A Pinch of Overacting + Attractive Characters + A-Whole-Lotta-Blood ‘n Guts = Harper’s Island

Having been scolded for the lack of substance in my last post (to be fair, I did warn you), it sounds like I need to get back on track.

In the throes of indecision over whether to address the disconcerting events taking place in Iran, the embarrassment that is The Real Housewives of New Jersey, or the Kenny Chesney concert I’ll be attending this weekend in Philadelphia, I thought I’d take this opportunity to ease myself back in to the blog by talking about Harper’s Island.

For those of you unfamiliar with the show, it’s a gory, Agatha Christie-esque, fit for DVR 13-episode murder mystery set on a small island off the coast of Seattle.

The ManBoy and his roommates coaxed me into watching this addicting bloodbath, and now I’m hooked.

Though initially aired on Thursday evenings, the series has been, unfortunately, moved to the graveyard of television – Saturday night. Nevertheless, the show makes for the perfect Sunday night wind-down (especially when paired with a bowl of popcorn and a companion who won’t mind the occasional startled squeal or two).

While I certainly don’t want to reveal any spoilers on here – this post is simply meant to entice you to jump on board (the series is drawing to a close, but the episodes are available at CBS.com) – I will give you the general gist of the show:

From a Review provided by John Kubicek, Senior Writer for BuddyTV:

“It’s a lot like Friday the 13th, but as a series. The cast starts out huge at 25 major characters, but Harper’s Island promises to kill at least one off every episode, slowly whittling the cast down until the killer is revealed. With the fates of the characters unknown, it plays more like a reality show than a typical scripted drama.”

These 25 characters set sail for Harper’s Island, the childhood summer home of Henry Dunn and Trish Wellington who are to be married there. The island, though picturesque and charming, has an eerily palpable aura of mourning and desertion, as seven years prior a series of murders had taken place. Counted among the victims was the mother of Abby Mills – a guest at the wedding, the daughter of the local sheriff, and Henry’s best friend.

As the plot unfolds, the wedding guests and locals get picked off “one by one”, in manners of varying creativity and gruesomeness, until the killer is revealed.

At first a reluctant spectator with a proclaimed distaste for “slasher films”, I can assure you that Harper’s Island will have you at the edge of your seat and leave you with an unfamiliar longing for Sunday night (unless, of course, you watch it when it actually airs, or any other night of the week).

Having already watched the most recent episode and beginning to enter into a state of weekly withdrawal, I came across these 10 Tips for Enjoying the Show. Whether you’re a first timer or a full-fledged addict and member of Harper’s Globe, it will be sure to enhance your Harper’s viewing pleasure. Enjoy!