Time Is of the Essence. Retrospective: Warehouse 13 – “All the Time in the World”

Season 4.5, Episode 19

Air date: Monday, July 1, 2013 10/9c on Syfy

Rating ★★★★★

“It’s nice to know that even grumpy jaded Arthur Nielsen can still be surprised by endless wonder.” – Mrs. Frederic

The wondrous artifacts of Warehouse 13 are about to be used for sinister purposes. With Paracelsus (guest star Anthony Head) and Nick (guest star Josh Blaylock) gone—leaving poor Claudia (Allison Scagliotti) bronzed and rapidly disintegrating—Pete (Eddie McClintock), Myka (Joanne Kelly) and Charlotte Dupres (Polly Walker) go in search of Prof. Sutton/Saint Germain (James Marsters) to help them find Paracelsus. Meanwhile, Artie (Saul Rubinek) and Jinks (Aaron Ashmore) remain at the warehouse looking for ways to slow down Claudia’s deterioration.

Nick gives his Uncle Paracelsus an advance version of Cliffs Notes using a device to transfer his 500 years of memories

Nick gives his Uncle Paracelsus an advance version of Cliff Notes using a device to transfer his 500 years of memories

“All the Time in the World” gives us a glimpse into what it means to be immortal. With the aid of flashbacks, we see the heartbreak Charlotte speaks of regarding her young son Nick being frozen at 15 and never able to have a family of his own. Though heartbreaking, there is an amazing upside to Nick’s immortality. After living for nearly 500 years, he is able to give his Uncle Paracelsus a kind of ‘mind download’ of all the things he’s seen over the centuries. He uses a special artifact device to give his uncle a quick history lesson in less than a minute. Talk about Cliff Notes! Where was this device when I needed it for Algebra? I could never remember those damn equations. I digress.

Pete, Charlotte, and Myka clean up nice…dressed to the hilt, they attend Sutton’s engagement party in Luxembourg

As Pete, Myka, and Charlotte look for Sutton in Luxembourg, we discover how he and his brother Paracelsus became estranged. The dynamic of adding a villain of sorts in the form of a powerful alchemist who also had ties to Warehouse 9 is very interesting. It proves to be quite an adventure for Pete and Myka as they are also in search of the bronzing “stele” Paracelsus took for leverage. He knows they need the “stele” to un-bronze Claudia but he wants something Sutton has in return. Head’s performance as the menacing and diabolical Paracelsus is brilliant. He seems benign at first glance but what flows through his mind, the imagination he wields for creating elixirs and such, is quite terrifying, especially for a man from the 16^th century.

Anthony Head as the brilliant and diabolical Paracelsus

Paracelesus’ ties to the former Warehouse 9 impacts Warehouse 13 in a most unusual way. It’s quite fascinating to see how both Mrs. Frederic (CCH Pounder) and Claudia become affected by Paracelsus’ presence. Mrs. Frederic senses something off about things but can’t quite pinpoint the source. Her usual way of appearing and disappearing is replaced with her simply walking away, which is very peculiar. She also shows Artie something he hasn’t seen in the warehouse before—a storage closet; though, it isn’t an ordinary closet. But when Artie discusses Mrs. Frederic’s forgetfulness with Regent Kosan (Faran Tahir), he gets to see something else extraordinary about the Warehouse. I really love the intricacies about the warehouse shown in “All the Time in the World.” To house the world’s most bizarre, dangerous, and wondrous artifacts, the warehouse itself must be just as unique and marvelous.

Mrs. {Irene} Frederic. Nah, We’ll just go with Mrs. Frederic.

Did anyone else catch it? Abigail (Kelly Hu), whose real purpose at the warehouse is revealed, calls Mrs. Frederic by her first name. Maybe I missed it all these years or perhaps forgot it, but I wouldn’t expect such a simple name like “Irene” to go with the enigmatic Mrs. Frederic. And while I appreciate Regent Kosan sharing Abigail’s true purpose, I think the information she provides as Keeper of the Warehouse is something we already ascertained from the flashbacks. Paracelsus was Warehouse 9’s caretaker as Mrs. Frederic is Warehouse 13’s current caretaker, and Claudia the future caretaker. But with Paracelsus growing more powerful and causing a disruption in the balance, Mrs. Frederic is growing weaker. If Paracelsus overpowers her, she may perish. The finale is next week and I am dying to find out what happens.

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Tune in to Warehouse 13 season four finale, Monday July 8 at 10/9c only on Syfy.

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

Follow on Twitter: @Warehouse13.

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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.