the fourth dimension for 12 years, what was he doing in there during that time? Just standing around doing nothing?

Time barely moved for him in there, i doubt he just stood around for 12 years, it may have only been a few days for him.

9) Why was the Mayan head not dunked or drenched with the blue goo liquid?

Do you mean the Aztec Bloodstone from the first episode? Well some artifacts work in pairs and their effects are reversed when they are put together. (Also the goo is purple)

10) Why are there not more than one team searching out artifacts who work under Artie?

Presumably because the majority of the artifacts are already in the warehouse. If we assume that every season is about a year long, that means that they only need to rush out to get artifacts 13 times a years and only retrieve on average 20-30 artifacts a year.

[Dave2]

A president is rather busy, but if there is only one Warehouse 13 then Mrs. Frederic, who is not usually on site, doesn't seem to have any other activities. Heck, they couldn't even keep Artie protected from being kidnapped by Claudia.
I think that Claudia's brother could have only live a few days in the dimension if he was in a time dilation, which is not discussed as it is in the case of the final episode of SG1, Unending. But I think a time dilation is different than a fourth dimension.
The Mayan head introduced in the pilot was simply put into a box without the purple goo. That's why I asked.
Then there is the question of how quickly Artie seems to be able to get to Washington and back again, leaving the entire Warehouse unattended except perhaps by his young assistant.

They either kept them (maybe the government paid to keep them or they gave them up. No point in keeping them if you living across the country.



Warehouse stuff. Maybe meeting with government officials etc. What exactly does the president do all day anyway?



The Regents.



Many people throw themselves into their jobs and many people only get a few weeks off work every year.



They probably lose agents all the time and have to keep being replaced. The warehouse has some pretty fancy security systems of its own and it may even use a variety of artifacts to keep it secure.



You mentioned on being several episodes in and you don't get to the cool security systems until later on.



If your refering to why they only have one Farnsworth between them, well they do have phones.



Time barely moved for him in there, i doubt he just stood around for 12 years, it may have only been a few days for him.



Do you mean the Aztec Bloodstone from the first episode? Well some artifacts work in pairs and their effects are reversed when they are put together. (Also the goo is purple)



Presumably because the majority of the artifacts are already in the warehouse. If we assume that every season is about a year long, that means that they only need to rush out to get artifacts 13 times a years and only retrieve on average 20-30 artifacts a year.

[escyos]

A president is rather busy, but if there is only one Warehouse 13 then Mrs. Frederic, who is not usually on site, doesn't seem to have any other activities. Heck, they couldn't even keep Artie protected from being kidnapped by Claudia.

Yes, we know that there are several other facilities maintained by the Regents, so maybe she has to go to each one every now and then. Plus she would have to read reports, write reports, attend meetings with the Regents, plus sneaking around all the time would take it out of you.

I think that Claudia's brother could have only live a few days in the dimension if he was in a time dilation, which is not discussed as it is in the case of the final episode of SG1, Unending. But I think a time dilation is different than a fourth dimension.

Time is relative, so a few days for him would have been years for everyone else. Since he did not age, we know that time did not pass or passed very slowly when outside our dimension.

The Mayan head introduced in the pilot was simply put into a box without the purple goo. That's why I asked.
Then there is the question of how quickly Artie seems to be able to get to Washington and back again, leaving the entire Warehouse unattended except perhaps by his young assistant.

You only need to use the goo when an object is acting dangerously, saying if the affected person is going to shoot someone. Plus some artifacts would only stop working when put in the neutralizer. The box your refering to was just for storage inside the warehouse.

[Dave2]

How realistic is that we only see the one single team and only Artie running the warehouse (with that "hotel" where they live)?? A site like the warehouse needs at least one or two floor guys/technicians, at least one hands on assistant in the main room, and a few guards. And what exactly is the role of his young assistant?
If Mrs. Frederic was her same age in the 1950s then presumably she got her hands on an artifact to keep her young and perhaps allow her to teletransport anytime (which may explain the ease by which Artie goes back and forth to Washington).

Yes, we know that there are several other facilities maintained by the Regents, so maybe she has to go to each one every now and then. Plus she would have to read reports, write reports, attend meetings with the Regents, plus sneaking around all the time would take it out of you.



