Toxic Masculinity S2E09 Lockdown

Previously on Haven! Nathan's getting ousted by the Rev, Audrey's getting courted by Chris Brody, and Duke's getting manipulated by Evi. So at least someone's getting made happier by the machinations in everyone's life!

We open with, aww, a boat race, and the banner for it at the Tuwiowok Bluffs, and Nathan bringing coffee to the station while an officer is bringing Dwight to the station. In cuffs. For allegedly breaking and entering, although by that tone and expression I'm going with he wasn't so much caught as someone stumbled over him. Possibly literally, there's a lot of him to stumble over. Dwight being Dwight, it's unlikely he would resist a police officer just doing his job, and by the next comment he clearly expected to be turned loose once Nathan got ahold of the case. Sadly, Nathan is no longer chief of police. So no more "special rules for special people." Let the penis waggling commence! Dwight's winning, but it's a funny stare-down, especially since the guy clearly knows Dwight can break him in half if he wants. Or expects that Dwight can break him in half with whatever Trouble he supposedly has, since Officer Smalldick doesn't seem to realize he's armed with something that could kill Dwight by pointing it at the ground. Excuse me, Officer Paul. Yes, I have my prejudices. Anyway, Nathan would now like to know what's going on please and thank you. Apparently Dwight was doing some cleanup at the meat-packing plant. Yes, with a cross-bow. I actually have no idea if this is foreshadowing to next episode, but I'm going to pretend it is because it amuses me. And given this writer's room, it might well be true. All right, all right, Nathan can take it from here, thanks. So evidently there is special treatment for special people, it's just the old fashioned nepotism rather than the Troubled. Nathan has to remind passive aggressive Paul (who is inexplicably wearing black gloves, hmm, could it be this will be expliqued later?) to take the cuffs off. Cue wrist rubbing and a brief discussion of the whole suckiness of Nathan not being Chief anymore. Actually, I can believe those cuffs were tight on Dwight's wrist, the man is pretty huge. The discussion gives us a few facts on the new Chief, his name is Merrill and he's a "reformer" whatever that means from Brunswick, and yes, he probably is clueless about the Troubles. Or if he was informed by the selectmen, the odds are good he doesn't believe them. Well. Dwight has been a good cleaner! Can has donut. With sprinkles, even.

Oh, hey, the gloves are going to be explained sooner rather than later, because in the next scene we have Paul taking them off and staring at his blackened hands. And I'm not talking Name of the Rose licked his finger and turned an inky page black, we're talking putrefaction, tied a rope around his hands and now his hands are dead and falling off type black. Interesting things are going on under this man's skin. Also in the way of, we pan the camera around behind him and in those two seconds or less it takes us to get back to him in the mirror, the rot has crawled up his neck and over his face. He has just enough time to ask "what the hell?" before he dies. Poor bastard, he was a jerk but he didn't deserve that.

So whatever it is that's going on is being ominous in the general direction of the police station, as we pan through and have a good spying-through-blinds view of Nathan dropping off someone's coffee and donuts before he comes into the office. Ooh, Audrey's putting on makeup! And making sure he's good with taking her graveyard shift. He's fine, it'll be quiet, he's not in charge, go, go on your date. But it's not a date! Audrey insists, blatantly trying to convince herself, which Nathan totally calls her out on. We get some backstory on this, in that it's been a month since Chris Brody left for London and maybe he met someone new and and and. Laverne breaks the awkwardness of the conversation about the likelihood of Chris Brody meeting someone knew who genuinely likes him, as opposed to just being whammied. Visitor! For Nathan, not Audrey, despite her leaping to the call. It's Duke! Oh goodie.

Yes, Duke, Nathan knows how you hate to go to the police. Little tinpot dictators on Jupiter know how you hate to go to the police. Duke also hates that Nathan was the Chief, or at least that's what he insists, but he also comes bearing information allegedly for free by the sound of it, about why Nathan's not the Chief anymore. Because Evi! And because she's passing along information to the Rev, and so on. Nathan knew the Rev was behind it, but see also little tinpot dictators on Jupiter and what they know, the interesting part is Evi's involvement. Duke is royally pissed about that part, he's leading the charge to get her for that, though whether that's get revenge or get whatever information she has from the Rev or what, it's hard to say at this point. Nathan is at least attempting to be by the book about this. Or he was until he and Duke spotted Paul's slime trail leaking out from under the door of the bathroom he died in. Any other town that would be a busted sewage line, but in Haven...

