"Welcome to Haven"

Credit haven.fansites.org

A man who plays music to make his wife sane, a boy whose dreams harm people he thinks are out to break his new family, a man who commands his shadow to kill the people connected to his wife’s death - all have one thing in common. They are all residents of Haven, Maine.

Haven swirls in the supernatural world and is a new TV series presented by SyFy channel, loosely based around Stephen King’s, “Colorado Kid.” 

What can “Haven” offer to a well-trodden niche that shares its genre with “Supernatural,” “X-Files,” and “Charmed” and “Buffy?” The scenic harbor town wasn’t viewed as dark but light and airy with its mysteriousness roiling underneath the sleepy town.

“Welcome to Haven” 

Directed by Adam Kane

Written by Sam Ernst & Jim Dunn

Right off the bat, we were given hints that FBI Audrey Parker (portrayed by Emily Rose) was sent to Haven because of an outcome that happened in Miami. Whether it was good or bad, we, viewers were left to imagine if this new assignment was a dressing down to her by upper management and shipped her off to some backwater town to apprehend Lester who had escaped Federal prison.


It seemed to me that it wasn’t a negative mark against her, judging from Parker’s verbal cues and body language. Parker seemed slightly derisive about her new assignment though. Well, as much a junior officer can make in front of her boss, Agent Howard that is.  She acknowledged the fact that upper management took note of her Miami performance and left it as that. I hope the writers will give us some inkling as to what the Miami operation was. 

Between Parker and Agent Howard interaction as underling and boss respective, passed an easy relationship. Parker traded small jokes with him but quickly followed it with her earnest desire to get things rolling after skimming over the facts of the new case.

In that brief scene in the living room, Agent Howard was mysterious and I wonder if he was teasing Parker for not leaving the book about Vampires behind after the woman told him to leave the book on the table. So did he leave the book?  It seemed like foreshadowing to me that Parker’s new case and subsequent ones will involve many supernatural incidents.

Audrey Parker: [both pulling guns on each other] FBI. Who are you? 
Nathan Wuornos: MPD. Who are you? 

Audrey Parker: FBI. Are you deaf?

After a somewhat less auspicious introduction with Haven’s local police, Parker blazed the trail in finding out why Lester was killed in his hometown and why he appeared to have been “cannonballed” off a bluff.  She turned up possible suspects until the real culprit was apprehended and she unearthed that Haven has skeletons in its closet after witnessing residents manifesting unusual abilities, connected to the local folklore called, “The Troubles.” In addition, Parker resembled a woman back in 1983, tied to a cold murder case of “Colorado Kid.”

Parker informed Agent Howard that she was going to take “those leaves” that she hadn’t gotten around to and stay for the meantime in Haven to decipher its secrets.

The end sealed by Agent Howard who had stopped by the road overlooking the town, and called someone that Parker would be staying and “that she could help you with the Troubles.”

So what does the the crack on the road mean? It was shown the time Parker arrived in town and Howard now leaving.  It left me to think if this could Howard's power but until more episodes roll in, I’ll wait for more expansions.

The Characters

Emily Rose stayed away from portraying Audrey Parker in a stereotypical hard-nosed, tough-as-nails, humorless individual commonly seen for strong female lead. It was actually a relief because I don’t think I can take another depiction. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite tell when Parker was donning her all-serious air or delivering a joke. I would like to see why Audrey hasn't quite put her comedic sense of timing into practice.  It would usually be saved for the dialogue between her and Nathan in scenes just before going to a crime site then I would get the cue. She is apparently guarding her life back in Boston or doesn't talk about her friends there too.  

Maurice Dean Wint as Agent Howard was commendable with the material he was given. I thought he infused as much mystery to his character but I wondered if his being cryptic in his actions was a bit cliché. I hope see more of Agent Howard in the next episodes and what's his role in the Haven. 

Lucas Bryant as Police Detective Nathan Wournos has a dry humor and sees things in an unaffected manner but insensitive when visiting crime sites or questioning people connected to the cases but this trait doesn't become an obstacle while rumbling under his father's thumb, the Chief of Police in Haven. Nathan appeared to be someone Audrey can rely on. A partner she can depend if she gets cocooned in the episode Butterfly. I also wonder if his outlook came from being inflicted with a peculiar physiological condition peripheral neuropathy which leaves him devoid from feeling any physical sensation (pain, touch etc).

Eric Balfour as Duke Crocker the jack-of-all trades guy, the bad guy every girl in town would fall for and a big thorn on Nathan's chest.  He seemed to have his ear on the ground to what's going on around town but he wasn't much of talker and just lets things go whether he'd be caught in between or not. He appeared to have some sort of crush on Parker. I'll have to see more episodes if that's true.

Next stop: Episode Butterfly