Returning for a second smash season, Haven is a Showcase Original series about a somewhat psychic female FBI agent and some strange shenanigans in small-town Maine. One of the most unique adaptations of the works of Stephen King, it's loosely based on the horror master’s 2005 unsolved-crime novella The Colorado Kid, and cooks up a secondary level of mysteries — an entire town’s worth — around the original story. Season one ended with the town’s ‘troubles’ being (mostly) explained, but uncovered a whole new problem: Not only is it likely that FBI Agent Audrey Parker is related to the Colorado Kid, but she also might not actually be Agent Parker after all. Confusing yet captivating? Of course it is. After all, it’s Haven. Welcome back, you’d better sit down for this.

HAVEN, Season 2 - Blog #4:
FEAR PLAY: BEHIND THE SCENES IN HAVEN (FEAT. VINESSA ANTOINE)
by Gary Butler

The Evidence is in, big time -- so big, in fact, that it deserves a capital letter. Episode seven of Haven, Season 2, “The Tides That Bind” [WATCH THE EPISODE HERE], was a nifty little reverse-Lovecraft horror that saw not only Duke discover proof of his big-picture ties to the anti-Troubled section of the Haven community, but also Duke’s ex-wife revealed (to viewers only) as a conspirator within that same group. The character in question is, of course, Evi “Evidence” Ryan.

Played by Vinessa Antoine, Ryan waltzed into town in the first episode of Season 2 and has proven a perfect foil for the otherwise unflappable Duke. Seemingly overnight, we’ve been seeing a more human and compassionate side of the ornery, me-first smuggler; to actor Eric Balfour’s credit, this didn’t come across as a contradiction. But “The Tides That Bind” deftly upped the ante, promoting Ryan from paramour to provocateur.

Though he’s often portrayed, purposefully, as a combination sidekick and sceptic, I have long suggested that Duke’s role in Haven is going to become pivotal, particularly as we move forward (with, frankly, terrific momentum) into the back end of this season. Last week’s episode, “Friend or Faux” [WATCH THE EPISODE HERE], took the concept of the evil twin to a new exponential level, not to mention an existential one. For the first time, though clearly not the last, we saw Duke play the part of a hero for no self-invested reason -- in other words, he did it for the right reason.

Last night’s episode, “Lockdown” [WATCH THE EPISODE HERE], found Duke reaching out to both the Troubled and the anti-Troubled. This episode features a pretty unexpected shocker, which leaves Duke more confused than ever at the end of the lockdown (briefly, the Haven Police Station is quarantined when people inside start dying mysteriously -- and the story turns beat-the-clock when Evi contracts the virus).

During my visit to the Nova Scotia set of Haven, I asked Vinessa Antoine what was really going on. She wasn’t in character when she answered -- but she could have been, because she had me wanting to believe her, and doubting myself for doubting her.

Q: Your character’s nickname, Evi, is short for “Evidence.” Is it not also arguably short for EVIL?
A: Yes, it’s strange, one would scrapulate (sic.) that she’s evil -- but she’s not, at the root of it.

Find out more about Evi's motivations in this video interview. And stay with us until the end to find out why Vinessa herself thinks that ghosts exist and are positive forces.

I do like Vinessa’s answer about Evi not being evil “at the root of it,” because the best villains always think they’re doing the right thing -- something embraced time and again in the works of Stephen King (whose novella, The Colorado Kid, is the inspiration for Haven). Even The Shining’s Jack Torrance thought his actions were justifiable; now there’s a scary thought. (By the way, did everyone catch the Shining nod in “Friend or Faux”? The “Everwood” hotel is only three letters separted from the “Overlook.”)

In any case: Finally, folks, after one and a half seasons of already fun-enough Stephen King-inspired monster horror, finally, Haven has taken a page from what the master does best: Establish a group of likeable-but-flawed characters, then make them choose sides against each other. Whether Haven is heading the way of The Stand or The Mist, its players are getting wrapped up in a war without even realizing it. Where Duke will end up when the dust settles is anyone’s guess, because the storm is only just starting to brew.

COMING SOON TO THE HAVEN SEASON TWO BLOG:

More cast interviews, including Emily Rose and Jason Priestley, and plenty more backstage scoops and shenanigans.