Pete Lattimer

Agent Peter "Pete" Lattimer is a fictional character on the U.S. television science fiction series, Warehouse 13 (2009–2014), portrayed by Eddie McClintock. Agent Lattimer is a co-protagonist of the series alongside Agent Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly). He is a proud Secret Service agent; he is smart, handsome, athletic, and has a knack for quick thinking.

Character history

Lattimer is from North Canton, Ohio (the real-life home town of actor McClintock). His mother is Jane Lattimer, a Warehouse Regent.^[1] His father (unnamed, first initial M.^[3] but later named Daniel J. Lattimer,^[4]) was a fireman who was killed saving children from a house fire when Pete was 12 years old.^[5] Pete is known to wear his father's Fire Department badge on a chain around his neck. He has an older sister, Jeannie, who is hearing-impaired.^[2] Pete is a college graduate, but his alma mater has never been officially revealed. He is a college athlete, having competed in wrestling.^[6] He is a former U.S. Marine, though little has been revealed about his service record. Pete is divorced, having been briefly married to fellow Marine Amanda.

Lattimer's appearance and affable disposition comes in handy when he needs to charm someone. His uncanny ability to find the lighter side in even the most dire situations adds to his charm. When confronted with a potentially dangerous situation, Pete relies on his gut feelings and instincts and is willing to bend the rules if it means getting the job done. His impulsive, intuitive nature often leads him to leap before he looks. He has a sixth sense for impending dangers and a weakness for food (especially cookies). Pete is also an avid comic book fan having now collected every edition of Iron Shadow (as long as his personal effects come in the mail). When Myka created a ferret in the pilot episode, she names him after Pete, because they are both cute and annoying.

As the show's pilot episode opens, he lives in Washington, D.C. and is a Secret Service agent, protecting the president. After a mishap at the National Museum he is transferred under mysterious circumstances to the remote badlands of South Dakota. There he is given a job at Warehouse 13, along with Myka Bering, to protect and retrieve various powerful artifacts around the world, under the supervision of Artie Nielsen.

Lattimer is a dedicated agent who is willing to "take a bullet" if necessary. This is evident in the season 1 episode "Burnout", when he is prepared to sacrifice his life to destroy a dangerous artifact that attaches itself to his spine (he fortunately survives). Pete will also go to great lengths to protect his fellow agents if he believes they are being threatened — for example, his actions in the season 2 episode "Around the Bend".

Although Lattimer is a capable Warehouse agent, he has a childish side that he has never grown out of — for instance, seeing how many croissants he can shove into his mouth at once; a feat Myka describes as "actually kind of impressive when you see it."^[7] Pete is also intensely curious and has a habit of playing with artifacts, which frequently gets him in trouble. He once described how he put on Abraham Lincoln's hat and was struck with a sudden urge to free Mrs. Frederic.^[8]

Some time later, in the season 3 episode "The 40th Floor", Pete is shocked to learn that his mother, Jane, is one of the Regents.

In the season 4 premiere, "A New Hope", Pete is able to retrieve the missing part of Magellan's Astrolabe, at the expense of his own life. With the astrolabe complete, Artie is able to turn back time and undo Warehouse 13's destruction.

Skills and abilities

Pete has received training from both the Marines and the Secret Service. He is a big believer in following instinct and intuition. He also has extensive esoteric knowledge, including popular culture and astronomy, which proves to be surprisingly helpful on occasion.

Pete's biggest asset is his "vibes"; Pete will often get an intense feeling about a person or situation, either good or bad, which he uses to guide his judgment in the field. In the "Pilot" episode, he mentions that the first time he got a bad vibe was right before his father left for work the day he died. He feels that, by not telling his father about it, he was partly responsible, and has always paid attention to his vibes since then. In "Reset", Myka asks Pete if he had a lot of bad vibes about Helena; Pete admits that he did, but did not voice his opinion since he trusted Myka's judgment.

Pete is intensely loyal to his friends and family, as seen on multiple occasions throughout the series when their safety is at risk.

Relationships

Prior to his father’s death, he and Pete had close relationship. They would often go camping and his father taught Pete the constellations of the night sky.^[9] Pete laments that if his father had the chance, he would have been there for every birthday, every Christmas, and every morning Pete woke up.^[10]

In episode 2 of season 3, it is revealed that Pete has problems with abandonment, stemming from his father's death when Pete was young. This death led to his mother becoming increasingly active and so unavailable to Pete, who also lamented his sister leaving for college soon. Myka discovers that her departure had a considerable emotional impact on him, which she acknowledges and apologizes for during the episode.

As is revealed in season 3 episode 4, "Queen for a Day", Pete was previously married. His ex-wife, Amanda (Jeri Ryan), is a career Marine and is now a Major. Pete during the episode explains that he was too young and that Amanda was always far more focused than he. Although the marriage ended in divorce, they maintain an amiable relationship. Both accept a share of the blame for the failed marriage, Pete for his drinking and Amanda for her ambition.

As revealed in season 2 episode 6, Pete once had a romantic affair with a fellow Secret Service Agent Kate Logan (Tia Carrere).

