Haven Season 5 - Volume 2 The Final Episodes   Starring: Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant and Eric Balfour Distributor: Entertainment One RRP: £24.99 Certificate: 15 Release Date: 04 April 2016

Haven has been a lucky show in many ways; it survived for five seasons and while, like all shows, it has had its ups and downs it essentially told an interesting story with good characters. Moreover, the show’s cancellation was held off long enough for the writers to wind up the story and allow the characters a proper ending…

Haven: Season 5 - Volume 2: The Final Episodes is presented on a four disc DVD set. The new addition to the last half of the season is William Shatner. I’ll say no more lest I spoil the surprise. The three main stars, Emily Rose (Audrey Parker), Lucas Bryant (Nathan Wuornos) and Eric Balfour (Duke Crocker) are as good as ever.

When we last spent time in Haven the town had been cut off with a mysterious band of fog, making the rest of the world forget it existed, moreover more aether has been released which means more troubles. Cut off and with troubles increasing just surviving in Haven is becoming problematic. The only solution appears to be to recreate the barn, if you have no idea of want I’m talking about, it’s too complex to explain. Start with the first box set and work your way through.

Haven is very much like Fringe (2008-2013) a very good but generally massively underrated show. Oddly enough I’m perversely glad it was cancelled as it succeeded in doing what Fringe also did, telling a whole story without it turning into a soap opera or before it got cancelled half way through a series because of audience apathy.

The set is rich with extras. On disc one there are full length audio commentaries for episodes 14 to 17. Disc two has them for episodes 18 through to 21. Disc three 22 to 25 and lastly disc four has a commentary for the last episode, No 26. Also on disc four, the set does come with a number of self-explanatory extras Mythology Refresher (3 min, 58 sec), Haven Origins: Lovers Conquered (8 min, 14 sec), which is a new short story, set in the past.

Haven Origins: Trust Kills (10 min, 15 sec) and it’s another short, set at the time of the Second World War. Haven Revisited: Livestream Segments with Cast and Crew (11 min, 18 sec), there are nine streams in all which can be played individually or all together.

Haven Archives: Entries from The Crocker Diaries (6 min, 16 sec), once again there are four entries in all to be played together or apart. The content delves into more history of Haven. Inside Haven Featurettes (39 min, 58 sec) and there is one for every single episode, lastly you have Interviews with Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour, William Shatner, Adam Copeland and Shawn Piller (42 min, 21 sec).

So what’s not to like, a great show with good presentation and an extra packed set.

9

Charles Packer