Something is Rotten in
Haven Something is Rotten in
HavenSyfy, Fridays, 9/10 PM
"Lockdown"
Written by Nora Zuckerman & Lilla Zuckerman
Directed by Jason Priestley
"I can't be the person that keeps you you." -- Audrey
I had to wonder, when I saw the credits for this show, if the only reason Jason Priestley agreed to appear on Haven was so that he'd get a shot at directing. He made good use of his opportunity, but I still think his role as Chris Brody just did not add up to a star turn. Nothing against him, but apart from Chris' ability to hold his own with Audrey in the quip department, his personality has yet to gel into something I want to see every week. In any case, his role as Love Object/Obstacle seems to be over, as he departs Haven, presumably to join Jess Minion, wherever she is, in the Haven Rejected Lovers Club.
"He's a reformer from Brunswick, and I think he's clueless about the Troubles." -- Nathan
Priestley gets off to a good start, showing us Haven on a sunny afternoon. Nathan Wournos strolls down Main Street, greeting people right and left, smiling, cooing at babies, carrying coffee and goodies for his fellow cops. Who is this guy? Could this possibly be the taciturn Nathan of Season One, who could barely say good morning to people? What can have worked this miracle of personality change? I'd like to think it was love, but if so, it's not for Audrey. He barely spends ten minutes of this episode in her company. And in any case, he's congratulating her on her forthcoming date with Chris, who has returned from England. Could his new persona be the result of stress relief? Now that he's no longer Chief, perhaps the lifted burden of responsibility has lightened his mood? Not so; he's even more worried than ever that the new Chief Merrill (Ron White, Nikita) is a tool of Reverend Driscoll. And he's right about that.
"The Haven Police Station is now under quarantine." – Chief Merrill
Our cheerful Nathan quickly sobers up, as a police officer is discovered on the floor of the men's room, not only dead but half-rotted. This is even more disturbing given the fact that Nathan was talking to him only minutes before. The condition of the body persuades new chief Merrill to lock down the station with everyone inside, including Brody and half a dozen civilians. Thus Jason Priestley gets to direct a claustrophobic episode conducted in only two or three rooms, full of rising tension and lurking menace. He handles it well, but he is somewhat hampered by a lackluster script that fails in the way most mediocre Haven scripts fail: it reveals too much too late.
"I'm here to treat the Troubled for what they are – criminals!" – Chief Merrill
One of the fun parts of watching dramas like Haven is figuring out who is Troubled. This is fine as long as we're given a clue, or clues, early enough. This episode is essentially a locked-room mystery: our heroes are locked in with the Troubled person, but they don't know who it is. At first it seems obvious that it's Merrill, and it does not take long before the stress of command reveals his agenda: he's here to punish the Troubled. But when he turns black and rots to death before their eyes, Audrey and Nathan know he's not "it". The trouble (ahem) is that he was the only person to whom the clues pointed; now we have no clues and no suspects. It's only in the last ten minutes that Audrey stumbles across a new clue and puzzles out the real Troubled person: an abused wife named Nikki (Kristin Booth, Dave vs, Death). She's terrified of her husband, who is confined with everyone else, so her terror manifests itself as a kind of poison. Okay, we can't analyze that idea too deeply, or the whole raison d'être of Haven falls apart. Suffice to say that while it's a good hook to end the story, I could have used it earlier. Better to have several candidates to winnow down, than to spring one on us in the last act. I felt, if not cheated, then talked down to by this story.
"You're my only backup." -- Nathan
One facet of this story I liked very much: Nathan acquired a friend and ally. We've seen Dwight before, but this time he's an integral part of the story. When it becomes apparent that the rogue Chief has called in militant anti-Troubled snipers to bottle up the occupants of the police department, Nathan can only rely on Dwight to be his eyes and ears outside the building. Dwight comes through, literally in the last act, as he breaks down a door in a hail of bullets. The fusillade misses Nathan, to his shock, and winds up buried in the bullet proof vest Dwight wears. It seems he has to wear it constantly, because his "Trouble" is that he's a bullet magnet. Even Nathan finds this a bit hard to believe, but I didn't. If bullets are going to bounce off anyone's chest, it is surely the star of a wrestling show. I hope we see more of Dwight. As before, I found Edge's performance natural, unaffected, down-to-earth. Dwight is a good addition to the company, a much needed character who adds realism and depth to the cast.
"How naïve are you?" -- Duke
Okay, I'll be honest and say I was really glad to see Evi go. From the beginning, she grated on me. Now at her exit, the weakness of her character arc is exposed. Having presented Evi to us over the last few weeks as a hard-edged, cynical con artist as cool, or cooler than Duke, she now becomes a weepy, emotional basket case. Worse, her dialogue falls apart like a tissue in a rainstorm: she explains her betrayal with a non-explanation, she apologies all over the place, and delivers herself of a phony speech about Duke's "specialness" that rang as hollow as a mannequin's head. And then this grifter who looked out only for number one races into the street to sacrifice herself for Duke. It was a stupid and clichéd exit; even Evi deserved better. Of course, it got rid of Evi permanently as a Love Object/Obstacle, so I guess she's on that bus with Chris, headed off for the Haven Rejected Lovers Club.
"Be a doll and clear this up. Do that voodoo you do." – Chris
Chris Brody's insensitivity to others is what makes his Affliction funny: he hates people, but people love him. Now he tries to use that Affliction to get people to do what he wants – cure him of the rotting disease, give him a gun, save Audrey. The problem is that Chris really does not read people very well, which makes it easier for him to be manipulated than to do the manipulating. Thus when the abusive husband (Dylan Neal, Rizzoli & Isles) takes a roomful of hostages, Chris is helpless, clueless and useless. Audrey realizes that he's not really the guy for her, after he gives her gun to a sociopath, defies all her orders, and bungles his rescue effort in a selfish attempt to break out. As an actor and director, Jason Priestley brought a very professional interpretation and pacing to this story; as a character, I was more than ready to see Chris Brody go.
"The more people know about the Troubles, the more afraid they are." -- Nathan
Haven rose two tenths of a point from last week, to a 0.6 rating for adults 18-49. This means that 1.9 million viewers tuned in, nearly two million people watching this episode. I'm glad to see these numbers up; I only wish it had been for a better episode. I need to see more warmth between Nathan and Audrey; I need to see more of Haven's spooky atmosphere. I understand the financial concerns that limit a show to a police station (this week) or a half-built hotel (last week). But I am really looking forward to next week's show, which looks like it's set in the woods. I can't wait to see how Audrey fares in deep woods; she's not, as Jack from Titanic would say, an outdoors kind of girl. Maybe we get to see Nathan do manly, heroic outdoors stuff. Stay tuned.
Copyright 2011 by Sarah Stegall. All rights reserved.