She wouldn't be torturing that animal if she knew which island this is...

I don’t watch a lot of TV. But when I got an email from Fancast this afternoon asking “Whose week is it to die?”, I had to find out. Which is how I ended up watching Harper’s Island.

My first impression wasn’t favorable, as anyone who follows me on Twitter knows.

Seriously, I know it’s difficult to introduce a score and more new characters, many of whom have complicated, interlocking backstories, but you can do better than this:
Abby Mills: Looks at fancy, engraved invitation in her lap, while one-eyed cabbie examines her in the rear view mirror.
Cabbie: Who’s getting married?
Abby: The groom is my best friend from growing up.
Cabbie: You look familiar.
Abby: I grew up on the island.
Cabbie: Right! You’re Sheriff Mills’ kid. What a shame. All those people? Terrible.

Or this:
Henry Dunn (that would be local poor boy Henry Dunn, groom-elect of the wealthy bride-to-be, and not to be confused with English actor Henry Dunn, whom I know from the SF Fringe): “I’m really glad you came, JD. Since our parents died, you’re my only family.”

But then the wedding party reached the eponymous island, and I noticed something.

I checked IMDB.

As I suspected:

Compare:

Here’s Abby, walking the old home road.

And here’s what’s left of poor Mr. Skinner’s Bug, after the giant rats were finished with him.

NovySan was amused.

Maybe so, but I had to point out that it’s a narrowly targeted skill.

So now I’m watching the show with an eye to spotting more locations from one of my favorite films. And yes, I’ve signed up for the contest – predict each week’s victims correctly, win $1,000. (My guess is the fat guy dies next. It’s either him or the black man, because I know how these things work.

But I’m really hoping that this blonde, whose role in the first episode is to fill us in on the serial killer who strung up Abby’s mom, gets eaten by a giant snail.

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