Harper’s Island – S1E1 – Whap
Watching this episode, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. My only knowledge of the show was that Christopher Gorham was in it, and having loved him in Out of Practice, My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, and Covert Affairs, I figured I would give it a try. After watching the opening, I knew I was in for a bit of a thrill ride. They kick in the suspense from the get go, and it was an entertaining hour of television to watch.
The episode starts with everyone on a boat heading off to an island for the wedding of Trish Wellington and Henry Dunn. Seven years prior, the island was home to a string of murders by a man named Whitfield. It is revealed that those murders are starting up again when we see cousin Ben is tied to the propeller of the boat. What??!?! And then he gets decapitated in like the first 10 minutes of the episode. Abby Mills, the sheriff’s daughter, also returns to the island after 7 years away. She comes back for the wedding, as she is the best friend of Henry Dunn, whom she has known since they were kids. Her mother was also one of the people murdered by Whitfield seven years earlier. Abby seems to not have the greatest relationship with her father. She didn’t even tell him she was there; he found her in the middle of a bar brawl between JD and Shane. Her father seems to desperately want to connect with her, having sent Christmas cards, but he never gets any response. It’s never specified why their relationship is so strained, but my assumption is that it has something to do with her mother’s death. Perhaps she blames him for not catching Whitfield sooner?
Another important character to the episode was Henry’s Uncle Marty. Did not see his death coming at the end. What is Henry going to do now? The only family he has left is the not so stable JD, who, as it turns out, was also Abby’s ex. There is something to be said for the fact that I was a little bit sad that Uncle Marty died. In the short time he was on screen, he came across as a fairly likable guy, and someone who really cared about his nephew.
There were a couple of other characters introduced in this episode as well. Trish has a potential romantic interest, Hunter (aka Coop on Charmed), who keeps texting her. She is still in love with Henry and wants to marry him. Hunter seems to be in cahoots with Trish’s father, possibly to break them up. The other notable couple was Chloe and Cal. Cal spends the episode worrying about whether his ring is big enough to propose to Chloe. After she gets upset with him for nearly killing her in the lake, after she scared him to death, she throws his clothes in the water and he loses the ring. Not sure what’s going to happen with that.
Overall, I liked this pilot. It does a good job of introducing all of the characters, and the suspense of knowing that the killer seems to have returned stays strong throughout the episode. The characters all seem relatively complex, so I anticipate good storylines throughout the season. A pilot’s job is to leave the viewer entertained and wanting more, and I think this one did just that. I look forward to more.
Best Moment:
-Seeing Henry and Abby’s relationship. It’s clear these two are close, and have a past. I enjoyed their scenes together.
Best Quote:
Shep: I think I drank too much. I’m already seasick.
Malcolm: The boat isn’t moving yet.
Watching this episode, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. My only knowledge of the show was that Christopher Gorham was in it, and having loved him in Out of Practice, My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, and Covert Affairs, I figured I would give it a try. After watching the opening, I knew I was in for a bit of a thrill ride. They kick in the suspense from the get go, and it was an entertaining hour of television to watch.
The episode starts with everyone on a boat heading off to an island for the wedding of Trish Wellington and Henry Dunn. Seven years prior, the island was home to a string of murders by a man named Whitfield. It is revealed that those murders are starting up again when we see cousin Ben is tied to the propeller of the boat. What??!?! And then he gets decapitated in like the first 10 minutes of the episode. Abby Mills, the sheriff’s daughter, also returns to the island after 7 years away. She comes back for the wedding, as she is the best friend of Henry Dunn, whom she has known since they were kids. Her mother was also one of the people murdered by Whitfield seven years earlier. Abby seems to not have the greatest relationship with her father. She didn’t even tell him she was there; he found her in the middle of a bar brawl between JD and Shane. Her father seems to desperately want to connect with her, having sent Christmas cards, but he never gets any response. It’s never specified why their relationship is so strained, but my assumption is that it has something to do with her mother’s death. Perhaps she blames him for not catching Whitfield sooner?
Another important character to the episode was Henry’s Uncle Marty. Did not see his death coming at the end. What is Henry going to do now? The only family he has left is the not so stable JD, who, as it turns out, was also Abby’s ex. There is something to be said for the fact that I was a little bit sad that Uncle Marty died. In the short time he was on screen, he came across as a fairly likable guy, and someone who really cared about his nephew.
There were a couple of other characters introduced in this episode as well. Trish has a potential romantic interest, Hunter (aka Coop on Charmed), who keeps texting her. She is still in love with Henry and wants to marry him. Hunter seems to be in cahoots with Trish’s father, possibly to break them up. The other notable couple was Chloe and Cal. Cal spends the episode worrying about whether his ring is big enough to propose to Chloe. After she gets upset with him for nearly killing her in the lake, after she scared him to death, she throws his clothes in the water and he loses the ring. Not sure what’s going to happen with that.
Overall, I liked this pilot. It does a good job of introducing all of the characters, and the suspense of knowing that the killer seems to have returned stays strong throughout the episode. The characters all seem relatively complex, so I anticipate good storylines throughout the season. A pilot’s job is to leave the viewer entertained and wanting more, and I think this one did just that. I look forward to more.
Best Moment:
-Seeing Henry and Abby’s relationship. It’s clear these two are close, and have a past. I enjoyed their scenes together.
Best Quote:
Shep: I think I drank too much. I’m already seasick.
Malcolm: The boat isn’t moving yet.