Warehouse 13 “MacPherson” #112 (Season 1, Episode 12)

Original airdate: September 22, 2009

Summary:

This finale ep concludes the show’s first season with a bang!

The episode begins with a flashback explaining how James MacPherson started down the wrong path- his wife is trapped in a burning building and he uses an artifact (Tesla-ed Artie to get it) to save her, killing 5 firefighters in the process.

MacPherson is selling artifacts to unsavory types (terrorists and such), including the phoenix medallion artifact that he used to save his wife.  But how does he have it if the artifact is in the Warehouse?  Is there a traitor in their midst?

Pete keeps getting these bad gut feelings about Artie.  Will MacPherson get his revenge on Artie after all?

Points to Know:

• MacPhereson used the phoenix medallion artifact that allows the user to walk through fire, even though to use it takes life from others nearby.  MacPherson was sentenced to 5 consecutive life sentences, but there was an unexplained explosion at the jail and he escaped.
• Artie and MacPherson loved the same woman, but that wasn’t enough for Artie to use an artifact that would take the lives of others to save her.
• MacPherson cannot enter the Warehouse because as part of his banishment, something was injected into his blood that reacts violently with a mineral in the Warehouse’s construction- painite.  He will die if he enters the Warehouse.
• MacPherson gives an artifact as a teaser to some of his potential clients- a glass goblet of Severan that when rubbed along the rim, emits a deafening sound.
• Artie, Pete, and Myka go visit MacPherson’s wife, Carol, and find out that he has been to see her.  She has in her possession a card with his initials and an Egyptian symbol of a Was Septor that represents power and control over the forces of chaos.  This symbol matches the pendant MacPherson had recently given her.
• In investigating a warehouse where one of MacPherson’s meets with potential clients happened, Artie, Pete, and Myka discover a wooden box with the same Egyptian symbol.  This box can be opened with the pendant and reveals a set of replica Timothy Leary reading glasses that let you see things not normally seen by the naked eye.  MacPherson uses them to communicate location, date and time of auction, and as auction item catalog.
• Mrs. Fredric is indeed troubled by the confirmation of missing artifacts from the Warehouse.  How is MacPherson getting these items out of the Warehouse?  The panel beside the item logged Claudia as the person with last access to those artifacts.  Leena tells Mrs. Fredric that she has been getting an out-of-tune vibe from Claudia ever since she arrived.  Could Claudia be the traitor?
• Claudia is disturbed when she realizes that she had known MacPherson as Joshua’s physics teacher and the man that gave Joshua the artifact that trapped him between dimensions.  In fact, MacPherson was the one how helped her hack into the Warehouse to kidnap Artie.  She is even more freaked out when she finds out that she was the one to supposedly stole the missing artifacts.
• When Artie, Pete, and Myka get to the auction, they see a doppelganger-Artie leading it.  MacPherson is trying to once again discredit Artie and set him up to take the blame.
• MacPherson captures Artie at the auction and delivers a Bond line of “No, I expect you to die!”.  MacPherson temps Pete with the question of “What if these artifacts belong out there in the world?”  Pete does some quick thinking with remnants of the goblet artifact and they capture MacPherson.
• MacPherson is brought back to the Warehouse to be put into the Bronze sector, a place where they preserve bad people to ensure that they are removed all together from society.
• Leena uses an artifact (Harriet Tubman’s thimble) to disguise herself as Claudia and releases MacPherson. He triggers the self-destruct sequence to the bridge from the Warehouse to the outside world and the explosion takes out Artie.  Pete and Myka are trapped in the Warehouse.
• Pete keeps getting these gut feelings about Artie- that something bad is going to happen to him.  Artie kept pushing them aside, but it seems like you can’t change fate.

Commentary:

• See? What did I say about the Egyptian symbol on the Regents? Seeing MacPherson use yet another Egyptian symbol points to the fact that MacPherson sees himself as on opposing footing against the Regents.  My previous question of “Who is MacPherson working for?” was an incorrect assessment from the looks of this ep.  MacPherson is the head of this movement and he’s a formidable enemy indeed!
• At one point, Artie says “Children, I’m working with children!” about Pete and Myka.  Never have more accurate words been scripted.  Pete and Myka act like children on this show.  How could you take them seriously as the show’s leads?  This entire season has been one big bicker fest between the two of them.
• Artie is dead? How can he be gone?  Please let Mrs. Fredric have saved him somehow!  We don’t see if she gets back to the Warehouse in time.
• I’m really impressed by this season finale.  They sure packed a lot of action and unexpected plot twists in this ep.  I totally did not see that Leena was the traitor.  MacPherson did what he set out to do- break up the Warehouse 13 team and he did it with gusto.  Bravo, writers!  Now, about Pete and Myka… you see, you left them alive… while you cast doubt or death on all the characters that I like!

Watch full eps on Syfy’s Rewind. http://www.syfy.com/rewind/

Be sure to check out the “Enhanced” versions of the eps as they are the commentary track for the ep!  Check your local listings for re-airings of the show.