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seriousficYeah, so checking the Warehouse 13 tag on tumblr, I noticed there was a divide in what usually strikes me as a pretty easy-going fandom. On the one hand, you have those that are increasingly unsatisfied with the role of HG Wells in the narrative (i.e. none), and on the other, you have people who don't necessarily watch the show for her and are okay with her being benched. And, much like the time I exposed myself at that playground, both sides have a point.
1. HG Wells has never been a full-on cast member. This isn't a demotion. She's always shown up in the first episode of the season, been off-screen while the plot gears up, and then come back in the middle and last stretch to bring the season arc to a head.
But 2. Every other season handled this budgetary/schedule issue more elegantly. In season three, for instance, we get her in the Pokeball, which establishes where HG and what (roughly) has happened to her, while still building a mystery about what exactly is going on.
In this season, we have a long scene of Artie arguing for HG, her getting reinstated as a Warehouse agent, and then--nothing. It takes until the fourth episode for a character to say HG is "God knows where." Okay, what does that mean? Was she abducted? Did she leave in the middle of the night without so much as a note? Did the Regents change their minds?
Sure, there's a mystery, but it's a vague and frustrating one. The Pokeball made you feel like the writers were building up to something, while this just feels like they're making it up as they go along (or, if they do have an endgame in mind, that they have no idea how to build up to it or foreshadow it). Now, maybe there's a deleted scene establishing where she went, but given how important a character she's been up to this point, it probably shouldn't have been deleted.
I'd argue that instead of an Artie scene, the writers could've established HG was an Agent again in a Myka/HG scene ("The Regents aren't bronzing me again. They aren't doing anything. I've been reinstated. Artie argued on my behalf. Apparently, he could see me giving everything for the Warehouse.") and then gone on for a touching goodbye scene where they say that the Regents aren't letting Helena into the Warehouse until she has a clean bill of health from a therapist or does enough grunt work at Warehouse Technical Support or whatever. After all, that's the relationship (platonic or otherwise) that the audience cares about, not whether Artie forgives HG (which is obvious anyway).
So Warehouse 13: not the worst, but not soaking in cool either.
1. HG Wells has never been a full-on cast member. This isn't a demotion. She's always shown up in the first episode of the season, been off-screen while the plot gears up, and then come back in the middle and last stretch to bring the season arc to a head.
But 2. Every other season handled this budgetary/schedule issue more elegantly. In season three, for instance, we get her in the Pokeball, which establishes where HG and what (roughly) has happened to her, while still building a mystery about what exactly is going on.
In this season, we have a long scene of Artie arguing for HG, her getting reinstated as a Warehouse agent, and then--nothing. It takes until the fourth episode for a character to say HG is "God knows where." Okay, what does that mean? Was she abducted? Did she leave in the middle of the night without so much as a note? Did the Regents change their minds?
Sure, there's a mystery, but it's a vague and frustrating one. The Pokeball made you feel like the writers were building up to something, while this just feels like they're making it up as they go along (or, if they do have an endgame in mind, that they have no idea how to build up to it or foreshadow it). Now, maybe there's a deleted scene establishing where she went, but given how important a character she's been up to this point, it probably shouldn't have been deleted.
I'd argue that instead of an Artie scene, the writers could've established HG was an Agent again in a Myka/HG scene ("The Regents aren't bronzing me again. They aren't doing anything. I've been reinstated. Artie argued on my behalf. Apparently, he could see me giving everything for the Warehouse.") and then gone on for a touching goodbye scene where they say that the Regents aren't letting Helena into the Warehouse until she has a clean bill of health from a therapist or does enough grunt work at Warehouse Technical Support or whatever. After all, that's the relationship (platonic or otherwise) that the audience cares about, not whether Artie forgives HG (which is obvious anyway).
So Warehouse 13: not the worst, but not soaking in cool either.
