So we had many many many revelations last time – so where do we go from here?
We open in a disaster zone – lots of things burning, lots of chaos and fear and soot stained Duke in a white tank-top (every cloud has a silver lining). William has struck again – before this woman remembered her trip to Hawaii and had sand in her shoes – now she conjures a volcano (I’d go with the volcano – I hate sand in my shoes).
Audrey and Nathan go back to her place where Nathan wants to be lovey-dovey and Audrey is more concerned with who William thinks she is and all the chaos he’s causing. Nathan manages to be very distracting.
The next morning, Audrey wakes up to find her flat drastically changed (and she’s sleeping on the floor), the Gull is a baitshop and her car is missing. Damn Troubles – as she mutters and grumbles walking into town bare foot and in her pyjamas. Thankfully she sees a passing police car – out of which steps Duke. In uniform. And he doesn’t recognise her or know her.
He takes her into town while Audrey tries to convince him something Haven-y has happened (which he also doesn’t seem to know about) but he’s actually investigating a case of vandalism – something which the old Haven PD never had time for. She sees Vince and Dave and they have the same amnesia and assure her there has never ever been any Trouble in Haven (and are horrified that Audrey’s clothes means Haven has its first homeless person). The Troubles are gone.
Audrey gets checked out in a hospital at Duke’s insistence. Before seeing the doctor she questions Duke no-one has heard of Nathan. The new chief of police in weird Haven is Duke’s father who is, presumably, less murderous. And the doctor is a Dr. Hanson – Nathan; because Nathan’s biological father is Max Hanson, in this reality he was never adopted by chief Wuornos. She quickly adapts everything she’s said so she doesn’t end up in a psych ward. She gets the all clear and Dr. Nathan is called to an emergency. Audrey follows and runs into… William. Who isn’t affected by the amnesia.
William denies he’s done anything (quite the opposite, he finds the new Haven dreadfully boring) but, like Audrey, he is immune to the Troubles. He needs to bring the Troubles back if he wants Audrey to remember the past self in which she is in love with him (see my nifty little recap there?). Audrey isn’t going to help him though, even seeing Nathan with a family – she’s not going to bring the Troubles back and cause all the problems again. William has no such compunction and warns her if he brings the Troubles back he won’t be delicate about it.
And he starts that by going to menace Vince and Dave (who are horrified by Audrey thinking she represents a plague of “bag ladies” coming to their town)
Audrey goes to Duke to warn him that death destruction and mayhem at William’s hands is on the way and Duke… doesn’t believe odd pyjama lady; though he does suspect she may be an undercover cop since he looked up Audrey Parker and found, of course, an FBI agent. Then he gets a call telling him that Haven has had its first murder in decades – and starts believing Audrey (because it’s Haven and logic is never its strong point). Of course he takes strange Audrey to the crime scene
Where Vince and Dave have been murdered. And on Dave’s hand Duke finds a long, blonde hair; just like Audrey’s. Duke arrests her as she protests that William set her up.
Questioning at the police station, and Audrey tells her the truth. Which, naturally, sounds utterly ridiculous and delusional. No he doesn’t believe her, that would be a stretch even for Haven. But Duke does get a call reporting another body – this deceased is William’s last experiment (the Hawai’i volcano lady). Shockingly, this explanation doesn’t please Duke and he leaves her in the interview room.
Duke arrives on the crime scene meeting Nathan (the first time they’ve met since they were kids – which seems odd for such a small town and their very social professions). Nathan has no sense of humour, Duke has a lot of patience. The woman is dead with a broken neck and “not her” carved into her forehead. Duke also finds fibreglass under her fingernails. Time of death gives Audrey an alibi though.
Meanwhile, in a cell Audrey gets a visit from her “lawyer”, William – and the police ignore her objections because he has told them she’s delusional. Law enforcement in Haven is really really bad at their job. William has killed everyone he thought of and he is just bad at investigating – and hates doing it anyway. But Audrey? Audrey is really good at it – he wants her help or he will get to killing people again, especially people she cares about. Yes, William is really dedicated to winning her heart.
