It's revealed that John Wakefield knew Sheriff Mills' (Jim Beaver) wife Sarah (Sarah-Jane Redmond), as they used to date on the mainland. Abby (Elaine Cassidy) was unaware of this relationship, but it means Wakefield's killing spree was fuelled from a place of revenge and anger, instead of just the random slaughter of a psycho. Plus, it was the Sheriff's idea to send Abby off the island, effectively ending the romance that was brewing between her and hunky fisherman Jimmy (C.J Thomason).
The Abby/Jimmy breakup is being echoed in the current collapse of Trish (Katie Cassidy) and Henry's (Christopher Gorham) relationship, as their wedding is called off and Henry's unconvinced his fiancée will ever love him again -- seeing as he's the brother of J.D (Dean Chekvala), the number one suspect in these murders whom everyone believes killed her dad. Fortunately, Abby manages to help Henry by showing Trish a photo of them both as kids, stoking up enough memories to patch their romance. There was especially good work from Katie Cassidy here, who has probably been the real star of this show, as she's by far the most plausible actor when it comes to showing reactions to the chaos going on around her. She's kind of like a Megan Fox who can act.
Last week's cliffhanger had J.D entering the cabin belonging to the spooky man with the facial burns, but he was inevitably proven harmless here. This was actually Cole Harkin (Dean Wray), the Sheriff's former deputy who was hideously burned during an explosion at the marina during the original Wakefield killings. He and J.D always had a bond together, and Cole believes the young man's innocent.
This episode also brought the subplot with the stolen $250,000 to a definite close, as Malcolm's (Chris Gauthier) friends Danny (Brandon Jay McLaren) and Sully (Matt Barr) finally discovered the truth after a random bag search for a missing sex doll. A humiliated Malcolm nevertheless had a great weight lifted from his shoulders, but while destroying the blood money in the hotel furnace in secret, he became the killer's latest victim – savagely attacked and thrown into the fire to burn. Well, with a man his size they'll at least get a few hours of heat around the place.
Plus, Jimmy re-entered the story properly, as we learned via flashback that he'd unwittingly saved Abby's life by distracting Wakefield when he was seconds away from discovering her hiding place. Does anyone else think it's possible Jimmy might be working with Wakefield now? After all, both men would have the same motive for killing: they were both dumped by Mills women.
"Gurgle" was the best episode of the pair, as it created a plausible way to turn the screws on the characters, contain the atmosphere, and ensure no easy escapes. Madison (Cassandra Sawtell) has been kidnapped by the killer and calls Abby to let her know that if anyone leaves the island she'll be killed. This nicely gets rid of the problem that everyone would just hop on a boat back to the mainland, and while many of the subsidiary characters do end up leaving before Madison's call, the core group are conflicted about being responsible for little Madison's death if they go, and stay.
So, everyone divided into groups to try and find Maddy as quickly as possible so they can go home, which led to the discover of a few more bodies: first, Madison's missing father Richard (David Lewis) was found harpooned to a wooden stump near the lake, and then Malcolm's burned skull is dug out from the furnace (although they don't know it's Malcolm's just yet.)
Sheriff Mills is the victim of another forest booby-trap (apparently set by his old deputy Cole to protect himself), and suffers a debilitating leg injury. Cole arrives and takes Mills back to his cabin, where he assures him J.D isn't the killer. It's a belief proven true back at the police station, where J.D is locked up alongside Shane (Ben Cotton), and both men witness the gunshot death of a deputy who comes to check on them. To me, this begged a question: why didn't the killer bother to kill Shane and J.D while he was there? Does he have a list of specific people to kill? If so, did the deputy die purely because he was likely involved in the Wakefield case seven years ago? Anyway, J.D escapes by grabbing the dead deputy's keys and goes on the run, leaving a furious Shane behind to be released later by Abby and Jimmy during their search for Madison.
One surprise was the death of Cole at the cabin, pinned to his home by two crossbow bolts and accidentally setting the place ablaze. Sheriff Mills was unable to help from inside, but was luckily rescued by Abby and Jimmy, who were unable to help Cole. Back at the marina, "Gurgle" ended with several characters catching sight of J.D running along the jetties, only for Abby to eventually finding him dying from a stomach wound... before turning to see his supposed killer standing behind her: his brother Henry. Although I'm fairly convinced Henry didn't do it and probably got blood on his hands during the struggle that claimed his kid brother's life, or something similar.
Right now, I think the excitement over Harper's Island's concept has passed, but we're certainly making some headway with the mystery. I can see why the show dwindled in the ratings Stateside, but perhaps CBS should have shown episodes in couplet like BBC3 are doing – it's certainly helped, as it's like getting a mini-movie every week, and the slow-burn pace of the earlier episodes was over much quicker.
A few things still bug me about the show – like how most background characters seem unconcerned about the week's events, happily going about their day (trimming hedgerows, etc.) as the main cast worry for their lives. I'm also a little confused that it feels so obvious John Wakefield is simply back for revenge, meaning the ultimate killer's identity doesn't feel in doubt. For that reason, I'm sure there's an accomplice involved – if only because the frequency of kills and their elaborate setups can't be the work of one person. So who looks the most guilty? Right now, I have to say Jimmy – mainly because it would make poetic sense given his love for Abby Mills, just as Wakefield loved her mother. But, then again, why bother to kill so many people unrelated to her? It does feel primarily targeted on the Wellington's, so who has an axe to grind for Henry or Trish?
27 September 2009
BBC3 / BBC HD, 9pm
written by: Jeffrey Bell (1.7) & Tyler Bensinger (1.8) directed by: Scott Peters (1.7) & Rick Bota (1.8) starring: Elaine Cassidy (Abby Mills), Christopher Gorham (Henry W. Dunn), Katie Cassidy (Trish Wellington), Cameron Richardson (Chloe Carter), Adam Campbell (Cal Vandeusen), Jim Beaver (Sheriff Charlie Mills), C.J Thomason (Jimmy Mance), Dean Chekvala (J.D Dunn), Matt Barr (Christopher "Sully" Sullivan), Gina Holden (Shea Allen), David Lewis (Richard Allen), Cassandra Sawtell (Madison Allen), Claudette Mink (Katherine Wellington), Brandon Jay McLaren (Danny Brooks), Dean Ray (Cole Harkin), Brandon Jay McLaren (Danny) & Chris Gauthier (Malcolm Ross)
