Haven: 301 An Empty Grave Plot, Aliens and Audrey’s Abduction Means Prepare For The Troubles!

Hey Haven fans!

After waiting nine months since the stand alone “Silent Night” Christmas episode, I was more than pleased with the first episode of the third season of Haven, “301”, superbly written by Jonathan Abrahams with outstanding direction by industry veteran Lee Rose.

So much so that this reviewer gives the “301” episode a straight “A” for entertainment excellence in bringing viewers back to share “The Troubles” in town!

The reasons for enjoying the program are not from having met some of the cast and publicists at former Comic-Con events in San Diego, it is because of the superb writing and script supervision by Nora Zuckerman and Lilla Zuckerman, two of the most talented screenwriters in the entertainment business.

As discussed in our exclusive interview with the Zuckerman’s, these talented ladies help create riveting dialog and story arcs that make the gifted Haven cast shine in every scene!

United States viewers no doubt agree with this assessment since Haven “301” garnering some two million viewers all gleefully watching the third season premiere! No small feat, according to Syfy, viewership was up six percent over the July season two premiere!

Well done Syfy Havenites! Let’s all escape to Haven every Friday night at 10 PM E/P!

As we recall from the season two cliff hanger, Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) was being knocked out at her apartment after being hit at point blank range with Taser darts.

All were left wondering who was responsible for wanting to harm Audrey, why was she abducted, and for what ultimate purpose?

This reviewer concluded that Audrey was to go missing to help unite the often obstreperous townspeople of Haven with a common bond, find Audrey!

This factor was excellently reinforced by the series creators and imparted to Nathan Wuornos (Lucas Bryant) by his deceased father Chief Wuornos (Nicholas Campbell) during the season two finale “Sins of Our Fathers”. Chief Wuornos clearly stated “You have got to keep her (Audrey) alive, do you understand me?”

It is obvious to all Havenites that “We Are the Guard” are coming! We need your help to protect Audrey from “The Colorado Kid” and save Haven from “The Troubles” which have erupted in full force in 2012!

In the meantime, Vince Teagues (Richard Donat) and his brother Dave (John Dunsworth) were at each other’s throats.

The two brothers are not only at odds about the status of the Haven Herald as a news outlet.

Both are observed arguing about the significance of the harrowing sequence at the graveyard in “Sins of Our Fathers” when many dead townspeople appeared like ghosts to warn everyone about what was come.

The last climactic moment of “Sins of Our Fathers” occurred when Duke Crocker (Eric Balfour) and Nathan (Lucas Bryant), suffering from “The Troubles” and sporting a new tattoo, got into a knock down drag out fight because Nathan suspected Duke was involved with Audrey’s disappearance.

The dramatic sequence ended with a fade to black sound of a gunshot as the two were fighting seemingly to the death!

This reviewer must confess that it appeared that one of our two series protagonists was to be eliminated from the series to make way for exciting new guest stars including the lovely and talented actresses Kate Kelton and Bree Williamson as well as making way for handsome WWE Superstar “Edge” (Adam Copeland) as a recurring series character known as Dwight Hendrickson!

One of the best parts for non series fans to become admirers of the series, are the long lead in video introduction segments to “The Troubles” that have occurred in the first two seasons of Haven.

The fast paced clips in the opening moments of “301” provide new viewers with insight into the Haven happenings, including the recently documented fact that Audrey Parker had been Lucy Ripley some twenty-seven years previously in another life!

Also wonderful are the fabulous promotional trailers about Haven provided by the great team at Syfy so that admirers of this outstanding supernatural science fiction program can gain understanding into the story arc and what is about to come in season three of Haven!

We humbly thank Syfy, Entertainment One, and all creators, cast and crews from the Haven team for making these enjoyable videos available to increase everyone’s understanding of “The Troubles” as well as the fun adventure we are embarking on in Haven season three!

301:

Fortunately, the elimination of either Nathan or Duke as series characters was not to be the case! The gun shot all viewers heard was a misfire as a result of the fight between these two friends of Audrey.

What saved Duke from literally kicking the tar out of Nathan was some of “The Troubles” that plague Haven. Some sort of odd magnetic interference broke the spell on Nathan allowing Duke to get Nathan to accept the fact that he was not involved with Audrey’s disappearance.

Nathan, now able to feel emotion with Audrey upon occasion, had been overly belligerent with Duke. Since we learned that he had fallen in love with Audrey last season after an event that changed his emotional detachment into an obsession of being in love with Audrey, he naturally suspected Duke of involvement having learned that Duke’s family had been eliminating people with “The Troubles” for many generations in Haven.

