On last night's Warehouse 13, Pete and Myka switched bodies while Claudia and Artie derailed the efforts of a Robin Hood-like insurance wangler -- two threads that, though sneakily juxtaposed, had absolutely nothing to do with each other. And! On the heels of the Warehouse 13/Eureka crossover -- just when you thought SyFy had exhausted all its options for interprogram promotions -- WWE's Cody Rhodes guest starred. Truly, it was an odd night. And not just for the gender-flipped Pete and Myka. Read on for the artifact roundup for Merge with Caution!
Artifact: Robert Louis Stevenson's griffin statue
Specifications: This statue is harmless when disassembled into its component lion and eagle parts. But in griffin form it induces body-switching, which will never ever cease to be funny. This is the situation Pete and Myka find themselves in on the eve of Myka's high school reunion, prompting an evening of Pete speaking with Myka's measured, slight whininess, and Myka running around saying "dude" a lot and behaving like a man-child. Perhaps the best exchange came when Myka, in Pete's body, reminded Pete to sit down when he went to the bathroom. Oh, the logistics of body switching. They are hardly explored enough.
Covetability: Very low. Though the jewel thieves early in the episode make good use of the griffin, they end up exploding in a bathtub. Pete and Myka avoided that end with the help of Leena, who seems to get less and less screen time every week. Artie and Claudia undoubtedly would have helped out, but they were off dealing with...
Artifact: Mata Hari's stockings of seduction
Specifications: Wear these stockings and with only a touch of the leg, you can, say, talk an insurance company executive into giving away millions of dollars to fund organ transplants. Unfortunately, the thrall doesn't wear off until the stockings are destroyed, which means Artie spent the episode in competition with a bunch of insurance executives for the affection of a female Robin Hood, and Claudia spent the episode trying to free Artie from the thrall. The best thing to come from this was probably Claudia's various portmanteaus for her and Artie's crime-fighting team. I prefer Clartie.
Covetability: Low. Those manipulated get way territorial. Plus, like all stockings, they are very prone to runs.
I really liked both of these plots, but they were so dissimilar that they way they threaded together in the last 10 minutes or so really felt off. Then again, perhaps in an episode called Merge with Caution, the juxtaposition was supposed to feel strained. Or maybe I'm just giving this show too much credit. Thoughts?!