Time is relative, so a few days for him would have been years for everyone else. Since he did not age, we know that time did not pass or passed very slowly when outside our dimension.



You only need to use the goo when an object is acting dangerously, saying if the affected person is going to shoot someone. Plus some artifacts would only stop working when put in the neutralizer. The box your refering to was just for storage inside the warehouse.

[Gate Ranger]

How realistic is that we only see the one single team and only Artie running the warehouse (with that "hotel" where they live)?? A site like the warehouse needs at least one or two floor guys/technicians, at least one hands on assistant in the main room, and a few guards. And what exactly is the role of his young assistant?
If Mrs. Frederic was her same age in the 1950s then presumably she got her hands on an artifact to keep her young and perhaps allow her to teletransport anytime (which may explain the ease by which Artie goes back and forth to Washington).

Mrs. Fedrick is linked to the Warehouse, she is its guardian. Still don't know how she teleports but I assume it has something to do with the fact that she is the guardian. A lot of your questions are answered in the later seasons. No one knows where the Warehouse is and most people think it belongs to the IRS so you don't really have to worry about security until someone evil finds out about its existance and then there are security measures in place to make sure the warehouse isn't destroyed, or all the artifacts escape. Plus the warehouse can (most of the time ) take care of itself, and if anything bad happens Mrs. Fedrick is notified.

[Dave2]

After an artifact event is exposed to those involved how do they explain to everybody what actually happened?
And what happens if some good person wanted to report the dangers of an artifact? How would they know who to report to?

I should mention that I find the teeny bopper dimension of the series to be a bit annoying. Not that I have anything agai St Claudia or Lena, but I think it's too obvious especially with the suggestive clothing. Really not necessary.

Mrs. Fedrick is linked to the Warehouse, she is its guardian. Still don't know how she teleports but I assume it has something to do with the fact that she is the guardian. A lot of your questions are answered in the later seasons. No one knows where the Warehouse is and most people think it belongs to the IRS so you don't really have to worry about security until someone evil finds out about its existance and then there are security measures in place to make sure the warehouse isn't destroyed, or all the artifacts escape. Plus the warehouse can (most of the time ) take care of itself, and if anything bad happens Mrs. Fedrick is notified.

[Dave2]

After an artifact event is exposed to those involved how do they explain to everybody what actually happened?
And what happens if some good person wanted to report the dangers of an artifact? How would they know who to report to?

I should mention that I find the teeny bopper dimension of the series to be a bit annoying. Not that I have anything against Claudia or Lena, but I think it's too obvious especially with the suggestive clothing. Really not necessary.

Mrs. Fedrick is linked to the Warehouse, she is its guardian. Still don't know how she teleports but I assume it has something to do with the fact that she is the guardian. A lot of your questions are answered in the later seasons. No one knows where the Warehouse is and most people think it belongs to the IRS so you don't really have to worry about security until someone evil finds out about its existance and then there are security measures in place to make sure the warehouse isn't destroyed, or all the artifacts escape. Plus the warehouse can (most of the time ) take care of itself, and if anything bad happens Mrs. Fedrick is notified.

[Achiles]

They go with a cover story recently mushrooms.

[Dave2]

Then of course the storyline doesn't explain how the electric spine that killed Jack in Burnout got to St. Louis in the first place from Europe, and what "Lifetime commitment" has to do with the whole thing. And if the artifact was used to fight in wars, well, there must have been more than one, and someone must have invented it. But Artie's books and Claudia's research didn't explain any of this.
The story also gives the impression that there is only one set of agent teams at any given time - Jack and Rebecca, and now Pete and Myka.

[Dave2]

Then again, how did the Warehouse exist with its agents prior to the information and internet age as would have been the case in the days of Rebecca and Jack in 1962? I don't see how they could operate in a less technologically developed environment without all the databases, computers, etc.
On another matter, since the Warehouse is out in a field, how are they supposed to get in and out by car when there are two feet of snow in a South Dakota winter? Who supplies them with food and other essentials? How close is Leena's Bed and Breakfast to the Warehouse, and does she operate as a regular place to stay for ordinary people? Why does it seems that the cast doesn't have much of a variety of clothes? Artie and Leena seem to wear the same clothes all the time.
How long ago was the Warehouse built in South Dakota, and how long did it take to build such a large underground facility? Where were the thousands of incredible artifacts during that time, and what is supposed to be the ultimate purpose of keeping the artifacts stored away rather than destroyed?