In happier news, semi happier, Chris is walking in on Audrey (who's assuming it's Nathan and asking about Duke's parking tickets, which apparently he does have!) and sweeping her up in a definitely showing off kiss. Great job supporting her in the workplace, dude, those cops are so going to never let her hear the end of it. Or they wouldn't, if this wasn't Haven and so on. Chris's concession to workplace is to close the door, which just leaves it up to their imaginations now that they know something's going on in there. That's not helping, Chris. Audrey will just get her stuff and they can go to the boat races! Chris doesn't want to go to the boat races he wants private sexy time of some form or another. While I can sympathize with him not wanting to be around people with his Trouble, don't you guys think this was something you should have discussed earlier? Saved by Nathan beeping to summon Audrey to the case of the black goo detective. Chris might even be telling the truth about how he loves that she doesn't listen to him, even if he's still frustrated by the whole police business cancels dates thing. I'd put this down to Chris being an asshole, I'm more than willing to because he kind of is one this episode, but the truth is law enforcement jobs are hard on relationships with or without the Troubles, and I can only imagine that the Troubles and her immunity make it even more so. Alas.

So, okay, over with Officer Black Goo, I'm suddenly remembering that X-Files reference they had back in season one and wishing there was another one here. Yes, Officer Paul Stark is dead, he's really most sincerely dead. Roll those credits! And come back to the police station, where Nathan's saying how he just saw him and he looked pale and sweaty but not, well, full of black goo. Oh god, it's the new Chief. No, Chief, that's just a dead guy who dressed up in a police uniform and collapsed of black rot on the floor of your station for kicks. Yes it's one of your officers! Fuckhead.  I know the Rev wants a puppet but unless he's going to STAND BEHIND THE CHIEF'S CHAIR waving marionette strings around he should've picked someone with brains instead of sand. The question about who Duke is is more reasonable, and Duke gives it some thought and a willpower check to not say anything that will get him in trouble before he runs off. Probably a good plan, there. There's some wondering what could cause something like this, a chemical weapon, okay, yes, in the sense that human beings are made of chemicals and some of them in this town have Troubles that can be used as weapons, sure. That's convoluted but I can roll with it. No, assuming that the Chief as he seems to indicate in his next few statements thinks that the Troubled are "fanatics" who want to target the Haven PD, but who aren't cursed or gifted with extraordinary anything (and going by the fact that he's the Rev's chewtoy he also thinks they aren't targeted by the rest of the citizens either), assuming all that, chemical weapon is a reasonable assumption to make. Chemical, bio chem, one of those. And in either case, the Chief would like Audrey and Nathan to investigate it. That might be the only smart thing he does all episode.

So, they're processing evidence while Audrey bitches that this isn't chemical warfare and Nathan tells her that the Rev is the one who had him ousted. She sounds more indignant than surprised, but I don't know why anyone is surprised by any of this, really. So it could be the Rev trying to cause further trouble, they don't take it to the conclusion of false flag operation but that's where I would. Or it could be someone trying to attack the new Chief, someone as Audrey says pro-Troubled. With know-how, technical ability, access to Paul. Nathan mentions that Dwight was arrested by Paul when he walked up, so, hey, it's time to call the mysterious cleaner! Who knows nothing, it wasn't him, you really should start trusting him more, click, and he's hauling trash bags. The hilarious thing is by the weight and reaction of those plastic bags they might be half-full of paper or leaves or something, but we're clearly meant to assume it's, I don't know, dead body parts. Something sinister. Not the way he's throwing it around, even Adam Copeland isn't strong enough to heave body parts with that kind of abandon, nor do they fly quite that lightly through the air with the greatest of ease, that daring young corpse okay I'll stop now.

