When we left our favorite artifact recovery team in October, Claudia had used an artifact dagger on Artie to try and excise the evil personality “Brother Adrian” from him after he had killed Leena and released a plague curse on the world. 

Coming back from the long winter hibernation, Warehouse 13 hit the ground running. We picked up right where we left off last fall in "The Living and the Dead," which brought new characters in its wake. Let’s break down the episode...

Good:
Right off the bat, I’m thrilled that Artie was able to be saved from himself. I loved Steve and Claudia’s discussion about how winning wasn’t the point of the warehouse, it was the fight against evil. Steve more than anyone knows what the Warehouse can exact as a cost, given that he died for it, (but he got better). 

Following that, Claudia and Artie in his mind with Leena was one of the most powerful scenes I’ve witnessed for the would-be father and daughter. There was such a great message of “family takes care of each other, no matter what.” Claudia’s heart-crushing “I’m sorry” after she made him come back out of himself had me on the verge of tears. 

Last year I had a chance to meet Saul Rubinek and Allison Scagliotti during the Comic-Con press tour and I can say that so much of what we get on screen is a reflection of Rubinek and Scagliotti's genuine affection for each other. Here’s hoping Claudia and Artie can repair any damage done in their relationship.

I was also delighted to meet James Marsters as Professor Sutton. He brought with him some much needed comic relief that this episode (and the show as a whole) has needed. Poor Pete has been carrying much of the humor of the show; giving him a drunken professor who turns out to be 500 years old has no end of possibilities. 

We also met Polly Walker as Charlotte Dupres. While I didn't watch much of Caprica, I loved her in Rome, so I’m really curious to see where this is going. Given the hint at the end of the episode that she’s been around as long as Sutton, I think we may have theme for the rest of this season.

Bad:
If you've read some of my previous finale reviews, you will know that I despise cliffhangers. I believe it is a trope whose time passed with rotary phones. Case in point, as it had been more than six months since the last episode, I had forgotten where we left things and beyond reviewing the episode I wasn't vested in watching the episode right away.  

Apparently the writers on the show were in the same frame of mind since they resolved the entire thing in one episode. Actually, to be exact, Pete and Myka determined what might save the world, found an expert on it, traveled half-way around world, broke into a crypt AND saved everyone in 15 hours.  

If it’s not already clear, I’m pretty disappointed in the resolution of the plague curse. They could have easily given themselves 48 hours or 72 hours before first casualties and taken two episodes to introduce Sutton/Dupres and save the world – that would have made it feel like it was serious. 

Conclusion:
While the plague curse wrapped up and Artie back in his mind, we still haven’t seen the fallout from Leena's death. It’s clear that Artie remembers what he will have to come to terms with it. How will the Regents react? How can things go back to being normal, or more normal? 

What about the Bed and Breakfast? Will the Warehouse bring in someone to replace Leena? From a character writing stand point, Leena was a bit under-used and this gives them a chance to flesh out that role a bit. 

Finally, while I was disappointed in the conclusion of the curse, the rest of the episode was very enjoyable and I’m thrilled that Warehouse 13 is back! So I’m giving it 4.1 butterscotch cookies in memory of Leena. She will be missed!

Jim G. is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow him on Twitter.