Haven - Wild Card & Perditus - Double Review

Excuse the delay in Haven reviews; however, this double review is actually quite fitting as, similar to The Old Switcheroo Part 1 and 2, last week's 'Wild Card' and this week's 'Perditus' go hand in hand. Both duo episodes aired at the same point of their respective seasons too and really kick started the beginning of the end.

'Wild Card' saw Charlotte and Audrey working together to harness the Aether. Their endeavor was made more challenging with the Croatoan getting involved. Revealed to be the Satan of the Void, the as of yet unseen antagonist took advantage of the troubles of Lainey, a fortune teller, by turning her tarot cards into reality. The afflictions, which involved invisible horses and blindness and weakness depending on the card, made for one of the more interesting troubles.

It was great to see Charlotte and Audrey, mother and daughter, in tandem working on the same page and guiding each other through their affliction. It made Charlotte's eventual death that much more impactful.

Speaking of which, Charlotte's death! In 'Wild Card' she is stabbed to death by the Croatoan who is revealed to be her husband, so not William Shatner? More on that later. It was definitely heartbreaking to see her dying as Audrey held her in her arms. However, it was all somewhat cheapened in 'Perditus' where she is resurrected by Lainey's sister, who can bring back the dead, as agreed upon by Dwight, Nathan, and a reluctant Audrey to get some answers on who Croatoan is. Charlotte would eventually have a second and final goodbye in 'Perditus,' which was a definite tear jerker. Her character was jut growing on me , but it felt necessary to solidify Croatoan as the biggest of all bad's.

Before she passes, Charlotte does get the chance to reveal to the team how to create the barn and that Dave is involved with the Croatoan's dastardly deeds. Synopsis for future episodes reveals what his role is, but I'll leave you guys to spoil it for yourselves.

Quite frankly, I always expected Vince to be possessed by Croatoan or working for him as he has the menacing frame and the acting range to be evil. It would have added some spice to his relationship with his brother who would've represented the good that comes out of the Void. Alas, Dave does make the most sense considering his origins and it looks like next week we will explore his backstory more.

Elsewhere was Duke. I've been getting some heat from Havenites for my outright love for the character. By the way, it is always great to see the enthusiasm for the show and for Naudrey, I welcome it. Unfortunately, Duke's storyline has not been really helping me with my case for why I love him. It has pretty much been going nowhere. From the Troubled phasing girl, to Seth appearing randomly, to the fraud, to the old wise guy; it's all just a crazy, wild goose chase that does not seem to be going anywhere aside from developing Duke's character, which in turn, could've been handled more effectively.

This all makes me miss Emma Lahana that much more. The actress had great chemistry with Duke as Jennifer, and she was so darn tootin cute. I wonder how different his storyline would have been if the actress did not leave. Anywho, in 'Periditus,' Duke finds out in a vision of the possible future caused by the not so old man that he has the power to either be the one to save Haven from Croatoan or the one who will doom everyone. He eventually realizes his importance to the town and drives back to Haven leaving Seth to his wiped memory and normal life.

Overall, the end of Charlotte's character arc gave these two episodes quite the emotional depth. The situation in Haven is starting to feel a lot more urgent with the Croatoan now committing full blown murder. Things are definitely kicking into high gear as we head into the latter half of this final season.

Other notes:

- I'm a little bit indifferent to all this zombie craze, so it was kind of meh to see the undead in Haven. Though it did serve its purpose of bringing back Charlotte to give her a proper goodbye. She will be missed.

- It was great to see Gloria again! Her making fun of the Teague's by calling them Burt and Ernie was classic. This season is definitely darker than previous seasons and her humor is much needed.

- As mentioned, where is William Shatner. They built him up at the end of season 5A and he still has not shown up midway through this season. He can't possibly be Charlotte's husband as he just does not have the range to play someone that is evil and satanic, I'll just be laughing every time; nor did he seem he would be by the way he was promoted in the mid-season promo.

What did you guys think of these last two episodes? Sad to see Charlotte go? Please leave your comments below!

About the Author - Kollin Lore

Kollin is an entertainment writer and a film and television, in particular genre TV, freak having grown up during the 90s and early 2000s a dedicated fan of Buffy and Angel. Current shows like Person of Interest, Supernatural, Ripper Street, Penny Dreadful, Grimm, The Blacklist, Game of Thrones, and dozens of other shows are currently occupying Kollin’s nightly hours. His reviews for Into the Badlands and The Expanse will be coming this fall!

Recent Reviews (All Reviews)