 

For new viewers, one must recall that Duke can temporarily obtain superhuman strength when blood of a troubled person touches him. Nathan inquires, and Duke confesses about his supernatural powers.

Just as Dukes eyes glow, throwing Nathan across the room, a magnetic interference sweeps Haven causing the gun which Duke was reaching for to be whisked to the ceiling in the same manner that all metal objects in the vicinity. This was a most effective visual effects sequence that broke the tension between the two, causing them to stop fighting.

In the opinion of this reviewer, the circumstances surrounding Audrey’s disappearance will bring Duke and Nathan closer, rather than as adversaries the two have been in the past. A question we must ask is whether or not Duke will rise to the occasion and give up his life of smuggling and truly become a model citizen in Haven? I suggest you do not hold your breath on that one!

As Nathan and Duke come to terms with Audrey’s apparent kidnapping, the scene switch’s to our series heroine Audrey. She is restrained and duct taped at the mouth secured up against a support post in some basement, most likely in Haven.

An eerie light and footsteps approach. At this point there is no doubt that Audrey has been kidnapped.

Shining a flashlight in Audrey’s face, the evil man (Tim Post) exclaims “you think you’re the only one who loved the Colorado Kid?”, “I am going to ask you one more time, where is the Colorado Kid?”!! As the beginning sequence concludes, Audrey exclaims “Go to hell!” after the duct tape was was stripped from her mouth.

After the introduction music, the magnetic wave passes, with the gun landing directly in Duke’s hand.

Duke explains that his whistle was planted in Audrey’s apartment to divert Nathan to go after Duke allowing the kidnapper to make good his escape! In a show of good faith, Duke hands the gun to Nathan, ending the confrontation.

Segue to a man hole cover embedded in the hood of a truck, Dwight and Duke engage in some banter about the last time they were together when Duke threw him from the ship. Nathan tells them to knock it off, informing Dwight that Audrey is missing.

Dwight reveals the magnetic disturbance lifted all metal objects in town several hundred feet into the air accounting for the man hole cover embedding. As Dwight explains that he has informed the townspeople that it was a faulty gas line explosion, Nathan tells Dwight and Stan the Cop (Glen Lefchak) to handle the situation while he and Duke investigate the latest manifestation of “The Troubles” in our bewitched, yet beloved town of Haven.

Just prior to leaving, Stan informs Nathan that another woman, Roslyn Toomey (Deborah Tennant) was also abducted. We will find later out this woman is related to “The Troubles” in a series of horrifying interim and concluding sequences.

We move to the offices of The Haven Herald where Dave and Vince exhibit their continued antagonism towards each other. Dwight has called Vince Teagues in advance so that the two men meet in the street outside The Haven Herald.  

When Dwight discloses that Audrey is missing, both wonder if Dave has something to do with the situation as blood begins to ooze from Vince’s nose with a “that’s odd” utterance from Vince.

As we come to learn, the magnetic resonance or wave disturbances are being  caused by a troubled young man named Wesley Toomey (Michael Therriault).

We also learn that Wesley is obsessed with alien conspiracy theories as were his forefathers before him.

Apparently Wesley has the power to emanate waves of electromagnetic interference, the cause of the flying metal objects as well as other phenomena that become manifest during the episode.

At this point Duke and visit Wesley at “The Altair Bay Inn” to report that his mother is missing. Wesley appears paranoid stating “they took my mother, there is not much time”. As they enter the premises, a wide trail of blood is observed as Wesley says “I know who did this, aliens!”

Both Nathan and Duke are incredulous as Wesley meticulously explains the situation including the “fast” that his mother must have been picked up by a “light weight shuttle craft!”.

Although Nathan had told Duke to let him to the talking, the scriptwriter Johnathan Abrahams must have had a field day with the sarcastically humorous lines superbly delivered by Eric Balfour!

Grabbing young Wesley behind the neck in a non threatening manner, Duke goes along with Wesley’s alien abduction theory, delivering several well timed lines that the aliens must be watching, and they should all adjourn to the Haven police station where “things are more secure”.

Duke gets Nathan to play along with the charade when he states “we just upgraded”. Wesley agrees to cooperate as Nathan and Duke delineate the reasons for doing so; to determine if Wesley not only “offed’ his mother, but may be involved with Audrey’s kidnapping as well.

Thinking that Wesley will cooperate, Duke and Nathan allow him to “lock up” the Altair Bay Inn. Instead Wesley high tails it out of there on his motorcycle for lord knows where with Duke and Nathan in hot pursuit!

The next sequences are both disturbing and haunting. Audrey’s interrogation by the mysterious kidnapper continues including threats of death unless Audrey admits she knows where “The Colorado Kid” is.

