Haven’s Christmas special aired on British television on 20th December 2011 on SyFy. While this episode is the thirteenth in the second season, the events of the episode take place outside of the season timeline. It’s July in Haven but everyone is convinced it’s Christmas and it’s up to Audrey to find out why.
Recap of “Silent Night”
It is a sunny July day in Haven and a woman is enjoying some time on the waves. As she paddles further out the tune of Silent Night is heard and she is suddenly cut in half.
In town Audrey and Nathan are enjoying a break at Joe's bakery when Audrey notices lot of people have put up Christmas decorations. She remarks to Nathan that it is very early to be putting them up but before he can reply they get a call.
They go to the movie theatre where a young girl, Hadley, has been looking for her mother. The owner tells Audrey the girl doesn’t have a mother but Hadley is insistent that she does. Silent Night plays again, confusing Audrey, and a man hanging Christmas light outsides slips off his ladder. Nathan manages to catch the man who has the lights wrapped around his neck. Audrey climbs up a cuts him free and saves the man from hanging.
Audrey doesn’t understand why people in Haven think it is Christmas Eve. Nathan calls her a Grinch and Audrey thinks everyone is playing a joke on her.
At the newspaper Dave complains that they need a new printer but Vince says they can’t afford it. The Herald is losing money but Dave reminds his brother that they aren’t writing the paper to make money. They write the paper to ‘adjust’ what really happens in Haven. Vince shows Dave an offer that has been made to buy out the paper but Dave calls it an insult. Dave mocks Vince for wanting to try more modern way to ‘adjust’ Haven and refuses to sell.
Audrey has just finished talking to Hadley’s father when Nathan comes in. There have been a lot of vehicle collisions and half of a woman’s body has washed up. As he leaves Audrey hears Silent Night again from her phone. Stan, a police officer, startles her and tells her he has found someone suspicious leaving Christmas things in town.
Audrey goes down to the cells but finds that Duke is the suspicious man. The rest of the police officers laugh and Audrey tells them it was funny but the joke is over now. Duke and Nathan don’t know what she means; they truly believe it is Christmas Eve. Audrey is now convinced that all of this is being caused by a Troubled person.
The lights in the police station are flickering and Nathan asks Stan what is happening. Stan tells them there are power outages and the substation isn’t answering the phone. As Stan talks Silent Night plays again and suddenly Stan has vanished. Audrey asks where he went but Nathan doesn’t know who she means.
Audrey tries to explain to Nathan and Duke what she thinks is happening but they think she is crazy. Audrey takes Duke to the bakery where she believes this all started, however Joe has disappeared and no one remembers him.
Audrey goes to where the woman’s body has washed up but cannot understand how it is connected to people disappearing. Duke notices there is no ambulance or other police at the scene and that 911 aren’t answering. Audrey calls Nathan for backup but he thinks she is joking and reminds her that the two of them are the only police officers in Haven.
Audrey’s phone plays Silent Night and when she returns to Duke he cannot remember why they are at the beach. The body of the woman has disappeared and Duke doesn’t remember it.
Audrey goes to speak to Vince and Dave to find out about any strange Christmas events in Haven or people disappearing. Dave checks the archive and finds an article about a man called Arthur Chambers in 1955. Arthur claimed he had made people disappear but since no one could remember the people he talked about no one believed him. Audrey notices that the surname is the same as Hadley and her father, Gordon.
Audrey goes to leave when Dave mentions something about the population of Haven being 3, 101 however Audrey remembers it being much higher; over 20, 000.
At the police station Audrey finds that Gordon has moved to Derry and convinces Nathan to come with her and Duke to find him.
On their way they find a line of abandoned cars and the front car appears to have crashed into thin air. Audrey notices the Haven sign which shows that the population has decreased even further. Audrey and Duke look at the crashed car and Nathan comes over asking why Audrey is talking to herself. Duke has disappeared and although he cannot remember who she is talking about Nathan trusts Audrey.
Suddenly they see a bird fall to the ground after hitting an invisible wall. It appears that everyone in Haven is trapped in a giant dome. They realised that Gordon must still be trapped in Haven and head back into town to his toy shop. In the shop Audrey finds a shelf of snow globes and reasons that the town is being transformed into a giant snow globe.
Silent Night starts to play again and Nathan disappears. Audrey heads to the Haven Herald only to find Vince there alone. He is confused but gives Audrey the paper’s delivery list and she goes to find Gordon Chambers.
Audrey speaks to Gordon who does remember his grandfather’s stories and that Audrey had made him realise earlier that people were disappearing. As Silent Night plays Gordon disappears right in front of Audrey. Understanding that Hadley must be the Troubled person causing this Audrey sets off to find her.
Only Audrey and Hadley are left in Haven and the town is being transformed into the version within the snow globe. Audrey finds Hadley in the cinema with her snow globe and tries to explain to Hadley that she is Troubled. However Hadley doesn’t want to listen and explains that she feels abandoned by her parents. As she bangs the snow globe on the armrest the whole town shakes and it begin to snow in the cinema.
Audrey continues to talk to Hadley, to bring her out of her fantasy world, and sees Nathan within the snow globe. Nathan looks out of the snow globe and sees a giant Audrey looking down at him. Eventually Audrey gets through to Hadley and it stops snowing. They turn around to find everyone has returned and Hadley’s mother comes back from the restroom.
That night Audrey throws a Christmas party which Nathan and others find strange because it is July. No one remembers what happened apart from Audrey and she says that the events made her realise how important friends are.
Hadley starts to play Silent Night and Audrey asks her to play anything but that. She starts to play We Wish You a Merry Christmas and everyone at the party joins in.
Review of “Silent Night”
This was an interesting Christmas episode of Haven and is quite unusual for it not actually being set at Christmas. Of course “Silent Night” is very schmaltzy at the end but Christmas episodes usually are.
The snow globe concept has been done before, last year in fact with Eureka, but Haven adds its own Troubled twist which works very well.
With “Silent Night” being set outside of the season plot arc it doesn’t really add anything significant to the Haven mythos. However that doesn’t matter as “Silent Night” is a lovely Christmas episode which manages to stay away from the Christmas clichés.
Join the Conversation