Back at the police station, Duke is marching Evi up to Nathan, but not for the reasons Nathan's thinking. Apparently Evi has something to tell them! Or rather show them, and we're back to the not actually poisoned ink on a manuscript blackened fingers and thumbs. Nathan clearly isn't pleased by this, well, okay, no one is pleased by this but Nathan looks actively scared for someone who isn't putrifying before their very eyes. Actually Evi looks less vulnerable than he does, possibly because her response to being in danger, in real physical danger, is more belligerent than afraid. Also possibly because Nathan at this point had more empathy to spare for Haven and its citizenry and fewer layers of shock and trauma with no time to recover in between, so there's more energy to spare for worry and caring. You know who has no empathy? The new interim police chief! Duke's a bit defensive, given that there's only a touch of rudeness to Chief Puppet's question and the substance of it is valid. Asking if Nathan and Parker have found the chemical is less valid but only because he's behaving as if the Troubles don't exist. Because he's an idiot and an ass. And we're back to a brief touch of logic when he asks about any contact with Officer Stark, because Troubles do work that way, before he's off in we're being attacked mode. That may well be the mindset he's in, the mindset the Rev encouraged him to be in, that there are two kinds of people in Haven and one kind hates him and wants him and the rest of the so-called normals dead. Though why he goes from that to biological airborne agent and not mystical weird super-power Trouble I do not know. Majestic powers of denial. Duke is still protective, wanting to get Evi to a hospital which I can't really blame him for, medical science has at least been proven to assist or alleviate Troubles and Trouble related symptoms. And then again, with Troubles behaving in ways that respond to medical science, I can't say the Chief is wrong for putting the place on lockdown either. He's just being kind of an ass about not also going and finding and helping the Troubled person, too.

When we come back from commercial the Chief is talking to someone about waiting for instructions, the building is on lockdown, etc. Somehow, I don't think he was on the phone to the state police, despite the fact that Nathan is pretending? that that's who he was on the phone to. Or had been on the phone to, it's possible that was his first phone call. He does have confirmation that the contagion hasn't spread beyond the police station. Judging by the pose and lighting, though, I'm reasonably convinced we're meant to infer that he's talking to the Rev. It's not like we don't all know he's in his pocket. Nathan gives the update on the lockdown census, there's a doctor who's going to take a look at the body, treat the sick, so that's good. Less good are the new Chief's instructions, which are to cut off all communications to the outside, have the officers watch everyone, even going so far as to lock the internal doors? and prevent people from moving, what, from room to room? It's possible he means the external doors, that's never cleared. Oh, there he goes, now he wants everyone to surrender their weapons, fine, place all weapons in the gun locker, fine, under his personal access code, um? Exsqueeze me? Unless all the officers have his personal access code I fail to see how that's going to help anyone accomplish anything, and I'm not entirely sure it's legal. Nathan doesn't argue this much, putting down his gun and, no, not his badge, although the gesture sure looks it, enough so that I had to rewind a couple of times.

Audrey is not surrendering her gun, no way in hell. Audrey is conniving to get it locked up as evidence where only Stan the Man and the desk sergeant can get at it. And given that that's a manila envelope evidence bag and not a clear plastic one, you go Audrey. It's a better plan than Chris Brody's, anyway, which is to charm his way out of there. And I realize he's probably come to rely on that to get his grants and schmooze his way through academia and it probably does work well for that, but for specific, narrow-purpose and directed uses that is not the Trouble I would choose. There's far, far too much room for error or unpredictability in there.

Over to the late Officer Stark, where AUGH SHIT CELLUCCI. Ahem. Dylan Neal is playing the good Dr. Hugh Underwood as I giggle with memories of Blood Ties (for those of you who want to go further back he was a member of the Babylon 5 Rangers), and the good doctor is stumped. It matches nothing in the known medical records. Audrey snarks about Haven not being in the known medical records after he leaves, yeah, it's definitely a Trouble. And yes, the person probably is still in the station, spreading their Trouble. The escalation timeline isn't looking good for anyone, and in the interests of getting actual help going on, Nathan will now purloin the dead officer's radio and use it to try to contact Dwight. Who is, in fact, outside in a public works truck. Are those radios even on the same frequency? Upon further inspection it looks like Dwight's also purloined a police radio, which would fit with his character at this point, so never mind, I withdraw the question. It turns out the State Police and the CDC (and I pause here to fall off the couch laughing) got phone calls saying that any call out of Haven was a prank, and to disregard. Well, clearly someone doesn't want the authorities riding to the rescue, although given the response to the CDC threat in season four it's even odds at this point whether it's someone like Vince and Dave trying to keep Haven a secret, or the Rev trying to create a closed environment so everyone he doesn't like can die off by Trouble and not bother him anymore. Either way, it's a lockdown at a greater radius, a lockdown in layers as it were, like being trapped in an onion. Also doesn't bode well! I'd agree with Dwight that someone planned this except even the Rev's not quite the type to use someone's Trouble. Not yet.

