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RSS'Harper's Island': Gasp! ...Sigh
The titles are very telling of how I reacted to the last two episodes of "Harper's Island."
The recap is going to be a bit different tonight, since we don't have plots and suspects to discuss, nor a wish list for who dies next. For a full run-down of all the deaths, check out our "Harper's Island" Death Gallery.
In Memoriam
We lost 4 little Indians tonight plus John Wakefield. I was sad to see Trish, Danny and Sully die, particularly Danny. He put up a good fight and met a gruesome end. Also, Henry's death was a little poignant with the "I love you" uttered with his last dying breath.
Wakefield's death was anticlimactic. I mean, it was nice that Henry chose Abby over Wakefield and the look on Wakefield's face was great, but after all the gun shots and fights and gun shots and fights, Wakefield gets stabbed with that little knife and just keels over? That's how he goes out? Weak.
The Good
Christopher Gorham worked his ass off these last two episodes. I don't love the plot nor the dialogue he was given, but Gorham gave it 110% and sold it really well. He was also really good at being creepy. Best lines of the two hours:
Henry: I didn't know he was my father then, but when I looked at him there was a connection.
Abby: A connection? With the man who hung my mother from a tree?
Henry: Kinda weird, huh? I was inspired by the guy that everyone else feared and hated!
Gorham's delivery of that is just priceless. The second runner-up goes to his line to Sully: "I'm impressed. Seriously. That is quite possibly the stupidest thing you've ever done."
Along the same line as Gorham, both Cassidys deserve a shout-out. Trish's death scene was excellently done by Katie Cassidy and Elaine Cassidy had some nice work at the end when she was being held captive. So well done all around to those three.
Other good things include the initial capture of Wakefield (very creepy, I thought Danny was done for) and Henry confessing to Sully. That entire scene was fantastic.
The Bad
The total number of times I wish a character had back-handed Madison tripled within these two episodes. The character is annoying and the little actress isn't much to write home about.
Also under "The Bad" would be the general writing of the show. They've dropped Jimmy stuff all along and I like a good red herring as much as the next guy, but I don't think there was enough Henry stuff. Any kind of resentment towards his parents, any absences that looked suspicious, any interactions with Abby that are most than just friendshippy. I want to be able to go back and watch the show in its entirety and spot Henry clues and I just don't think I will be able to.
The Ugly
The final 30 minutes and here's why. I'm on board with Henry as Wakefield's son and accomplice. I enjoyed the acting by all the characters involved. I even dig the incest-y vibe going on with Henry's feelings towards Abby.
However.
It reminded me of how I felt when I saw the final Lord of the Rings movie. It was 3 hours of action-packed awesomeness and then 30 minutes of Shire crap tacked on to the end. The Henry-Abby stuff worked for me, but the ending was anticlimactic. It was totally out of sync with the feel of the show. If they were going to wrap the show up that way, the Creepiness Factor needed to be ramped up to 11.
I guess it's kind of fitting for the show as a whole because it's a great idea with only mediocre execution. The idea that Henry chooses Abby and loves her in a brother/lover kind of way is fantastic, but I didn't like they way it was done. I mean, where were they on the island? How did the team that searched the island not find them? Why would Jimmy agree to sign a confession if, as Henry said, there was no threat to Abby's life?
There is also still some unexplained stuff from the Rampage Day. What happened when Jimmy stopped Wakefield? How did he not see a dead body lying there in the street?
Furthermore, Henry staged the wedding to get Abby back to the island and get her all to himself, I guess? And the 25 or so victims were just a bonus because he had "impulses?" What was Wakefield's deal, then? If he wasn't in on the Henry-and-Abby-live-happily-ever-after scenario, did he just want to go on a murder spree again? Was the plan in Wakefield's mind for him and Henry to go live in the lakehouse together? Why would Henry even involve Wakefield if Abby was the prize? It's all very muddled.
