Going through a bit of “The Killing” withdrawal, I decided to finally check out a rather well-respected murder-mystery summer series from three years ago, “Harper’s Island” (2009, CBS, now available on DVD). It’s unique among one-season wonders in that it doesn’t leave you with the feeling of “Man, I wish it wouldn’t have been canceled!” because it was only intended to last 13 episodes.
The killer is still killing
Structurally, it’s different from “The Killing” in that the guessing game of “Who’s the killer?” competes with the fact that the culprit is still killing. Both shows had websites where viewers could vote on their top culprit, but while most suspects in the Rosie Larsen murder were still in the running at the end of that case, the “Harper’s Island” list of suspects gradually got whittled down because people kept getting picked off.
Also, there wasn’t as much of a detective element to it, although Sheriff Mills (Jim Beaver) seems to be investigating John Wakefield (Callum Keith Rennie, who is one of two “Killing” connections along with Brandon Jay McLaren), despite the fact that he supposedly killed Wakefield at the close of a murder spree a few years prior.
“Harper’s Island” (2009)
CBS, 13 episodes
Creator: Ari Schlossberg
Stars: Elaine Cassidy, Christopher Gorham, Matt Barr
Our heroine is the sheriff’s daughter, Abby Mills (the likeable Elaine Cassidy), who returns to her hometown island for the wedding of her childhood friend Henry Dunn (Christopher Gorham) to his bride Trish (Katie Cassidy, no relation to Elaine). All the while, she’s dealing with the memories of Wakefield’s murder of her mom. A bevy of colorful groomsmen and bridesmaids, plus a handful of townies — including Abby’s old flame Jimmy Mance (C.J. Thomason) — are on hand to be victims/suspects.
Silly yet smart
“Harper’s Island” is intrinsically silly, but — considering its genre — quite smart. When watching old horror movies, today’s savvy viewers often pick apart character motives, internal logic and plot points. The characters on this show, however, raise questions at about the same time the audience does. If someone’s acting suspicious, the other characters recognize that. If someone suggests a dangerous plan, other characters call attention to that.
It’s a slight stretch that Washington state law enforcement isn’t swarming all over the island a few episodes in — the 13 episodes take place over about one week. Also, there’s a slight sense that the wedding party members are the only people on the island, since we rarely see the citizenry at large. Sometimes characters are too quick to accept that someone has left the island rather than become the killer’s latest victim. These minor flaws are due to a short-form horror movie concept being stretched over a longer period.
Although the cinematography is straightforward, “Harper’s Island” looks good. Filmed in the Vancouver area, it no doubt makes use of the same woods featured in some “X-Files” episodes.
The most memorable episode is the last one, but I can’t say more than that without spoiling things. At any rate, in stories like these, the most important thing is the journey — rife with dark woods, spooky tunnels, power outages, and grisly slasher-flick-style murders — and this journey is an entertaining one. If you’re killing time before the next case on “The Killing,” “Harper’s Island” is worth renting or buying cheap.