Re: "Haven" (new SyFy series starring Emily Rose) - Discussion & Spoil
Oy, that was boring! This canned FOTW format is really killing the show. The only elements I give a flip about are the teeny glimpses of emerging mythology - Audrey's search for her mom, the reasons why Nathan and Duke hate each other (the fight scene was fun, even if it did also seem like a duel of bad acting), and the threat that "the troubles" might re-emerge. Fortunately I have my zapper to help get thru the rest. It's amazing how easy it is to follow the stories while fast-forwarding three quarters of it.
The fact that I can follow a story on ff proves this show is too thin (and predictable). It needs to be building up its "density" much more quickly. We need more of a sense that the town is crammed with people with nutty abilities or the potential to have nutty abilities, that might break out at any moment. They can't just be people who manifest abilities and then sail away out of the story forever.
There needs to be more threatening characters - the cat lady, the town drunk, the recluse with something nasty buried in the cellar - all of whom are supernaturally dangerous or could be. Deputy Dull should know all about those folks and be warning Audrey about them.
Duke shouldn't just be a genial smuggler, but someone who could - or who has - killed people in the past. Maybe he killed someone who in retrospect was one of those dangerous, supernatural folks, which is why local law enforcement covered it up and continues to tolerate him. If Duke felt like he was surrounded by freaks, it would either be kill to survive or scram, and he doesn't seem like the scramming sort.
Generally, the show needs to jettison the cutesy-poo approach and start building up some serious existential dread.
