hollyking | Harper's Island

I had high hopes for Harper's Island. A murder mystery show with only one season so there was no need to worry about cliff hangers and dragging things along to keep people interested in a second season. They could have really stepped out of the TV mold and made something interesting and compelling. I keep seeing the show compared to Twin Peaks, which I find offensive for Twin Peaks. I've watched the two episodes that have been broadcast and I'm struggling to care enough to watch anymore of them.

The big problem the show follows the standard formula. Poor boy who worked summers cleaning boats on an island off of Seattle ends up engaged to the girl of the wealthy snob who owns the boats. They come back to the island for a week long wedding ceremony where people start dying. Oh, and don't forget that some years earlier 6 people were killed and hung from a tree from a madman who is buried in the bush because the island folk wouldn't bury him in consecrated ground. The father of the bride doesn't want his little girl marrying the poor chump so he secretly brings in her ex boyfriend and helps him to try and "save" his daughter. The brother of the groom is the bad sheep. How do we know? His hair is black and he has tattoos. On and on its so cliche it's not even funny.

Oh well... I had hoped for a unique story and some good television. I got a stupid soap opera where they can't kill the cast fast enough for my taste.