“MacPherson” is episode thirteen of season one of Warehouse 13 and the season finale.
In the previous episode, “Nevermore”, Pete and Myka had to save Myka’s father from an artefact, a book that belonged to Edgar Allan Poe that MacPherson had sent him. This required finding its companion pen. Although successfully done, MacPherson turned up and demanded both, using Jack the Ripper’s lantern on Myka’s parents. When Myka made a comment about attacking via family, MacPherson said that Artie had started it.
This episode opens in black and white, 15 years ago, before it goes to colour. A building is on fire and Artie and MacPherson are having an argument outside the building. It sounds like there is a woman trapped inside, one that they both care about, and MacPherson wants to go in to save her life. If she lives, Artie says that other people will die. MacPherson wants to use the artefacts to help save the world, not hoard them like the Regents do. Artie has an artefact on him that will help, but he refuses to hand it over, so MacPherson uses his Tesla on Artie, takes the artefact and goes into the building and rescues the woman, seconds before the building collapses.
Mrs Frederic is telling Myka and Pete this, with Leena present. Five firemen died; only the woman – MacPherson’s wife – lived. She apparently lives in Washington, D.C. now, and is presumably the woman that Artie went to see in “Implosion”. MacPherson was banished from the Warehouse and sentenced to five consecutive life sentences. Two years later, there was a massive explosion at the prison, killing dozens, and it was believed that MacPherson was one of these. Obviously, he wasn’t.
Artie tells Claudia that banishing MacPherson from the Warehouse involved injecting him with a substance that reacts with another material that the Warehouse used in its construction. If he enters, his blood will turn acidic. Which would be a bit bad for him. Claudia has found Poe’s pen up for sale, and a reference to a collection that can be viewed (Artie foolishly clicks on a link and crashes the Warehouse computers). It would seem he is selling a lot of artefacts. Including the one he took from Artie 15 years ago. The demonstration of this artefact – the Phoenix – shows just why Artie didn’t want it used, and why the firemen died.
Pete and Myka start questioning Artie and he isn’t happy about how much Mrs Frederic has disclosed, but accepts it as there isn’t any choice. They need to go and see Carol, MacPherson’s wife, even though Artie doesn’t want to. Carol says she hasn’t seen MacPherson in years – but she isn’t telling the truth. Whilst they are there, Pete gets a bad feeling – related to Artie.
At the Warehouse, Claudia is looking through MacPherson’s website when she sees his picture. Until now, she didn’t know what he looked like – and she recognises him. He was her brother’s physics professor, and the one who gave him the compass that trapped him in another dimension. MacPherson also contacted Claudia 8 months ago – and helped her hack the Warehouse.
Artie, Myka and Pete are finding clues leading to MacPherson, but they are far too obvious – MacPherson obviously wants them to find them. But what is his end game? None of them think that MacPherson is after the money from selling the artefacts – even the tens of millions of dollars he is selling them for. Artie also says that the Phoenix – which MacPherson used – is in the Warehouse. It clearly isn’t. So how did it get out? Despite being incapable of entering the Warehouse, MacPherson has found a way around it.
Artie, Myka and Pete are going to have to follow the clues. Even though that’s what MacPherson wants. Pete has a really bad feeling about this.
There’s a cliff-hanger ending leading into season two‘s “Time Will Tell”.