Pete's playful nature allows him to quickly develop a rapport with the teenage Claudia Donovan upon her arrival at Warehouse 13. Over the series they develop an older brother and younger sister relationship and they have a habit of messing around on the job together.

Leena thinks Pete is kind of sexy,^[11] and when Pete interacts with an anatomically accurate virtual reality version of Leena, he can't keep his eyes off her breasts.^[12] Nonetheless, there is no indication either has ever acted on the attraction.

In season 2, Pete has a romance with Univille veterinarian Dr. Kelly Hernandez. He admits to being in love with Kelly, is considering moving in with her, and is prepared to make her his "one", i.e. the one person with whom he is allowed to reveal the true nature of his work at Warehouse 13. In season 2 episode 12, when Kelly falls under the influence of Lizzie Borden’s compact, because of Helena G. Wells , she tries to kill Pete with an axe before the artifact is neutralized in the nick of time. Having come to Univille seeking a quiet and simple life, Kelly can't deal with the drama of what just transpired, thus she ends her relationship with Pete and leaves town.

After a brief initial attraction, Pete has a poor relationship with H.G. Wells, apparently never fully trusting her even after she’s reinstated as a Warehouse agent in season 2. In season 3 episode 5, Pete has the most adverse reaction to the arrival of the H.G. hologram, using most of the opportunities he can to belittle her. Despite Myka's efforts to stop this, it is only at the end of the episode that he starts to mellow somewhat on H.G. Pete finally embraces H.G. (literally) in the season 3 finale after H.G. demonstrates through her actions that her commitment to the good of the Warehouse is genuine.

Throughout the series, Pete and Myka develop a deep platonic relationship. Although Pete confessed he finds Myka stunningly beautiful, he describes her as his best friend, while Myka describes Pete as the big brother she never had and an extraordinary partner. Despite their feelings for each other, Myka’s by-the-book approach and Pete’s off-the-cuff style often causes conflict between them; however, they’ve learned to appreciate each other’s strengths and work together exceptionally well as a team.

Alcoholism

Pete, like McClintock, is a recovering alcoholic—his last drink was in 2002.^[13]

Season One

• "Pilot" (1x01): After the mishap at the natural history museum, Pete's boss Daniel Dickinson, who well knows Pete's history with substance abuse, forces him to a urinalysis after Lattimer tells him about the mystical experience he had with the thief that stole the Aztec rock.
• "Pilot" (1x01): After arriving at Warehouse 13 Artie asks Pete if he'd like milk or juice with his cookies, to which Pete replies "You know what I'd really like?", to which Artie replies "Oh, I do indeed, but falling off the wagon may not be the best option at this point." Realizing the awkwardness of the situation, Artie quickly changes subjects, much to Pete's relief.
• "Magnetism" (1x03): While on a job in the fictional town of Unionville, Colorado he sits uneasily at a bar while working and talking to Artie on his Farnsworth. The bartender notices Pete's uneasiness and his glaring at the various liquor bottles, and kindly gives him the location of a local AA meeting.
• "Duped" (1x08): Pete confronts a suspect who's using an artifact to win big in Las Vegas. "This one seems to be a bit addictive," he tells her, "and we both know that that's bad, right?"

Season Two

• "Around the Bend" (2x06): Lattimer becomes erratic and delusional after playing with a bunch of artifacts, causing Myka to think he has relapsed. So she, along with Artie, Claudia Donovan, and Leena give him an intervention.
• "Merge with Caution" (2x08): Pete and Myka's attempt to have a normal weekend is ruined when they are affected by an artifact that causes them to switch bodies. Unfortunately for Pete, he enters Myka's body after she had consumed a few drinks at her 10-year high school reunion. The experience causes Lattimer to feel inebriated for the first time in eight years. He states that it will "be hard to explain at [his] next AA meeting".

Season Three

• "Love Sick" (3x03): Lattimer passes out after being affected by W. C. Fields's juggling balls, which induce drunkenness and black outs in the user. He later laments that it seems like every other artifact he finds has intoxicating effects that make him want to call his sponsor.
• "Queen for a Day" (3x04): While meeting his ex-wife Amanda for the first time in several years, he apologies to her for never making amends.

Season Four

• "The Big Snag" (4x13): When Myka suggests keeping a low profile, Pete pulls her onto the dance floor. "You call this keeping a low profile?" asks Myka. "Well, everyone's either dancing or drinking," responds Pete, "and drinking's not an option."
• "The Sky's the Limit" (4x14): A witness tells Pete and Myka that "after the tequila fountain at the pool, it's a little fuzzy." Pete remarks, "I remember that feeling. I was fuzzy for about twelve years."
• "What Matters Most" (4x17): Lattimer is nearly killed by a "karma"-artifact. Its effects were broken only after Lattimer confessed and apologized about a DUI-incident in which he lost control of his car, but managed to walk away unscathed. However Dave, his best friend, was thrown from the vehicle and broke both his legs. Lattimer commented on the event as being the lowest point in his life, and he never drank again.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Warehouse 13.

• Official website
• Pete Lattimer at the Internet Movie Database