Roslyn informs Audrey that the kidnapper, whose voice we only hear and never clearly see, had asked her repeatedly about “The Colorado Kid”. Just what the heck is going on here, who is the mysterious bad guy, and why is he obsessed with “The Colorado Kid”?

As we can observe from the smooth camera panning, Audrey and Wesley’s mother are being held in the basement of “The Altair Bay Inn”, precisely where Duke and Nathan had found Wesley.

Stephen King fans will definitely recall that the name of “The Altair Bay Inn” is an homage from his book “The Tommyknockers” which referred to an alien planet of the same name, hence the tie in to the “aliens” which appear in the episode.

Science fiction buffs will also recall that the name “Altair” was referred to in the classic 1956 science fiction MGM Studios movie “Forbidden Planet”. Doctor Edward Morbius’ (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter named “Altaira” (Anne Francis) lived on the fictional alien planet named “Altair IV”. 

As Duke and Nathan are chasing Wesley, something has caused a larger magnetic disturbance that includes knocking out the electrical systems in the patrol truck, but also affects the cell phone system. Wesley has made good his escape with Nathan and Duke thinking that perhaps aliens were involved.

At this point in the story arc, we are also treated to a touching scene when Duke informs Nathan that he understands that Nathan is in love with Audrey. Nathan admits the reason, he can only feel things with Audrey; “She’s the only one”.

Suddenly, Nathan is upended, literally dragged face down through the brush as Duke run’s after him.

They both end up in what appears to be a crop circle with stunned looks on their faces as Duke exclaims “You may want to reconsider your stance on aliens!”

A top down visual accentuates the scene delighting this reviewer as well as some two million others who watched on Syfy! Bravo!

Unknown to Duke and Nathan, Wesley’s “trouble” has affected the entire town of Haven with what seems to be an alien invasion. Overhead is a rumbling sound whooshing through the air. As Nathan and Duke look upwards from the crop circles, what appears to be an alien craft is observed moving left to right on the screen.

For goodness sakes, can anyone say “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” are looming up just around the bend in “The Twilight Zone” of Haven!?!

As the alien craft moves off we pan back to “The Altair Bay Inn” where multiple objects crash violently into Haven township nearby!

Trapped in the basement, Audrey is frightened and continues her conversation with Wesley’s mother Roslyn about how the kidnapper. An oil lantern is knocked to the floor from the object crashing nearby causing a fire.

Our heroine Audrey, despite being restrained, never gives up  managing to knock down a large bag of soil to thankfully extinguish the fire.

We observe that Audrey is able to use her bare feet to drag a piece of glass from the lantern that will facilitate her escape.

While the magnetic disruption fades, Duke and Nathan are able to start the patrol to track down Wesley at his house. Upon arrival they handcuff Wesley to the patrol truck to stop him from escaping again.

Dwight is there and delivers a fun line; “He (Wesley) is a few clubs short of a full set” as Vince Teagues walks up, followed shortly thereafter by Dave Teagues. The two at odds brother exchange quips about who is doing what, and whom is involved with whom as the five enter Wesley’s house which is covered wall to wall with alien related news articles.

It is here we learn that we learn how everything that has been happening in Haven has occurred, including the magnetic disturbances, crashing objects, and a police officer being dragged by his legs. All was documented in previous news articles!

The light comes on in everyone’s head simultaneously that Wesley is the cause of it all. That Wesley has “troubles” that can manifest all of the alien occurrences triggered by the apparently unrelated kidnapping of his mother Roslyn.

Back at “The Altair Bay Inn” Audrey uses the broken glass to escape. She is bleeding from handling the glass sharing with Roslyn “I wish I was Nathan right now”, “He’s better with pain than I am”.

As blood oozes from her wrists trying to cut her binding ropes, and with tears in her eyes, the bond between Roslyn and Audrey grows as she shares details about Nathan being her partner, her life and “The Troubles” when suddenly Roslyn comes under attack by the kidnapper, forcing Audrey to say she will tell details about “The Colorado Kid”!

With “The Troubles” in full swing, Wesley relates that his grandfather was kidnapped by the aliens, that “The Troubles” are a myth, but what is a happening is “science”! Duke calls Wesley crazy while Dwight looks on in disbelief!

Audrey completes cutting the ropes, finds a metal scythe and tries looking for Roslyn but instead finds a telephone at “The Altair Bay Inn”. Audrey promptly calls Nathan who is still with Wesley at his alien abduction center house.

An alien “Mother Ship” suddenly appears overhead whooshing by!

Dwight sincerely says he can begin evacuating houses nearby, when Duke delivers another great line; “That’s it?”, “You’re just going to let this happen?” Nathan says he has a plan ready to go!

