Published on June 5, 2013
And here we are at Warehouse 13 episode 4.15: Instinct - an episode whose meaning and place within the Bering and Wells universe shall be debated for some time to come. This is a doozy, so let's bite the bullet and jump into it.
A little background first seems in order. The last time we saw Bering and Wells together was in episode 4.01: A New Hope, where the episode ended with Artie recommending H.G. be granted her freedom after her heroic acts during 3.11: Emily Lake and 3.12: Stand. Since that time, H.G. was M.I.A. to some degree. No explanation was given in 4.02 of what the Regents' final verdict regarding H.G. was and she was just suddenly gone. We find out later (4.07) that Artie called H.G. at the end of 4.03: Personal Effects, requesting that she research and find Francesco Borgia's dagger for him. Interestingly, when he called, she seemed to jump at the chance to assist him. H.G. was told specifically not to mention his request to anyone, including Myka. In the next episode, 4.04: There's Always a Downside, Myka mentions in a pained voice that H.G. is "God knows where," and she clearly was hurt and also worried about H.G.'s whereabouts and status.
A little background first seems in order. The last time we saw Bering and Wells together was in episode 4.01: A New Hope, where the episode ended with Artie recommending H.G. be granted her freedom after her heroic acts during 3.11: Emily Lake and 3.12: Stand. Since that time, H.G. was M.I.A. to some degree. No explanation was given in 4.02 of what the Regents' final verdict regarding H.G. was and she was just suddenly gone. We find out later (4.07) that Artie called H.G. at the end of 4.03: Personal Effects, requesting that she research and find Francesco Borgia's dagger for him. Interestingly, when he called, she seemed to jump at the chance to assist him. H.G. was told specifically not to mention his request to anyone, including Myka. In the next episode, 4.04: There's Always a Downside, Myka mentions in a pained voice that H.G. is "God knows where," and she clearly was hurt and also worried about H.G.'s whereabouts and status.
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In episodes 4.07: Endless Wonder and 4.08: Second Chance, H.G. appeared, briefly, and for the first time on the show, her appearance did not coincide with any interaction or awareness on Myka's behalf of her presence. H.G. came; interacted with Artie, Leena, and Mrs. Frederic; and eventually was given orders by Mrs. Frederic to disappear with Magellan's astrolabe so as to keep it from Artie, whose mind at that point was quickly deteriorating.
Again, it should be noted that she seemed perfectly content assisting in the matter at hand, and when Mrs. Frederic told her to hide away with the astrolabe and to speak to no one from the Warehouse, H.G. explicitly stated, "I'd rather stay here and help you with the Brotherhood." Instead, she was sent off in furtherance of the Warehouse mission, and she did so with looks of sadness and disappointment. In the very next episode, 4.09, Leena is murdered by Evil Artie. In episode 4.10: We All Fall Down, directly following Leena's death, Evil Artie is eradicated, and the need to protect the astrolabe no longer exists. In 4.11, the Warehouse team |
From 4.08: Second Chance
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saves the world from the sweating sickness pandemic that threatened the entire world. H.G. no longer had a reason to not be in contact with the Warehouse team as of 4.10. Since that time, not a peep from H.G. has been made until 4.15: Instinct.
So, coming in to 4.15: Instinct, is it odd that H.G. did not contact the Warehouse/Myka regarding Leena's passing? Yes. Is it odd that H.G. did not contact the Warehouse/Myka in general after the no-communication ban was lifted? Absolutely. She is the one
So, coming in to 4.15: Instinct, is it odd that H.G. did not contact the Warehouse/Myka regarding Leena's passing? Yes. Is it odd that H.G. did not contact the Warehouse/Myka in general after the no-communication ban was lifted? Absolutely. She is the one
Buckle your seatbelts; it's gonna be a bumpy ride
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who has said the Warehouse was her only tether in the new world, and considering she had come to care a great deal about all of the Warehouse team (e.g., her appearances in 4.07 and 4.08 were specifically made over her concern for Artie's well-being), her behavior or lack thereof is even more curious. Questions abound, and now, it's time for some answers. Maybe.
4.15: Instinct opens in Boone, Wisconsin, where a frantic man runs into the local police department seeking to confess to a crime for which he had already been released from custody. The man is arrested and when his defense attorney appears, questioning the legitimacy of the police department's claim that her client voluntarily confessed to a crime that lacked sufficient evidence to convict, who should enter the scene, but H.G. Wells. Looking as confident, and also as stunningly hot, as ever, H.G. introduces |
herself as Emily Lake, the name of the woman who inhabited her body while her consciousness was separated due to the Janus
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coin. Interesting choice. We'll get into that later. While examining the newly confessed criminal, H.G. notices a "curiosity," and soon enough, the opening credits roll, as we've got artifact-y behavior.
