Myka Bering

Myka Bering
First appearance	"Pilot"
Created by	Jane Espenson
Portrayed by	Joanne Kelly
Information
Nickname(s)	Myks
Occupation	United States Secret Service Warehouse 13 agent
Family	Warren Bering (father) Jeannie Bering (mother) Tracy (sister)
Significant other(s)	Sam Martino

Agent Myka Ophelia Bering is a fictional character on the US television series, Warehouse 13 (2009–present), portrayed by Joanne Kelly. Agent Bering is a co-protagonist of the series alongside Agent Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock). She is a Secret Service agent; she is smart, organized, and has a scrupulous eye for detail.

Character History

Bering (born c.1982) is from Colorado Springs, Colorado, where her parents now live. Early on in her life, Myka's parents open a bookstore called, "Bering and Sons," even though she has no brothers; the 'and Sons' is only added to make the establishment sound classier.^[1] She has one sister, Tracy, who Myka describes as "the pretty one" that all the boys were crazy about.^[2] Unlike her sister, Myka is a tomboy, and thus, instead of growing up playing with Barbies, was a member of Girl Scouts. As a teen one of her hobbies is fencing. She also enjoys books and is an avid reader. Myka attends Lincoln High School in Colorado Springs, and graduates in 2000. She is a college graduate, though her degree and alma mater have not been revealed. She has at least two tattoos, one on her right ankle^[3] and another on the inside.^[4]

Organized and focused, Myka believes in hard work, solid planning and steadfast execution. She never met a meticulously detailed mission outline she didn't like, and her attention to minutiae leads to her status as a rising star in the Secret Service despite a classified "situation" in Denver, Colorado. Reassigned to Washington, DC, Myka serves as an agent on presidential security detail.

An order dated May 11, 2009 is sent to Chief Supervisor Daniel Dickinson, Myka's boss, ordering her immediate transfer to an undisclosed location from her branch in presidential security. The transfer is classified as top secret and the authorization comes from a single name, "Frederic."^[5] Following the instructions given to her, Myka finds herself in the badlands of South Dakota assigned as an agent to Warehouse 13 with a new boss, Artie Nielsen, and a new partner, Pete Lattimer. Her job is to gather and protect mysterious and powerful artifacts that threaten the world.

The new assignment is not the career path she envisioned, and thus she initially resists. However, over time she learns the importance of the job and grows to enjoy the work and the companionship of her fellow agents. In season 2 episode 11, "Buried", Myka realizes the warehouse is her happiest place.

Beginning with season 2 episode 7, Myka builds a relationship with the previously de-bronzed Helena G. Wells. Helena eventually wins Myka over and gains an ally in her bid to be reinstated as a warehouse agent. In the season 2 finale, Myka's trust is betrayed when Helena uses the Warehouse to acquire the Minoan Trident, the world's first weapon of mass destruction. Myka plays a pivotal role in her capture, but not before Wells nearly causes a planetary disaster.

Shaken by her lapse in judgment concerning H.G. Wells, and filled with doubt about her future effectiveness as warehouse agent, Myka resigns from her job – an obviously painful decision for her. At the start of season three, Myka is back in Colorado working at her father's bookstore. After Pete comes to Myka for assistance solving a new case, she returns to the Warehouse and is reinstated to her former position.

Skills and Abilities

Myka is an effective and capable field agent, due to her training with the Secret Service and her experiences at Warehouse 13. Part of what makes Myka such a valuable asset is her attention to detail; she is cited as having a photographic memory in the episode "Beyond Our Control", being able to recall minute details from the Farnsworth schematics to repair a projector artifact. She also has an impressive wealth of knowledge, as she often shows understanding of the history or people associated with a given artifact. At the start of the series she was described as very rule-oriented and by the book, but her relationship with Pete Lattimer and her experience snagging artifacts have taught her to improvise.

Myka is an expert martial artist, although the specific discipline she studied is never specified. She is also adept at sword fighting, saying "some girls played with Barbies, other girls took fencing lessons." In addition to English, she speaks French, Russian and Latin, and reads at least some Chinese. In a deleted scene from the episode "Vendetta" she is heard telling Artie in the background that she speaks French, Italian, and Spanish.

Relationships

As a Secret Service agent stationed in Denver, Colorado, Myka is partnered with Sam Martino (Gabriel Hogan), with whom she has a romantic relationship. At the time, Sam is married but separated from his wife. Myka feels for a long time that she let Sam die because she was too slow. She is stricken with guilt and grief over Sam's death until she acknowledges to herself that she had not been responsible and that Sam had been at fault for not following their plan to corner a criminal named Leo. In season 3 episode 7, Myka learns that a fellow agent conspired with Leo to murder Sam, aided by an artifact that could temporarily freeze time.

Myka grows up with a very demanding father, resulting in a strained and troubled relationship. In season 1 episode 11, "Nevermore", Myka receives word that her father is dying and rushes to Colorado to see him. It is discovered that he is under the influence of a bifurcated artifact, and is saved when the two parts of the artifact are brought back together. The incident brings Myka and her father back together, allowing them to make amends and begin a renewed relationship.

In season 2 episode 8, "Merge With Caution", we see that Myka had a high school crush on the captain of the football team, Kurt Smoller (Cody Rhodes), who she tutored in math. At their ten-year reunion, chemistry develops between Kurt and Myka, though it is really Myka's body inhabited by Pete's mind, which is caused by a body-swapping artifact. After returning to her own body, Myka goes to see Kurt and some of the previous day's chemistry still exists. They exchange a kiss and agree to stay in touch.