Nathan comes out from the bathroom to the news that Evi's getting worse and there's a new victim. He'll trade Audrey bad news for bad news and tell her about Haven being cut off while they speculate what the new Chief has to do with this. Is he the Troubled person? It's possible if he didn't know he was Troubled and the stress and/or general ambiance of friction and hostility triggered his Trouble, but at the same time it's too easy and it doesn't fit with first or last person met is the Troubled. Still. They do have to talk to the Chief about the lockdown so they can fold reasoning with him and talking him down if he is Troubled into that! Or not. In fact, the talk only results in the revelation that he has men of indeterminate origin or authority outside waiting to shoot whoever takes a step out of the building, and they will only stand down on his order. Okay, that's extreme. Not only is that extreme, the Chief looks like he's on the verge of a complete meltdown, possibly literally. Sweating, bug-eyed, and at this point indirectly homicidal. Possibly directly homicidal as Audrey all but accuses him of being the source of this Trouble and he reacts with disgust, rage. More sweating, bleeding black from the nose. Accusing the Troubled of creating a mess he has to clean up. Black veins, bleeding, hemorrhaging, and eventually death. If we're taking this as roughly happening in real time from finding Officer Stark in the bathroom to now, that's a hell of a quick incubation time, and theoretically Evi should be dead. We've seen, what, three cases so far? One took a middling time to incubate given that his symptoms seemed to progress at least as far as visibility went, somewhat more slowly than the Chief's, one is still incubating, and one seemed to go from zero to dead in five minutes. So far the uniting factor between the two dead ones and their quick incubation times seems to be anger, possibly hatred. Evi doesn't hate anyone in particular and she's somewhat angry, maybe more upset and frustrated than that, and she's still alive. Will this be significant later? HMMMM. (Yes. Yes it will.)

They put him in the bathroom with Paul (heh, Audrey calls him Paul because of course she does, because she respects and cares about people as people even if they don't necessarily return the feeling) which, hey, it's as good a receptacle as any given that the morgue is not on the premises. And speculate some more about the Chief being the source of the Trouble which, no. Not likely. Dwight will radio in to confirm armed men are in fact lurking outside the building waiting to shoot anyone who leaves without authorization. Which is not going to be forthcoming now that the person who gives it is dead. Crap. He sends Dwight over to the sheriff's department for backup, no one's wondering why a public works truck is lurking around at this hour of the night? Because I know I would, unless there were the kind of warning signs and things like there was a gas leak going on. Heyyyyy....

(The heyyyy is because Haven's favorite cover story is gas leak. For those of you who didn't know.)

Audrey sums it up for all of us: we can't risk letting it out there, it kills within hours, she's probably immune, let's start the interviews and find the Troubled person. Nathan will take Evi, presumably because she's the one who turned him over to the Rev. And yes, in fact, once we get into it (and after she's fake-fainted at him, slipping something out of his pocket, nice) that is what he wants to talk to her about. Yes, Duke ... ratted on her isn't the right term, Duke went to Nathan with what he found out, I guess, and finding that out is greatly increasing his distrust of you, Evi, good job there. I'm still wondering how the hell she did get in too deep, what on earth happened? That's one thing that never gets made clear in this arc, the processes that get Evi into Haven, that get her in contact with Duke and the Rev, especially since she seems to be already in contact with the Rev by the time we get to her in Haven so what we know of her, what she says, already has an element of suspicion to it. In too deep, it'd be easy to get in too deep with the Rev's people considering how quickly they go from zero to frothing extremism, but why? To what end, at first? What did they have over Duke that convinced her, is she really that bad a judge of character that she just flat out took their word for it that he might be in trouble without talking to him first? And if so, how the hell is she a good con artist? I have so many questions about Evi and her entire damn plotline. Sadly, maybe one or two of them get resolved.

