Welcome back Warehouse 13 and Haven, two kooky paranormal procedurals. I wish you'd both been on tv when I was a teenager.
Warehouse 13 is so much fun. Basically, there's a giant warehouse in Denver (go figure), where 'special' artifacts are stored. Each item has somehow become infused with an aspect of the owner's personality. Gems include:
-Jimi Hendrix's Guitar... releases lightning-like bolts of energy when played.
-Sylvia Plath's Typewriter... sucks then life right out of you.
-Mahatma Ghandi's Sandals... the wearer becomes so zen, their heart stops beating.
Yes, bit of an historical slant in there. Young 'uns can feel like they're learning something, and the know-it-alls get a chance to nod smugly (that would be me).
Warehouse 13 isn't a subtle program. There's a lot of quirky humour to offset the highly dramatic moments. The editing is sharply paced (you can almost imagine someone yelling, "move it along, move it along" in the edit suite). Sound effects are blunt and bold, almost old-fashioned. The show has that back-in-the-day Saturday movie matinee feel. Each episode scoops you up and takes you along for the ride that's always a rollicking adventure: a little like a fairground rollercoaster.
Our obligatory mismatched procedural pair are played by Joanne Kelly and Eddie McClintock. Both actors have been around the traps for years, bit part after bit part. (Kelly was brilliant as arrogant vampire Bianca in The Dresden Files, while McClintock's been around for so long, I remember him portraying Nina Van Horn's punk boyfriend in an episode of Just Shoot Me!). Suffice to say, these two consummate professionals play nicely off each other.
Supporting characters include Artie, who runs the warehouse and Leena, who runs the local bed and breakfast (she also reads people's auras and occasionally helps out at base camp). Then there's Claudia, the sassy teen techie genius who brings a youthful zest to the series.
A taste for those who've never caught the fun:
This season adds another agent to the Warehouse mix. Steve Jinks, aka Jinksy, is played by Aaron Ashmore. Jinksy is a gay Buddhist who can tell when people are lying just by looking at them. On his first assignment, the character admits to already missing his old enforcement job, ie, mainly the chance to shoot at things.
In a word, the new guy looks AWESOME, but I may be biased because of my inherent Ashmore love. Firstly, I'm a sucker for identical twins. (His brother is also an actor, Shawn Ashmore, and starred in the X-Men movies). Secondly, Aaron was great in both Smallville & Veronica Mars. He always gives the impression of quirky humour onscreen, a fitting energy for the Warehouse crew.
Haven is an odd little creature. I think of the show as being 'older' in tone than Warehouse 13, possibly because the material is a lot less lighthearted. The humour is subtle, more wry. Based on a Stephen King story, it chronicles the adventures of a town called Haven. Turns out some of the citizens aren't as normal as they might seem...
The program is shot in Nova Scotia, one of my favourite places. The location really adds to the visual impact, because it films quite coldly? The stormy skies, rough seas and grey days all help to create an uneasy atmosphere.
The story? FBI agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) comes to town on a case, and ends up staying. She joins the local PD, working the 'special' cases with partner Nathan Wuornos (Lucas Bryant). A lot of strange things happen in Haven, mostly because of the Troubled, a name given to citizens with particularly uncomfortable paranormal gifts.
The procedural partnership at the core of the series is definitely the strongest factor in Haven's favour. Rose and Bryant have so much chemistry onscreen. Their interaction alone is enough to make the show worth watching- not only because of the quality of their performances, but also because of the nuanced writing. These two characters are incredibly well-rounded.
Like Warehouse 13, you'll need to suspend some disbelief. For example, the first episode of season two sees Audrey and Nathan driving around with pieces of the (former) police chief in an esky. Before you think, YUCK, it was really a pile of rocks under the lid. He kind of broke down in an original way...
I'm not a fan of Eric Balfour, who plays Duke Crocker, the local no-gooder forced now and again (despite his natural instincts) to be a bit of a do-gooder. I remember when Balfour played Jessie, the first friend fatality in the original season of Buffy, way back in the day. He's passable here, but nothing to write home about. Haven's strength is definitely the leads.
The writing can be erratic, and some of the support cast is a bit subpar, but thematically, Haven is a lot more harrowing than Warehouse 13. There's murder, death, madness and regret constantly on the hop in Haven, which makes the episodes intense enough to overcome any clumsy production moments.
And even with its flaws, Haven is television storytelling worth watching. The series arcs, especially, catch your attention. As an audience member, you want to know why everyone's Troubled, who the hell the cult with the tatts are, and whether or not Audrey is actually her own mother (that's a quite clever ongoing series storyline, I must say).
The truth is, I'm not a fan of straightforward procedurals, but when the law-abiding stuff gets mixed up with the supernatural/paranormal, suddenly we're talking the television version of a successful souffle. What a recipe! All the law enforcement jargon manages to ground the edgier elements, stopping the material from floating off into the realm of the truly unbelievable (and therefore unrelatable).
Both shows are also set to kick butt on the guest star scale. This season Warehouse 13 gets its Trekkie on, with appearances from Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan and Rene Auberjonois (That's Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine from Voyager, and Odo from Deep Space Nine, for the uninitiated). On Haven, expect to see WWE star Edge pop into town, as well as Jason Priestley, who will both act and direct.
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