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Booger Checker? Review: Warehouse 13, S4 “No Pain, No Gain”

Review: Warehouse 13, S4, Ep. 405 – “No Pain, No Gain”

Air date: Monday, Aug 20, 2012 9/8c on Syfy

Rating ★★★★★

 

“…not all wonder is endless…” – Mrs. Frederic

 

Opening with Myka (Joanne Kelly) and Claudia (Allison Scagliotti) dressed as Geisha girls in Kyoto, Japan threw me off as I wasn’t sure where the story would take us. However, this was just a preamble leading into part of Myka’s storyline when she gets an unexpected call from her sister announcing she’s expecting. Now we get into an interesting and fun episode that also throws in a few twists for good measure.

Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) investigate the men’s locker room.

Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka are off to Canada to find how a star hockey player, Mike Madden (Mike Dopud) is miraculously recovering from game-ending injuries on the ice. The antics that go on not just on the ice but in the locker room are hysterical. Pete is in rare form as he personifies the “sassy” friend from a romantic comedy when Myka and Mike begin flirting with each other. I don’t think it’s jealousy, per se, but more like him being a protective older brother. We know Pete loves Myka and vice versa, but not like that. I don’t want anything romantic to happen between Myka and Pete. They are such a great team, and their plutonic chemistry works amazingly well. If you got them mixed up in some campy romance, it would ruin their dynamic. As it is, Pete and Myka really know the kinks in each other’s armor, which helps them in the many cases they team up on.

But things get a little hairy when Pete and Myka discover what the mysterious artifact is that’s helping Mike heal, sort of, from his injuries. Pete’s passing thought of wanting kids and wishing Myka were pregnant become a shocking reality when he touches the artifact and the hijinks ensue. While I thought the pregnancy bump looked a little, ok… a lot, fake, I’ll give it to Kelly for rolling with it and really giving us some great pregnancy symptoms—frequent urination, eating, waddling, emotional imbalance, and the sleepies. It sparked a lot of comedic moments in “No Pain, No Gain.”

The whole case is reminiscent of the Stephen King novel (turned movie), Misery. While they got the crazed fan obsessed with Mike who used her grandfather’s dog-tags to “wish” his injuries away, there wasn’t any bloodshed or cracked ankles. Although, she did re-wish his injuries back to teach him a lesson, which put a devilish dark edge on this episode.

Pictured: (l-r) Allison Scagliotti as Claudia Donovan, CCH Pounder as Mrs. Frederic

Mrs. Frederic (CCH Pounder) takes Claudia out for “lunch” but this is more than two women sharing a meal. “The birth of an artifact” was very intriguing to watch, especially because of its humble beginnings. Will Claudia become the new Mrs. Frederic? It’s an interesting choice—not a bad choice, just interesting. Claudia seems to enjoy being in the field and working cases. I thought Leena (Genelle Williams) would have been the ideal candidate to replace Mrs. Frederic. And it didn’t slip my radar that Mrs. Frederic didn’t actually take Claudia out to eat. Does Mrs. Frederic even eat anymore? We know she’s…older than she looks, and confirmation of that is provided when she takes Claudia to visit her grandson who’s in a nursing home. How old do you think she is?

Artie (Saul Rubinek) still seems a bit irritable and we know why. He’s got a big secret he can’t reveal but it’s starting to manifest itself in the form of missing artifacts. Artie finds more missing artifacts and in their place—a signature black crystal, the calling card of the Brotherhood. Brother Adrian (Brent Spiner) made good on his promise to repay in kind by slowly dismantling Artie’s life’s work—the warehouse and all the artifacts within. Now that Jinks (Aaron Ashmore) knows artifacts are missing, he helps Artie track them down in a very clever way. But, when they get to the storage place where the stolen artifacts are, Jinks must reveal his secret when bullets start flying. I’m curious how Artie will get Jinks “off the metronome,” as he put it. It’s not like Jinks is addicted to crack or meth; his life is linked to an artifact. But, if anyone can help Jinks, it’s Artie.

Funny lines/moments:

Pete and Myka in the men’s locker room, checking through Mike’s stuff to find the artifact:

Pete: “Maybe Mike has the artifact on him?”

Myka: “No, no, he’s naked in the shower and I already checked his chain.”

Pete: “How much you gonna pay me not to tell anyone you said that?”

Myka: “50 bucks.”

Pete: “Done.”

Myka: “Ok.”

***

Myka discovers she has a mutual interest in opera with Mike, and Pete impatiently chimes in:

Pete: “Hey, can we get going? Uh, you can play Mike’s magic flute later.”

Myka: “I have to go kill him now, so, I’m just gonna…go.”

Pete: “Ick! Get me some popcorn and a tampon ‘cause I am watching a romantic comedy.”

I loved the humor and camaraderie in “No Pain, No Gain.” I’ll give it a hearty two snaps up, like Pete does throughout the episode. I look forward to discovering what strange and wondrous artifact will be showcased next week, and now I’m eagerly anticipating what Artie will find to help Jinks. I also want to know more about the new Mrs. Frederic-in-training and whether Claudia will be up to the task. And does Myka really check to see if Pete has boogers often? That was hilarious!

Tune in to Warehouse 13, Mondays at 9/8c only on Syfy.

For more on the show, go to http://www.syfy.com/warehouse13/

Follow Warehouse 13 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/warehouse13

Follow these cast members on Twitter: Eddie McClintock https://twitter.com/EddieMcClintock, Allison Scagliotti https://twitter.com/allisonscag, and Saul Rubinek https://twitter.com/saulrubinek.

Like Warehouse 13 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/warehouse13

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Photos © 2012 Syfy, a Division of NBC Universal. All Rights Reserved.

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.