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Advance Review: #Warehouse13 Christmas Episode “The Greatest Gift” (It’s a not-so wonderful life for Pete)

Advance Review: Warehouse 13, Christmas Episode “The Greatest Gift”

Air Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2011 9/8c on Syfy

Rating ★★★★★

“The Greatest Gift” is Warehouse 13 meets It’s A Wonderful Life! Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) are on a case to retrieve a Christmas artifact, Rudolph’s nose. While putting the artifact away in the Aisle of Noel, Pete accidentally comes into contact with another artifact known as Phillip Van Doren Stern’s brush which literally sweeps Pete out of existence.

Eddie McClintock (seated) as Agent Pete Lattimer

The thing is, Pete doesn’t realize he’s come into contact with the artifact and gets a rude awakening when he discovers Artie’s (Saul Rubinek) former nemesis, James MacPherson (guest star Roger Rees), is running Warehouse 13. Now he must find his friends, including Artie, Myka, and Claudia (Allison Scagliotti), and convince them to help him. The hitch – no one knows who he is.

Pete really has to rely on his charm and memory to help the others realize he’s not lying about who he really is. It shows depth to his character as Pete charmingly provides intimate details—some funny and some painful—to prove he knows Artie, Myka, and Claudia as well as he does. McClintock does an excellent job of being sappy at the very end. It’s quite endearing actually.

In the alternate reality where Pete doesn’t exist, things are wonky. Myka isn’t as adorably quirky because in this reality, her father dies before they have a chance to reconcile. Artie is in prison because Myka thought he was going to assassinate the President; and Claudia is in a mental facility where she harbors ill-will towards Artie mapping out her vengeance.

I love Rees as an actor, especially in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights, but I have to admit I like the darker side of him as he embodies the corrupt MacPherson character. MacPherson thinks these wondrous artifacts should be out in the real world so he sells them on the black market. But these artifacts are not just amazing, they are powerful, some very deadly, and in the wrong hands – destructive. It’s a race for Pete to convince his friends to break into Warehouse 13 and stop MacPherson.

L-R: Claudia (Allison Scagliotti), Pete (Eddie McClintock), and Myka (Joanne Kelly)

I really love Warehouse 13! The show is quirky, creative, a little cheesy, and definitely funny. But what fascinates me the most are the intriguing artifacts stored within the warehouse. Using iconic and historical people and iconic characters, whether it’s Van Doren Stern’s brush sweeping Pete out of existence or Rudolph’s nose guiding Santa’s sleigh into chaos, the way the writers incorporate various objects into the storylines is quite inventive. And if you’re not familiar with Van Doren Stern, his short story, “The Greatest Gift,” inspired the movie It’s a Wonderful Life.

“The Greatest Gift” is a fun episode! It’s definitely one you can watch every holiday season!

Tune into Warehouse 13’s Christmas Episode “The Greatest Gift” TONIGHT! Tuesday, December 6, 2011 9/8c only on Syfy.

Follow Warehouse 13 Cast on Twitter

Like Warehouse 13 on Facebook.

Photos © NBC Universal/Syfy

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.