Audrey is released and she makes a b-line for Nathan’s house to see if he’s ok and William hasn’t started slicing and dicing. She finds Nathan ok – but his family are missing and he gets a call from William. Audrey finds the Troubled person, the Hansons get to live. Nathan is obviously upset and angry and doesn’t understand why they can’t go to the police. Audrey begins thinking of how to track down William’s target (rather than tracking down and killing William) which means finding anything that doesn’t fit in fake, perfect Haven. The vandalism Duke was checking on – Nathan confirms that’s new (in between ranting). She looks through the fliers for a local election and finds the man whose face was scratched out in the vandalism and his wife Suzie – who is married to someone entirely different in Audrey’s Haven. Clearly Suzie is the one to talk to.
Oh, did I say clearly? Yeah, only in Haven – another leap of logic abounds!
At the police station, Duke has a tantrum at his fellow officers for letting Audrey go and finds a note from Audrey on his desk listing William’s possible targets – all people Audrey cares about.
Audrey goes to an open house and finds that Suzie is being followed around by Cliff, the man she is married to in Audrey’s Haven. He is confused and, yes, Troubled. Suzie, his wife, was hurt in the volcano and died later – in response to which Cliff wished for the Troubles to go away. But, as his family always said, there’s a dark side to every wish and he’s afraid to wish for anything else in case there’s any other downside. And no, he doesn’t know what happens to wish Haven if he dies.
Nathan bustles up, asking if they’re going to exchange Cliff for his family – Audrey says no, she’s going to save everyone (of course) and Duke drives up. Audrey rushes over to argue with Duke – and Nathan drives off with Cliff. Duke tells Audrey he believes her (really, Duke? Really? And because he always wanted to live on a boat? REALLY?) or at least that William is fixated on her.
Nathan delivers Cliff to William – Cliff understands he’d do the same for his wife (at this point I’d add that William isn’t visibly armed and Nathan and Cliff should be able to overpower him). Nathan and his family run away and William gets to work “convincing” Cliff to wish for the old Haven.
Nathan takes his family home but then sets out to help Cliff – he has some level of conscience. Duke and Audrey find William – but he promptly holds them at gun point and disarms Duke. Duke asks to talk – and William shoots him twice. He then apologises to Audrey – what, an attempt to get her to forgive him? Did I mention how badly he’s doing trying to get Audrey to love him?
William again tells Audrey that the people don’t matter (she doesn’t buy that) and drops the bombshell that Audrey made the Troubles. This is why she has to keep going back to Haven. Why she has to deal with them – because Audrey made them. Apparently Agent Howard said the same thing – Audrey goes into full denial. But William knows because Audrey and him made the Troubles together – and it was fun!
Audrey is confused and desperate and begging for patience – or pretending to be, while Nathan sneaks up behind them and grabs the gun Duke dropped. He points the gun at William – and he shoots Cliff.
And Audrey wakes up in bed with Nathan in real Haven – fully dressed in the clothes she wore in fake Haven, which clues Nathan in that something happened. Audrey tells Nathan they need to kill William.
I quite agree.
Audrey checks around – Duke is alive, (and recruited into the kill William brigade), Vince and Dave are alive – but Suzie still died of her injuries and Cliff was shot. William got to him before he had chance to wish Haven untroubled again. Audrey remembers the fibreglass on one of William’s victims as a clue for where William may be. They three of them head out to a boat repair shop (where weed is grown according to Duke)
They find William –kill him! Kill him already! He starts talking about the big secret (why has no-one shot him?) and how Audrey hasn’t told them (why is he still alive?) They have a right to know (pull the trigger already). He continues to monologue about the bad things he and Audrey did together (ye gods why has no-one shot him yet?) And Nathan finally shoots William. Hallelujah!
And Audrey falls down. With an identical gunshot wound. They are connected.
Actually that’s a total lie, because William has been shot in the chest and Audrey’s wound is in her stomach so Nathan could hold the injury without groping her breast – but it’s the thought that counts.
An interesting side plot - and it’s well and truly established that William is evil and we have some definite development on the meta. Some answers feel almost like they’re coming! Almost.
I do have to give William props for being a quality villain because he just doesn’t look like a villain and he has this silly, light, casual demeanour that is more than a little disturbing. The jarring nature of it really makes for a quality villainous role.