The SyFy Channel’s new show “Haven” is essentially “The X-Files” if that show was set in one location and Fox Mulder was a spunky blonde, and instead of a doubting Dana Scully you have a doubting Detective who can’t feel pain.
Emily Rose stars in “Haven” as FBI Agent Audrey Parker, an agent who tends to let her intuition for the strange guide her on cases, something that has gotten her into trouble with the Bureau. Basically, the kind of FBI Agent that only exists on TV shows. Parker is an immensely cute and loveable agent (she’s also very smart, determined, and takes no shit), who as the pilot opens is sent to the small town of Haven, Maine to investigate the death of a wanted federal fugitive. There, she teams up with local Detective Nathan Wuornos (Lucas Bryant), whose father is also the town’s chief of police. And oh yeah, Nathan has some strange disease that prevents him from feeling pain. As in, at all. It also tends to make him come across as kind of boring, that whole lack of feeling thing being a major handicap to an outgoing personality and all.
Parker’s investigation into the federal fugitive leads her into the company of various Haven oddballs, including the roguish Duke Crocker (Eric Balfour, by far the show’s biggest name). Needless to say, there’s a lot going on in Haven than meets the eye, and before all is said and done, Audrey Parker has found herself a town where nothing is what it seems, and excitement (and danger) looms around every corner. Meaning, it’s perfect for a girl willing to believe in the stranger side of life. Plus, the town holds secrets about her past and, perhaps, her destiny that is too hard to resist.
Shows like “Haven” lives and dies by its lead, and the producers have chosen wisely in relative newcomer Emily Rose. I’ve always been a sucker for spunky blondes with kickass ability, and Rose certainly meets all the criteria. She makes the show work, and the fact that she’s a fresh face only adds to the appeal. Lucas Bryant as Wuornos is interesting, as is Eric Balfour as Crocker. There are three strong actors here, and that’s a major plus for a show that’s going to have to depend a lot on personality in what appears to be a “supernatural mystery of the week” formula.
“Haven” is based on the Stephen King novel “The Colorado Kid”, although I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a FBI agent in the story. In fact, the only real holdover from the novel seems to be two bickering reporters and a dead body. The pilot features a guest turn by genre vet Nicole de Boer (“The Dead Zone”), and is an intriguing set-up to an ongoing series. Overall, I enjoyed the pilot, and will definitely be checking in to the town of Haven again and again in the weeks to come.
CAST: Emily Rose … Audrey Parker
Eric Balfour … Duke Crocker
Lucas Bryant … Nathan Wuornos
