OK. Let's play a little game called "Guess the Science Fiction/Fantasy TV Series"
Round 1: They are two federal agents assigned to an under-the-radar department that investigates paranormal crimes and activity. He's an intuitive, imaginative and instinctual investigator (you don't see a lot of "i" alliteration, do you?) dealing with the tragic loss of a loved one early in his life. She's a by-the-book, pragmatic sort who has a hard time dealing with the nature of their investigations let alone the quirkiness of her partner.
Did you guess The X-Files? Yeah, you probably did.
Round 2: Two young folks, a man and a woman, are responsible for chasing cursed antiquities all over the world before the evil that haunts these objects can kill and kill again. They work with an older gentlemen who houses all of these artifacts in a giant vault to prevent them from infecting the world with their evil. The male half of the duo uses humor to diffuse tense situations and she is a fiery redhead with an attitude.
Did you guess Friday the 13th: The Series? Maybe not, but if you were a fan of this show in the late 1980's than maybe you did.
Bottom line: Both of those plot synopses (synopsi?) can also be used to describe the new SyFy* show Warehouse 13. It's as if those first two shows had an unholy night of sin and nine months later this malformed baby popped out. It's about two Secret Service agents who are reassigned after a job gone slightly wrong to a secret government facility called Warehouse 13 out in the middle of nowhere. The rest of it you can figure out from watching either The X-Files or Friday the 13th: The Series.
*Quick aside...who was the lame-brain that decided to change the name of the SciFi Channel to SyFy? That's just silly! Are they trying to bring in new audiences who might not be inclined to watch a show if it is on a Science Fiction network? Are they trying to save advertising space because the channel call letters now have one fewer letter? I don't get it.
I've only seen the first episode thus far, but it entertained me. It's not original, by any means, but it is fun. And one of the co-creators is Jane Espenson (Buffy, BSG) so I'm willing to give it a few weeks at the very least. And besides, it's Summer. Nothing else is on anyway.
My favorite thing about the show, and a real reason to watch (at least for me), is the steampunk designs of the techie doo-dads that are used by the dude who runs the warehouse. Like his computer. I want one. Sooooo much! Here is one that looks a bit like it:
Image of Steampunk Flat-Panel LCD and Steampunk Keyboard Mod via steampunkworkshop.com
Click on those links to see the coolness. I wish I were handy, since that dude basically walks us through his creations and encourages his readers to give 'er a go. But I'm not, so I will just sit here pining for a setup like that. Sigh.
UPDATE: I just watched the second episode and damn if No. 6 (Tricia Helfer) didn't make a guest appearance as an FBI agent. I don't know about the rest of you geeks, but in watching the first season of BSG, I think she is a pretty good actress. Not bad on the ole ocular mechanisms either. Rowr.
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Note: Remember to play the Bug-Eyed Trivia Challenge every day. I didn't know what steampunk was either until today.
