"Elements" is the fifth episode of Season One of SyFy's Warehouse 13, airing on the Syfy Channel on August 4, 2009.
Synopsis[]
The theft of a sculpture leads Myka and Pete to a sacred Indian cave holding an ancient secret of creation... and destruction.
Plot[]
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An Indian wearing a buckskin cloak places a stone, a coal, an arrow, and a bowl of water before him, and then performs a ritual endowing their abilities to a single man. The man’s cloak glows with a sort of energy.
In New York City, a hooded figure dons the buckskin cloak and then passes through a solid wall, entering an auction house vault and taking a single metal statue. At Leena's Bed and Breakfast, Artie shows Pete and Myka the sculpture, made by artist Walter Burleigh. Artie notes that the mysterious part is how the sculpture was stolen. Claudia and Joshua barge in, arguing about how Claudia is trying to get Joshua back out into the real world and find a job. Artie tells Claudia to write him the technical schematic on how she infiltrated the Warehouse computers, and repair the damage she did. Returning to the case, Artie explains that the theft was seemingly impossible and no one could have gotten into the sealed vault. Myka is skeptical but Artie notes he’s rarely wrong, and the last time was June 1987. Myka wants to hear more but Artie sends them to New York City to investigate the theft. Pete and Myka meet with Jackie, the head of security at the Carruthers Auction House. She admits she has no idea how the theft was committed. A private estate was selling the sculpture after two wealthy parties expressed an interest. Myka suggests that Pete check out the two parties while she investigates the vault.  The first party is Gilbert Radburn, a construction magnate. He claims he was with friends when the sculpture was stolen. As he goes to get the names, one of the workers watches Pete carefully, using a concealed parabolic mike. Myka calls Pete and asks him to come back to the vault: she’s smelled fudge. At the vault, Myka shows Pete a feather embedded partway into the wall. Myka pulls it out and Pete volunteers to test it. He’s able to hold the feather and the glow goes up to his elbow. He can extend his arm into the wall, but soon realizes that it won’t go any further. They figure that the feather is part of a larger artifact. They show the feather to Artie via Farnsworth and figure it fell off of a North American artifact. They figure Radburn is too rich but Artie isn’t so sure. He recognizes the name of the second buyer, Jeff Weaver. He is the only son of Alexander Weaver, a deceased extortionist and ravager of native cultures.  At the Warehouse, Leena is trying to work as Claudia repairs the damage she did hacking into the systems. Claudia is unimpressed with Leena’s aura-reading abilities. Leena wonders why she’s pushing Joshua and figures that Claudia is scared and pushing Joshua to do great things so her sacrifice of spending her life to save Joshua is justified. Claudia dismisses her analysis.  Pete and Myka go to Jeff Weaver’s penthouse and spot the sculpture. However, Weaver explains that it’s the Fire sculpture. The stolen sculpture is the Wind sculpture. Jeff claims he was at a charity function in New Orleans during the time of the theft. He explains that the four sculptures were Burleigh’s tribute to the Native American creation myth. When Pete describes an item that can walk through walls, Weaver takes an interest while Myka notes that New Orleans is close enough that Jeff could have gone there and back during the robbery. Jeff calls in his assistant Lacell, who Pete recognizes as the surveillance operative from the construction site. Jeff explains that Lacell is his inside man in Radburn’s operation. Jeff wants to provide his own protection for the sculpture and move it to a secure location, but the agents refuse to let it out of their site.  At the Warehouse, Leena is examining a chessboard that Artie has set up so he can play himself. He’s been pinned for three months. Leena points out that Claudia is sleeping in the office after working hard. She tells Artie that Claudia needs a home and wants Artie to pull strings to get her into a college and form a life for herself. Claudia comes out and wins the game for Artie's losing side he was trying to save. Lacell and Myka drive a van with the sculpture to the airport while Pete watches in back. They stop at a light and the thief leaps through the wall, knocking the radio out of Pete’s hand. The two struggle and the thief throws Pete out onto the street, hitting his head. When Myka and Lacell stop to help him, the thief drives away with the van. Pete wakes up at the hospital where Jeff has arranged a medical exam for him on short notice. Pete is able to describe the buckskin cloak and Myka passes it on to Artie. They wonder why the thief is stealing sculptures instead of Fort Knox. Pete notices Jeff outside and Myka explains that he owns the hospital and asked her out on a later dinner night. Pete tells her to take Jeff up on his offer and see if she can find anything out. At Leena's Bed and Breakfast, Claudia discovers that Joshua is packing to leave. Artie has set him up with a science research institute in Switzerland. He assures his sister that nothing will keep him from contacting her regularly and gives her a hug. At the Warehouse, Artie and Leena try to figure out the connection of the feather to the creation myths. Artie determines that it belonged to the Lenape, the tribe that sold Manhattan Island to the Dutch. The Lenape creation myth revolves around the spirits of four elements. Rock gave the world solidity, and Artie figures that the buckskin cloak can manipulate solidity. If someone can obtain the four artifacts, they’d have power over the world. Artie calls Pete to give him their new information and tells him to search Jeff's apartment. Jeff takes Myka to a candlelight dinner at