- Mrs. Frederics explains the reason for MacPherson's break with the Warehouse program. Despite some extreme precautions he managed to get his hands on some artifacts that he plans to auction. But to Artie and the team it all sounds like a smoke screen for a more nefarious plan.—David Foss
- "Warehouse 13" - "MacPherson" - September 22, 2009
We open on a raging house fire being battled by firefighters and are told by an onscreen title that this was 15 Years Ago. Artie and MacPherson are arguing about going back and saving a woman, Carol Augustine who we met a few episodes back. MacPherson is saying he's going back to get her. Artie argues if he does this other people will die. MacPherson says loves her and he knows Artie does too. Artie says he does and that's why he should know this is so agonizing for him. MacPherson says he's sick of being a Warehouse agent, of boxing up things on the orders of bureaucrats when some of them should be out in the world. Artie says MacPherson can't play God. MacPherson says Artie can't either. He zaps him with a Tesla and goes in to the house, seemingly impervious to the flames and brings the woman out.
Back at Leena's B&B in the present we realize that Mrs. Frederick is telling this story to Pete, Myka, and Leena. She says five fireman died that day and that Carol lives in D.C. now. MacPherson was given five life sentences and banished from the Warehouse. After two year in confinement there was an unexplained explosion at the prison and many people died. They were told that MacPherson was one, this was not true. They've had Carol under surveillance since he resurfaced. Leena says she's been monitoring this and that MacPherson hasn't made contact. They realize MacPherson isn't afraid to kill anyone. Mrs. F tells them to remember this.
Back at the Warehouse Artie and Claudia are doing a search to find MacPherson. Claudia gets a hit on Edgar Allen Poe's pen and notebook, for sale in an auction. They wonder why he would be selling artifacts. Artie clicks on the link before Claudia can stop him and unleashes a virus that shuts down the W13 computers. Oops. Claudia assures him she can fix it.
We flash over to Washington,D.C. There, in a factory, MacPherson is showing off several toys to prospective evil rich guy buyers. One item is a glass that, when the rim is touched, sets off a deafening noise that incapacitates people. Another is a phoenix talisman that makes the person holding it impervious to flames. (That's how he saved Carol). MacPherson demonstrates this by giving it to his bodyguard and tossing him in the furnace. He comes out unscathed but the bodyguards fo the evil rich guys die on the spot. Balance, says MacPherson. A life saved, lives taken. Those who touch the Phoenix will be spared. He tells them to imagine this in the hands of one of their patriots, combining the commitment of a suicide bomber with the power to keep them from dying.
Artie is explaining the computer problems to Myka, Pete, and Mrs. Frederick. Again Claudia is explaining she can fix it. Myka and Pete interrogate him about MacPherson, since he knows him better than anyone. They ask after Carol and Artie blows up at Mrs. F. for telling them. Mrs. F puts him in his place and tells him that Pete and Myka need to everything if they're too survive another encounter with him. Artie apologizes. Mrs. F says they need to go talk to Carol and she'll stay with Claudia.
They go to Carol who claims she hasn't seen MacPherson. But with little details from the house- two umbrellas, new flowers, gifts- they get her to 'fess up that she's seen him a few times recently. They discover a card with his initials, an address, and an ancient Egyptian symbol that represents power, and control over forces of chaos. She has a necklace with the same symbol, a gift from MacPherson. Artie asks for it. Carol haughtily hands it over while Pete gets a bad vibe about Artie.
Claudia gets the Warehouse back on line and sees a picture of MacPherson. She realizes she knows him. He was her brother's physics professor. He got in touch with her several months back and gave her advice on how to bust into W13's computer system.
Pete, Myka, and Artie head over to the address on the card and run into one of the evil rich guys. He busts out the goblet of evil sound and incapacitates them, but not before Pete knocks it out of his hand and shatters it. The dude runs off. They're all temporarily deafened until Artie pulls out a tuning fork, whacks it and gets their hearing back. Apparently the goblet was used to control unruly crowds in Roman times. Artie thinks the original one is in the warehouse and there was another. He has them put the pieces of the broken glass in their pockets. Myka finds a box with the same Egyptian symbol. Artie realizes the necklace fits into a side slot of the box like a key. Inside the box is a pair of glasses that when worn allows the wearer to see an image of the Phoenix. In the corner of the image is a starting bid: $20 million. It's like a catalog. Artie protests that the Phoenix is in the warehouse. Myka says he can't be doing this for the money and it's too easy, that MacPherson wants them to find these things. Artie says it's making him nervous since he knows MacPherson would know he knows that it's some kind fo trap. The box has the date, time, and address of the auction if viewed wearing the glasses. It's today.