The Verdict
Overall, I applaud CBS for trying something different. I wish they had had better episodes at the beginning of the run so that ratings would've been stronger, because I think if they gave this type of show another shot, they would only improve upon their first effort.
"Harper's Island" was at the very least entertaining and I enjoyed most of the cast immensely. In the age of "Usual Suspects" and M. Night Shyamalan, we've come to expect more and I wish the writing had been a little tighter.
What do you guys think? Satisfied with the ending. Please share all your thoughts and feelings below.
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Totally will be getting the DVD to check all the Henry clues. The ending was very anti-climactic and I applaud the concept, but the execution was shaky at best. Next time, better writers and a faster buildup. Totally didn't wanna see Sully die as he went from creep to hero in half a minute; This series was great, for entertainment value and I wish networks would take more risks such as this.
I do agree with your points regarding the writing and the execution of the idea.
I applaud CBS for trying something out of the box and I wish more networks would get onboard in an effort to do the same. Summer in particular is the perfect time to try something new and it has been a long time since I have seen anything truly original.
Thinking back, the last original idea I can recall is the 1st season of Survivor. It was something never seen before on network TV. Knowing that it came from the creator of Eco Challenge piqued my interest enough to watch the first episode, became immediately addicted and have missed very few seasons since then. CBS took a chance then and look at what a powerhouse it is now.
Although Harper's Island did not turn out as well, I really wish the executives in TV land would push the envelope and take the risk to show us viewers new and innovative programming.
All in all, I'm glad I spent part of my summer at Harper's Island.
Sully and Trish's deaths were almost as heartbreaking as Chloe and Cal's. The expression on their faces as they finally realized that it was Henry all along was perfect. Especially Sully... the whole scene in the woods when he knows he's about to die but doesn't understand why- so sad.
It was by no means a perfect ending (but Jimmy lived so that counts for something), and there are certainly some gaping plot holes, but all in all I enjoyed the series. It was far more entertaining than any of the pathetic reality shows that have become the standard for summer tv. Kudos to CBS for making the attempt :)
Sully and Trish's deaths were almost as heartbreaking as Chloe and Cal's. The expression on their faces as they finally realized that it was Henry all along was perfect. Especially Sully... the whole scene in the woods when he knows he's about to die but doesn't understand why- so sad.
It was by no means a perfect ending (but Jimmy lived so that counts for something), and there are certainly some gaping plot holes, but all in all I enjoyed the series. It was far more entertaining than any of the pathetic reality shows that have become the standard for summer tv. Kudos to CBS for making the attempt :)
One quick point. Jimmy agreed to sign the confession because there was a threat to Abbey's life. Sure Henry knew he wouldn't hurt Abby. But how was Jimmy to know that he was kidding when he said the next time he saw the knife Henry was holding it would be caked in Abby's blood?
In the end what we had was a slasher flick. It was good. As you say there were several plot problems which make it fail as a mystery. Still as a slasher some are forgivable. The Wakefeild alive eh. Oh as to that his plan basically ran along the lines of kill everyone who had kept him and Henry apart. Then go on a little road trip, bondding and occasionally slaughtering people.
As to the end, not bad. 30 minutes was a tad much I'll grant you. If it had been only 15 it wold have been better. Though lets talk a moment about the very end. Henry is doing the wedding video message, but you can only see half his face for most of it. Too bad I can't see the first episode again. It would be interesting to see if they showed that.
In the final analaysis it was very good. Plenty to nitpick about, and if you tried watching it as a mystery that in the end would make total sence, you were disaponited. Still for a kick back and be entertained show it did well. They should try this sort of thing again.
I agree with most of the review.
I too was very annoyed with the Madison character. Leaving out details about her kidnapping as if she really didn't understand what was going on on the Island. That would have been more believable if her character was 4, but not if she was between 7-11...
I do disagree with the positive view of the Wakefield character. Most of the murders had such a high level of violence, you would expect the villain behind such acts would be more angry, or at least show a higher level of dementia... He just seemed to regular to be capable of that high level of violence.