the hospital cafeteria at 3 a.m. She asks Jeff what he does and he explains that he invests his family money and uses it to do good things to make up for his father Alexander’s evil deeds. As Pete searches Jeff’s apartment, Artie contacts him to inform him that Alexander Weaver wanted the sculpture and was in business with Radburn years ago. However, Artie still doesn’t know what the sculptures do. Pete finds a secret vault filled with Burleigh’s Indian artwork. Myka finally tells Jeff that she’s trying to find the cloak, and wonders why he wants the sculptures. He claims to be a collector and doesn’t tell her what happens when the sculptures are brought together. Pete calls her and informs her that Jeff has a collection of Burleigh’s art. Myka pulls her gun and takes Jeff back to his apartment. Pete goes through Jeff’s collection and learns that the sculptures are the keys to a secret underground cave that holds sacrifices to the four elemental spirits. Radburn’s security team captures Lacell and brings him to Radburn. Radburn knows that Lacell works for Jeff and discovers he is wearing a metal wristband. He knows that Lacell is Burleigh’s nephew and the wristband shows the order the sculptures need to be arranged in. Radburn dons the buckskin cloak and examines the wristband, finding a secondary inscription about the truth being in the dawn. He shoves Lacell halfway into a wall and demands answers, but when he realizes the spy doesn’t know anything, he leaves him permanently embedded in the woodwork. Pete has found the same inscription in Burleigh's files. Jeff and Myka arrive and Jeff explains that Radburn got to the cloak before he could. He explains that Lacell is a Lanape tribesman and hasn't checked back in. The three of them go over the notes along with Artie via the Farnsworth. As the sun rises, Radburn examines the four statues and tries to figure out their secret. As the morning sun shines in, they give a shadow on the wall. Radburn puts them together in sequence and realizes together, they make a map, and with the sunlight shining through them, they indicate a specific location in New York. The team tries to figure out the cave’s location and Artie is pouring over maps at the Warehouse. Claudia tells him that she’s going to Las Vegas. Artie doesn’t react, and Claudia realizes that magnetic ley lines are the key. Artie figures out the only location that is still undisturbed by digging. He passes the coordinates on to Pete, Myka, and Jeff and tries to thank Claudia, who has already left. Jeff realizes that Radburn has been starting construction sites everywhere that Burleigh focused on, and has been using the projects as cover to find the cave. Radburn meets with his foreman and orders him to dig to within a few feet of the cave without disturbing the contents. Radburn then dons the buckskin cloak and phases through the rock wall into the cave, scaring his construction worker. Inside the cave he finds the four sacrifices to the elemental spirits. He drinks from the water of eternal life, and then wields an arrow that gives him control over the wind and the rain.   Jeff, Myka, and Pete arrive and head down to the cave as Radburn smashes open a hole. As they enter, Radburn takes the stone that gives him the strength of a hundred men. Jeff arrives and tries to warn him but Radburn smashes the agents back with strong winds and slams Jeff away. He then takes the fourth element to complete his transformation. As Radburn begins to wield the fire, Pete grabs the arrow and stabs him in the chest. The fire runs out of control, sending a huge blast column of flames up into the sky. Later, Claudia returns to the Warehouse and tells Artie that she already made enough money at Las Vegas to tide her over. She admits she’d be bored at college and she needs a challenge. Artie agrees with her that the Warehouse has challenges, and wonders if she’s up for it. Claudia moves to the chessboard and starts a new game, biding Artie to make a move.[1] |
Credits[]
Main Cast[]
- Eddie McClintock as Pete Lattimer
- Joanne Kelly as Myka Bering
- Saul Rubinek as Artie Nielsen
- Genelle Williams as Leena
- Simon Reynolds as Daniel Dickinson (credit only)
Guest Starring[]
- Allison Scagliotti as Claudia Donovan
- James Naughton as Gilbert Radburn
- Joe Flanigan as Jeff Weaver
Cast[]
- Tyler Hynes as Joshua Donovan
- Catherine Burdon as Jackie
- Caleb Verzyden as Lacell
- Billy Parrott as Watkins
- Gregory 'Dominic' Odjig as Hooded Figure
Trivia[]
- The end credits lists Wheeler as Joshua's last name instead of Donovan.
- Artie began a chess game against himself three months prior to this episode. Black backed White into a corner, and Artie had been waiting for a breakthrough moment that would be able to save White.
Quotable Quotes[]
| “ | After Claudia makes a move on his chessboard that he has been playing himself but has been unable to save White for about a month but she makes check. Artie: I'll be damned... |
” |
| “ | Myka: You know I'd really rather go back to your place... Myka flashes her gun. |
” |
Featured Artifacts[]
- Lenape Cave Artifacts: A group of four ancient objects capable of granting powers from the four elements, and combined usage grants the wielder power over the forces of nature. The four objects include; the Water of Eternal Life, capable of granting immortality, the Arrow of Nature, granting power over the weather and the element of wind, the Sacred Stone which grants the strength of a hundred men and power over the element of earth, and the Sacred Coal which grants power over fire. Misuse causes the person to be destroyed. These are the main artifacts of the episode.
- Lenape Tribe's Cloak: Grants intangibility when the hood is pulled up.
References[]
| #01 "Pilot" | #07 "Implosion" |
| #02 "Resonance" | #08 "Duped" |
| #03 "Magnetism" | #09 "Regrets" |
| #04 "Claudia" | #10 "Breakdown" |
| #05 "Elements" | #11 "Nevermore" |
| #06 "Burnout" | #12 "MacPherson" |