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Haven: Who, What, Where, Wendigo

Audrey: “From now on, Nathan, it’s just you and me.”

Well that was quite the episode! Sometimes things move too quickly in this show for my taste. The writing can be a bit ham-fisted and things that I would have liked to watch slowly unravel are done in a heartbeat. Yet, I come back every week because I want to know what’s in store for the characters. I care about them and the town.

At least now everyone (well, almost everyone) knows they are at war. It looks like a particularly bad idea to get in Audrey’s way. Is that why it was Lucy who Dave saw as the most terrifying thing he could think of? Audrey is obviously on the edge. Who knows which way she might fall?

Weekly Weirdness

I had heard of Wendigos before as part of Algonquin mythology and they have popped up in various movies and other supernatural shows. But in Haven anything can happen, and so this horrible monster that has terrified people for centuries turns out to be a family of little girls. Little girls who crave human flesh but still vulnerable, uncertain and needing adult protection. They find it from Nathan, Audrey and Dwight, but the Reverend, man of god that he is, is very prepared to kill one of them (or all) and feels justified in doing so because he has declared himself the final arbitrator of evil. This after one of the girls clearly indicates her humanity and compassion by freeing him. Again, the question appears to be, who is really the monster?

Overarching mystery

Well we learned that the Reverend had many of the answers to our mystery but Audrey literally killed that source of information. Duke is as central to the whole mystery as Audrey and Nathan but we knew that as well. He is supposed to save the town--but what does that mean? The Reverend’s definition was wiping out all the people who were troubled. I will be very disappointed if that is the route Duke takes. Speaking of the Reverend, if he was the centre of things will everything change now that he is dead? Or was he just the middleman for others? We only have two episodes to find out. Or perhaps next season. Or the next. I do like mysteries but I get frustrated when they get too drawn out. I know this seems to contradict my point above about moving too quickly but I think there is some middle ground of optimum suspense and many shows miss the mark. I want this show to get it right.

Characters and Relationships

Audrey is strung out, on caffeine, on post-break-up blues, on post-traumatic stress from last week’s lockdown. She looked frail and edgy. I can’t decide if she was quite rational when she shot the Reverend. Was she protecting Duke from that door he might kick open, was she protecting the troubled or was she just tired of being threatened? Duke is in a similarly fragile place. He has lost Evi and now he has lost his source of information and the subject of his revenge. Would he really have shot a young girl or is he just annoyed at Audrey? He seems to have walked away from the triangle. Nathan doesn’t seem to know what to do. The end scene where he looked at Audrey was almost painful. They looked so awkward and forlorn just standing there.

Bits and Pieces

I continue to love Dave and Vince. On at least two occasions they were left to fend for themselves. I was afraid we were going to lose them.

Dwight had a daughter Lizzie. She obviously died before her ninth birthday. I wonder when and how and if that is what brought on Dwight’s trouble. I loved that Dwight was willing to sacrifice himself even if it would have been pretty gruesome.

The Reverend was extra creepy this week. There is no doubt that he was about to go on a killing spree but I wonder if there was another way that Audrey could have stopped him?

Quotes

Nathan: “I didn’t just go through a break-up.”
Audrey: “You did just get demoted, there was anarchy at the police station and the new police chief died right in front of you.”
Nathan: “Ya, But I didn’t just go through a break-up.”

Audrey: “Guess when you look like a Viking, people just believe what you tell ’em.”

Dwight: “A kid is missing, barely is enough.”

Audrey: “Creepy and invisible, not my favourite combination.”

Dwight: “Nothing else looks quite like people being eaten by people.”

Reverend: “We know how to hunt down evil and we know what to do when we find it, unlike you.” (Maybe Audrey proved him wrong).

Nathan: “Two squirrels chattering means they’re having a conversation. This is just one. That means he’s scared of something... large.”
Audrey: “Boy Scouts?”
Nathan: “Moose Hunter magazine.”

Duke: “I feel like I’m on to something big but I don’t know what it is.”
Audrey: “Welcome to the club.”

Audrey: “Some doors you kick open you can never close again.”

Sophie: “I can’t eat you, you’re going to save me.”

Crazy hunter guy: “So what, she’s a monster, he’s a man of god.”

Audrey: “While you’re looking for answers, the rest of us, we’re fighting a war.”

3 comments:

  1. Dr- Great review, as always! I too have been thinking that some things are moving along a bit too fast. After this episode my reaction was "Wow, this just got SERIOUS!".
    I hope that Duke and Audrey don't end up on opposite sides of the war, but it sure seems that way. Makes for better drama though, I guess.
    I wonder if Lucy left town because fixing the troubles (or protecting the troubled) turned her into something she didn't want to be. Seems like that is happening to Audrey. I was shocked when she killed the Rev. I expected her to shoot him, but not to kill.
    Did I miss it, or did they gloss over the fact that the kid was willing to kill for his girlfriend - bringing her fresh meat and all?

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  2. Great point about the boyfriend. It did look like he was being taken away by a police officer. I wondered about that as well.

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  3. Interesting that they are exploring a situation with some serious depth. The troubled are victims, but they are also monsters who cause a lot of harm and death. And grue. Yes, they need help, but I wouldn't be so sympathetic if one was after me -- would I? But on the other hand, the Rev was advocating genocide. I bet that's why this week's monsters were big-eyed little girls. It might have come off a bit differently if the Rev had been about to kill someone who looked like, say, Dwight.

    I do like Dwight, but offering that girl his arm and saying, dig in? I just didn't believe it. :)

    I had thought Duke was going undercover. Maybe that's still his intention. I do believe he's deeply unhappy with Audrey. I hope we finally learn more about Audrey in the next couple of episodes.

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