[aretood2]

Then of course the storyline doesn't explain how the electric spine that killed Jack in Burnout got to St. Louis in the first place from Europe, and what "Lifetime commitment" has to do with the whole thing.

It is plausible for ancient lost artifacts to make it to the weirdest locations, so the spine would have gone through the same shipping and exchange of hands as any other priceless relic from the past.

And if the artifact was used to fight in wars, well, there must have been more than one, and someone must have invented it. But Artie's books and Claudia's research didn't explain any of this.

I never thought that. That's something I'd ask the writers. I don't remember if it was mass produced or similar to the atomic bombs in WWII, where only a few would be built.

The story also gives the impression that there is only one set of agent teams at any given time - Jack and Rebecca, and now Pete and Myka.

This has been talked about in these forums. There is evidence in the show that there used to be a lot more people at any given time working in the warehouse.

Then again, how did the Warehouse exist with its agents prior to the information and internet age as would have been the case in the days of Rebecca and Jack in 1962? I don't see how they could operate in a less technologically developed environment without all the databases, computers, etc.

How did cops catch bad guys without video cameras and fingerprint databases and such back then? Better yet, how did ancient armies get good intelligence without spies a la James Bond with all that fancy techno gizmos?

On another matter, since the Warehouse is out in a field, how are they supposed to get in and out by car when there are two feet of snow in a South Dakota winter? Who supplies them with food and other essentials? How close is Leena's Bed and Breakfast to the Warehouse, and does she operate as a regular place to stay for ordinary people? Why does it seems that the cast doesn't have much of a variety of clothes? Artie and Leena seem to wear the same clothes all the time.

Lots of these questions are dealt with in one way or another with spoilers for you. As for the snow...that's a good question. However we do see them drive to the warehouse many many times. Such as in the Pilot when Pete and Myka first meet the warehouse.

How long ago was the Warehouse built in South Dakota, and how long did it take to build such a large underground facility? Where were the thousands of incredible artifacts during that time, and what is supposed to be the ultimate purpose of keeping the artifacts stored away rather than destroyed?

In the early 1900's, I think, when the US was starting to become a world power. And destroying artifacts is bad, really bad.

[Dave2]

The immediacy of communications and informations suggests that it would realistically be hardly possible to manage the activities the agents could do in a less advanced society, i.e. 1962 or any other time. Imagine Artie's predecessors having to communicate while he looks up date in books or files among hundreds and thousands of sources.

Artie mentioned that the spines were used by soldiers in war, meaning that there had to be more than one out there. BTW, how did Jack figure out the hiding place where he would die with the spine going into hibernation until a gas explosion happened to come almost 50 years later?

I think it is definitely worth mentioning to the writers that they really need to report on where new artifacts come from. Also, what about an artifact that shows up without consequences that Artie would know about, and if the people involved wanted to turn it in to the government? Who would they even contact?!
Finally, I wish they would tone down the childish conduct of Pete and also the teeny bopper element with Claudia and Leena. Who ever heard of major government secret installations operating with kids (male or female)? I realize it's to draw an audience (along with skimpy clothing) but it's too much.....at least for this type of show.

[aretood2]

The immediacy of communications and informations suggests that it would realistically be hardly possible to manage the activities the agents could do in a less advanced society, i.e. 1962 or any other time. Imagine Artie's predecessors having to communicate while he looks up date in books or files among hundreds and thousands of sources.

Considering that a landmass the size of Ancient Rome during the Empire's height was goverened well without the internet or cell phones, I'd say that it really doesn't matter that much. Obviously there were larger numbers of people working in and around the warehouse the furtherback in time you go. Alexander's empire started the whole thing, so I bet there may have been hundreds, and the warehouses back then were very small when compared to 13. So a huge computer database would not be needed. As for a few real logistical issues with the lack of information technology, you are right that it wouldn't be very effective at keeping artifacts worldwide. However I think that the Rule of Cool takes over in this regard, as well as other elements of willing suspension of disbelief.

Though I do wonder if they plan on adding more agents because having Artie alone just wouldn't work even with Pete and Myka. In the current episodes they still seem somewhat stretched out, they do need more backup in the way of field agents.

