Review of HAVEN – Spiral (2010)

 

With so many loose-ends, it is a good thing “Haven” was picked up for a second season. After slowly building up the mythology from a slow burn into a roaring fire, this week’s finale was simply extraordinary. It was reveal upon reveal and it left our heads spinning in the end.

Where to start? The mind is nearly boggled at the layers that were peeled back and secrets uncovered. There was barely enough time to tease us with what will be in store for next season, and not much time to explain any of it: finding out who Nathan’s (Lucas Bryant) biological father was; discovering that the Chief (Nicholas Campbell) was behind all the mysterious cracks and earthquakes; learning that Dave (John Dunsworth) and Vince (Richard Donat) know a lot more than they are telling; the reveal that there is a society of people with the maze tattoo that will one day mean doom for Duke (Eric Balfour); seeing one of the tattoos vanish on Julia’s (Michelle Monteith) back; Nathan and Audrey (Emily Rose) confessing their inner-most secrets; and last, but not least — another FBI Agent Audrey Parker comes to town.

The episode was all about earthquakes: literal and figurative. The Chief may have been creating real cracks in the walls, buildings and roadways, but everyone was left reeling from the emotional quakes that were brought out by the return of one man, Max Hansen (John Bourgeois).

When Max was released from prison, he came back to claim what was his — his son, Nathan. But Max’s return blew the lid off a barely contained boiling pot of secrets. Chief Wournos had not only failed to tell Nathan that he was not his biological father, but he also forgot to mention that he was one of the “troubled” too. That could have been a major bonding point if he had ever shared with Nathan that he was similarly afflicted. But, by remaining silent, Nathan grew up feeling alone and ostracized. Learning that the Chief was behind the earthquakes and cracks made him part of the “troubled” club and Nathan was not the only freak anymore.

Apparently, most in Haven are “troubled” and they are hiding it really well. They only tend to reveal themselves when under undue-stress.

Max’s return pushed the Chief over the edge. His barely contained emotions could not take it and he inadvertently created a crack in the road that swallowed Max up whole. Whether Max deserved to die or not, the Chief was unable to control his ability anymore and he ended up exploding. The ripple-effects were just as damaging. Nathan is left father-less and without a buffer between him and everyone now expects him to fill the Chief’s shoes. But picking up the reigns of leadership does not come without a few strings — and exposure to the ugly side of politics. The Reverend wants a puppet that he can control to run the “troubled” out of Haven; and the “troubled” want to be left in peace.

Then there is the Audrey-factor. Audrey, still reeling from the discovery that she is in fact Lucy, was not sure what was going on. It is definitely mind-blowing to find out your entire life is a lie. You are not who you thought you were — and worse yet, you don’t know what you are. As Audrey tried to grasp her new identity, she also came face-to-face with the real FBI Agent Audrey Parker. How does one explain that?!

So both Nathan and Audrey were in shock over their respective self-discoveries and they were not sure what it meant for them.

With Nathan and Audrey cocooned in their world of problems, Duke was also rattled by the discovery that there is a society of people with the tattoo that he was told would be the harbinger of his death. He was also right to suspect something was up with Julia, adding her to a list of possible suspects. That creepy vanishing tattoo on her shoulder is definitely not a good sign. That girl is trouble.

Nathan and Audrey’s secrets are out in the open, but what is everyone else hiding? Even Vince and Dave seem to have something they are not sharing. Season two is going to be a rip-roaring adventure with so many tantalizing mysteries left hanging.

What Worked

It was fascinating watching Audrey’s journey to figuring out who she was as she sat on the beach questioning God about the “why’s” of it all. Interestingly, when she said, “Somehow I was here. Is there anything you want to send my way — anything at all? ‘Cause I got to believe you’ve got nothin’ left,” it was Max who answered with, “Sometimes you leave a mark where you’ve been — sometimes the tide just washes it away… But you don’t know ’til you come back, do you?” Audrey may have been Lucy once upon a time, but she does not remember it. However, the evidence that she was there  previously is all around her. Her mark upon Haven has not washed away; and her return has only brought her long-lasting imprint back to the surface. Everyone remembers her. They just don’t tell her. That is why she is equally welcomed with such ease and shunned by someone. Audrey is remembered. It is just a shame that she does not remember who she was.

Mirroring Audrey’s loss of self-identity was Nathan’s journey. He went from being completely emotionally cut-off from everyone, to being the one that now everyone will turn to. Thus, watching him as he continued to try to figure out what Audrey means to him was delightful. Nathan is not sure if he is in love with her, but he knows he cares about her. He was worried that she was not sleeping well and that she was too distracted to even focus on the latest “trouble”-related case. Sending her home was obviously hard — he looked as if he was having separation anxiety — but he still cared enough to let her go so that she could work through whatever she was not yet ready to talk about. For as he perfectly knew, Audrey would normally be all over something as freaky and weird as the lighthouse falling down. Thus, for that to not hold her attention, whatever was bothering her was something that Nathan needed to worry about. He was not just mirroring her, he was becoming linked to her and whatever affected her, affected him.

Also not immune, Duke sensed Audrey’s pain and distraction. But when she resisted talking about it, he astutely guessed that she wanted to talk to Nathan about it first. When Audrey admitted it, Duke softly asked, “Do I have to like that?” and Audrey firmly replied, “Today, yeah.” Duke innately senses that he will always take second place to Nathan and is not happy about it. But whatever is going on between Nathan and Audrey, it feels destined and no one can come between something preordained.

Nathan and Audrey clearly have something that is nearly electric between them. It was palpable when Audrey forcefully pushed Nathan against his desk to tell him that the Chief was his father, no matter what — and even more so, when she took Nathan’s hand to return the Chief’s badge. Seeing his trembling hand as she held it, Audrey curiously said, “You felt that?” To which Nathan ruefully admitted, “Yeah, I can feel you.” She then asked, “How long have you known?” and with a small smile Nathan cryptically said, “Awhile. I wasn’t sure what to think about it.” Nathan and Audrey may not know what to think, but their chemistry is undeniable.

Then, while Duke may have been short-changed in getting the girl — he lost Audrey to Nathan and Julia turned out to be a potential traitor — Duke did get the funnier moments of the night with his quip about liking Audrey better when she was in the cupcake room, as well as his ecstatic reaction to finding out that Max was dead. His jubilant exclamation, “Oh, did somebody take care of my little problem? . . . They did! Thank you!” was priceless. Plus, when he heard what happened to Max, he incredulously said, “He was swallowed by a crack in the ground.” It was very funny. A nice respite from the increasingly volcanic surprises throughout the episode.

Then just when one thought the mystery of Audrey Parker was finally revealed, a woman showed up who said, “My name is Special Agent Audrey Parker — who the hell are you?”

It is going to be hell waiting for the second season, but definitely worth the wait.

What Didn’t Work

Talk about hanging-chads, in addition to the major cliff-hangers, there were so many other storylines that were dropped, like: Why was Duke carrying flowers and a pineapple when he ran into Max on his boat? Why was Dave so terrified of Max? What friends was Max referring to? Does Vince have an ability? Did Julia have anything to do with her mother’s death? Why is she always eavesdropping on personal conversations? Where did the second shape-shifter go? We can only hope that the second season addresses some of these teasing mysteries.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

“Spiral” was written by Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn, and directed by Fred Gerber. “Haven” stars Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, and Eric Balfour. “Haven” airs Fridays at 10:00 pm ET on Syfy.

Related article:  http://rabiddoll.com/node/1521/haven-spiral.html