Back at W13 Leena fills in Mrs. F about Claudia's revelation. They think MacPherson has somehow been controlling her. Leena says she's seen evil hovering around her aura, or whatever, from the beginning. Mrs. F. is troubled. Artie calls in on the Philo and fills her in. Mrs. F. runs to check up on the artifacts MacPherson has. She checks the storage places for the Phoenix and the goblet and there's a cheeky note and IOU in one and a sippy cup where the goblet should be. Leena is shocked. Mrs. F remembers that the new video displays. Leena checks and the last person to access them was Claudia.
Mrs. F calls Artie and tells them the stuff is gone. Artie says she seems shaken. Myka and Pete worry. The three of them are now at the auction address and see nothing. A little boy rides by on a bike. Artie pulls out the funky glasses again- crafted by Timothy Leary. When Myka wears them she sees something in the ground. She fits the odd box from earlier into a space she sees in the ground and it turns into a hatch into the ground. They descend and discover an underground warehouse with boxes in it. Pete gets a bad vibe again. Artie overhears it and tells them not to worry. He says they should split up in case of an ambush.
He goes one way and those two go another. They come upon a scene of the greedy rich dudes and then suddenly Artie, or what appear to be Artie, shows up peddling the Phoenix. Pete and Myka freak, until the real Artie shows up and explains it's a trick. Whoever wears Harriet Tubman's thimble- which developed properties that allowed the wearer to look like someone else, handy for the Underground Railroad. Artie points out that there are video screens around the room. MacPherson is taping what looks like Artie selling the Phoenix so the government will punish him for treason.
Back at W13, Mrs. F and Leena confront Claudia with the video of her accessing artifacts. She protests she never would have done this, she loves the Warehouse like home and Artie too. They explain that MacPherson must've put the whammy on her with one of his stolen artifacts. Claudia freaks and tells them to interrogate her or have Leena read her. Leena says she has and something's wrong. Claudia stalks off mumbling that she's the Manchuran Candidate. Mrs. F says to let her go. Leena says she's never see her that upset. Mrs. F says that's MacPherson's genius, getting inside people's heads.
Back at the auction, the trio splits up again and as they creep around MacPherson grabs real Artie from behind and asks if he remember "these," a cylindrcial sphere. Fake Artie is explaining another artifact to the rich guys when the fire alarm goes off. Myka and Pete confront Fake Artie. MacPherson shows up. Pete takes off the thimble and it's MacPherson's bodyguard, who they've cuffed. Myka ponts her gun at MacPherson and says he's under arrest. He says it won't be that simple. He pulls Artie out on a leash sporting that silver cylinder in his mouth. It's essentially a little nuclear bomb. He tells Myka and Pete to put their guns down and they do. They can't believe MacPherson thinks they'll let him walk. He says instead he hopes they die trying to save Artie. He then makes an impassioned speech to Pete saying he knows how he feels, that he agrees the artifacts should be out in the world. Pete is not swayed. As MacPherson goes to leave, Pete pulls out glass remnants and rubs them creating the crazy noise and incapacitating MacPherson.
On the drive back to the Warehouse, Artie, with help from MacPherson explains that he will not be killed but flash frozen and bronzed, likemany evil, twisted dudes from the past.
Inside they strap MacPherson in and Artie explains the freezing/bronzing senarios. Pete and Myka go to help Leena put away artifacts. Artie freezes adn bronzes Macpherson without fanfare.
We see Claudia leave the B&B.
Myka and Leena put stuff away and Leena goes to check on Artie. We see a hand touch the screen, reverse the freezing/bronzing and MacPherson thanks the person for remembering their appointment. Pete gets another bad vibe and takes off. Mrs. F gets a weird vibe too and has the driver turn around.
We see MacPherson with Claudia. Until she takes off the thimble and reveals herself to be Leena.
MacPherson enters W13 HQ and begins messing with the computers. Artie busts in and draws the Tesla on him. He fires but MacPherson's impervious to it. MacPherson sets off the self-destruct scenario and fights with Artie. He then runs off. Pete and Myka bang on the door. Finally they bust through and are about to go after Artie but he's already gone. Artie gets trapped in the tunnel out and is still standing there when the self-destruct goes off, flooding the walway with fire. Outside, MacPherson puts on glasses and walks away. Pete and Myka rise up and open the door. They see that the hallway, that once had Artie in it, has burned away. (But isn't he impervious to flame since he touched the Phoenix).
And that's all til next year folks!
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