Season 4 of Syfy’s “Haven” left off with the show’s protagonist apparently turned into a major new antagonist with the upcoming fifth season, not surprisingly, focusing primarily on how to get her back.
“The heart and soul of ‘Haven’ is Audrey Parker,” the show’s executive producer Gabrielle Stanton told TheWrap.
But Audrey (Emily Rose) is a bit lost as Season 5 opens with her as a new incarnation who calls herself Mara. At the end of Season 4, Colin Ferguson’s character William was banished to another dimension through a portal in the town’s lighthouse — though not before bringing Mara out from somewhere deep inside Audrey.
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“William has unfortunately achieved his season-long goal of bringing out Mara from inside Audrey,” executive producer Matt McGuinness recapped the last finale. “So, the first 13 episodes of season 5 are really going to be about… Audrey is now Mara, and how can we get Audrey back?”
Nobody is more concerned with getting Audrey back more than Nathan (Lucas Bryant), who has become increasingly focused on saving the woman he loves from everything from supernatural barns to alternate dimensions to her own sordid history. Getting Audrey back is “Nathan’s goal most of all since they love each other,” said Stanton. “But it’s everyone’s goal.”
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And since it’s a love for Audrey that’s motivating everyone’s desire to bring her back, there will be bigger implications as time goes on. “Getting Audrey back is crucial to saving the town,” McGuinness hinted.
“We’re always asking who is Audrey Parker? What is Audrey Parker? Why is Audrey Parker?” said Stanton. “We asked that question in the pilot episode, really. We’ve met her past incarnations – Sarah, Lucy, Lexie, and now we’re getting to know Mara, but it’s really the journey of Audrey Parker. Season 5 we’ve been saying has kind of been the fight for the soul of Audrey Parker. By the end of the first 13 episodes, we’re really going to resolve that in a huge way.”
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Season 5 will also see more changes for the show’s other characters, in particular bad boy-turned-good Duke (Eric Balfour), and police chief Dwight (Adam Copeland).
“We’re going to dig into Duke’s history but at the same time – as you saw in [Season 4’s Episode 13] – something happened to Duke,” said McGuinness. “Something changed. He’s already an odd duck that’s been changed into an even odder duck.”
Stanton recalls a crucial scene from Season 4 for fans to keep in mind when thinking about Duke’s journey going forward. “When we saw Audrey place that black handprint on Duke, the ripple effects of that are going to be pretty enormous,” she said.
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Dwight will also be getting an even more expanded role — he’s come a long way from the long-haired cleaner of Season 2. “He will be protecting Haven, as he always does,” said Stanton.
“He’s going to clash with Nathan a little bit, which will be the first time we’ve seen them at odds, really,” she continued. “And Dwight is going to have himself a little love interest in Season 5, which we’re all very excited about.”
With the show digging deep on its core cast of characters, the EPs don’t rule out the possibility for the return of another often discussed, rarely seen character. Steve Lund’s James Cogan only appeared on 4 episodes of the show, but the fact that his character is the titular Colorado Kid of the Stephen King novella on which the show is based is not a coincidence. He’s also the son of Audrey and Nathan. And his story on “Haven” is not yet over.
“I would not rule that out as a possibility,” Stanton said of seeing Lund back on “Haven.” “The Colorado Kid is very important to the mythology of the show. We’re working on a couple of different ways to bring him back.”
The fifth season of “Haven” premieres Thursday, Sept 11. at 8 p.m. ET.