Warehouse 13: Okay Show, Crummy Badlands
I’m a decidedly out-of-the-closet sci-fi nerd. I even made sure I married a fellow sci-fi addict, just so I wouldn’t have to feel shame for occasionally completing the dialogue while watching reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation. (All right, fine – even my wife thinks that’s a little strange.)
So when the SciFi channel rebranded themselves as SyFy this month, I joined my legions of fellow nerds in lambasting the switch. The network largely ignored the complaints and went ahead with the rebrand anyway, with president Dave Howe assuring fans that new, stunning shows like Warehouse 13 would win over the naysayers.
At this point, it’s hard to say if that strategy is going to work. Reviews for Warehouse 13 so far have been largely mixed, with many people saying they like the concept (c’mon, what’s not to like about the idea of a secret government warehouse storing away mysterious historical objects?), but they’re not sold on the execution. I missed the premiere on Tuesday, but I watched the two-hour pilot on Hulu on Wednesday afternoon. After taking a gander myself, I tend to agree. It’s okay, but the next Battlestar Galactica it isn’t.
The odd-couple formula of pairing Secret Service agents Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) is tired and predictable. Fortunately, McClintock creates a pretty immediately likeable character. Kelly’s party-pooper, stick-in-the-mud character, on the other hand, isn’t quite so endearing. But they’re both upstaged by warehouse curator Artie (Saul Rubinek, who, in a testament to my nerdiness, I immediately recognized as having played Kivas Fajo in a single episode of Star Trek: TNG in 1990). I’m sure that if the show becomes successful, Rubinek will be a big contributing factor.
So from the perspective ye olde average viewer, Warehouse 13 is a bit of a wash. For South Dakota residents and visitors, however, the show’s got another let-down up its sleeve: its crummy portrayal of South Dakota’s Badlands, where the titular warehouse is supposed to be located. All the filming takes place in and around Toronto, which isn’t surprising – filming in Canada is fairly commonplace these days, and the scope (read: budget) of the show almost certainly doesn’t justify filming on location here in the Black Hills area. (You know, even though we’d love to have them…)
That said… couldn’t they have tried even a little harder? The closest they come to any actual Badlands scenery in the pilot episode is a broad, sweeping landscape shot of Pete driving his SUV down a hill to the warehouse entrance. Some realistic-looking Badlands footage has been electronically inserted into the background (see above), which makes for a pretty convincing shot. But that’s where the realism ends. Scenes at the warehouse entrance thereafter seem to have been filmed at the bottom of a pebble-strewn rock quarry, which doesn’t really resemble the sandy buttes of the Badlands. When Pete and Myka drive a few miles away to a B&B in an unnamed town, we see lush, green forests as a backdrop – a far cry from the wind-swept and largely tree-free plains of southern South Dakota. And what’s that town doing there, anyway? It’s supposed to be unnamed and unincorporated – but from the few seconds we see of it, it looks even larger than Wall, the most populated town in the area.
Picky? No doubt. And in the scheme of things, it doesn’t detract significantly from the show. But for us Black Hills travelphiles, it’s just one more thing about Warehouse 13 that annoys.
Hey, at least they get their hands on a genuine-looking South Dakota license plate!
I caught about 20 minutes of one episode. I thought it was an “X Files” remake with different actors.
The oddity was the warehouse itself, with this fellow taking a zip-line tour across this massive indoor expanse — because he remembered a painting stashed in the corner. They don’t have a computer inventory? And that video cell phone with the big round picture looked like something out of a 1950s movie.
I admit I missed the first part, so it might make more sense when I get to see it all.
Having said all that, I should add that I really enjoyed watching. Seemed like an intriguing plot, and it kept me watching.
Fair enough. When filming in Canada (Toronto and environs) we had a tough time finding anything even remotely resembling the Badlands. I, too, am a huge fan of Badlands topography and we did our best with time and cash to simulate the stark beauty. Alas, you called the rock quarry correctly. And the small town near the bed and breakfast is just that… a small town outside of Toronto.
Best,
David Simkins, exec. producer, Warehouse 13
David – First off, thanks for responding. I’ve heard a lot of interviews with folks in the entertainment industry who’ve sworn off reading blogs and message boards, largely because it can get overwhelming. I think that’s particularly true of the sci-fi genre, where – let’s face it – we fanboys and critics can get a little intense.
There’s definitely no place in the world quite like the Badlands – they’re an awfully distinctive landscape – but I appreciate the efforts you made with the resources you had available. Have you been out here before? Naturally, as a Black Hills & Badlands zealot, I hope you get the chance to plug some more Badlands scenery into future episodes. No, I wasn’t impressed with the rock quarry, but the CGI looked really good. Kudos to your graphic people.
Once again, we love the Warehouse 13 concept and wish you guys all the best. Especially if that means you get enough pull to ask for an on-location filming budget… or to convince someone that the ‘SyFy’ rebranding was a really crummy idea.
(Geeze, I don’t think I’ve harped on a branding change so much in my life…)
Saw the pilot, thought it was pretty good. Hopefully if it goes well they can come here and shoot the real Badlands somtime.
This is seriously one of the best looking blogs that I have seen. The information on Blackhills is good too.