Well, that lasted one whole week. The secret about Charlotte not being from the Center for Disease Control, I mean.

So, the big question at the end of Thursday’s new episode, “Mortality,” was: who the heck is Charlotte and who sent her to Haven? Of course, that question should be answered next week … unless Dave is unable to get cell service or drive back to Haven on his own.

Charlotte and Dwight spent a bunch of time together, mostly with him trying to convince her that a thing called the Troubles existed in Haven. She wasn’t buying it at first–she suspected Dwight had hired a sniper to shoot him at the same time she took target practice–but finally caved.

Other than that, “Mortality” didn’t have a ton of reveals. Audrey picked up a dose of the contagion, meaning she has some sort of Trouble after all, Pete was the one spreading the contagion amongst the Troubled folk (stress will do that to poor Pete), and a guy named Kirby was able to see how people will die and told Audrey he saw how she and her “twin” will meet their dual demise.

Duke appeared to be firmly in the “bad guy” camp with Mara after she brainwashed him into thinking the town hated him–he even unshackled and allowed her outside on an emergency run to the hospital to try and get to the bottom of the contagion conundrum–but was in his right mind by the time she killed Pete to stop the contagion. Mara re-attaching the handcuffs and telling Duke she wants to help him was either the biggest play this season’s villain has or she is genuinely softening towards the big lug. I’m hoping the former over the latter because I just don’t buy them as a couple.

Overall, not the best episode of Haven in my opinion but I view “Mortality” as more of a transition episode to bigger things to come.

Notes and quotes

• “Easy on the turns, Thelma.”–Mara
• I would like a Grey Gull baseball cap
• Stan is the slowest cop on the Haven force
• I’d love it if anything I touched turned to cake

Haven airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showcase.

If only Chris Brody had flown to Haven, perhaps the town wouldn’t be in the pickle it is now. Instead fans had to settle for Chris (Jason Priestley) and his charms via Skype as he attempted to stop Dr. Charlotte Ross from investigating the weird wound on Dave’s leg. Dave rightly supposed that once Charlotte laid eyes on Chris–and was affected by his charm Trouble–she would lay off her investigation of the town.

And it worked. For awhile. Unfortunately, a double Trouble (the ghost of a dead father in a bear suit and bubbly lip disease) revealed the Troubles to Charlotte and she called the CDC to order a big “Quarantine” sign plopped down over Haven. Duke–with some help from an electrical Trouble–took out the cell tower and ended her conversation, but I’m not sure that will stop her for long. Again, if only Chris was there to apply salve to the situation. She certainly won’t be trusting Dwight anytime soon. And that’s too bad, because I really liked the fact that he and Charlotte were bonding over lobster and their military backgrounds (she from the Navy and he an ex-Ranger). It was definitely taking away the sting of Dwight losing his sister to her Trouble in Cincinnati.

Getting back to Dave for a second; his latest dream had him looking through the eyes of someone at the site of the tree carved with Croatoan, surrounded by dead bodies and a black smoke (the aether?) beckoning to a thinny shimmering in front of that person’s eyes. Are these dreams from the other side, or are they placed in the present’s past? There weren’t any answers to that one, and I don’t suppose there will be any soon, seeing as the major storyline will be the outbreak and Charlotte for the immediate future.

Meanwhile, Mara used her feminine wiles–and I think her first shower in weeks–to woo Duke. Duke, who is always left just on the outside of Haven’s in-crowd, fell for Mara’s body and her mind games. By episode’s end he had sided with Mara, who described them both as outcasts that should be taking down Haven together. Duke’s sudden switch to the dark side was stunning but not unexpected. As several readers have hinted over the past few weeks, Duke may have separated Mara and Audrey with the intent on keeping Mara for himself. If that’s the case, joining her in the cause to fight back against Audrey, Nathan, Dwight et al. makes total sense. And they would be a powerful pair.

I think the citizens of Haven has better watch out. The disease outbreak and the CDC may be the very least of their Troubles.

Notes and quotes

• Why did everyone run when the bear took his head off to reveal a blasted-off head? This is Haven and weird stuff happens all the time. Maybe they were tourists.
• “It’s the locals. They get upset when we run out of lobster.”–Dwight, after Charlotte heard screams
• Kudos to Dwight for still being able to eat after Charlotte talked about oozing pustules
• “You’re on with each other. And yes, it’s weird.”–Duke to Audrey and Mara
• “What if my bears expose us all?” Only in Haven

Haven airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on Showcase.