Back at Leena's Leena-less B&B, the team is enjoying their breakfast, with Myka doing her best as a single mother of three. Artie calls in, directing the whole team, plus the new team member, Abigail, to come over to the Warehouse. Right after his Farnsworth call, Myka gets a call on her own cell phone and she stands up from the table to answer it. Unfamiliar with the number, she casually answers the phone, "Hello" and after a few moments, her eyes widen, and we hear her ask in shock, "Helena?" Oh my goodness. Death one of the many mini-deaths to occur during this episode. Myka's kids immediately give the "oh shit, it's the woman who makes Mom cry" look, not even pretending to act like they don't know what a big deal that call is. Myka, not playing it cool at all, just stares at them looking scared, trying to figure out what to say in a moment that she has been waiting for, for a very long time. So, H.G. has Myka's cell phone number? And this has not been utilized before during H.G.'s unexplained absence? Bad form, H.G., bad form. Nothing like an unexpected call from the love of your life during breakfast. It's great for digestion. |
Not ready for that jelly
It's that lady who Mom had sleepovers with!
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Pete and Myka immediately shoot over to Boone, Wisconsin, the new hometown of Emily Lake. I presume Myka drove about 90 miles per hour the whole way there, skipping stop signs and traffic lights, while scaring the living hell out of passenger Pete. H.G., in a lab coat (oh so sexy), is at the local law enforcement office, where she works as a forensic scientist. In the laboratory, H.G. bizarrely chats about her new job to Pete and Myka as if they are old high school chums meeting up for coffee. She attempts to forget that they are former Warehouse agents who have been through hell and back with her, and haven't seen her for a long time - not since Leena died, not since H.G. was forced to hide by herself with an artifact, and not since the last life-and-death situation they were involved in, where she sacrificed her life for them. Apparently, no big deal. How's the weather?
Girl, you playing right?
'Fraid not
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Your breasts still look amazing
This is bullshit
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Oh God, she's not playing
Emily Lake 2.0 - even weirder
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Myka's having none of it: "I understand how you're doing this. What I don't get is why?" H.G. responds with an expectant smile and looks as if she's about to reply, when Myka continues: "What happened? We haven't heard from you in months." Myka's trying not to sound accusatory, but she's also not going to hide her confusion at H.G.'s behavior or her demand for answers. Pete meanwhile is looking for the nearest exit to this awkward lesbian conversation.
H.G.: "I was under strict orders not to contact anyone while I had the astrolabe. After returning it to the Brotherhood, I wanted a new life - one far away from the world of artifacts." As she says this about the Warehouse, she waves a dismissive hand, and Pete immediately looks at Myka, knowing H.G.'s response was not going to go over well with her and also that it was going to be hurtful to her, which it was. She basically just said that she did not contact the Warehouse or Myka because she wanted a new life without them. H.G., uncomfortable with having to explain herself, tries to move past the conversation, abruptly saying, "Now, may I fill you in on the case at hand?" She says this with an uneasy smile, and looks to Myka as if what she just said to her was perfectly benign.
Myka, stunned, reacts in an amazingly angry girlfriend way, tersely choking out, "Of course." H.G., you're officially on notice that Myka's pissed and that you should not go on. Danger, danger, danger! It's the equivalent of asking your girlfriend if she is okay, when you know she's not, and she answers, "I'm fine." That means you are inches from death and best crawl your way out of the hole you have dug.
H.G.: "I was under strict orders not to contact anyone while I had the astrolabe. After returning it to the Brotherhood, I wanted a new life - one far away from the world of artifacts." As she says this about the Warehouse, she waves a dismissive hand, and Pete immediately looks at Myka, knowing H.G.'s response was not going to go over well with her and also that it was going to be hurtful to her, which it was. She basically just said that she did not contact the Warehouse or Myka because she wanted a new life without them. H.G., uncomfortable with having to explain herself, tries to move past the conversation, abruptly saying, "Now, may I fill you in on the case at hand?" She says this with an uneasy smile, and looks to Myka as if what she just said to her was perfectly benign.
Myka, stunned, reacts in an amazingly angry girlfriend way, tersely choking out, "Of course." H.G., you're officially on notice that Myka's pissed and that you should not go on. Danger, danger, danger! It's the equivalent of asking your girlfriend if she is okay, when you know she's not, and she answers, "I'm fine." That means you are inches from death and best crawl your way out of the hole you have dug.
H.G. instead chooses to grab a bigger shovel and dig deeper. She goes on about the facts of the case, which Myka does not give one cup of care for. Myka just stares at H.G. intensely during her briefing, not paying attention at all to what she is saying, but trying to figure out what the hell is going on and why H.G. is acting this way. H.G. pretends as if it's business as usual, when she knows it's not. Clearly, Myka was expecting a very, very different reception and she has a gut feeling that something is amiss.
But wait, there's more...
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Stop the ride. I want to get off
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