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Review: #Haven , Season 2, Ep. 6 “Audrey Parker’s Day Off” (Will the day never end?)

Air Date: Friday, August 19, 2011 10/9c

Rating ★★★★★

After an evening with Chris (guest star Jason Priestly), Audrey (Emily Rose) awakens to him gently kissing her. It is 7:34 am and all appears to be well in Haven. Of course, the day is young and a lot can happen.

Audrey (Emily Rose) and Chris (guest star Jason Priestly) having a smooch after career day

To avoid the prying eyes of her friend and landlord, Duke (Eric Balfour), Audrey and Chris make a dash to her car. Again Audrey is taking Chris to another work-related errand, this time at the local elementary school for career day. Why can’t Audrey just enjoy one whole day without working? Maybe it’s engrained in her DNA; maybe she’s just one of those people who need to have their time occupied because they would go insane otherwise. In any case, I wish she would try to enjoy one day without worrying about everyone else’s troubles. But it seems that’s easier said than done.

After an evening with Chris, Audrey awakens as he is gently kissing her. It is 7:34 am, and all appears to be well in Haven. Of course, the day is young and a lot can happen. Wait…didn’t this already happen? Could this be déjà vu?

Throughout the episode, the same day repeats itself—resetting for Audrey at around 12 noon—yet each new day has a different victim. First, it’s a young child, next is Duke, then Nathan (Lucas Bryant), and finally Chris. The pain in Audrey’s eyes is palpable as she watches her closest friends die, then wakes to a new day to find they are all still alive and well. Audrey is unaffected by the town’s afflicted citizens, so she’s the only one who can relive the day and remember it. When she shares the story with Nathan, he replies, “You’re stuck in my second favorite Bill Murray movie.”

Nathan (Lucas Bryant) and Audrey (Emily Rose) go back to the school to find the kid with green shoes

“Audrey Parker’s Day Off” is exciting and engrossing. As I watch with eager anticipation of who will die next, I try to figure out the mystery of why the day is repeating. Seeing Audrey’s reactions to each of her friends’ deaths brings you a little closer to the characters. After Duke dies, the day resets. She wakes up and rushes downstairs, giving him a heartfelt embrace. You can see how much she genuinely cares for him. I love when actors make you feel the emotion; it brings that much more believability to the story.

When Nathan is hit, he cannot feel anything (except Audrey’s touch) due to his affliction so he doesn’t realize he has a thick splinter of wood jutting out of his abdomen. As Audrey rushes to his side, he says something so profound and moving, I get chills. “It doesn’t hurt. The only thing I feel is you.”

Their friendship is peppered with Nathan’s growing affection for Audrey but of course, he hasn’t acted on it and now it might be too late since she’s with Chris. But after Chris tells Audrey he postponed going to London for his research grant to stay in Haven with her, the look on her face isn’t elation, but more like surprised concern. It may be the kiss of death for this budding relationship. It’s not that I don’t like Chris; I just don’t think he’s the right person for Audrey. And I’m not even sure if Nathan is the right person for her either, but it’s so endearing how they interact with each other. Nathan hands Audrey his hot cup of coffee for her to test the temperature. He may not be able to feel anything but he still suffers the effects of anything painful, including scalding hot coffee.

After Chris dies and the day resets, Audrey realizes who the troubled person is and tries desperately to correct the sequence of events to prevent anyone from dying again. But in the end, the afflicted guy sacrifices himself to save the lives of many, including his young daughter – the first victim. It was this incident that caused his OCD affliction to trigger a time loop ála Groundhog Day.

Haven is fast becoming one of my favorite TV shows. Each week we are presented with a new and interesting affliction that causes even stranger events. Although not every episode gets my kettle boiling, I still look forward to Friday nights to see what Haven will bring.

Tune in to Haven Fridays at 10/9c only on Syfy.

Follow the show on Twitter @Syfy #Haven

@EmilyroseLA  @ERICBALFOUR  @davehaven and @vincehaven.

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Photos © 2011 NBC Universal/Syfy. All rights reserved.

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.