The same can be said about Henry's motivation. He goes on a murdering rampage because his parents were "losers". If you have loser parents you write crappy poems, you don't go around killing people. They should have made this more of an issue with him throughout the series. Maybe have him coming from an abusive home.
*Kind of interesting, the flashback, Henry's parents pretty much looked like mirror images of Abby's parents.
I agree with most of the review.
I too was very annoyed with the Madison character. Leaving out details about her kidnapping as if she really didn't understand what was going on on the Island. That would have been more believable if her character was 4, but not if she was between 7-11...
I do disagree with the positive view of the Wakefield character. Most of the murders had such a high level of violence, you would expect the villain behind such acts would be more angry, or at least show a higher level of dementia... He just seemed to regular to be capable of that high level of violence.
The same can be said about Henry's motivation. He goes on a murdering rampage because his parents were "losers". If you have loser parents you write crappy poems, you don't go around killing people. They should have made this more of an issue with him throughout the series. Maybe have him coming from an abusive home.
*Kind of interesting, the flashback, Henry's parents pretty much looked like mirror images of Abby's parents.
Ok, after seeing all 13 episodes of this series, this is my conclusion. Very disappointing. When I heard about this series, I was very interested, as I appreciated CBS trying to present something new on TV. But, instead of looking for an intelligent, plausible and truly scary experience(Silence of the Lambs, Seven and Zodiac), it ended up being a dumb, unrealistic and unscary experience(Friday the 13th, Halloween and a trillion other useless movies). The reasons why are due to implausibility and the stupidity of the actors to move the plot along. Examples:
1. With various people getting killed/missing from the wedding party, there are no questions or su****ions of where people are? After 1 or 2 people go missing, they would have halted the wedding, instead of doing it after about 5 or 6 people are gone.
2. That stupid Madison. With people dying around her, first she doesn't come clean about the Sheriff not actually taking her hostage. Then, in the 11th hour, saying there was a 2nd person now!!! Sheesh!
3. That is quite some Sheriff they got there. If he says he killed John Wakefield, don't you think they would have verified that with DNA when they buried him? Also, if he wasn't 100% certain that Wakefield was dead, why not share that with others to save lives?
4. John Wakefield. This is the part that really ticked me off the most. The moment no one could kill him, I thought this is really ridiculous. That is why the Friday the 13th and Halloween movies are stupid. Any unkillable killer is not really interesting or realistic.
5. Henry being the killer?!?!?! I know why the writers picked Henry and they set out to make him the least probable suspect at the beginning. He had great friends and a beautiful bride-to-be, so they were hoping that viewers would suspect him the least. But, to have him as the killer is far fetched. If you wanted to be with Abby, try this.....ASK HER OUT!!!! Since you are her best friend, you had a shot at it. It certainly would have been a lot more easier that what he orchestrated. Personally, I would much prefer Trish(Katie C***idy), than Abby.
6. Where are the authorities? When more than a couple of people go missing/dead, the FBI would have sent an army out there to the island immediately. Not 2 useless hacks, who get shot the moment they get off the plane.
I could go on, but I would be here for awhile. I appreciate the effort, but if I have learned just one lesson through this whole experience, it is that to be a Hollywood writer, director or producer, you don't need intelligence or creativity. Heck, myself and the first homeless guy I run into on the street could come up with a better story than this one.
Katie C***idy is hot. That is all.
I was quite happy with the way these last two episodes came to a close, but I thought a darker ending would have fit better.
Imagine if everything had played out up until Wakefield's death except Henry never slipped up about Sully, Jimmy really dies in the church, and Wakefield doesn't get to say anything before he dies. Then you cut to like a year or so later for Abby and Henry's wedding. Abby stays in the dark, and Henry gets away with his killing spree. I like a happy ending as much as anyone, but that seems like it would have been the far more effective ending to me.