Nathan, Duke, and Dwight rush over to “The Altair Bay Inn” with Wesley in tow. After trying to convince Wesley, to no avail, that his mother was not abducted by aliens, tragically, they all rush outside when they smell burning human flesh.

In an outdoor hearth, Wesley’s mother Roslyn is cooking, not over the coals, but is inside the fire pit being BBQ’d! The look on Audrey’s face is absolutely horrific!

Despite Audrey promising to find the perpetrator, Wesley is convinced that his mother was victimized by the aliens; “(humans) they cannot harvest”. Wesley promptly goes into a full blown hysteria.

The net result of finding Mom BBQ’d, is that “The Troubles” with Wesley cause an alien craft to appear hovering directly overhead as Duke pleads with Wesley “Do not do this!”

Sorry, it is too late Duke!

Heading inside Wesley indicates he can use his grandfather’s equipment to interrupt the aliens “navigational system temporarily”.

Nathan is none too pleased with the word “temporary”. Audrey instead uses her intuition and wisdom about “The Troubles” to try and placate Wesley.

Nathan realizes that the 1983 disappearance of the grandfather was related to allowing himself to use his “trouble” to save Haven.

In the exciting dramatic supernatural sequences leading to the episodes conclusion, Wesley is finally convinced that his grandfather must have acted with the same situation and saved Haven by beaming up into the “alien ship.”

Now in a state of full blown psychosis, Wesley’s’ troubles cause the front door of “The Altair Bay Inn” to be blasted open with an alien transporter light beam shining brightly right outside.

Wesley moves outside voluntarily. His experience with “The Troubles” cause him to be “beamed up” to be with his grandfather! The alien ship is observed disappearing fading off into the Haven night sky.

As this outstanding episode winds down to a conclusion, Duke and Nathan have words outside. Nathan states that he saw the “look in your eye” that he wanted to end “The Troubles” with Wesley by killing him, just as his forefathers had done. Duke retorts that “You’re a hypocrite Nathan”.

As they two part company, with Duke thinking hard about being like his father, prone to simply killing people with “The Troubles”, the friction between the two main series characters is “restored” now that Audrey is safe.

In the final touching moments of “301”, Audrey shares with Nathan about the horrifying experience being held captive, that her abductor told her he knew she was Lucy Ripley, that she knew “The Colorado Kid”  and that she would remember things about Lucy’s life, including events, people and feelings.

The most terrifying thought was that “The Colorado Kid” was still alive clearly indicating we will learn more about the mysterious character in coming season three episodes!

Additional questions were raised in “301” when Vince and Dave show up to say “Thank God you’re alright” that Audrey was alive. Audrey grills the two about “The Colorado Kid”, specifically whether he is still alive and if she was in love with him. Dave says they do not know, while Vince says no, he helped bury “The Colorado Kid” in grave plot “301” at Potter’s Field, hence the origin of the episodes name.

Audrey demands to see the grave as Vince and Dave agree to bury the hatchet of conflict because Audrey’s abductor “is still out there”. Nathan convinces her to wait until the next morning so she can get some rest.

More questions are posed in the final sequence. We observe Dwight, Nathan, Vince, Dave and Audrey are at the grave site exhuming the corpse of “The Colorado Kid”.  Dwight comments about Nathan’s tattoo that people with that mark “are not all good’.

Audrey is on the phone questioning the forensic analysis indicating that Rosalyn’s body had been burning for at least four hours before she had been found. The timing of Roslyn’s death seemingly makes it impossible for Rosalyn to have been talking to Audrey.

As the coffin is opened, everyone including Dave and Vince are shocked to find an empty coffin in grave site “301”. At the bottom of the empty coffin filled with bricks, is a note in Audrey’s own handwriting; “… find him before The Hunter.”

This leads to a final series of questions; Was Audrey’s abductor “The Hunter” referred to in the note? Just how did “The Colorado Kid” escape the coffin alive? Did Audrey (as Lucy Ripley) have anything to do with his escape?

The final jarring moment occurs with a pan back on Haven with somebody using long range binoculars obviously watching the digging up of the coffin!

I close my review of “301” reiterating my grade of a straight “A” for an action packed enigmatic episode that effectively plants all the requisite seeds for a superb third season of Haven that this reviewer is excited and anxious to learn more about!

We hope you enjoy our detailed analysis of one of the finest Haven episodes of all time. We thank Nora and Lilla, in fact everyone who joined us live on You Decide, and the many who have listened subsequently. We also thank you for reading and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency.

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Thank you.

Best Regards,

Kenn