Duke has questions too! She has the same answers, and parrotting the things they're saying about he's important and he needs to learn things, and Nathan needs to be out of the way because he'd be a problem for Duke. How, though. HOW, and how is she not verifying this with her own eyes, how is she trusting absolute (and clearly biased) strangers this much, and how does a competent con artist get this fucking dumb? How does someone Duke allegedly worked with for years get this dumb? Duke is wondering the same thing, which makes me laugh not entirely in the good way. The screaming at her is a bit much, although of all the people who are flying off the handle in this episode I buy his anger more than most, given there's a betrayal and some depth of emotion going on here. Particularly the part about everything that's happened between them is controlled by them, given that he seemed to be falling for her again. Still no definite answers, or at least none from her, no proof that they showed her, no evidence (pun not really intended but there it is) she can cite. And ... that's pretty much it. It's a round robin of Duke's important, how, she doesn't know, they never told her. And Duke points out the situation they're in, how they could all die in here, and she's still not telling him the truth. Or can't. Or won't. More like won't, from his point of view. The door slams behind him, and then we do get to see what she took from Nathan's pocket: an ID card with magstrip. Well, that'll probably get her in and out of the building, or it would if she weren't scared of those couple of guys in the pickup truck outside. Who wants to be they're the Rev's men? Any takers? Yeah, I didn't think so either.

The first person we see (not the first person but the first person we see) Audrey talking to is Nicky? Nikki? Coleman, who's here on behalf of her boss about filing some building permits. She did talk to the officers, but she talked to a lot of people about filing some forms. She also is nervous about something, picking at her cup, but we don't get any clues as to what that is yet. Which actually is a nice bit of foreshadowing/hinting, it's very obvious on rewatch for the tenth or twelfth time but on initial watch it's not at all bad. Chris Brody would like to interrupt briefly because he am feel uncomfortable when we are not about me and also he's very antsy, and he might be the one person able to walk out of here safely. At least he certainly thinks so! Audrey is not having any of it, both because special treatment and because quarantine, possibly contagious Trouble, no, no one is fucking leaving, are you high? (No, but he is suffering a rather more insidious phenomenon where he's regurgitating all the abuse he's digested over the years of his father having the same Trouble, thanks ever so, everyone. Seriously, that's one of the more insidious Trouble downsides.) We thankfully interrupt this interruption with Nathan asking after Evi, Duke hasn't seen her in a bit and he's worried. A valid worry, I feel, when everyone is confined to a small building! And Nathan's keycard is missing. So, yes, Evi probably stole it and oh look. There she goes. Dropping it in the doorway for no reason I can discern (well, a perfectly good Doylist reason but we'll get to that in a second) and then storming out because she's entirely taken leave of her senses and shouting that she's going to get Duke his answers and she's not scared anymore. Really? Because I think guys on the rooftops nearby with sniper rifles is a very good reason to be scared! Maybe that's just me, and maybe there's a good dose of her feeling reckless because she thinks she's dying, that could very well be at play here, as much as we complain about Evi's intermittent common sense. She's currently suffering from an as yet not well understood Trouble and both people who've been seen to die from it have died quickly. She might feel it's her last chance to make things up to Duke. It definitely is once Duke comes storming out after her just as she's in the middle of saying "you're going to tell him what he wants to know or..." Well. Or nothing, because they won't give her the chance. (The previouslies for the next couple episodes include a different take where she finishes that with "or I will.") And thus we set an arguably dangerous and definitely irritating pair of precedents with interesting, distinctive women being killed off on Haven, and Duke's love interests dying in increasingly inexplicable/personal ways. Woo. Of course, the Rev's men aren't interested in shooting Duke, so he gets to live and carry her back inside.

She doesn't die immediately either. She lives long enough to say she's so sorry and then die, for maximum angst. Leaving aside all my vigorous complaining at the overall implications of her being shot to complete a somewhat ridiculous and egregiously obfuscated plotline of mysteries (did I say leaving the complaining aside? I meant sneaking some in while I said I was leaving it aside) it is interesting to note that both the blood from her gunshot wound appears to be black and possibly putrefied, and also that the disease has progressed significantly slower in her than it did in the other two. It could be because she was less violent and aggressive than the others? It could be that it progressed this slowly in Officer Stark and we only saw the sudden acceleration at the end. It could be that it was about to progress quickly in her and we didn't get to see it. Something to note, anyway! Duke continues to be violently pissed at everything going on in his life, and who could blame him, but now he really is ready to charge right out into, once again, a field full of snipers. He's also ready to punch Nathan for the privilege. That's okay, Nathan's going to punch him right back, and knock him out, too. Much to Audrey's... I hesitate to call it shock, exactly, certainly there's shock at the abruptness of it all. Possibly also some what the hell are you two doing and why are you doing it at a time like this. I'm going to take a second and giggle over the "be careful: work safely" sign behind Nathan's butt.

