Haven

One thing television often lacks these days is imagination. Major broadcasting networks tend to saturate our senses with the same old carbon copied television shows each week, with only a few being the exception.

Haven is what television is, and should be, all about. For any individual who loved the good old classic Twilight Zone episodes, or spent hours before Marathons of X-Files, for every kid who grew up on those wonderfully imaginative Sci-Fi comic books, or embroiled themselves in an unfolding mystery - Haven is for you. It's wild, fun and unapologetic for it's deliberately far fetched characters, and that's what makes it a winner. This on top of the discreet references to characters from Stephen King Books/movies ("...Got this book signed by that author.. before he was kidnapped and that crazy woman broke his legs.") as well as other Sci-Fi Shows as though they were real people who exist in this universe, it's a little tongue in cheek treat. For any fan of the fantastical, the speculative and fun, Haven should not be missed!

This show caught my eye when I saw the ad for it on Hulu. I don't have cable, so I'm not really familiar with a lot of the new shows, but after seeing this is based on the Colorado Kid story by Stephen King, and by being a fan of his work, I decided to check out the show.

I came into the show late; the first episode I saw was the third episode 'Consumed' but that was enough to get me interested. The show takes on some very interesting supernatural elements (with a lot of Stephen King references within them) and it makes for a very entertaining show.

The acting is great, the writing is fun and the two leads, Emily Rose (Audrey Parker) and Lucas Bryant (Nathan Wournos) have great chemistry, while Eric Balfour (Duke) always brings a fun element to the show. I've watched every episode from that first one and I've been hooked. A very enjoyable show with enough supernatural/suspense to keep the viewers intrigued while enjoying the Stephen King-ism and the always burning question "where do I belong?".

FBI agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) is sent to Haven, Maine on a case of a prison escapee. She finds help from local cop Nathan Wuornos (Lucas Bryant) and petty criminal smuggler Duke Crocker (Eric Balfour). The town is plagued by strange occurrences. People are cursed by these 'troubles' and she is connected to them in some way.

I really like the show, the mystery and the three leads. I like the actors and their love triangle. I actually like the trouble-of-the-week aspect to those early show. The mystery seems intriguing and it's also the show's Achilles' heel. At some point, the show has to start explaining the origins of the 'troubles'. It's too convoluted. I respect the difficulties of trying to keep viewer interest while constructing a viable story. In the end, it doesn't quite make it but it was fun while it lasted.

I liked Haven from the beginning. It's got an excellent mix of engaging characters, creepy stories and a mysterious story arc.

It also continually seemed like it was ending and didn't. Every season it was like, they're going to explain everything and bring it to a conclusion, and instead it just got even weirder. Over and over. And sometimes I had doubts at the direction I was going as it became less episodic and more about its insane underlying story. But I kept going and I always liked it.

By the fourth episode I was concerned that, like Lost, it was just building a tower of questions that would never be answered, but the series was pretty good at answering questions as new ones arose, so it never got *too* out of control. And every time I thought they'd written themselves into a corner they somehow got control of the story again.

Great series. Check it out. Stay to the end.

Haven is an excellent series for so many reasons but the most important are as follows: a) Genres; Haven crosses so many different genres, such as Thriller, some Comedy, some Romance, Mystery, Drama, Sci-Fi and Horror. There are more, but I'll stick to these as they are the ones that stand out most. b) Appeals to a mass audience; to follow up on that last point, given all that the show delivers, it's nearly (or even theoretically) impossible for any individual to enjoy SOME aspect of this show. It will draw you in for more. c) Location and Setting; The strong location backdrop and scene locations are hard to be beat with a series which relies almost entirely on a small Harbor Town...and a beautifully stunning one at that. Beaches, ocean, a marina, boardwalks, rocky Maine coastline (although filmed very close by in Canada) surrounded by thick forests makes it pleasurable to watch for the views alone. And the small harbour town, again, makes for a "small town feel" amongst the great cast of characters but also allows room for the outside to come in which can be good at the right time. And when this occurs, the show never fails to maintain its strong beliefs and appeal of the mysterious town of Haven. d) Great acting...a must in any TV or Film! e) Having a link to Stephen King and his novel "The Colorado Kid" definitely draws in even more viewers.

All in all, we need more shows like Haven!