So, now we’ve seen what the first crossover between Syfy shows that aren’t called Stargate looks like, and it has to be said, I kind of liked it. Maybe it’s because I’m a comic fan and therefore shared universes and crossovers and cameos and everything like that is like catnip to me, but watching characters from Eureka and Warehouse 13 wander into each other’s worlds with last week’s episodes of their respective series made me want to see more of this Syfy-verse, and sooner rather than later, if possible. But here’re 13 (late, sorry) thoughts about “13.1” and “Crossing Over.”
1. When In Doubt, Do Shows About Your Show. Both episodes were oddly insular, in one way or another. If I had to compare them, I’d say that I preferred Eureka‘s insularity, where the episode was used to continue plot threads from the season so far, as opposed to Warehouse 13‘s more obvious episode, which seemed much more about the show’s uber-mythology.
2. That’s A Kinda Terrible Retirement Package, Right There. I have to wonder if pointing out the unfortunate fates of former Warehouse agents is intentional foreshadowing for something down the line, or just a generic “Things are unlikely to turn out well for our heroes” thing, if one somewhat mitigated by Hugo ending the episode apparently intact and headed off to Eureka (And, yes, it was sad that he didn’t appear at all in the Eureka ep that followed, even as a cameo). Are Pete and Myka going to snap/die/head to the dark side? Myka is kind of high-strung, I could see her losing it…
3. Which Show Showed Off Better? The point of the crossover, of course, was in part to get new viewers into both shows, which means creating episodes that introduced the series and made sure people would come back for more. For my money, Eureka‘s episode was a better showcase for the series as a whole, but the character work in Warehouse 13 seemed stronger, at least when it came to Pete (Who seemed especially funny this week, or was it just me?), Artie and Claudia. Poor Myka, again, seemed to get left behind. I think she’s got cause for turning evil, really.
4. Which Show Handled The Guest Better? This time, it’s Warehouse 13. Don’t get me wrong; Claudia seemed like a good fit in Eureka, but she also didn’t really seem entirely like Claudia, for some reason – In part because she seemed like a generic guest-star whose purpose was to walk on, give exposition and then be led off by Henry for a lot of the show, and in part because she just seemed too confident and self-assured, especially around Fargo (Remember the Claudia of two weeks ago who freaked out over liking Todd?) – whereas W13‘s Fargo seemed spot-on, personalitywise. Which leads me to…
5. Continuity Is A Bitch (1). Am I the only person who thought that it was weird that Fargo, who’s now the head of Global Dynamics, was the person who went to Warehouse 13 to install a new computer system? Shouldn’t he have… you know, someone to do that for him? I wondered if there’d already been a draft of the script done before the new Eureka status quo had been finalized.
6. Continuity Is A Bitch (2). When Claudia saw Fargo’s life thanks to the zoetrope in W13, why didn’t she seem surprised that he’d actually come from what’s essentially an alternate timeline? Which reminds me…
7. Does This Mean That Warehouse 13‘s Continuity Might Be Changed Now, Too? Or has it always existed in Eureka‘s new timeline? This is where shared universes get confusing.
8. Which Show Pandered The Most? Well, that one is obvious; Warehouse 13. Lightsabers, you guys? Really? Lightsabers? I thought we were the ones doing the Star Wars thing right now. (Okay, I admit it: I loved the lightsabers. Eureka is plenty geeky – especially with their choice of guest-stars, which almost always brings a smile to my face – but W13 has taken to really reveling in its geek this season, and I kind of love that about the show. My only real complaint about the lightsabers is that, come on: You know that Pete would be really upset when he heard about that later. I wish we could’ve seen that.)
9. It’s The Little Things That Matter. I might not have thought Eureka‘s Claudia was exactly the same Claudia as Warehouse 13‘s, but I did appreciate that she spent her guest-spot calling Fargo “Doug,” thereby showing that she had a different/more respectful relationship with him than everyone else on the show; it was a tiny little thing, but I really loved it. Not so much her calling him “the Fargonator,” but kudos for the shoutout to the season premiere, if nothing else.
10. Science In Eureka Can Be Really Dangerous. Now, maybe I missed something, but was there any testing of the advanced Warehouse goo before they started pumping into James Callis’ bloodstream? Isn’t the goo supposed to be at least kind of toxic in Warehouse terms?I mean, I guess it tied the episode to W13 slightly more, but that scene seemed kind of odd; as much as I’m glad that Callis’ time-tossed scientist Charles Grant is sticking around, even with that accent, I’d have rather it was all a nanobot save in the end. Too picky?
11. Seriously, How Old Is Claudia? Hey! Missy making out with Fargo! Didn’t the show just establish that you were a teenager, like, a week or so ago? Isn’t Fargo somewhere in his early-to-mid twenties? I’m no prude, but I’m surprised this hook-up seemed to happen without commentary, considering how much was made of Claudia and Todd just a week earlier. Also:
12. What The Hell, Todd? Seriously, dude, if your dumping of Claudia wasn’t set up for something later, then that was really bad writing that doesn’t make a hell of a lot of sense – especially considering how quickly Claudia had seemed to bounce back by Eureka‘s episode. I’m holding out hopes that Todd will turn out to be HG Wells’ grandson or something, and it’ll all make sense down the road.
13. Match-Ups I Want To See In The Future I’d be very happy if this ended up being an annual thing, a la DC’s Justice League/Justice Society crossovers. Maybe next year, it could be a true crossover, with a story beginning in one and concluding in the other, and with more characters jumping between shows? If nothing else, I’d love to see Myka deal with Deputy Andy – and who wouldn’t be into watching CCH Pounder be charmed by Vincent’s culinary skills? Only, next year? Bring Haven to the party, please; Emily Rose deserves better than weirdly-paced episodes that always seem to need dubbed exposition at the end to tie up loose ends.
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