Audrey is continuing to attempt to work the case and in doing so, presumably run across Nicky Coleman's name in the files which is then conveyed by her glancing over and remembering the cup-shredding from the interview. The files part comes in when we see her meet with Nicky a moment later, telling her and us that she knows Officer Stark was called out to her home, and she spoke with Chief Merrill. So, she's definitely a likely suspect for the contagion vector. After a slightly suspicious comment about how Nicky can't be seen talking to her we'll go three for three (take a drink!) when Chris Brody interrupts to bother Audrey, this time about something more serious, his fingertips are turning black. Nicky, of course, is insta-smitten by his Trouble, which is also how we get the fact that they talked earlier in the day. So, that's enough confirmation for Audrey, which Chris Brody then picks up on and ... I'll go with browbeat rather than bully because there's more fear than malicious intent there. Browbeats Nicky to try and get her to reverse it. Which is going to be a problem because she has no idea she's doing it and Audrey hasn't even had a chance to tell her, since she just found out a second ago. Chris. You were there for Roots, you were there for Sparks and Recreation, how do you not know how this works. Argh. Slightly less meta-argh because Audrey will now comment on how he's changed, presumably for the worse by the implication of her tone, and no, he can't go out there, his Trouble is not in fact faster than a speeding bullet. And she will help fix him if he will just leave her alone for five fucking minutes and let her do her job. Chris Brody will then proceed to put his foot straight into his mouth and swallow up to the knee by wishing his Trouble worked on her. GOOD JOB CHRIS. Says the slamming door.

Behind the slammed door Audrey explains that Troubles are usually caused by a traumatic event, and tries to gently pry hers out of her. It's somewhat lacking in specifics, but I think "he's back" and "he'll hurt me if I say anything" are pretty good indicators of a traumatic event! I can't tell if she means to insinuate without openly saying anything she'll get in trouble for or if she's just not watching her words, either is possible. But yes, the traumatic event is the most likely partner abuse, which we then get. To a fair degree of ouch, this is some pretty hardcore stalking she's describing even in shorthand for time purposes.

Speaking of shorthand, by now conservation of characters I think we can all agree that Doc Hugh is the stalker, yes? Yes. Not that this is apparent immediately because he runs into Chris Brody and is instantly hit by whammy. Ooh, now there's a downside to Chris Brody's power that isn't immediately apparent because the dynamics are, due to various factors, less obvious when it's a man who's the victim. What happens when an unstable person is magically ensorcelled into being obsessed with you? Probably a situation a lot like the one Nicky was describing a moment ago. Ick. Anyway, Chris Brody is considerably bitter about being afflicted by black finger plague, and even under the influence of whammy Hugh is focused on what's going on in the office with the detective and the focus of his obsession. Chris Brody is focused on the fact that Audrey won't let him leave! My god, you two. Hugh offers to cure Chris Brody, without any specific details as to how or why or even whether or not he knows what's wrong, because he's not actually interested in fixing anyone, he's more interested in getting a gun. Possibly not even so they can get out of there! Because psycho stalker. Ooh, but Chris knows where they can get a gun, excuse him while he whammies Stan into getting that gun Audrey stored in evidence for later. Oh this isn't going to end well at all.

Audrey's theory of the Trouble of the Week is that Nicky spent so much time swallowing this poison that her abuser was putting out, that it spilled out, infected, and killed other people. Which goes also with my theory that the most aggressive die quickest, but we don't get a confirmation on that and it's only a side theory anyway. Nicky continues to terrifiedly explain how they can't stop him or stop the abuse, because he knows they're talking, which takes Audrey to the abuse is coming from inside the police station. Enter Hugh! Kicking down the door. Hi, jackass. Wife, of course his wife, at least in his mind. I'm not sure what laws Maine has on the books regarding divorce, some states I believe you can divorce a person on the grounds of abuse or other dangerous circumstance without the other person required to participate.