Artie mentioned that the spines were used by soldiers in war, meaning that there had to be more than one out there. BTW, how did Jack figure out the hiding place where he would die with the spine going into hibernation until a gas explosion happened to come almost 50 years later?

If there were too many during the crusades, then that would be common knowledge which would then violate the "Artifacts are secret" thing. So there must have been a limited amount available. As for your other question here, I'd have to re-watch. The thing is that I don't think there's an answer to that question.

I think it is definitely worth mentioning to the writers that they really need to report on where new artifacts come from.

I like the way they handled this, actually. But that's more of a spoiler infested discussion.

Also, what about an artifact that shows up without consequences that Artie would know about, and if the people involved wanted to turn it in to the government? Who would they even contact?!

The regents work in mysterious ways. I like the mystery that surrounds the whole thing. I doubt Artie nor the agents would know the protocol for such a situation. As for the government, the warehouse operates independently from any world political group. I think it is the best that way, they are able to maintain political neutrality.

Finally, I wish they would tone down the childish conduct of Pete and also the teeny bopper element with Claudia and Leena. Who ever heard of major government secret installations operating with kids (male or female)? I realize it's to draw an audience (along with skimpy clothing) but it's too much.....at least for this type of show.

Claudia is someone you either like or don't, unfortunately. You're like of Pete and Myka would have to be considerable to put up with Claudia until she starts to mature, which will come with time. As for the tight cloths, I was just thinking about their dress code, or rather lack thereof, last night. While yes, they are technically no longer under the provision of any government or government agency, they really don't look too legit when they are out in the field dressed like if they are going to some concert.

Pete's suits and Myka's suits early on were fine, they pulled of the Secret Service look. But with Myka's tight thingy she really doesn't look the part. Pete has also dropped some of the Secret Service attire as well. Jinks should also dress the part as a ATF agent (Or was he DEA?). Artie can get away with the clothes he wears, NSA analysts really don't need to look like FBI agents. Mrs. Frederick is properly dressed to suit her um...creepiness.

Back to the Claudia and Leena thing, I really don't see a problem with Leena. Claudia you could make a case if it wasn't for her genius and constant improvements that she adds to the Warehouse down the road. Then there is a spoilery issue related to her. Let's just say that people who work with and around the warehouse tend to be somehow "special" and thus they are included. Claudia is indeed "special." Besides, what else do you do with a girl that kidnaps the lead agent after breaking into the most secret and secure location in the world to save her brother? My answer, cultivate that girl to work with you because as an enemy she would be a real pain in the back side.

[Dave2]

Question: How do Regents get to be Regents over they years and centuries?! And who do THEY answer to if not the US government??
And since Mrs. Frederick swore on the dust of the first 12 warehouses, has anyone ever explained the technical and historical issues related to the previous warehouses and how the artifacts all survived?
Finally, does ANYBODY come up with an explanation of where the artifacts get their powers?
Were they created by aliens or......the Ancients?! (There we have a Stargate-Warehouse 13 crossover!!)

[aretood2]

Question: How do Regents get to be Regents over they years and centuries?! And who do THEY answer to if not the US government??
And since Mrs. Frederick swore on the dust of the first 12 warehouses, has anyone ever explained the technical and historical issues related to the previous warehouses and how the artifacts all survived?
Finally, does ANYBODY come up with an explanation of where the artifacts get their powers?
Were they created by aliens or......the Ancients?! (There we have a Stargate-Warehouse 13 crossover!!)

There's no answer to these questions....well there's some spoilers. If you really want to know....get some popcorn.

[Dave2]

Just got my air popped butter-free popcorn...... ;-)

[aretood2]

Just got my air popped butter-free popcorn...... ;-)

I think I read that the regents, or at least the first regents, were agents at some point. We do get to see more about past warehouses, not too much, but a little more. Hopefully that will give you a few answers, but it will also give you lots and lots more questions.

[Dave2]

DO the regents answer to anyone else, either here on Earth or beyond? Maybe that's the whole source of the artifacts to begin with.........Aliens, as I suggested before .......the ANCIENTS!!

[Dave2]

Why is it that Leena's so-called Bed and Breakfast never has any guests except for Pete, Myka, Mrs. Frederic, Artie and Claudia? Who arranges the travel whenever they have to fly somewhere? Do they have their own agency?