Entertainment One, out now
William may be gone but the Troubles are by no means over the folk of Haven, particularly since it seems that Audrey has also gone for good!
The first part of Haven’s fifth season (well, really the whole fifth season based on the length of previous series) shows that the Stephen King-based series has lost none of its creative edge. It still centres firmly around the characters played by Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant and Eric Balfour, although all have been through a great deal in the five years that the show has been on air.
The focus of these 13 episodes is heavily on Mara, the person behind the Troubles in the first place. Her plans for the town and the way in which they are countered are at the heart of many of the episodes: although there is plenty of space for the sort of weird episodes the show does so well (a body-swap hour being particularly entertaining).
As ever, Entertainment One provide a good set of extras for the set. There are commentaries on nearly every episode, some from the actors, some from the writers, which provide interesting insights that are usually complemented by the Inside Haven featurettes, whose four-minute running time doesn’t allow for too much detail. There are also a couple of web stories from the Haven Origins series – Witches are Born, and Natives Break Free – which are fun but not essential.
Verdict: With the final season shortly upon us, it’s well worth catching up with one of the lower profile but consistently entertaining Stephen King adaptations. 8/10
Paul Simpson
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