During season one Myka has a strained relationship with Artie, which is explored in episode 8, "Duped." She believes Artie’s secrecy and withholding of information puts her at risk whenever she goes out into the field. Despite it all, she likes Artie and thinks he’s great. After explaining her feelings to him, the relationship improves. They eventually grow to have a deep respect and affection for each other.

After working for the Warehouse for a while, Myka becomes very close to her new partner, Pete Lattimer, and although they appear to agree that what they have is a deep friendship, Myka becomes visibly upset when she overhears Pete professing his love to his girlfriend at the end of the second season. In the same episode, Myka writes in her resignation letter that Pete is "like" the big brother she never had. Despite their affection, Myka is often annoyed by Pete’s off-the-cuff style, which clashes with her by-the-book approach. However after S1, this changed to her not being as annoyed by it. She finds it endearing now.

Relationship with H.G. Wells

Much speculation exists regarding the true nature of Myka’s relationship with Helena. Of importance however, is that her relationship with Helena throughout seasons 2 and 3, despite its lack of physicality, is the only real one we witness Myka partake in. At Comic-Con Kelly states that her character Myka “fell in love a little bit… the closest Myka comes to a romance is with H.G. Wells”.

In season 2 episode 7 "For the Team", just as Helena and Myka are to be run over, Helena pulls out a grappling hook of her own design and wisks Myka to safety. After a conversation with Pete, Myka comes to a personal realisation that people can change past ways and surprise you. The episode concludes with Myka discovering that Helena has left her the hook, with a note saying “Keep it, you can owe me”. Myka takes the note and appears to have deep feelings regarding the gesture. In season 2 episode 9, Helena appears to Myka, and, when pressed, reveals to her the true cause behind her bronzing, a story both personal and previously unheard. Of significant importance is that Myka intentionally keeps her encounters with Helena a secret from Artie and the group, an act she previously accused Artie of partaking in and one unbefitting of her usual character. She later recommends Helena be reinstated as an Agent, well aware of Artie’s disapproval and the strain this will cause on their relationship. Beyond that they share early moments of chemistry. For example, early in season 2 episode 9, Helena puts a tracking device in Myka's pocket, and later follows Pete, Myka and Artie to Russia with its help. Myka knows Helena's plan but does not stop her; she says to Helena, “For the record I knew you’d slipped that into my pocket”, Helena: “I thought you’d know”, Myka: “I knew you'd think I knew” before being cut off by Pete. In season 2 episode 11 "Buried", during a conversation with Pete, Helena states “many of my lovers were men,” implying that she also took women as lovers. Myka privately smirks at this comment, while Pete and Claudia look quite surprised.

The season concludes with Myka learning of Helena’s betrayal, she states “she played us, she played me”, visibly upset over Helena’s actions. She later talks Helena out of destroying the world, telling her that she wanted to be found and talked down. She forces Helena to place a gun to her head and asks her to end her life there and then if her plans are truly to end the world. Helena, however, cannot bring herself to do it and thus surrenders. The episode ends with Myka’s resignation at the realisation that her relationship with Helena compromised her position as an Agent, “I put the entire world in jeopardy, I cannot take that chance again”.

Throughout season 3, despite Helena’s limited appearance, she and Myka’s connection continues. In season 3 episode 1, Helena, in the form of a hologram, persuades Myka to return to the Warehouse. And in episode 5, while lending her assistance in a case, she shares her regret over past actions. A conversation at the end of the episode shows that they both know they used to make a good team, and wish Helena hadn't put an end to their relationship with her betrayal.

Season 3 concludes with Helena being key to latest villain Sykes’s plan to take down Warehouse 13. Helena's consciousness is stored in Janus Coin, and in the process of memory transmitting, glimpses of Myka appear in Helena’s memories of friends, family and lovers, displaying on the Coin. With limited options in play, Pete and Helena agree to end Helena’s life, though Myka refuses to partake in such a plan. When Helena says good-bye to these companions, she refers to Myka as the one person who knows her best in the world. Later in the episode, Sykes utilizes Helena’s affection for Myka to carry out his plans as he put Myka's life in Helena’s hands, forcing her to open a portal to the Warehouse. With her life in critical danger, Myka says to Helena, “I am not going to die…because you are going to save my life,” showing strong belief in her. In a moment of comic relief, they debate whether their partnership should be referred to as “Wells & Bering” or “Bering & Wells”. The season concludes with Helena sacrificing her life to save Myka, Pete and Artie’s. Moments before her sacrifice Artie and Pete’s objections fade away and the camera focuses on just Myka and Helena as they share a final moment. Helena: “You should be safe now”, Myka: “But you are… You’re out there”, Helena: “It had to be initiated from outside the barrier”. Helena mouths "Thank You". Myka responds with a half smile as the Warehouse blows up.

References

1. ^ "Pilot". Warehouse 13. Syfy. July 7, 2009. No. 1, season 1. 37:53 minutes in.
2. ^ "Age Before Beauty". Warehouse 13. Syfy. July 27, 2010. No. 4, season 1. 26:30 minutes in.
3. ^ "Duped". Warehouse 13. Syfy. August 25, 2009. No. 8, season 1. 9:56 minutes in.
4. ^ "Age Before Beauty". Warehouse 13. Syfy. July 27, 2010. No. 4, season 2. 11:57 minutes in.
5. ^ "Pilot". Warehouse 13. Syfy. July 7, 2009. No. 1, season 1. 23:06 minutes in.

External Links

• Official website
• Myka Bering at the Internet Movie Database