"Harper's Island" Recap: Whap - StayTuned Magazine

By Stacey Harrison

We know the hook going in — a big group of people gather on an island near Seattle for a wedding, only to have a killer show up and make things interesting. Harper’s Island takes its cue from those classic Agatha Christie whodunits, piling up the bodies until the mystery is revealed. The show promises at least one new corpse per episode, and that there will be no cliffhangers after the 13-episode run.

After one episode, which delivers double the fun murder-wise, and maybe telegraphs a few of the others who won’t make it, the show is off to a decent start. The acting’s not so good in spots, but the storytellers seem to know where they’re going, and they manage to unspool a lot of threads without calling in Johnny Plothammer all too often.

All appears to be well as everyone gathers on a boat to usher in the week of festivities that will be Trish (Katie Cassidy) and Henry’s (Christopher Gorham) wedding. It’s a fairy tale romance, with Henry having grown up washing the boats of the millionaires who play on Harper’s Island, and now getting to marry one of their daughters. Henry and Trish make googly eyes and mouth “I love you” to each other while his Central Casting buddies — literally a fat guy, a blond frat boy and a “damn, that’s whack” black guy — crack open a few celebratory beers. All the while we’re waiting for the action to start.

Cut to that guy tied under the boat who is really, REALLY hoping that propeller doesn’t start turning anytime soon. Wonder who he is. Although they do make a few references to a Cousin Ben who has yet to arrive.

The best introduction is saved for Henry’s uncle Marty, the kind of guy who can find a mariachi band in Seattle. Played by Harry Hamlin, he’s the life of the party and insists everyone call him Uncle Marty. He immediately scopes out a blond beauty named Chloe (Cameron Richardson), who’s there with Cal, played by that nebbishy British guy from Date Movie.

But these are all supporting players. The real drama enters with Abby Mills (Elaine Cassidy), who is recognized by the cabbie as Sheriff Mills’ daughter. She left town for L.A. seven years ago after a brutal killing spree by a guy named John Wakefield, who murdered several people, including Abby’s mother. The sheriff shot and killed Wakefield, but the island community is only now getting back to normal. Abby is Henry’s friend from childhood and decides that if she can’t go back home now then she might never do so.

The first blood is shed when the boat takes off, and the propeller chops up the man tied below. By the end of the episode, the body remains undiscovered, despite one close call from some repairmen.

Other things we find out:

Trish’s dad, Thomas Wellington (Richard Burgi), is not keen on his daughter marrying a commoner like Henry. He’s colluding with Trish’s ex, a ruggedly handsome dude named Hunter Jennings (Victor Webster) to try and sabotage their relationship. Uncle Marty overhears this, and slyly lets the dad know that Henry’s not going anywhere.
Abby has an old flame in Harper’s Island. Jimmy now works as a fisherman, and obviously still carries a torch for Abby, whom he now refers to as “big-city girl.” Incessantly. He seems like a good guy, but if he keeps that up, it’s going to be hard to root for him to get out alive.
Cal plans to propose to Chloe, but just can’t summon the nerve. Things turn disastrous when, after some pranks go awry during skinny dipping, Chloe throws his pants — which have the ring in the pocket — in the water.
Henry has a sullen, messed-up brother named J.D. (Dean Chekvala), who likes to hit on goth girls with heart tattoos, and has attempted suicide in the past. He’s talking to Kelly (Anna Mae Routledge) at a bar when her ex-boyfriend, Shane (Ben Cotton), wants to start a fight. Abby, who has shown up at the bar to retrieve J.D. for Henry, breaks up the fight, only to see her dad show up (in what has to be the quickest response from law enforcement EVER!).
Abby is estranged from her father. He gives her a ride home from the bar, and they share an awkward conversation before she gets out. We’re not told why they haven’t spoken for so long, but it’s obvious there is a lot of pain involved.
Trish has a niece who fits the “creepy kid” label. Little Madison wakes up her mom, Shea (Gina Holden), and tells her she knows about the murders that happened on Harper’s Island. How? Her “new friend” told her. Hmmm. Madison also rips up a tag addressed to that Cousin Ben guy, which lends further credence to the idea that it was he who was chopped up under the boat.

Harper’s Island then has what probably will be known as its Psycho moment. Uncle Marty sure seems like a safe bet to stick around awhile, right? I mean, he’s given a great introduction, as well as some nuance by that gun he’s surreptitiously packing, and he’s played by the most recognizable face in the cast. Well, none of that matters after Uncle Marty decides to go for a walk and almost falls through a little land bridge out in the woods. He’s trying to pull himself out when he hears someone underneath him. He asks for help, but instead starts reeling in pain as the person starts attacking him. He grabs his gun and fires a few shots, but to no avail. The camera pans out to reveal that Uncle Marty is literally half the man he used to be. Don’t believe I’ve ever seen half a corpse on TV before, but then again I’m not a big CSI watcher. This was a genuine surprise, and if they can keep this up over the next 12 episodes, then we could be in for something special.

That would have been a nice ending, but it goes on a bit more to give one more scare to Abby. She gets to her room to find that someone has posted a newspaper clipping of her mom’s murder to the mirror. So look for her to be on edge from now on.

It’s far too early to have a solid theory yet on what’s going on, but I’ve got some basic predictions that I’ll share.

Most likely to survive: Abby. This is like one of those Oscar predictions that you file under “will win” and “should win.” Not only is her arc the most dramatic, but she’s by far the most likable character. Plus, she’s labeled “The Good Girl” on one of the show’s press releases.

Most likely to get killed: Chloe, or “The Flirt.” She’s blond, bitchy and skinny dips in the very first episode.

For more fun, make sure you keep up with Harper’s Globe, the online continuation of the story. It features the staff of the local paper, headed up by a new girl in town named Robin Matthews. She’ll pop up in the periphery of the series, and the site lets you learn more backstories and interact with some of the characters. No doubt you’ll also find thousands of theories as to what’s really going on. I’ve been keeping up with it now and again, and it’s pretty solid, as far as those things go.