Review: Haven, S3, Ep. 303 – “The Farmer”
Air Date: Friday, October 5, 2012, 10/9c on Syfy
Rating:
“I choose not to give in to my fate.” —Duke
What do you do when you think you only have “46 days” left before you vanish? Audrey (Emily Rose) learned in last week’s episode from her friend Duke (Eric Balfour) that “The Hunter” is a meteor storm that occurs every 27 years and the last time it happened, Audrey (who was Lucy at that time) disappeared. How will Audrey spend her potentially final days in Haven?
“The Farmer” grabs you and takes you on an emotional and jarring ride. Starting with Duke trying to get through to a stubborn Audrey and then a grizzly crime scene, it appears like things in Haven are getting more chaotic as “The Hunter” approaches. I love how the writers are challenging us to think outside the box with the curious cases of “the troubled” in Haven they are dishing out this season.
Observations:
Nathan (Lucas Bryant, L) along with Audrey (Emily Rose, R) and the new stranger Tommy (guest star Dorian Missick, standing) go to the local fertility clinic to find answers on the ‘organ stealing’ killer.
The case this week is troubling (no pun intended). Harry’s (guest star David W. Keeley) “trouble” is literally killing his own offspring for organs. It’s unsettling how he manipulated a fertility clinic years ago to ensure he would have enough standby relatives to harvest organs from later in life. Father of the year award for this guy, right? The way he harvests the organs is disturbing and left me gagging.
***
Nathan (Lucas Bryant) is understandably concerned when Audrey tells him about “The Hunter,” but I think there’s an underlying something gnawing at him because he knows it was Duke who figured it out first. Their bromance is being thoroughly tested right now and I think before the 46 days are over, there will be more brawls between these two longtime friends. And is it me, or does Nathan seem a bit too nonchalant at the first crime scene? He casually mentions the alternative way in which the victim’s lungs were potentially extracted from their body. (Anyone got a throat lozenge?)
***
Dorian Missick as Tommy Bowen
There is a new stranger in town. Detective Tommy Bowen (guest star Dorian Missick) hails from Boston but he’s tracking down a sadistic serial killer. Tommy is smart but he tosses threats around like he’s aiming at a dunking booth. While I’m pleased to see Haven gain another savvy cop, I’ve got concerns about Tommy. He asks for Nathan and Audrey to be on the up and up when it appears he’s the one holding out. And when he realizes what Nathan told him about the “troubles” happening in Haven is actually true, he doesn’t seem too out of sorts. Yes, he is surprised when he sees Harry’s weird suction tube tongue, but he doesn’t go all crazy. I’ve seen some strange things in life and there are a few times that I overreacted to what I was seeing. I think that’s what gives me pause about Tommy. Is he hiding something? What is he really doing in Haven?
***
Pictured: (l-r) Lucas Bryant as Nathan Wuornos, Emily Rose as Audrey Parker, Eric Balfour as Duke Crocker Dorian Missick as Tommy Bowen
The other big part of “The Farmer” is Audrey’s dilemma and how she’s coping with it. If I were a woman with such a short time left in a city I’ve grown to love and have a man that I care for deeply, I would be trying to find a way to save myself. I wouldn’t be pushing anyone away. Both Nathan and Duke try to appeal to the fighter in Audrey in this regard but it almost seems like she’s given up. But then she does something that surprises me. When she puts Duke in a supremely disturbing and compromising position, I’m shocked. It’s not like Audrey. While I understand her motives, I still can’t believe she does it. Killing one troubled person to save many is a good thing but where do you draw the line? Rose’s performance is compelling. The look in her eyes when she reveals her idea to Duke is pleading. To put a close friend in a compromising predicament in an almost premeditated manner seems very…shady. I wonder how Lucy handled the impending meteor storm and her dwindling time. Balfour’s portrayal of a friend betrayed is outstanding. His icy silence resonates through the screen when he ignores Audrey during the bar scene. The acting is one of the main reasons this series appeals to me so much – you actually feel like you were standing behind the bar watching these two have a contemptuously, nearly, wordless conversation.
***
I am still not sure about Dr. Callahan’s (Bree Williamson) role in the series but I’ll play along. I find it strange and a bit unrealistic when a resistant Audrey opens up to Callahan shortly after an argument with Nathan. It’s only the third episode of the season but I guess with Audrey having a limited amount of time remaining, it’s now or never, right?
***
I’m very anxious to see Missick’s role grow and develop. I wonder if Tommy has anything to do with the mysterious stranger who kidnapped Audrey. Or perhaps Tommy was sent to Haven to find and report on Audrey to someone else…perhaps her former FBI handler Agent Howard (Maurice Dean Wint). Rose said it herself in a conference call that I was on to something. I’m patiently (sort of) waiting to find out if I am right.
Tune in to Haven, Fridays at 10/9c only on Syfy.
For more on Haven, go to http://www.syfy.com/haven.
Follow the show on Twitter @Syfy using hashtag #Haven, as well as @EmilyroseLA, @EricBalfour, @davehaven and @vincehaven. For Eric Balfour fans – follow @EricBalfourfans.
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Judy Manning
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