TV Show Review: Harper's Island - Complete Series

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Interesting characters emerged during edge of your seat action

Cons: A few logic flaws in the plot, mainly the villain's actions

The Bottom Line:

Can you spot killer?

As characters die each week

It is easier

"One by One."

When Harper's Island premiered on TV, it was being promoted as a 13 episode mystery event.  How could I possibly pass that up?  Millions of people decided they could pass it up, however, as the show did so poorly in the ratings it got buried on Saturday nights within a month of its debut.  But I stayed loyal until the end because I needed to know what happened.  Honestly, the show was more of a slasher than a pure mystery, but it was exciting television.

Abby Mills (Elaine Cassidy) is returning home.  She hasn't been to Harper's Island since John Wakefield killed 6 people seven years ago.  One of those people was her mother.  But her father the sheriff (Jim Beaver) killed John Wakefield, and the island has gone back to normal.

The reason Abby is returning is the wedding of her best friend Henry Dunn (Christopher Gorham) to the very wealthy Trish Wellington (Katie Cassidy).  But returning to the island means facing the past she's been hiding from.

Unfortunately, murder once again rears its ugly head on the island.  Someone is killing the members of the wedding party off one by one in the same manner John Wakefield did all those years ago.  Is he really dead?  If so, who is doing the copycat murders?  And, more importantly, why?

Every week, at least one character died.  Although, honestly, the weeks where only one person died were rare.  Honestly, that made the first few weeks rather unbelievable to me.  Yes, the murders took place when the victim was alone, but how could no one notice the missing people?  At the end of episode five, all that changed, and the rest of the show was an edge of your seat thrill ride as the people knew they were being stalked.  Tension mounted, and my heart was racing for the entire episode.

This show won't quite thrill the gore hounds who love slasher movies, but it is as gruesome as they could get away with on network TV.  As a result, it isn't for the faint of heart.

At the beginning of the series, there were just too many characters, and it was downright impossible to keep them all straight.  But as the cast dwindled, those who remained really came into their own.  Granted, much of the character development was rather predictable, but those who made it far were real people to me.  The last few deaths were very hard to watch because I loved them so much.

The plot is a tad more complex than your average slasher movie.  There were revelations and red herrings a plenty to keep me and a couple of mystery loving friends pondering every moment trying to guess the identity of the killer.  Consider this a slasher show for those who have a brain.

Unfortunately, they did fall victim to a couple conventions of the genre.  A few times the killer did something that made sense only because the writers had written themselves into a corner and needed a way out.  And the ending was a bit over the top.  Honestly, I didn't like it at first.  But the more I thought about it, the more it really did work.

I've got to say this for the cast, they were amazing.  Those who lasted a while made their characters sympathetic and real.  Even the villain was good when revealed.

After watching the final episode, I went back and watched the first one again.  Not only did I pick up on so many more character moments, but it really did break my heart knowing how things turned out for everyone.

This set is four discs and contains all 13 episodes of the series.  The video is in widescreen, and I've got to tell you, the shots of the island are gorgeous.  The 5.1 surround sound will put you in the middle of the action.  Extras include deleted scenes and audio commentaries.

The show was always intended to tell one story over 13 episodes, so this is all that was planned.  I'm glad we got to see it all because, despite the flaws, I did enjoy it.  You might want to turn on the lights and invite some friends over before you sit down to find out if anyone survives the blood bath on Harper's Island.