A few minutes and a commercial break later Hugh has everyone in the station rounded up and Nicky and soon Audrey on their knees, with Audrey making the usual pacifying noises that at least buy some time. Enough time for her to direct a look what you did stare at Chris Brody, who at least looks like he knows what he did. Apparently we've run up against the limits of his Trouble: obsessive narcissism and psychosis. Hugh doesn't seem at all inclined to do anything Chris Brody says by the way he's cowering on the ground with the other. Audrey continues to try to talk Hugh down, though I suspect she's doing it more in the hopes of averting a complete shooting meltdown rather than out of any hope of bringing him around. Hugh's side of it is mostly boilerplate abuser it's all her fault why you make me hurt you, in the most uncomfortable sense. Though he does give Audrey an idea when he gloats over how Nicky gave everyone else the disease except him. Aheh. Oh god, Chris, sit down. You don't want to add to this. Neither do you, Audrey, especially when Chris Brody's Trouble turns around to causing Hugh to ally with him in his own twisted sense, by seeing Audrey as a woman in need of "discipline" or "lessons" too. Hugh, not EVERY guy is like you, not even most guys. You dysenteric sack of piss. Extra double plus unfortunate because the proximity allows Hugh to notice that Audrey isn't sick either. Whooops.

Nathan's solution to Duke's hot-headedness is to throw him in jail! That's actually a reasonable solution, there's a limited amount of harm he can do to himself or anyone else in there, and they're still talking and they're away from the asshole with the gun. Duke swears he's not going to do anything. Nathan believes him about as much as I do. For more bad news, because that's all this night needed, the sheriff is coming in from the local county? Thereby causing the Rev's goons outside to realize from the bootleg scanner they've no doubt got that they've only got a few minutes before legitimate people with guns are there asking them why they're holding guns on a police station. So they're making their move now. Of course. Dwight, though, has him covered. From the perspective of several seasons later this is an aww of course he does, but at that point it's a bit startling, keeping in mind that we know very little about him except big burly mountain man looking cleaner. Thus with the not knowing, Nathan's going to go help him out. And not let Duke join him because Duke, you are so emotionally compromised right now it's not funny.

Back to the asshole with the gun, he's about to shoot Audrey because he can't let her live because she'll keep him away from his etc etc. Chris Brody, I don't know if he's doing this on purpose but I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he is, talking to Hugh to draw his attention while Audrey talks to Nicky, encouraging her to take control and fight back. It even works, too, possibly because of the extreme situation and possibly because of realizing she's Troubled, some combination of everything. Particularly given the personal nature of the Trouble and how it's worked and tied into her abuse, and given what Audrey's been saying to her? The dialogue is a bit abbreviated because it's television and we need the climactic scene, but hells to the yeah confronting the abuser and drawing a line and saying no more. Of course because this is Haven, drawing a line and telling her abuser to rot in hell results in Nicky's Trouble hitting Hugh big time and, whoops, dead. Thank god. Really grossly dead, too. And everyone else now free of the contagion! Yay!

Not so yay. Audrey catches Nathan as he's passing and tells him the Trouble is over, and he tells her that the guys outside are coming in. So they've still got little-t Troubles. As usual, because if it's not supernatural it's people being jerks. Audrey doesn't even argue, just hands him the gun, tells him she'll try to find more guns, and lets him go. (Chris Brody has a moment of looking somewhat appalled, but at which part of the night it's anyone's guess. Maybe his behavior? Maybe he's realized that he's been acting like a jerk, and given Audrey's commentary if it wasn't a thing that happened to him while in London, maybe it was an effect of the Troubled abuse ick contagion thing. I would not actually put it past that Trouble to both accelerate based on the aggression of the afflicted and to cause increased aggression in the afflicted. Digression over! Because in the long scheme of things the Chris Brody arc is really not that interesting.)

Dwight's idea of helping or covering the assault is, um. To charge the building with a vest on and take all the bullets? I'm not entirely sure what's going on here, either. Or why they abruptly flee after firing eight? shots through the door. I counted eight visible bullet holes anyway. And this is how we find out about Dwight's bullet magnet power! So, actually, assuming they only had that fragment of time to assault the place before the legitimate police show up, that does make a certain amount of sense. Wander around the front of the building, wait for them to pick their point of assault, soak up the bullets into your vest, break a few ribs, and then they run off. It's just not quite the plan I'd've chosen. On the other hand, it's not like he had much time to come up with a better plan. At any rate, Dwight is a bullet magnet. Nathan has the holy shit dude that is a suckier Trouble than I have I didn't think that was possible without killing people face on. It is a very sucky Trouble. Though I appreciate the continuity of Dwight wearing a vest almost the whole time he's been on the show! Except certain situations where of course not so much. Nathan goes on and admits that he might need Dwight now more than ever. Oh sweetie, you have no idea. And given what happens I'm not sure the writers have a full idea, but they're definitely getting there.

