“The Big Snag” is episode thirteen of season four of Warehouse 13.
This episode opens in the Warehouse with Myka and Pete dealing with the static electricity balls that get generated. It seems that the device that Pete is using to deal with them can’t handle four at the same time, there are energy discharges hitting manuscripts on the shelves – they seem to be in an aisle filled with books – and pages flutter down around them. They then end up in black and white and in 1940s clothing. And in Chicago. Pete thinks time travel but Myka points out that the Forties were in colour. Like the rest of history. The manuscript pages are from a hard boiled crime writer (a favourite of Myka’s) who got writer’s block, never finished his last book, went insane and killed himself. Hence, artefact. They are also stuck in black and white Forties land.
Pete and Myka were collecting the static balls with an elephant, and then a woman knocks on the door of the PI’s office they are in with said elephant, saying that she thinks it has something to do with her husband disappearing. Pete is the PI – Myka is the secretary. That is not going to make her happy. They seem to have fallen into a story. An unfinished story. So, if they want to get out of the story, it will need finishing. By solving the case. Myka seems to enjoy being inside a story. The story rapidly gets rather more complicated, and if they can’t solve it, they won’t get out. A story which even the writer was unable to finish.
At Leena’s – perhaps that should be changed – Claudia and Steve are trying to distract Artie, who is still in a bit of a funk and who has been playing the same piano piece for some time. They are trying to get him interested in some cars that have been literally vanishing. By saying that it can’t be an artefact doing it. Artie says that he can deal with it by himself, but Claudia and Jinks talk themselves into going along as well.
They go to a garage which has a fine collection of antique, and stolen, cars. The owner is not initially willing to cooperate, but it looks like Artie has less patience than he used to have. So, the owner says he has a guy who can provide him with any car he needs. A man he’s never met; he only wires him money and what car he is looking for. So, a suggestion is made to post a request for a new car – Artie’s brand new one. Artie is not terribly happy with that idea. The car thief has got an artefact that lets him drive cars out through walls.