Last year, a remarkable new television series debuted under the auspices of one of the most renown names in horror fiction: Stephen King. Despite the prestigious name associated with it, Syfy’s supernatural series HAVEN debuted quietly and snuck up on everyone. Perhaps because of its quiet introduction, it managed to do the impossible. It unveiled its first season with such a careful and methodical approach that viewers were lulled into a false sense of security. By the end of its first season, fans and viewers only knew one thing for certain – HAVEN was never going to be predictable. It had shattered and exceeded expectations time and time again over the course of its initial thirteen episodes. So much so, that no one knew exactly who the main character Audrey Parker really was in the end. Was she an FBI agent, a shape-shifter, an amnesiac, or something else entirely?
Based on the short story “The Colorado Kid,” by Stephen King, creators Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn, expanded the King story to create a town inhabited by people afflicted with special abilities – or “troubles” as they like to call it. Whether a blessing or a curse – well, mostly a curse – the townsfolk of Haven, Maine sought only to live normal lives. But for some unknown reason, the “troubles” continued to plague them generation after generation.
As seen through the eyes of FBI Agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) sent to investigate what was really going on in Haven, viewers soon discovered that normal was the last thing the people of Haven were. Each seemed to possess a special ability that ranged from telekinesis to things much more strange and freaky than can be imagined. Aided by the town’s local sheriff and his estranged son, Deputy Nathan Wournos (Lucas Bryant), and a rebel smuggler, Duke Crockett (Eric Balfour), Agent Audrey Parker began peeling back the surface of the mysteries of Haven.
But as the first season unfolded, the mysteries became less about the town and the “troubles” and more about Agent Audrey Parker herself. As revealed mid-way through the season, Nathan who had been unable to feel any kind of human contact before in his life, began to feel Audrey’s touch. Overwhelmed and bewildered by this discovery, Nathan hid this fact even from Audrey. There was something about Audrey that made her special – and it was not just the fact that she was the spitting-image of a woman who had visited Haven 27 years earlier when the “troubles” first resurfaced. The fact that Audrey could cure or abate some of the afflicted’s pain and suffering was astounding; and the fact that Nathan could feel her touch and no one else’s was just another piece in an ever expanding puzzle.
There was also the mystery of Nathan’s childhood nemesis Duke Crocker and why he continued to stay in Haven when his skills and ambitions would be better served elsewhere in the world. With each episode the net around Haven seemed to grow tighter and tighter. This was not simply a chain of supernatural events occurring, but rather there was some sort of design in the madness. It was as if something or someone had intertwined all their destinies and was now making sure that each played out perfectly. Caught up in a web not entirely of their own making, Audrey, Nathan and Duke banded together, forging an uneasy alliance, to put an end to the “troubles.” But prophecies and destiny are not so easy dissuaded.
With a climatic and surprising cliff-hanger ending, the first season of HAVEN was simply mesmerizing. It was a shock-and-awe ending that no one saw coming.
It was also the perfect hook to lure viewers back for HAVEN’s second season. Returning on July 15th, and with only two episodes having aired of the current season, HAVEN is once again enchanting us with its labyrinthine stories that serve only to lure us into another fascinating season of mystery.
Making a special appearance at San Diego’s Comic-Con event last week, stars Emily Rose and Eric Balfour took a few moments to talk about the incredible world of HAVEN and what continues to draw them to such an wonderful series. (Below)
For both fans and even the stars of the show themselves, HAVEN is a remarkable series. It is not just a supernatural thriller, it is a mystery that invites viewers to take a extraordinary journey. Trust me when I say, it is a journey not to be missed! Find a way to tune and see for yourself, you won’t be disappointed. HAVEN is a series that tantalizes and teases with mystery and confounds all expectations. Join the fun and discover HAVEN, which airs Friday nights at 10 pm on Syfy. Catch up one past episodes for free at clicktowatch.tv. 
Tiffany Vogt is a contributing writer to TheTVAddict. She has a great love for television and firmly believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored – she invites you to join her. Please feel free to contact Tiffany at Tiffany_Vogt_2000@yahoo.com or follow her at on Twitter (@TVWatchtower).