Everyone totters out of the police station. Or is wheeled out, in certain cases. Duke has a quiet moment to say goodbye, interrupted by the Rev, who I don't believe is sorry in the least. Duke doesn't believe it either. In fact, by that expression Duke is placing the blame for her death squarely on his shoulders. The Rev attempts some sympathy by calling her one of the many innocent victims of the Troubled, and that he lost his wife to them. Um. Okay, for a certain definition of lost that has nothing to do with death, as in Evi's case, and everything to do with you, sir, are a colossal dick who wouldn't let his wife get the divorce or annulment she so desperately wanted. Ahem. Duke is a bit lost, and the Rev offers to help him only after he proves to him that he's worthy. Of... what? That's both asinine and manipulative. Whether or not Duke accepts it fully or is in the throes of grief and easily led is unclear at this point in time, but he does thank the Rev for his thoughts and prayers, as the Rev says to that, which at least indicates a willingness to continue civil interaction. It's possible our response to the Rev challenging Duke to prove he's worthy would be less hostile if he hadn't been waving guns around at worried parents and so on earlier in the season, but as a general rule withholding explanations from a grieving man until he proves himself without a damn good reason given is a dick move. And the Rev has thus far been shown to be comprised of very little other than dick moves. So.

Audrey wants Dwight to try to cover up Evi's death, suicide or accident or whatever, but she needs to investigate it in a Haven way, not an official way, and she can't do that with the state ME looking over her shoulder. Nathan has slight objections to this based on that was an actual homicide, that one, not death by Trouble, which lasts until some combination of Dwight saying it's not a problem and the Rev talking quietly to a police officer about if he's going to do something then I can't tell because it cuts away. Gee, that doesn't look suspicious at all. And what rank do you hold in the Haven PD, Rev? Though, heeeeh. There's also an element of hypocrisy here given that the PD is later on run by Guard-affiliated people. But yes, Chief Merrill called the Rev several times, phone logs say. Let's have a brief walk by that's almost shot like a western flick of the Rev and Audrey staring at each other waiting for the showdown. Whistle! Whipcrack! Not really.

Out on the docks Audrey is coming to talk to Chris Brody, presumably about the whole thing with the ... everything this episode. She starts to apologize for being late and getting caught up at work, and he interrupts her to apologize for wishing she wasn't immune, which he says isn't true and I do believe him. To apologize for giving in to [the effects and emotional side effects of] his Trouble and almost getting everyone killed and, yes, as it turns out. For basically the whole thing of everything in this episode to this point. He tells her he doesn't want her to be immune, that he needs her, at which point she also points out that wanting her and needing her are two different things. Oh sweeties. Both of you, really. She doesn't want to be in a relationship because she's keeping him steady, she wants to be in a relationship for herself, with a person who wants her for herself. And eventually, yes, he might come to resent her for it. Or, neither of them are guessing this but it's possible, he might come to depend on her too much for it, or she might come to resent him for it. He needs to find his own balance. Which, to him, means being in a place where he can be alone, work alone, and someday the Troubles will end. That's not what she means, but maybe that is the solution for him, even if it's not the one she hopes for, for him. He still, in the end and at least for now, wants to be someone she loves, but half-surprisingly and half as we've come to expect for this show, right now they're doing the mature adult thing and deciding that their wants and needs, complicated by the Troubles, aren't compatible right now. Poor loves. It is for the best, but it still hurts. It's also a nice and welcome contrast to the other relationship we saw in this episode: as opposed to the abusive relationship of never I will never let you go, these are two mature adults who agreed that they care about each other, but it's not working. And thus concludes the Chris Brody arc, the only objection to which I have is that it was fairly blatantly a distraction from the Audrey-Nathan arc, an obstacle. And I think a romantic relationship deserves at least slightly more respect than that. Chris Brody at his best and, what seemed to me at least, most natural was mostly just irascible. Chris Brody the Obstacle To The Eternal Love Of Audrey and Nathan, however, was an unnecessary dick. An up and down plotline, I feel. On the other hand, it did end well.